A soft continuous beeping sound roused Sungmin from his sleep. His body felt tired, and he wanted to sleep some more, but the strong smell of his sterile room invaded his senses. He tried opening up his eyes, but it took him a lot of effort  before he was adjusted to the light.

He stirred, trying to move every muscles that seemed like have been idle for a great while.

"Sungmin," a familiar male voice called. He cannot believe his ears. Was he really there with him? The voice called him again, but now it was followed with a gentle grip on his hand. "are you awake?" Sungmin nodded faintly. He wanted to voice up his thoughts, but his dry throat silenced him.

Since he cannot talk, he forced his eyes to open. He wanted to see the most important man in his life, the one he love the most. And so he did.

He blinked several times to focus. When his eyes were fully adjusted, he saw the man holding his hand like he was going away. The warm smile told Sungmin that the person was happy- no. The person overjoyed upon seeing him. In return, Sungmin smiled back and called him.

"Papa."

"I haven't heard that name in a long time." His father said, almost tearing.

"Where are we?" Sungmin croaked. His father immediately helped him to sit up and handed him a glass of water before replying.

"We are in the hospital right now." His father explained.

"But why am I in the bed? Aren't you supposed to be the one hospitalized?"

"I woke up the day they admitted you in."

"What happened?"

"I should be asking you that question. Hangeng knew something. Maybe he could explain." The click of the door informed them that someone had entered the room. "Oh there he is!"

"Sungmin!" Hangeng exclaimed. "The library was lonely without you there. How dare you sleep for three straight months."

"What do you mean three months? What really happened?"

"You don't remember?" Hangeng asked cautiously. "You were in a car accident. Someone told me you tried to run head to head with an approaching car. You were not badly hurt, but the doctors said you were the one who didn't want to wake up."

"Why would I approach a car?"

"Were you not chasing after him?" Hangeng carefully asked.

"Who?"

"Do you remember anything before the accident?" Mr. Lee asked. Sungmin thought hard for a while, raking his head for any memory. He slowly shook his head when he came up with nothing.

"Not even the statue?" Hangeng asked.

"What statue?" asked Sungmin.

"Kyuhyun's statue. The one I brought back from Greece." His father commented.

Sungmin tilted his head on the side and frowned. "Who's Kyuhyun?" That question worried the other two people in the room.

"I never thought a day would come when you're going to forget your favorite story," said Mr. Lee. "I haven't told that story to you in a long time. I don't mind telling it to you again now." He then proceeded to recount the story.

After hearing the legend he always heard as a child, Sungmin had a deep thought. "Are you not mistaken father? I don't think I would like that kind of story. It is so tragic. No one had their happy ending."

"It was all that scarred-face man's fault." Hangeng butted in. The father and son looked at him with curiosity. "Mr. Lee translated the misplaced scroll found in my room. It seems like it was a letter from the servant to Kyuhyun, explaining her actions.

"She was just trying to protect her master, her best friend, the way she thought was right. Then there's this scary guy came and cursed them. Now the people are blaming Minsung, when she's the real one suffering." Contempt and concern was apparent in Hangeng's voice. Sungmin, on the other hand, suddenly felt the princess' misery. "He is uglier than his scars."

As the portal closed, Heechul's face glowed and accumulated more scars. They were back, back in the garden where they last saw Minsung and Kyuhyun. However, the once beautiful and delightful garden felt gloomy and cold. Their clothes returned to their old ones, but it felt foreign to their skin. They don't feel they belong in that place anymore.

They stayed silent and peaceful for a while, gathering any courage left to continue living without the precious people in their lives. However, their peace was short lived. The sound of broken twigs and angry murmurs filled the mountain. In a distance, they could see faint illuminations of torches and weaponry yielded in the air.

Heechul panicked. He was sure the people would point their fingers on him, and they would punish him. He knew he deserved to be punished, but Siwon thought otherwise. Siwon removed his coat and draped it over Heechul.

"Run. Save yourself and run. You took care of Sungmin, and let this be my gratitude for you. I'll take care of them." Before Heechul could even respond, Siwon turned him around and pushed him. Heechul took a step and then another one, until his feet was taking him away from the scene. He fled away, going to the only place he knew. Heechul returned to his cold abandoned mansion.

Heechul was standing outside the bitter cold air, afraid to go inside his mansion alone. He stayed inside library's small room with Sungmin and Hangeng, but he was happier. He was afraid that he will die alone, an idea he lived by before.

"Why won't you go inside?" a familiar voice asked him. Heechul turned his head and saw Donghae tilting his innocent face on the side. "It is cold in here. Let us go inside."

Once inside, Heechul confronted Donghae.

"What are you doing here? Where is Hyukjae?" Instead of answering, Donghae kept walking and looking at the hallway, seeing the things more amusing than Heechul. "I'm asking you."

Donghae stopped. He looked at Heechul with sad eyes. "You don't have to lie to him you know. I was hurt by you before. I know how painful it is to be rejected, but most importantly, you do love him too. You are hurting the both of you."

Heechul scoffed, masking his real emotion. "What do you know? You're not even Eros' right hand."

"I know love." With those words, Heechul shut up.

"I don't belong there. I won't be able to come back here if he still loves me. Besides, he deserve someone much better, not a foolish like me."

"There is a reason you still have scar on your face." A new voice joined their conversation. They looked at the end of the hallway and saw Hyukjae. "You still need to learn how to fight for your love. Also, Sungmin still need your help." Hyukjae smiled and the wall brightened.

When Heechul left, Siwon yielded his sword and blocked Sooyoung from the angry mob. When the people reached the garden, they were surprised to see Prince Siwon and Sooyoung together. But what took their attention was the coats of Princess Minsung lying on the ground.

"Prince Siwon! We are searching for Princess Minsung, and this is the only place left. She should be here somewhere." A guard said.

"You won't see her here." Siwon declared.

"Her majesty's clothing is here your highness. Let us just do our job." He then commanded his troop to search the ground high and low, not leaving a single spot untouched. They stumped the ground, slashed the plants and destroyed the place.

Sooyoung cannot accept what she was seeing. "Stop!" she wailed. She cannot see the place Princess Minsung once treasured to be trashed in an instant. "She's not here!" she added. "She's somewhere happier. Please... stop."

Her pathetic pleading was ignored by the guards who considered her as a fool, so Siwon took that chance to flee. He took Sooyoung by her arms and left the mountain unnoticed. It pained him to see the place destroyed thoughtlessly, but he had to save Sooyoung and himself.

"We'll go to my country." Siwon proposed. "You can have another start there. You are my sister, and I'll take care of you." Sooyoung helplessly looked at him. She didn't want to leave, but she was not welcomed in the palace anymore. Silently, she agreed.

They traveled by land, traversing every morning until the sunset, then they'll stay in an inn somewhere along the way. In every place they stayed in, Sooyoung would share the tale about Princess Minsung, the curse and the world she saw thousands of years ahead. Many dismissed her story as a mere idiotic thinking, some enjoyed the tragically romantic story of the princess, but no one believed her. Siwon more than once prevented her from telling the story, but Sooyoung was persistent.

When they were a day away from Siwon's kingdom, however, Sooyoung suddenly disappeared. Siwon went to the innkeeper and inquired about Sooyoung's whereabouts.

"I apologize my lord, but she said not to disclose it to you."

"I'm begging you. I can't let my sister alone by herself."

When the innkeeper heard the word sister, he suddenly changed his tone. "Your sister, she said she's going to return to the mountains. She said something about the secret garden. Forgive me my lord, but I think she does not want you to follower her wherever she is going."

Sooyoung felt indebted to Siwon. From the start, the prince didn't left her side. He even helped relieving her from her weighty guilt. She just can't add anymore burden to the prince. The night they were near the other kingdom, Sooyoung decided to go back and restore the garden. That was the least she could do.

She journeyed, resting as fewer as she could to arrive sooner. After days of walking, she arrived the place. The place was devastated. The palace guards left it in a mess. She felt broken like the place. With short slow steps, she tried to look for plants she could salvage. The harsh winter also did its own share for the damage. Still, she didn't lose hope.

She walked and searched the whole place. When she didn't find a single thing, she'll go to another side. The sun was setting, but she still haven't found anything. She then decided to go near the edge of the mountain. And there it was. Despite the altitude and weather, a single stem of red tulip was feebly swaying at the edge of the mountain.

Sooyoung was delighted. She carefully went near the plant and reached for it. However, when her the tip of her fingers brushed the stem, the wind blew. The flower's weak roots gave up and followed the wind. That was the last living plant and Sungmin's favorite flower. Sooyoung cannot just let it go. With a swift movement, she grabbed the flower, and successfully seized it. Not a second later, the ground she was standing in, started to crumble down.

Sooyoung fell along with dirt and rubbles, but she quickly clutched on a protruding root. The tulip slipped out of her hand and got stuck along the roots that she was holding on. She tried to raise her body with great difficulty, but it was no use.

She looked up. The tulip's bud was bent on her direction as if it was looking at her. She smiled. She remembered how Minsung would care for her despite her low position. The princess never left her; she didn't even replaced her after what she had done with Kyuhyun.

"The curse was already broken." Sooyoung thought. "Be happy my princess. Even if you have forgotten about me, I would treasure our friendship. We will always be together in my heart." The wind blew once more, responding with Sooyoung's thoughts. She took a deep breath as she saw the tangled flower flow with the wind once again. "We will always be together." She released her hands and followed the flower with a smile on her face.

Sungmin was sitting on the car on the way home. After final physical examinations, he was approved to go back home. Mr. Lee was driving while Hangeng was sitting on the passenger seat. Sungmin was facing the window, looking at the city as they pass it.

Hangeng gave him back his phone at the hospital. He looked at it, searching for anything that would remind him of the past. Still, nothing was useful, except for the rose charm dangling on his phone.

He took out his phone again and looked at the charm. He turned his head once more to face the window. He didn't know why, but his eyes won't stop crying. He just feel like something important was missing in his life.

"Sungmin," his father called. Mr. Lee looked at the rearview mirror and saw his son wiping his eyes. "the Jeju library would be done by next week. Do you want to come with me and inspect it?" Sungmin inhaled before giving a positive reply. "I was also told that improving the hill inside the property was your idea. I can't wait to see how they did it. Are you not excited Sungmin?" with a forced smile, Sungmin nodded towards his father. On his last attempt to cheer Sungmin, Mr. Lee added, "I'm sure you'll love it. You might remember something once we are there."

A week passed and the father and son drove over to Jeju, leaving the library in Hangeng's hands. Hangeng was monitoring the lobby just before the staffs and library employees come for the day. He was walking with his flashlight on when he saw a silhouette of a person standing outside. He walked closer and saw the man smiled.

They arrived at Jeju by night. Sungmin insisted on visiting the library first before heading to the hotel, so his father drove him there.

"Are you not coming with me?" Sungmin asked his father who was still sitting inside the car.

Mr. Lee just shook his head. "I'm too tired. Go on. You're old enough to be by yourself."

"Are you not worried that someone would kidnap me?"

"I'll even pay them to keep you."

"Father!"

His father chuckled. "Go on before I change my mind and drag you to the hotel with me." Sungmin hesitantly turned around and entered the premise.

"Be happy Sungmin." Mr. Lee mumbled. Once Sungmin was out of sight, he started the car and drove away.

Sungmin was treading slowly, enjoying the cool wind as it relaxes his thoughts. In a distance, he could see a hill. Was that the hill his father was talking about? He can't remember. He'll take a look later, he just need to see the building first- the majestic building.

Sungmin stood silent as he let his eyes feast over the magnificence of the building in front of him. The building looked like a castle with modern touch at some parts of it. His heart raced at the familiarity of the place. He must have talked a lot with whoever designed this place.

He wanted to tour the inside of the library, but he didn't have the keys, so he decided to visit the hill. As he entered the deeper part of the forest, an image kept flashing on his mind.

A woman, a woman with long skirt running, looking for something he did not have an idea about. Then a river- Sungmin paused as he saw a manmade river stretched in front of him. Has he been here before?

Sungmin kept walking. A little bit more walking and he saw a pathway surrounded by colorful flowers. Suddenly, Sungmin's worry about his memories vanished. He let himself enjoy the beauty in front of him. His father was right about him loving the place.

He bent and smelled the buds and let its scent fill his body. He carefully brushed his finger against the plants and enjoyed the way the flowers touched his skin. He walked some more, stretching his hands to touch anything he could.

He thought that the place could never be anymore perfect. However, he was surprised to see a pavilion standing in the middle of the forest near a manmade river. He didn't waste his time and ran towards it. Inside, he saw the place was filled with tulips. Some were almost fresh while some were almost withered. He was about to pick a stem when a voice startled him.

"Sungmin?"

a/n: I know I don't know them, but it still hurts to see aspiring people end their lives in a tragic way.

I feel sorry for those they left: family, friends and supporters. Eunbi and Rise... See you soon.

I swear I didn't meant for this chapter to coincide with the accident. This was planned to happen a month ago. I apologize if it affected you in a bad way.

The next one is the last chapter. Thank you. (Let me be serious just this time)