Three hours had passed. Along that time, Eric didn’t move from his seat beside Hyesung’s bed. Their fingers interlaced, and Eric was relieved to feel the warmth slowly made its way back to the Little Prince’s body. Yet Hyesung was still unconscious, and there was no sign of him will regain his consciousness any soon.

“Eric.”

Eric turned his head, seeing Dongwan entered the room with gloomy face.

“Media found out.”

Eric bowed, sighing heavily.

“Tell them anything. I don’t care.”

Yes, he told the truth. Eric really didn’t care. All he cared about now was Hyesung, and only him.

Please open your eyes. He stared down at the beauty in front of him, whose eyes tightly shut.  Dongwan was about to say something, but he stopped when the Leader startled.

“Eric?”

Eric looked down, his heart beating rapidly as he saw Hyesung’s fingers twitched.

“Dongwan-ah…” He said under his breath. “He’s awake!”

Dongwan’s eyes widened as he hurriedly approached the bed. They dared not to gasp for air as they saw Hyesung’s hand moved slightly, and few seconds later, his eyelids fluttered open, showing a pair of big dark orbs behind it.

“Hyesung-ah!” a relief exclamation escaped Dongwan’s lips.

Hyesung stared blankly at the people above him. He blinked few times, trying to adjust his eyes to the light. He opened his mouth and asked hoarsely. “Where am I?”

“In hospital.” Eric smiled, feeling relieved as well. “Are you okay?”

“Yah, you scared us!” Dongwan whined, but couldn’t hide his happiness to see his friend had been awake. “Don’t do that anymore!”

“Oh…”

Hyesung blinked again, looked so cute and clueless that Eric just wanted to hug him. But the next words from Hyesung stunned both him and Dongwan.

“Who are you?”

“Look here, ‘Shinhwa’s Shin Hyesung Hospitalized Because of Unknown Disease’.” Andy slid his finger on his smartphone’s screen, pacing back and forth. “Great thing they’re still in the dark to what actually happen.”

“Sit down, Andy-ah, you make me dizzy.” Minwoo massaged his temple, talking on his phone. “Yes, make sure nobody say anything about him having amnesia. I want you to guard this room, and if possible, the corridor. Don’t let anyone get any closer, Taehak, you understand?”

He hung up and then stole a glance at Eric, Dongwan and Junjin who were surrounding Hyesung’s bed. Hyesung was awake, leaning on his bed head and listening attentively at everything Junjin was saying, but the quizzical look on his face told Minwoo that the Little Prince didn’t understand every single thing he had been listening to.

“Now you know, we’ve been friends for half of our life.” Junjin said. “So don’t tell me you don’t remember anything about us. There must be something you do remember, right, Hyung?” He looked at the patient hopefully and sighed in defeat when Hyesung stared back at him apologetically.

“Let’s not push him too hard.” Eric grasped Junjin’s shoulder.

He knew Junjin was dead worried about Hyesung, but Hyesung looked so much in pain too as he trying hard to remember anything. Eric was afraid he would collapse again if they pushed him too hard.

Junjin gave up trying. He Hyesung’s arm and gave him a brief hug, whispering. “It’s okay, Hyung. We still love you.”

He then got up, approaching Andy who was still busy monitoring the news on his smartphone, leaving Dongwan and Eric with Hyesung.

“I want you to go home and get some rest, Dongwan-ah.” Eric patted the vocalist who had been sitting stiffly beside the bed with sadness on his face. “I’ll take care of him.”

Dongwan looked up to him. “If I didn’t start the rubbish talk about AP—“

“It’s not your fault.” Eric interjected sternly; looking straight at the younger’s eyes. “I don’t blame you, nobody does.”

“But…”

“Dongwan-ah.” Eric sighed. “You heard what the doctor said, this is only temporary. He is in shock. When he get better and regain his composure, his memory will be back anytime.”

“Okay.” Dongwan nodded weakly.

“Now, go home, take the others with you.”

Eric watched as Andy, Junjin, Minwoo and Dongwan took turn hugging Hesung and left, promising that they’d come again in the next morning.

“Why don’t you go home?”

Eric blinked as he turned to look at Hyesung. The Little Prince was staring at him questioningly with his big beautiful dark orbs.

“I… Well…” Eric cleared his throat. “Somebody should stay and watch over you.”

“I will be fine.”

“I can’t be sure of it.”

Eric leaned on the wall, carefully maintaining the distance between them. As if he was afraid that Hyesung might freak out if he was too close to him.

“You really have no idea who I am?”

“I don’t even know who I am.” The beauty smiled. “Who am I again…? Hyesung…?”

“Your name is Jung Pilgyo.”

Eric had to suppress a grin when Hyesung opened wide in shock and disbelief. “That’s your name. Hyesung is your stage name. You’re a singer. We are.”

“We?”

“You, me, Dongwan, Minwoo, Junjin and Andy.” He smiled. “We’re in a group called Shinhwa and you’re our main vocalist.”

Hyesung looked amazed. “I sing?” he frowned. “You know, when the doctor told me I have amnesia, I thought my life was miserable and that was the cause I can’t remember anything, because I’m trying to escape from it.” He paused. “But from what you told me… And that guy told me… Junjin, is he? My life sounds great and wonderful… So why can’t I remember anything?”

Eric opened his mouth, not sure of what he wanted to say.

“I don’t know.”

Hyesung was silent for a short moment.

“Tell me about myself again.”

And Eric spent half an hour to tell Hyesung about himself and them, to the very detail. The Little Prince listened to what he was saying, he would frown once in a while when he heard something unusual, and when he said that they were the Oil-and-Water couple of Shinhwa, Hyesung couldn’t hold his curiosity.

“We’re the cat and dog? We?” he gestured to himself and Eric.

“Yap.”

His eyes narrowed. “But you’re nice to me.”

“You’re the one who usually push me away.”

“I did?”

Eric chuckled. “Yes, and I’m the one who cling onto you.”

“Wow… I must be a bad guy.” The Little Prince said in awe. “I have to apologize to y-y-you…” He yawned.

“Get some sleep.” Eric quickly approached the bed, pushing Hyesung down softly. “You need to have some rest as much as possible.”

“I will.” Hyesung lied down, pulling the blanket up to his neck.

“If you need anything, I’ll be outside.”

Hyesung nodded and closed his eyes. Eric stood there for a moment, looking at his friend, trying to hold back the urge to approach him, trailing his fingers on his silky hair, pinching the chubby cheeks, hugging the slender body, kissing the red and kissable lips…

Eric shook his head few times to get rid of the thoughts. Grudgingly, he forced himself to turn and walk to the door.

It felt so wrong. Something was off.

Hyesung wasn’t himself.

Eric knew the younger was having amnesia, but there was this tiny part of him that kept whispering to his mind.

Hyesung wasn’t himself.

Not even once he pouted after he regained consciousness. Not even once he touched his hair, or his lips, something he usually did hundred times per hour. Would amnesia make people forget even the habit they had been doing for more than decades?

For Eric, it wasn’t like Hyesung had amnesia.

It was like the man who was sleeping now wasn’t Hyesung.

Eric’s hand just touched the door’s handle when the bed behind him creaked.

“Eric?”

His heart jumped to his throat as he heard the way the other called him.

“Hyesungie?”

Hyesung was sitting in the bed, panting.

“Hyesungie…?”

Eric couldn’t explain how but he knew, he just knew. The one who was looking straight into him was Hyesung. The Hyesung he always knew. His feet moved without his consent, and with few big steps he was already beside the bed, inches away from Hyesung who lifted his hand and…

-SLAP-

“Ouch!”

Eric put his hand on his reddened cheek.

“Yah! What’s that for? Why did you slap me? You—”

Words failed on Eric’s mouth when a pair of arms hugged him tightly and a faint vanilla scent and soft silky hair tickled his nose.

“I touched you! I can touch you!” Hyesung said with a trembling voice. “I was so scared, Eric-ah! I thought I will never be back! I… I…”

Stupefied, Eric didn’t make any single move.

“I was trying to call you but you didn’t hear me. I… I…”

Eric finally regained his consciousness. Flinging his arms around the trembling body of Hyesung, he gave him an assuring , whispering repeatedly even though he had no idea what scared the younger so much. “It’s okay. You’ll be okay.”

Hyesung didn’t calm down until half an hour later, when he finally sat, hands around his folded knees. His face was still pale, and shadow of terror was still flashing on his eyes. He was shivering, but Eric knew it had nothing to do with the air conditioner.

“Feeling better?” he questioned softly, seating himself on the edge of the bed.

Hyesung nodded, his lower lip nervously.

“Don’t lie.”

“I do.” The Little Prince retorted, trying to sound vicious but fear betrayed his voice.

Eric let him be. He was dead curious about what actually happened, how Hyesung could be not so himself at one time and completely changed only in few minutes, but he wouldn’t force anything to him. He was also worried about what had scared him. He failed to recall when the last time Hyesung looked so vulnerable like this.

Hyesung was sweating, and he didn’t stop shivering, so Eric put his arm around his shoulder and leaned in.

“Back off!”

“Aw!”

Hyesung hit the older on the stomach painfully.

“Seriously Hyesung-ah, I just want to help!” Eric protested.

“Don’t you dare taking advantage of me!” Hyesung pointed his finger to the Leader, who opened wide in disbelief. “What?!”

Hyesung grunted, his fingers instinctively touch his hair and stayed there. Eric wanted to smile. This was Hyesung. The real him.

“Then I’ll just sit here and do nothing, if it’s okay to you.” He pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat on it.

“…Where’s everyone?”

“I told them to go home. They never left you when you were unconscious.” He paused. “Not even when you were awake and forgot everything about us.”

Much to Eric’s astonishment, Hyesung wasn’t surprised to hear that he had forgotten his group members. Instead, he received it rather calmly, as if he had known it.

“Why are you still here, then?”

Eric lifted an eyebrow. “To be someone you could always hug when you were freaking out?”

Hyesung pouted and punched Eric’s shoulder.

“Not funny.”

Eric chuckled.

“Hyesung-ah.”

“Mmm?”

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

Hyesung lifted his head, staring at Eric with doubt in his eyes.

“You’ll think I’m crazy.” He whispered.

Again, Eric lifted an eyebrow.

“Right, whatever.” Hyesung gave up, sighing heavily. “It’s the AP, Eric. I did it.”

Silence.

More silence as both of them stared at each other without saying anything.

“Eric, I did the AP.” Hyesung reiterated. “And the previous me who talked to you, it isn’t me. It’s a wandering soul. One of many.”

-tbc-

AN: Hello! As an apology for the delay of update on the 1st chapter, I decided to post the second chapter earlier than I planned. Ah... That, and other reason is because I'm on vacation... XD So I don't know if I could post another update in the near future. By the way, I have another thing to apologize, I know this fic isn't as crack as some people (and I, too!) expected, I don't know why it turned out rather serious on the first two chapters but I'll try to keep it as light as possible. One thing I could say, though, this isn't going to be an angst, I can promise you that. :) And let me say thank you, again, for you whom I already mentioned in the previous chapter, also for miumiu123, esluve, luvlybum, noncommon, MilkTea-Baby, achimei, eleman, tokki24, justtheretoread, LLamperouge, and wingy28. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what do you think so I can improve myself! Thank you <3