Changmin had known this particular makeup artist for a while — Lee Bora had been employed shortly after the lawsuit, and, in Changmin’s opinion, was a fairly pleasant person to be around. She was cheerful, friendly, and spoke her mind with no fear of the repercussions.

That was why, when he sat down to have his makeup done before his TV appearance that day, he knew he’d be flooded with questions about the condition of his face.

He wasn’t disappointed.

“Holy mother of Christ!” Bora cried, her eyes widening. “Sweetheart, what on earth happened to you?!”

“I walked into a wall,” Changmin told her bluntly. She stared at him incredulously; he shrugged, avoiding her gaze.

“Oh hell,” she murmured, shaking her head. “You look like someone punched you — no, I take that back. Like they smashed you against a wall repeatedly. Or against a rock. Yeah, that would probably make more sense — I think I see some grazes too.”

“Did I say ‘wall’?” Changmin muttered. “It was actually a huge pile of rocks.”

“You’re not going to tell me what happened, are you?” she sighed, reaching for a container of concealer.

“…No,” Changmin replied, shrugging.

“Well at least tell me it’s all been sorted out,” Bora muttered, as she dabbed a large, bristled brush into the container, and then proceeded to brush it against his face. She frowned, muttering, “might need two pots of this…”

“Everything’s been sorted out,” Changmin promised her, and grimaced as soon after. Well, maybe ‘sorted out’ wasn’t the best word but…well, Yunho knew about it. The thought of their encounter that morning still made Changmin feel exhausted. Despite the maknae’s pleas that the leader drop the issue, Changmin didn’t doubt that Yunho wouldn't be leaving him alone for quite some time. His hyung’s horrified expression when he’d first caught sight of him that morning, and his repeated demands to know “who did this to you?!” were still fresh in his mind.

“This is going to be hell to cover up,” Bora sighed. “Sorry sweetheart, but you’re probably going to get a lot of comments about the quantity of your makeup.”

“Is he done?” Yunho demanded, walking into the room. His face was still drawn with worry; Changmin felt a spark of remorse for causing his hyung stress, because he’d promised himself to make things easier for the leader after the lawsuit. While their personal issues with JYJ had ended along time ago, and they were now in contact (at least in secret) with their former bandmates, Changmin still clung to his silent promise.

It was times like this, however, that he realised that his efforts were fruitless. It didn’t matter how hard he tried; Yunho was his hyung, and he was his dongsaeng, and because of that, the feelings of responsibility and protectiveness would probably never go away.

“I’m fine,” Changmin told him softly.

“I just wish you would tell me what happened!” Yunho retorted. He turned to Bora, his eyes wide. “Did he tell you anything by any chance?”

“Not unless ‘I walked into a wall’ or ‘I walked into a pile of rocks’ sounds like a viable answer,” Bora replied, setting down the brush.

“Oh great, another two stories to add to the bunch,” Yunho sighed. He shot Changmin a desperate look. “Min, if you would just — ”

“Hyung, you don’t have to worry,” Changmin told him. “I don’t want to tell you because it’s an embarrassing story. Really. I’m not in trouble or anything.” He turned to Bora. “Am I done yet?”

“Yes,” the stylist replied, looking uncertain. “Changmin — ”

“I’m fine,” the maknae said, forcefully. He stood up, dusted himself off, and nodded to Yunho. “Come on, let’s go.”

He walked forward, his strides swift and purposeful. He ignored the apprehensive stare Yunho shot him, mingled with fear and concern, and forced himself not to think about that horrible sensation of falling.

As he left the room, Bora’s words entered his mind. “Like they smashed you against a wall repeatedly. Or against a rock. Yeah, that would probably make more sense — I think I see some grazes too.”

Or as if he’d been hurled against a rock…falling, down, down, down, his body crashing against the rough, granite surfaces surrounding him.

Changmin shook his head, forcing the image out of his mind, and willed his body to move forward.

…

“What’s wrong?” Minho questioned, his body twisting slightly towards Kyuhyun. The elder’s eyes were fixed straight ahead, his gaze immovable from the television screen.

“Nothing,” Kyuhyun muttered, shaking his head. His fingers fumbled with the game console, and he ignored Minho’s gaze.

“Oh come on,” Minho sighed. “It’s not often we have a break, and we have to head off in about half an hour, so enjoy the freedom while you can.”

“I am,” Kyuhyun muttered.

“Kyu.”

“What?!” Minho quirked one eyebrow, his expression a mixture of amusement and concern. Kyuhyun sighed, his shoulder’s slumping. “I just…can I ask you something?”

“Alright,” Minho replied, nodding. “What’s up?”

Kyuhyun paused the game, and turned fully to face his friend. His expression was apprehensive. “Have you ever…experienced something strange?”

“Uh…” Minho stared at him oddly. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that. I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

Kyuhyun sighed. “Fine. My dorm was empty yesterday, right? And I walked to the living room, and there were voices in the kitchen. Female voices.”

Minho’s eyebrows raised. “You’re bandmates are dating? Wow. That is strange I suppose. Is it anyone we know?”

“No, Minho, that’s not what I’m saying!” Kyuhyun snapped. “Look, they were arguing, okay?”

“So, is it one of those situations where the girls find out they are both dating the same guy, and he — ”

“No!” Kyuhyun snapped. “I went into the ing kitchen and guess what? There was no one inside!”

Minho stared at him.

“It was empty!” Kyuhyun cried, breathing heavily. “But I know I’d heard voices coming from inside! So…god, I have absolutely no idea what the is happening.”

“Calm down,” Minho sighed. “It was probably the television.”

“The television was off Minho,” Kyuhyun snapped. “And the dorm was completely empty. So — so what? Can you think of any logical explanation for this?”

“It was a prank,” Minho replied, promptly. “I mean, your hyungs probably got sick of you constantly tormenting them, so they decided to retaliate. I mean, they just coincidently happened to be gone that night? I’m telling you, it was all a scheme.”

Kyuhyun blinked. “That…maybe.” He looked away, uncertainly. “I can’t think of how they’d do it though.”

Minho shrugged. “A pre-recorded tape? They could have hidden it somewhere…I don’t know. I can’t think of any other explanation though.”

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun agreed, nodding uncertainly. “I mean, I suppose that makes sense.”

Minho smiled and turned the game back on. Kyuhyun turned to face the screen, and was relieved to find that he felt slightly calmer after Minho’s explanation.

Yes — it was probably all a prank. His stupid hyungs had probably tried to outsmart him (and he would never in a million years admit that they had almost succeeded). That was all it was. He was sure of it.

After all, what else could it be?