The drama continues...

Yunho took his place in front of Changmin, surrounded by their team of dancers, who all looked exhausted at this point, after their impromptu dance performance. Yunho barely had a chance to talk to Changmin before they were back onstage before wasting any more time. This is not how the leader imagined their debut as a duo going. He knew something was wrong. His dongsaeng and best friend wouldn’t lock himself in the bathroom and hide just so he didn’t have to perform with him, right? When Minnie finally opened the door, he looked pale and had res puffy eyes, maybe like he’d been crying. Changmin hadn’t said anything, Yunho wanted him to explain himself, to apologize for hiding, to admit that he couldn’t do this, but no words came out of his band member’s mouth. Yunho was worried… was Changmin having second thoughts about this comeback? Maybe he wasn’t feeling well? Perhaps he got some bad news about a family member? Maybe it’s my fault. Did I push him to hard? Did I baby him too much? Was I too clingy? Yunho shouldn’t be overthinking like this, not right now anyway. He takes a breath, clears his mind as the music to their new song Wae (Keep Your Head Down) begins.

Yunho loves this song, the first one written just for the two of them. He dances his heart out to his opening lines, hoping to make up for the false start of the performance earlier. The leader hits his last notes and then holds his breath in anticipation as he waits to hear Changmin begin singing in his ear. He hates that he is not surprised when the backing track keeps playing with no vocals. Changmin wasn’t singing. Yunho is too exhausted to go into panic mode for a second time in the space of five minutes. The absence of Changmin’s soulful voice is deafening in his earpiece. Ripping them out of his ears once again, Yunho begins to sing Changmin’s part, and like pure professionals, the dancers continue on like nothing is wrong. At this rate the fans would think that this is not a TVXQ comeback but a Yunho solo comeback. Why is this happening?

Yunho tries to subtly look over his shoulder, eyes seeking out the maknae. At least he was still on the stage this time, but he hadn’t moved from the spot he was put in at the beginning of the song. From the glance Yunho got of him, he looked as white as a sheet and sweaty, even though he had yet to actually perform. Yunho didn’t know what to do, their comeback was not going well and something was seriously wrong with his friend. The leader, not for the first time, wished Changmin would open up more, talk to him more, but it had been hard since the other three had left. It took months for the youngest to even look at him in the eyes, never mind open up about how he was feeling. He would not cry, not now, he was the leader, he needed to do the right thing here.

Still singing Changmin’s verse, Yunho quickly ran through options in his head. He had years of training at this and 7 years of experience at how to be the leader of TVXQ, but he was still learning. He needed to do right by TVXQ, Changmin was now the only other member besides himself, so he needed to do right by Changmin. But, TVXQ always stuck by their commitments, and they were in the middle of an SM Town concert with other idol groups looking up to them to set an example. Startling him out of his inner struggle to do the right thing, was a deafening scream from the fans. The screams sounded shocked and alarmed, not excited. This had Yunho immediately stop singing and turn around to look for Changmin to check if he was alright.

Changmin was lying in a heap on the ground, he must have fainted, collapsed on the spot. The leader pushed past the dancers to kneel next to his dongsaeng, shaking his shoulder “Changmin-ah!!” Yunho winced when his shaking voice calling out for him could be heard all around the stadium. Curse this equipment, how many times does he have to rip these damn things off?! He throws his mic on the floor, pulling it out of the battery pack, and tries shaking Changmin again. This time he rouses, and coughs and splutters.. blood spilling out of his mouth and onto the stage. Yunho was clearly underestimating himself earlier, he has plenty of energy left to panic once again, and also have a bit of a cry, the red of Changmin’s blood tinting his vision.

After that the chaos around Yunho happens in a blur, he feels useless, numb. He vaguely notices people trying to move him, pull him away from Changmin, but the leader never lets go of the death grip he has on s’ hand. Even though Changmin is taller than him, this is the first time in many years that Yunho has seen him as small and vulnerable. He grew up to be such a confident man, filling up one fifth or one half of the stage, or even commanding it all on his own. But now with no lights, no music, silence from the fans, the dancers and their staff surrounding them, four or five or six paramedics touching him, Changmin looks small, and Yunho feels small.