Sequel to One Thousand Words! This will make more sense if you read that first~~

It had been two years since Ryeowook’s death. The members of Super Junior had slowly gotten accustomed to not having their lovable eternal maknae around, but nothing was ever the same as it had been. Yesung, of course, took it the worst; even two years after the accident, they sometimes heard him crying into his pillow late at night when he thought they were asleep. He put on a brave face around them and in public but, when he was alone, he let his sadness overtake his being. He missed his Ryeowook every second of every day and, despite what the others said, blamed himself for his dongsaeng’s death.

It was May first, the second anniversary of Ryeowook’s death. The members had requested the day off so that they could pay their respects but, when they woke up that morning, they saw that Yesung was nowhere to be found.

Sungmin bit his bottom lip nervously as he looked around the dorm, dragging Kyuhyun with him. “You don’t think he went and did something drastic, do you? I know he’s been really upset recently because it’s been so close to…well…you know, today, but he wouldn’t have done something drastic, right? Right?”

Kyuhyun yawned, rubbing his eye sleepily. “I don’t think so, hyung. He probably just left early to go to Ryeowook hyung’s grave to spend some time alone there before we all go.”

“You think?” Sungmin looked up at the younger man; he was still worried and there was a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him something had happened (though that voice always chimed in when one of the members was out of his sight), but he decided to trust Kyuhyun’s hunch. “Let’s get ready then. We need to leave soon.”

Kyuhyun nodded, yawning again, and disappeared into his own room to find his best tux. Sungmin sighed softly. “Jongwoon hyung, you better be okay.”

---

Jongwoon was kneeling by Ryeowook’s gravestone in Incheon; he’d brought flowers and placed them neatly on the ground in front of the grave before kneeling and letting the tears well up in his eyes.

“I miss you, Ryeowook,” he mumbled, his vision blurred. “I miss you so damn much. I love you more than anything, and…” He paused, swallowing hard. “I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry that I didn’t stay back with you that day. I’m sorry that I didn’t check on you before I left. I’m sorry that I left you to go to the recording studio on your own. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to pull you out of the way when…when that car…” He stopped, choking on his own words as the tears flew freely from his eyes.

“I’m just sorry,” he whispered several minutes later, and then Ryeowook was there, standing next to him, looking perfectly healthy and very much alive. He nearly laughed. “Now I’m hallucinating seeing you. God, I miss you so much, Ryeowook.”

“Jongwoon hyung.”

“And now I’m hallucinating your voice. I miss your voice, Ryeowook. If you were here, I’d never let you leave my sight, you know. I’d tell you how much I love you every time I could and—”

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up; hallucinations weren’t solid and they certainly couldn’t touch you. Ryeowook was smiling down at him, his gentle eyes swimming with tears of his own.

“I love you too, Jongwoon hyung, but you can’t live like this,” he whispered, bending down and slipping his hand into his hyung’s.

“R-Ryeowook? B-but you’re…you’re…you can’t be….”

The younger man reached out with his free hand, wiping the tears off of Yesung’s face. “You can’t live like this,” he repeated. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“But—”

“No buts, hyung! You have to promise me that you’ll…you’ll move on. That you won’t live like this. I don’t like looking down from Heaven and seeing you in so much pain. It hurts.” Ryeowook’s voice had fallen to a whisper and he sounded like he was desperately trying to keep the tears in his eyes from actually slipping down his cheeks.

“But how are you even…”

“Being friends with an angel has certain perks.” Ryeowook managed a small smile. “She’s really nice and agreed to help me come down to see you today. It takes a lot of energy, so I can’t come often, every few years at best, but…I just wanted to see you today, hyung, and tell you to live your own life.”

“How am I supposed to live without you, though?” Yesung’s voice was so soft that the younger man barely heard it.

“You’ll find a way. All of the other members have been trying to help you; I’ve been watching. You just have to let them. Open your heart again. Don’t close yourself off to everyone just because you lost me.”

“I love you, Ryeowook.”

“I know, hyung.” Ryeowook gently rested his head on Jongwoon’s shoulder, squeezing their connected hands tightly. “I love you too.”

---

Sungmin blinked several times, then rubbed his eyes, and when the image of the eternal maknae didn’t go away, he finally just gasped out, “Someone please tell me you see him too.”

Leeteuk nodded dumbly, not quite believing what he was seeing. “That’s Ryeowook.”

“But he’s…well, he’s dead; how could it be Ryeowook?” Kyuhyun looked completely baffled.

“But it is Ryeowook!” Donghae looked rather hopeful; maybe, by some weird freak accident or something, he’d come back!

It was like the figure heard them talking; he turned slightly and saw them, flashing them a bright smile. He murmured something softly to Jongwoon before straightening and walking toward them, waving.

As one, they ran forward, meeting him halfway and each one throwing their arms around him in turn, marveling in the fact that Ryeowook was there in front of them, smiling, as if he’d never left.

“Ryeowook, how—” The eternal maknae cut off Eunhyuk’s question with a wave of his hand.

“Angels,” he said shortly. “I’ve made some rather good friends up in Heaven in the past couple of years.” He turned to Donghae. “Hyung, your dad told me to tell you that he’s so proud of you and that he loves you very much. He watches you a lot, you know, and he talks about you all of the time.”

Donghae’s lip quivered for a minute before he pulled Ryeowook into another bone-crushing hug, tears rolling down his face.

Sungmin ruffled Ryeowook’s hair fondly. “We’ve missed you a lot, especially Jongwoon hyung.” By now, Jongwoon had joined the others and was doing his best not to burst into tears again. “Are you…” He didn’t have to finish his question; Ryeowook knew what he was asking and he shook his head slightly.

“This is only temporary. I probably only have a few more minutes with you, anyway. But it was nice to be able to see you all again – really see you, and get to talk to you, not just see you from Heaven. It’s different there; you kind of see everything through a lens, like you’re watching a show. It’s nicer to be here with you.” He smiled. “But you all better know that I’m cheering you on! You better believe that I’m your biggest fan!” He giggled and everyone, though they looked depressed at the thought of him leaving again, laughed with him, patting him on the back or ruffling his hair or pinching his cheeks. A few minutes of chatting later, Ryeowook glanced down; his fingertips were beginning to vanish from view. He glanced around at all of his hyungs. “May…I have a moment alone with Jongwoon hyung before I go?” he asked shyly. They all immediately agreed, telling him goodbye and hugging him one more time.

“We’ll be by the cars, Yesung,” Leeteuk said. “We’ve got to get the flowers for the grave.”

Jongwoon nodded and the other members headed back toward the cars, leaving Yesung and Ryeowook alone there in that graveyard.

“Promise me that you’ll live again,” Ryeowook whispered, wrapping his arms around the taller man and hugging him tightly. “Promise me that you’ll stop blaming yourself for something that wasn’t your fault and that you’ll open your heart again.”

Jongwoon held him close, biting back tears as he nodded. “I promise. For you. I love you.”

“I love you too. More than anything. I’ll be watching you from Heaven, okay? I’ll never really be that far away.”

The older man swallowed hard and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Ryeowook’s soft lips connected with his own. A second later, Ryeowook pulled back, smiling tenderly.

“I love you,” he mouthed as he slowly vanished from view.

“I love you, Ryeowook. Thank you,” Jongwoon murmured to the empty space in front of him. He stood silently for a moment before he caught sight of Leeteuk in the distance, holding several bunches of flowers.

“Hyung! Teukie hyung! Let me help!” he called out, running forward and taking some of the flowers from Leeteuk’s arms.

Leeteuk blinked; that was the happiest he’d heard his dongsaeng sound in years. “You okay?”

“Seeing him one last time helped,” Jongwoon said with a small smile. “I still miss him and I always will. But I promised him that I would try to live again, and I intend to honor that promise until we’re together again.”

Jungsoo grinned. “Seems like only Ryeowook could talk sense into you.”

Yesung shoved his hyung slightly. “Shut up, hyung.”

“I’m glad to see you genuinely smile again, though. Honestly.”

The pair reached Ryeowook’s grave and gently placed the flowers next to the ones already there. They waited until the others had joined them before bowing deeply in respect, murmuring a few words, and turning to leave. Yesung hung back for a second, staring up into the sky.

“I’ll live for you, Ryeowook. Wait for me.”

Sungmin glanced back. “Yesung hyung! Hurry up!” he called, wrinkling his nose at the older man.

“Coming!” Jongwoon called back, smiling. “I love you, Ryeowook,” he whispered to the sky, then ran to catch up with the other members. It was time to live again.