A/N: THOUGHTS ARE IN ITALICS

Author POV

Changmin walked into the ward where Jennifer was resting. It was off visitor hours but he had gotten permission to be there.

“Appa got to know that it was hyung who got shot. I had no option but to tell about you.” He informed her as he walked to the bed. “They are very angry at me for taking you there.”

“Ani. I’ll protect you” She smiled.

Changmin took his place by her on the bed and pulled her to a hug. “It’s all my fault.” He blamed himself, “If I wasn’t so selfish you wouldn’t be in this situation”

But Jennifer wasn’t listening. Her mind flushed clean on contact with his body forcing her processing power to completely crash.

“Oppa” She muffled over his warmth, hugging him back.

“All I wanted was to keep you away from hyung because I knew that if he likes you, he would do something to keep you with him today”

Jennifer had shut her eyes in bliss. She was hugging her crush, her brain still taking its time to understand his words.

“I hate him for finding you but I am equally grateful. I just can’t imagine how I can face your mother if something happened to you”

“Mama adores you. She won’t scold”

Changmin softly smiled. “Sleepy?”

“And leave this? Hell no!”

“Aish!” He raised his hand to hit her but stopped. “You are a born flirt!”

Jennifer smiled and pulled away. Changmin playfully pinched her nose. “Cute Jenni” He cooed

“Handsome Max” She grinned.

“Am I disturbing something?” The third person’s rather unimpressed voice forced both Jennifer and Changmin to look towards the door.

“Ajushi?!”

Before she blink her eye he was by her side, inspecting her from head to toe.

“Omo! Your head!”

“Beats getting shot at though” She tried to act cool

His arms dropped instantly. “But it was my son who got shot”

Jennifer instantly regretted what she had spoken. “But he is alright, isn’t he?” She verified, “I heard he was here when I was still sleeping”

Mr. Kim sighed. Taking the liberty to pull the chair by the bed closer, he sat on the opposite side to where Changmin sat. “They’ve injecting him and put him to sleep now” He informed sadly.

“Something like an anesthesia?”

The response was a nod.

“That’s good isn’t it? He wouldn’t feel the pain and would sleep”

“Not on his birthday!” The sad father snapped, “He’s supposed to be enjoying today not getting shot at!”

Jennifer was wide-eyed. “Birthday?”

“Yes!”

“But-” She didn’t know what to respond and looked towards Changmin, who bit his lip hard.

“This is going to scare him for life! Oh why are bad things happening whenever it is his birthday?!” His father cried, “First he had to see his mother getting shot! He lost little Heyri and now, he himself got shot! On his birthday!”

Jennifer swallowed her spit and leaned back.

“What wrong did my boy do to suffer so much?! Can’t he just happily spend his birthday without involving anything bloody?!”

“Ajushi, please.” Changmin attempted to calm the situation. “The police will find the culprit and put him behind bars for sure!”

“Yeah right” He snorted, “They didn’t find a damn thing about my wife’s killer for 10 years. You think they would find this bastard?!”

“Ajushi-”

“I have a feeling it’s the same people. They must be thinking to hurt my baby since he is fighting to bring justice to my wife’s murder!”

Jennifer shot a look at Changmin who had his eyes set on the elder.

“I’ve begged Jaejoong to stop looking for the killer. That it is not going to bring her back, but no! He was adamant!”

“Ajushi, we can’t be sure. It was a public place with many people. Hyung could have just walked past the actual target and got hit instead”

Changmin’s words somehow brought a shiver to Jennifer. Jaejoong was walking towards her when he got shot.

So was she the target?

“Oppa” She clenched the hem of his top