For Cho Kyuhyun, life is just a big game of what if and if only. It doesn't matter what he wants, he'll just regret doing it later. Thus it goes on, day after day after week after month after year. Frankly, it's boring.

Then he realizes: he can just make life not boring.

Thus is born the Night Stalker, who commits petty crimes only at night, graffiti-ing buildings, breaking windows, stealing flowerpots.

He drives the police crazy, leaving no trace of his whereabouts, seeming to appear out of thin air, and disappear into.

Cho Kyuhyun is aware that, once he is caught - because he is bound to be - his life will be over, spent sitting in a lonely gray jail cell.

Alas, and how right he was. Half a month later, Cho Kyuhyun, amateur in the art of crime, drops his aerosol can as a megaphone blares an arrest. He is apprehended on the hood of a police car, in front of a half-finished masterpiece, in the dead of night. His anthem is a wailing siren, and his colors are flashing red and blue. The few spectators only look on coldly, silently, then turn away.

Cho Kyuhyun is forced into the backseat of a police car, flanked by policemen on each side. He gazes out the dashboard, because that is the only window he can see out of, looks at his distorted reflection in the polished silver cuffs on his wrists, and he smiles.

Cho Kyuhyun does not have a record. He is a perfect, clean, worthy citizen. His grades in school were top ten. His health is excellent. He has a high-paying job. Why he turned to crime, the police do not know. They interrogate him, but he only smiles and asks for his glasses.

"I was bored" is the only answer they manage to get out of him.

Cho Kyuhyun lands himself five years in jail. His family is devastated; where did they go wrong? How is their perfect son so not perfect?

Cho Kyuhyun goes to jail with a smile. He walks into his cell and sits down, observing his surroundings.

White, white, and more white. Oh, and the occasional stain. Otherwise, white. Not gray like he had imagined. Not dirty and broken, but clean and whole.

Cho Kyuhyun smiles and hums a song to himself. He learned it back in grade school. The lyrics might have gone something like this: don't leave me, don't leave me... stay with me, stay with me...

Sleep does not come easily to Cho Kyuhyun that night. Why is it so cold in jail? The blanket is so thin too...

Cho Kyuhyun wakes up frozen to the bone. Breakfast is cold and waiting. It's still better than what he had in school.

The day is mostly boring until he gets to meet up with the other inmates.

Cho Kyuhyun stands there with a smile, in front of an entire sea of glares, hands folded in front of him, and hums a song to himself. He learned this song in middle school. The lyrics may have been: f, o, r, e, v, e, r...

Life falls into another repetitive cycle. Cho Kyuhyun talks to the other inmates. Some of them even become his friends.

Park Jungsoo is five years older than him. He is a soft-spoken man who has dimples when he smiles. He has a life sentence for attempted murder.

Kim Heechul is Park Jungsoo's best friend. He is quite the opposite of said best friend, being both sharp-faced and sharp-tongued. He was jailed for deliberate harming of others. He says that his one regret is not being given a life sentence...

Cho Kyuhyun watches the tears pool in Park Jungsoo's eyes, and he sees Kim Heechul's gaze soften, and he keeps quiet, humming a song to himself. The lyrics might have been: our endless moment, pray for you...

Han Geng is a Chinese man. He chooses not to speak, but whenever he does, everyone listens. He was jailed for six months for theft.

Kim Jongwoon is a mystery. His eyes hide secrets, and his hair covers his eyes. His crime was also attempted murder, but his sentence is fifty years.

Kim Youngwoon is a buff man who is actually quite nice. He is always loyal to his friends. He was jailed for drunk driving for two years.

Shin Donghee and Lee Sungmin only stayed one month. They were framed for electronic fraud.

Lee Hyukjae and Donghae are siblings. They always finish each other's sentences and bring laughter to a place where there should not be. They were jailed for three months, for purposeful destruction of property.

Zhou Mi and Henry Lau are friends. They are always polite but prefer to converse privately in Chinese. Zhoumi came for drug dealing, and Henry for smuggling.

Choi Siwon is a gentleman. He is friendly and polite to everyone. No one bullies him. He was caught for online fraud.

Kim Kibum is quiet. He never talks unless he needs to. He gets along with everyone, and yet he is always alone. He has a death sentence for deliberate murder.

Kim Ryeowook enters Cho Kyuhyun's life in his last two months. Kim Ryeowook stands in front of an accusing crowd, nervously introducing himself in a high-pitched, stuttering voice.

Afterwards, Cho Kyuhyun seeks out Kim Ryeowook, humming a little tune in his head. He may have learned it in high school, and the lyrics could have been: love won't stop...

"How was your first day?" Cho Kyuhyun asks, as he always does. Kim Ryeowook starts, nervously pushing up his thick glasses.

"I-it was cold," he answers with a tentative laugh. He is still nervous, because he sounds like a chattering squirrel. Cho Kyuhyun smiles.

"Yes, well, you get used to it." Without asking permission, Cho Kyuhyun sits down. "How long are you going to be here?"

Kim Ryeowook avoids his eyes, looking everywhere else. Cho Kyuhyun chuckles, patting his orange-clad arm.

"It's okay," he says. "My friend there, Park Jungsoo, he has a life sentence. Kim Jongwoon, there, has fifty years. It's okay to have a long sentence."

Kim Ryeowook looks into Cho Kyuhyun's eyes, wide and clear and sincere. "Really? I have... two life sentences on my head."

Cho Kyuhyun's eyes widen momentarily in astonishment. "You must have been very successful, and your lawyer very good."

Kim Ryeowook shows a bitter smile, cold and without humor. "The other side was just merciful. They pitied me."

He refuses to say anymore, and Cho Kyuhyun does not press the matter. They sit in silence, and the day after that, and the day after that.

Soon, it is a normal sight for Cho Kyuhyun and Kim Ryeowook to be together, sitting against the wall in silence.

One day, Cho Kyuhyun hums a little tune. He thinks he remembers some of the lyrics: what's your wish, yeah, tell me...

Kim Ryeowook looks at him in pleasant surprise. "I sing too," he admits. "It helps stave off loneliness."

Kim Ryeowook teaches Cho Kyuhyun new songs. Cho Kyuhyun tells Kim Ryeowook that he only has a short time left.

"Life is a short journey," Kim Ryeowook says with a smile. "Enjoy it while you can."

Two months later, Cho Kyuhyun takes one last look at his pristine cell, sits down on his rock-hard - and cold - bed, and sighs.

He walks through the long hallways, passing every locked door. He passes the cafeteria, the social room. His heart is unbelievably heavy.

Finally, he stops in front of the door. He sings a song that he learned from his best friend and finally realizes how Kim Heechul felt. The lyrics go like this: press the reset, press, press the reset...

-----

Kim Ryeowook grows close to Park Jungsoo and Kim Jongwoon, who both have life sentences, or close enough.

They have known Cho Kyuhyun the longest, and Kim Ryeowook listens to their stories with an open mouth.

Cho Kyuhyun is perfect, was perfect, is still perfect. It hurts to let him go, but Kim Ryeowook wants Cho Kyuhyun to have another go at life, to succeed this time.

Park Jungsoo tells Kim Ryeowook about his own story, about Kim Heechul, who earned himself an out card but refused to use it. Kim Heechul who entered society again, only to land himself a death sentence. Kim Heechul, who just wanted to be with Park Jungsoo forevermore.

Park Jungsoo's eyes fill with tears, and even blank, emotionless Kim Jongwoon looks away.

Kim Ryeowook is sitting with his friends one day, humming a tune that Cho Kyuhyun taught him. The lyrics are: I stand at the crossroads with the aroma of coffee...

The door opens, and Kim Ryeowook cannot believe his eyes. Park Jungsoo and Kim Jongwoon both take in sharp breaths.

Cho Kyuhyun stands before a crowd of mostly blank spectators, wearing a small, knowing smile. He meets Kim Ryeowook's eyes immediately.

"Everyone, I am Cho Kyuhyun," he says, never taking his eyes away from Kim Ryeowook. "I was once jailed for multiple petty crimes at once. This time, I come with attempted murder. I have a death sentence."

Here, Cho Kyuhyun's smile falters a bit. Kim Ryeowook gasps, drawing attention to himself, but he doesn't care anymore.

Cho Kyuhyun, death sentence. Cho Kyuhyun, who could have started over. Cho Kyuhyun, death sentence.

Park Jungsoo pulls Cho Kyuhyun into a hug, and Kim Jongwoon touches his arm. Cho Kyuhyun, however, has eyes only for Kim Ryeowook.

Park Jungsoo and Kim Jongwoon retreat, watching as Cho Kyuhyun holds out his arms, watching as Kim Ryeowook slowly moves towards them.

"You idiot," Kim Ryeowook whispers. "Why did you do it?"

They circle each other, and finally, Kim Ryeowook slaps Cho Kyuhyun with all his force. Cho Kyuhyun's neck snaps to the side, a red mark already forming on his cheek.

A look from Kim Jongwoon scares away all other spectators.

Cho Kyuhyun does not hold his cheek. He only smiles sadly. "I thought that I could change Kim Heechul's fate, but I could only follow him."

Kim Ryeowook dives into Cho Kyuhyun's chest, letting his tears wet the bright orange jumpsuit.

After all these years, Cho Kyuhyun finally lets himself cry, tears falling into Kim Ryeowook's soft brown hair.

The day that Cho Kyuhyun is taken away, Kim Ryeowook kisses him.

Cho Kyuhyun savors it, kissing him back with passion, and then tears himself away. "I want this to be my last memory," he says, running his fingers through Kim Ryeowook's hair. Their fingers are tightly entwined until the last possible moment, as guards pull Cho Kyuhyun away, and Park Jungsoo gathers Kim Ryeowook into his arms.

A tune plays through Kim Ryeowook's head. It is one that Cho Kyuhyun taught him, one that Kim Heechul wrote for Park Jungsoo, one that everyone knows and cherishes. The lyrics go like this: I love you... say I do...

Look homeward, Cho Kyuhyun. Look homeward, angel, and Kim Ryeowook will always be waiting.