It was about half past ten when Jongdae shook Yeonhee awake as they arrived at Nihueng University Hospital.  The press was still there in droves, alongside large numbers of the general public, and it appeared that the police had been deployed because there were angry demonstrators protesting both the royal family and the now problematic issue of parliamentary legitimacy, and protesting the assassination attempt and republicans.  It was dark enough for Jongdae to be able to hand Yeonhee his jacket so she could pull the hood up over her face and they could slip inside without her being recognised.  Her grandmother had been moved to a ward two down from the king’s – Minseok was apparently in the one in between – and her parents were just preparing to go home when she slipped in.  Minhee had apparently been by earlier in the evening but had left a couple of hours earlier so that she could sleep, since she had an early start the next day.

Thankfully, nothing bad had happened to Grandma, but it was also highly unlikely she would have remembered if it had, and she was already sound asleep when Yeonhee got there.  She discovered from her parents that the arrangement was her grandmother would stay in the hospital for a few days while they fitted a secure system in her room at St Gavin’s and figured out how the members of ZPX had got in so easily, and then she would be moved back.  The hospital had also apparently taken the opportunity to run some tests before deciding on the next stage of cancer treatment.

“St Gavin’s is right next door to a police department, so apparently they just broke in through the window and took them completely by surprise,” Siwoo said as a nurse dimmed the lights.  “They apparently had some stuff they were planning to inject into the drip.  Two of them were taken by the police but one managed to escape and I think he’s still on the run.”

“Darling, are you staying here for the night or are you going back to university?” her mother asked.

Jongdae spoke up from the corner, where he’d been waiting quietly.

“Yeonhee’s friends say that university is crawling with press and thugs searching for Yeonhee at the moment.  We’ll evaluate going back tomorrow morning.”

“Is this going to impact your final exams?” asked Siwoo.

Yeonhee hadn’t even thought of that.  The exams were right at the end of July, but she only had a month or so before they started.  She didn’t imagine life was exactly going to be quiet until then.

“We’ll sort it all out tomorrow,” Jongdae said when she glanced anxiously in his direction.  “It’s been a very long day for everybody and it’s just best for us all to get some sleep.  The royal secretary will want to talk to Yeonhee tomorrow morning, though, so it’s preferable she stays here rather than going home.  I’ve arranged for you both to have a small security team that will join you tomorrow, but you’re likely to have journalists tipping up at your door and wanting a scoop.”

“What do we say?” asked Siwoo.

“That Yeonhee’s been happily dating the prince since February and blatantly had nothing to do with the assassination attempt.  If they try to pry, just say it’s your daughter’s private life and refer them to the palace.”

Satisfied, Yeonhee’s parents said goodbye and left.  Yeonhee went to check one of the rooms leading off from her grandmother’s room and discovered a spare bed in it that was already made up.  Returning to Jongdae, she shrugged off his jacket and handed it back.

“Where are you sleeping?” she asked.

He pointed to a small couch a couple of feet away.  “You’re still my responsibility.”

Grateful that he was going to stay, Yeonhee nodded.

“I’m going to see if there’s any news on Minseok or the prince.”

“Do you want me to come?” he asked.

Yeonhee shook her head.  “It’s just a couple of steps down the passage.  I don’t know how long I’m going to be and there’s security on both their wards.”

He acquiesced without a problem.  Yeonhee suspected he wouldn’t have given her the option if he felt he needed to be there, and so she quietly let herself out of the room.

Jongin stepped out of Minseok’s ward just seconds after Yeonhee closed the door.  He squinted in the bright lights for a few moments before he recognised her.

“Hi,” he said, his voice thick and croaky.

Yeonhee jerked her head at the door.  “How is he?”

“Not great.  He woke up from the anaesthetic a while back but he’s been asleep ever since and his blood pressure and stuff is still going haywire.  They’re discussing a second bout of surgery right now.”

Jongin looked absolutely awful, and Yeonhee instinctively folded him into a hug.  He made an odd whimpering sort of noise and buried his head in the crook of her neck.  For several moments, she searched for something to say, but gave up.  Sometimes not saying anything was actually better.  He seemed to appreciate it, remaining like that for a good minute or so before pulling back and attempting to smile.

“I’m going for a walk,” he said.  “I need fresh air.  Want to come with?”

Yeonhee was momentarily tempted, but then she remembered the press, and also that Jongdae would likely not be too pleased if she went without telling him.

“I just wanted to check on Minseok and the prince before going to bed,” she said.  Exhaling, Jongin nodded.

“Fair enough.  I’m staying overnight too, so I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”  He attempted another smile.  “Night, then.”

As he wandered off, shoulders hunched and looking a little lost, Yeonhee keyed in the code for the king’s ward.

Like the very first time she’d been in there, the living room was brightly lit and full of people.  She recognised one of the king’s bodyguards, since they still kept a skeleton crew there (the rest appeared to have been deployed on general palace stuff) and four of Yixing’s.  The queen was standing near the closed door into the king’s room in a dressing gown, arms folded as she spoke quietly to a doctor.  She spotted Yeonhee dithering and shot her a wan smile and a wave.

Interpreting it as a sign to go over, Yeonhee went to join their conversation.  Just as she approached, the doctor bowed and made his way back into the king’s room.

“Hello, dear.”  The queen tried to smile.  Her eyes were still red and she looked even more exhausted than Yeonhee felt.  “I gather you’ve had a rough day.”

“Not as rough as yours, ma’am,” Yeonhee responded quietly.

The queen lifted a shoulder as if to concede the point.

“How is he?” Yeonhee asked.

“Sleeping,” said the queen.  “The doctors are quite hopeful.  He was awake earlier and trying to get out of bed, so he clearly has the desire to pull through, it’s just a matter of his body following his mind.”

Yeonhee raised her eyebrows, but it sounded exactly like Yixing.

“He doesn’t recall an awful lot,” the queen went on.  “It might be the drugs.  He remembers Xiumin being shot and you being there and that’s about it.  He was asking for you just before he fell asleep.”

Involuntarily, Yeonhee glanced at the door.

“Don’t disturb him now,” the queen advised.  “The physicians say it’s vital for him to rest properly if he’s going to recover, and God only knows Yixing doesn’t exactly do rest unless he’s forced.”  She followed Yeonhee’s gaze to the door.  “We put him in there with his father.  It seemed to calm him.”

It would have broken all manners of protocol, but Yeonhee rea