Warnings for this part: none 

Minhyuk…

You wheezed as you tried to breathe in through the pain that made both your vision and mind blurry. Your head hurt and it was a miracle that you were still conscious. Still, your body moved on its own and you crawled away from the vehicle you had just crashed. 

I’m sorry…

Your heart ached at the thought that you were still conscious and hadn’t lost your memory, which had been the motivation for you to crash the car. An unsuccessful plan that had been not only impulsive but also desperate.

What am I going to do now? I don’t want to hurt you…

Suddenly, there was nothing beneath your body and you began to fall. Your body ached even more after you stopped rolling. There was something hard and uncomfortable under your back but you couldn’t move your body anymore.

Since there was no light inside the forest and your vision was blurry, you couldn’t see anything other than a few light spots you assumed to be stars on the night sky. Their faint light comforted you.

As you lay there, the memories came flooding back. You could feel your feet ache only at the thought of running through the cold and dark forest. You remembered Minhyuk’s face of relief when you had stepped out from behind the tree. You came, your own voice from that time echoed inside your head. 

Will you come this time, too?

You let the warm tears fall to the ground as you listened to the faint sounds of the forest. It was rather quiet but there were some sounds of what you figured were branches snapping. They got gradually louder. Soon they started to sound like hurried footsteps.

“______!” a familiar voice called your name, causing the corners of your mouth twitch in an attempt to smile. 

The pain seemed to vanish as the footsteps got closer and closer. You could hear your name being called again and again. Your lips eventually curved into a smile as you listened to the familiar voice.

As you could feel your body starting to become powerless, the footsteps became louder and more hurried. Then, you could feel warm hands against your cheeks, accompanied by a worried voice call your name. The sound of other footsteps came closer but you just smiled. 

“You came…”

“_____,” you opened your eyes at the sound of a familiar voice.

At first, all you could see were the white ceiling and walls, then the numerous plants. Then, your gaze stopped on Eunkyung. 

“Eunkyung,” you smiled to the old friend. 

She reached her hand towards you and petted your hair gently. “You’re here again,” she sighed.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized.

“It’s okay,” she said and helped you sit up on the bed. “You’re not dead yet.”

A small smile formed on your lips as you thought about Minhyuk. 

Once again, he came to me.

Eunkyung looked at you silently for a bit before grabbing your hand with both of her own. “It was a stupid stunt nevertheless,” she scolded. “Promise me not to do such a thing ever again. You could end up dying.”

“I promise,” you reassured her and felt your heart ache. “Though, I kind of would prefer not waking up this time around…”

She furrowed her eyebrows ever so slightly upon seeing your smile fade. “Are you worried about what you know?” it was almost like she could read you mind. 

You nodded. “What am I going to do, Eunkyung?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, somewhat sad. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”

You hung your head low as your mind filled with horrible scenarios and thoughts. You began thinking of ways to lose your memory, which scared even you when you realized how far your thoughts went. So, you shook your head to get rid of them.

“Listen,” Eunkyung spoke softly. “I know it’s hard for you right now. Still, don’t let the stress and anxiety take over your life.”

You forced a smile that didn’t last long, as you couldn’t shake off the thought of having to wake up and deal with the horrible reality. Eunkyung’s comforting presence made you want to stay with her longer, to at least come up with some sort of plan.

“Can’t I just stay here?” you asked with a lump inside your throat. 

Her gaze was empathetic and sad. “As much as I would absolutely love your company, I don’t want to allow that. I know you can live a happy life.”
You swiped away the tears that were threatening to fall. 

“Once you wake up in the hospital, talk to him. You two should figure out what’s best for both,” she wrapped her arms around you and hugged you comfortingly. “I know it’s tough right now but don’t worry. You’ll get through this.”

Minhyuk’s POV

“The higher-ups have been captured by the Clan, excluding the two that died in the crash,” Yuna’s words caused different reactions in all the five of us.

“What are they planning to do with them?” Changkyun was first to ask, with a somewhat wicked smirk.

“I don’t know and quite honestly I do not want to know,” she shook her head.  

“Did the Clan suffer any losses?” Kihyun asked, causing Yuna’s expression to darken. 

“Jiho was killed,” the mention of the leader made everyone grow silent. 

“Who’s going to take her place?” Hyunwoo asked the question we all wanted to ask but were nervous to hear the answer. 

“The Clan is so shattered right now that they haven’t gotten around to discussing that matter just yet. I think I’ll have to be there when they do, though. Who knows, I might be able to convince them to choose someone a little less aggressive,” Yuna explained.

“I’ll come with you,” Hyunwoo spoke and she nodded.

“Sounds like a good idea since you are all ex-members,” she shrugged and frowned soon after. “Where’s Hyungwon?”

“Took off, haven’t seen him after all the action started,” Changkyun hissed. 

“We talked about trying to find him now that things have calmed down a little,” Jooheon explained to Yuna. “Being the hothead he is, he’s going to get himself into trouble sooner or later.”

“Speaking of that,” Hyunwoo jumped in on the conversation. “I think we should probably leave now. The longer we wait, the harder it could get to find him.”

He received nods of agreement from the others. 

“I’ll stay here,” Kihyun stated. “With this one,” he pointed at me. “To keep him sane. And keep him from doing stupid stuff.”

The three nodded and glanced at Yuna. 

“I’m going to stay for a while,” she said. “I want to make sure _____ is okay. I’ll notify you once I hear from the Clan.”

And so, the trio left, leaving a silence behind. As I listened to the sounds coming from the end of the corridor, my mind quickly became filled with thoughts of _____. After we had brought her there, I hadn’t seen her again. The doctors told us that she needed surgery, so I assumed that was where she was.

“Any news on ______?” Yuna eventually broke the silence. 

I shook my head. “I think she’s still in surgery.”
Kihyun snickered beside me, causing me to look at him with a frown. “Sorry, I just find it funny how radical she can be.”

I sighed. “Yeah, tell me about it.”