April 2017

Yongsan Army Barracks, South Korea

“You think too much,” Siwon murmured as turned in his bunk, trying to get some sleep before they had to get up in a couple of hours and join the rest of their squad for field maneuvers in the mountains in the northeast of the country. Normally they wouldn’t be separated from their unit like this, but the Blue House had specifically requested their presence at a reception for the Chinese prime minister the night before, hence they had stayed behind. It turns out the South Korean government was not above using all of its available resources for diplomacy, especially it found out that the prime minister’s daughters were huge Super Junior fans. So, after a night of doing their duty as cultural ambassadors, they were back to being conscripted soldiers and who had to complete their monthly military training with their unit. “Jiwon will hunt you down if you even think of backing out now. And then she’ll come after and kill me for not stopping you from thinking such foolish thoughts. She may be my little sister, but she’s got my mom’s temper, so don’t even start down that road.”

Donghae chuckled. Somehow, Siwon could always read him like an open book. It was like he could see Donghae’s thoughts and knew what Donghae was about to say before he said it. Hell, Siwon could read all of them like an open book. Leeteuk was always their leader, but sometimes it felt like Siwon was the glue that held them together. And he didn’t know, or even quite believe, how the Choi family became so much more to him personally. When Super Junior started more than 12 years ago, no one in the group, and very few people in all of SM, knew of Siwon’s real background. For the first 3 years or so, they had no clue that Siwon was the heir to one of the oldest and wealthiest chaebols in South Korea. Siwon and his family never let on who they were. Siwon’s parents were as loving and warm as any of the other Super Junior parents, supporting the group with food, going to concerts, being their biggest cheerleaders. None of them could have guessed that the kind and gentle middle-aged couple who visited them weekly and chauffeured them all over the place in their early days also owned a massive multinational conglomerate in real estate, international banking and finance, retail, and construction.

To Donghae, Siwon’s parents had always loving toward him, but especially so after he and Jiwon started dating at the beginning of 2016. Donghae had been friendly with all of the siblings in the larger Super Junior family, but he and Jiwon had always had a special relationship. Since he was the younger sibling in his family and he knew how annoying older brothers can be, he and Jiwon instantly bonded. Their brother/sister relationship flourished over the years and then blossomed into something much, much more. As Donghae watched, Jiwon transformed from a shy and awkward sister into a stunning young woman whose beauty and grace took his breath away.

Not that he had the courage to do anything about his crush. It wasn’t that he feared what Siwon would do to him if he followed his heart. No, it was that Donghae never thought he would be good enough for Jiwon. And he didn’t want Jiwon to go through what Sungmin’s then girlfriend and now wife had to go through with their fans, especially the Korean fans.

Thus, he was more than shocked when Jiwon made the first move with their first date in late December 2015. That memory always brought a smile to his face. He and Siwon had only one day off for Christmas, so he joined the Choi family for their annual Christmas party and Midnight Mass instead of heading to his mother’s home in Mokpo. It was that night that Siwon pulled Donghae aside, saying that he wanted to show Donghae something in the back of his parents’ home in Itaewon. At first, Donghae looked at Siwon like he was crazy, given that it was snowing and about -10 C outside. But then they got into Siwon’s car and drove, yes actually drove, to the other side of the property, where Siwon stopped in front of a smaller house that Donghae surmised to be a guest house.

“You have 10 minutes…exactly.” Siwon told him sternly, with a mischievous smile on his face. “The two of you better be back in this car in 10 minutes so we can get back to the party without anyone realizing we’ve been gone.”

And that was how Jiwon had made the first move in their relationship. She had been the one to ask him out on a date…Midnight Mass on December 24^th. Siwon had helped her plan it all. Exactly 365 days later, Donghae and Jiwon met at the exact same place, but this time it was Donghae who had the surprise in the form of an exquisite diamond engagement ring that Siwon and Yoona had helped him pick out at Cartier in Paris. Donghae could honestly say that it was one of the happiest words he had ever heard when Jiwon answered his question with a simple “yes” before jumping on him and kissing him senseless.

“Siwon,” Donghae said quietly, knowing that the other man was still awake.

“What?!” Siwon grumbled in reply. He really really needed sleep.

“Thank you. Thank you for everything.” Donghae said earnestly.

“You think too much,” Siwon said again. And even in the darkness, Donghae could still see the smile on his friend’s face.

Joint Operations Military Hospital

Daegu City, South Korea

Kim Ryeowook had never expected to like military life…and that statement was still true. Ryeowook didn’t just like it, he absolutely loved it. He had never worried about the physical exertion and stamina needed for military duty, much of which were child’s play compared to the endurance he needed for a Super Junior show and schedule of activities. Rather, he had always worried about how his fellow soldiers would treat him. While the likes of Siwon and Leeteuk can make friends anywhere, Ryeowook was not like them. He was more reserved, more cautious, more cynical. He didn’t make friends easily, but much to his surprised he quickly bonded with his fellow squad members during boot camp. He found that this type of camaraderie was different, not better or worse, just different. His fellow soldiers didn’t judge him on anything other than what he did in the unit, how he could carry his own weight, and how he supported others. They didn’t care that he was a celebrity, that he was part of this K-pop phenomenon, that their little sisters had his picture hung up on their walls at home. No, they only cared and judged him based on him being Ryeowook. And that was the main reason why he loved military life. Two years of military duty may seem like a burden for some of his fellow idols, but for Ryeowook it was 2 years of freedom.

Ryeowook glanced at the clock on the far end of the ward, a move that he regretted instantly as it sent throbs of pain through his head. ‘This is what you get for being stupid,’ he admonished himself. It was 2:30 AM in the morning and he was lying in a hospital bed because he had been foolish…or stupid…or both. He didn’t have to take that extra jump from the tower in preparation for his first parachute jump in the morning. No, but he did it anyway. And when the pulley system holding him up malfunctioned and slammed him hard into the ground, he had ended up here with a mild concussion. No parachute jump in the morning but rather 24 hours in the hospital for observation. If the doctors released him, then he’d be able to make his first jump next week.

He heard the door to the ward open and whispers from the doctor and nurse who were making their rounds, checking on each patient’s condition. There were only 3 of them in the ward, so the two were taking their time, making sure everything was in order. Ryeowook closed his eyes, not wanting to let them know that his head was throbbing still. He didn’t like drugs, and he knew that if he told them of the pain they would likely give him something that would knock him out again.

“What was all that shouting in General Im’s office the other day?” Ryeowook heard the doctor ask the nurse as they got closer to him.

“Oh…it was one of the soldiers assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police.” The nurse answered. “It’s a special case that the general took on at the request of the General Staff in Seoul.”

“Really? Isn’t that unusual?” The doctor asked, now more curious than before.

“Yes, apparently this soldier isn’t any ordinary conscript…he’s an idol…and if his condition got out…it could cause all kinds of PR problems. So they asked General Im to handle the case personally.”

“Wait, General Im is a cardiologist, isn’t he? The case is that serious?”

Ryeowook was only half-listening to the conversation until the nurse mentioned idol, and then he was fully alert. And at the mention of cardiology, his own heart began beating faster. Who were they talking about? There were only a few idols who were actively serving in the military right now…and only 3 that he knew of who were assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police. It can’t be one of them, could it? Surely she wasn’t talking about Donghae…or Changmin…or Siwon, could she?

“Yes,” The nurse said in a hushed tone. “And what’s worse is that apparently General Im knows this young man personally. He’s been friends with the general’s daughter for a long time. But the only option is a transplant.”

And when Ryeowook heard that, his own heart stopped for a second and his blood ran cold. For the rest of the night, ‘The only option is a transplant’ kept repeating itself inside his head.