“Kibum, we have to go to the hospital right now,” Jonghyun said, steering Key towards the direction of the hospital.

            “I know what happened,” Key said incoherently. He had finally remembered. “It was me who did it.”

            “Kibum-ah, do not go all weird on me. We need to sort this out and you need to be sane. Taemin-ah is in critical condition, they say. He has had previous head trauma so it’s a big problem right now. Listen to me, Kibum!” Jonghyun cried, but Key could hardly hear. Tears were falling from his eyes for more than one reason.

            Fifteen minutes later Key found himself in the hospital lobby, Jonghyun talking to the receptionist. A nurse led them to a room where they found Yeeun sitting outside, hiding her face in her hands.

            “Noona?” Jonghyun ventured, kneeling down. She looked up, and her face had a horrible, shell-shocked expression on it. Yeeun shook her head wordlessly and put her face back in her palms. The nurse led them inside the room and the first thing they noticed was Taemin’s face, covered with a few bandages, tubes sticking out of his mouth and his hair matted with blood.

            The second thing they noticed was Minho sleeping in a chair next to the bed, his face blotchy red and puffy. He had a grieving expression on his tear-streaked countenance.

            Key let out a sob at the sorry sight of the room, and Jonghyun turned to the nurse and started talking to her quickly.

            “How did this happen?” Jonghyun asked her. “Do you know? Will he be okay?”

            “We’re not sure if he’ll make it,” the nurse said, lowering her voice so Key wouldn’t hear, but he did anyway. “The head trauma was serious, but on top of the previous issues he’s had, it’s extremely dangerous.”

            “How did it happen?”

            “According to the girl sitting outside, someone bumped into him on top of the stairs on the quad, and he fell all the way down. He cracked his skull and he broke his arm and several ribs. From what she said before she was unable to say anything else, it looks like this young man tried to catch him but couldn’t in time.” She pointed to Minho, who still hadn’t stirred. “It happened around twelve-thirty. The girl outside said she would call you, but when you didn’t show up, we called you again.”

            “So…he’s in a coma?”

            “Yes. We’re not sure of his chances of recovering right now, but it’s not looking good. I’m so sorry.” At this, Key collapsed, sobbing. Jonghyun rushed over and pulled him in close.

            “You came,” Minho said sadly, waking up from his slumber at Key’s sobs. Key jumped up and rushed over to him. Minho looked slightly frightened at what Key was going to say.

            “Minho, I’m so sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Why…why does…why do I have to be reminded by this?” he asked, gesturing at Taemin’s state. “It’s…I can’t believe I…I’m so sorry, Minho. Thank…thank you for always being there for my…Taemin…” Key trailed off, wailing once again. Minho looked sympathetic in a very sad way.

            “Key-ssi,” he mumbled, “if it wasn’t for you I probably would never have met him. I can’t resent you for that.”

            “What are you talking about?” Jonghyun asked quietly.

“Seriously, move, get out of my way,” Key said loudly, pushing through the crowd of people at the gym. Even though he was still in middle school, his parents had dragged him to see his cousin Kisung play at the basketball game. The game was over now, so why was he still in this crowd? Why hadn’t his parents left the basketball court yet?

“Move,” he repeated, extremely irritated. Key wasn’t tall, but he had dyed his hair bleach blonde and nobody could help but stare as he walked by. He knew he was gorgeous, and he also knew that none of these people could ever hope to measure up to him.

“Get out of my way,” he yelled, pushing the people around him aside. Suddenly he felt the weight leave his left hand and heard people gasp. He glanced over to see that the tall boy he just pushed away had fallen down the stairs. Choi? Was that his name? Key recognized him from school, and he was on Kisung’s basketball team. Come to think of it, he’d scored more points than the rest of the team combined in that last game. Even Key noticed.

But he looked to be in pain. People gathered around him, and a few who’d seen what happened looked at Key. Key shrugged and walked off to go find his parents. Whatever, that kid seemed too cocky anyway.

“They say he’ll probably never be able to play basketball again,” Key heard people whispering in the hallways when they returned to school that Monday. “He was our school’s best player. Universities were already coming to recruit him!”

“I wonder how it happened…win a game and suddenly get injured so badly that your career is ruined…poor Minho-oppa.”

It wasn’t Key’s fault. It was an accident. Key just needed to get by, it’s not like he was actually tryingto push him down the stairs. Minho returned to school two weeks later in crutches, and when he was finally able to walk without them, everyone stopped talking about it. Key and Minho went to different high schools, and that was when Key forgot all about him.

            “It’s nothing, Jonghyun-hyung,” Minho said with a slight sad smile. “All is forgiven so it doesn’t matter anymore.”

            “Y-you forgive me that easily?” Key asked. Minho looked wistfully over at Taemin.

            “How can I not when he’s in that state?” Minho choked. Tears were spilling out of his red eyes again.

            “He’s going to get better,” Key heard himself say as he stared at Taemin’s lifeless form. He was reassuring himself just as much as he was reassuring Minho. “I know he will.”

            “Gentlemen, the doctors need to come in now, and they’ll be there until visiting hours end. You’re welcome to come back in the morning, and we’ll call you if anything happens,” the nurse said.

            “Please, can I stay?” Key pleaded. “Can we all stay?”

            “I’m afraid not,” she replied. “I promise we’ll call you if anything happens, but in order for him to get better, you need to leave. Come back at seven tomorrow morning.” She ushered them out of the room gingerly.

            Key and Minho left the room in tears, with Jonghyun following them somberly.

            “Come on, noona,” Jonghyun said to Yeeun, patting her back. “Let’s go back to the dorms and I’ll make some kimchi fried rice for us all to share, okay?” She nodded in reply and the other two just followed hollowly.

            They could barely taste the fried rice that night. They all slept in Jonghyun’s dorm room except Yeeun, who was next door with her roommate Sunye. Both Minho and Key had a hard time falling asleep, and when Key finally did drift off from exhaustion, his dreams were unpleasant.