In the two days after they finished interrogating Jungho, no one could find Kyuhyun anywhere in Bukhansan.

When Sol comes to notify Sungmin of the news, he immediately runs out of his room without a second thought.

As Sol notified him, they have been searching for Kyuhyun everywhere in the headquarter, throughout the forest and the mountains, but could not find a trace of Kyuhyun.

Sungmin contemplates for a while about all the places that Kyuhyun could have gone to in a time like this. Sungmin knows that he would not leave Bukhansan and do anything rash when they have figured out a clear plan for action to expose their enemies.

Suddenly, Sungmin recalls a place that Kyuhyun would always go to when he needed time to think and clear his mind when they were at Seowangmyeong. It was the field of bright pink flowers on the hill which overlooks Hanyang. He rummages through his mind to think of such a place in Bukhansan. Then, Sungmin suddenly remembers, the first day that he wakes up in Bukhansan, he saw a field of flowers a far distance from his room. At the time, he could not see clearly the type and colour of the flowers grown there, something tells him that he should go check the field. 

It takes Sungmin and Sol about fifteen minutes to walk to the field. As they approach the field, a sweet and familiar scent of the flowers travel throughout the air and greet them with the most welcoming hello. The lively colours of the flowers start appearing before Sungmin's eyes. Amidst the forests and mountains of Bukhansan, Sungmin does not know there is a flower field exactly the same as the field of bright pink flowers near Seowangmyeong.

Sungmin suddenly remembers on the first day that he woke up here, Sol had also come to his room and put a vase of the same flowers on his table. At the time, there were so many other things on his mind that Sungmin did not put any thought into it, but now that he has seen the exact same field of flowers in Bukhansan, he could not help turning to Sol and voice his curiosity.

"Sol-ssi, this field of flowers has always been here?"

Sol slightly nods her head: "No, doryeonnim, Master planted these flowers."

Sungmin's eyes widen in surprise. He did not expect these flowers to be planted by Kyuhyun himself. Looking at the flowers bathing in sunlight full of hope and colours, Sungmin could not help thinking about the time that it takes to grow and take care of a whole field of flowers like this.

As they walk through the field of flowers for another ten minutes, from afar, a dark figure, sitting down on the ground, almost blended in with the flowers, slowly appears before their eyes. Just as Sungmin had expected, Kyuhyun is sitting there, looking down to a cliff. In front of them, the mountains, the white clouds, the forest, and the lively flowers all appear in one scene, reminding Sungmin of those pictures that Joseon artists have often been so fond of painting.

Seeing that the sky is getting darker, and remembering what Sol had informed him about Kyuhyun not being back for two days, Sungmin guesses that he must have been here for the last two days, not eating anything or resting. He immediately turns to Sol: "Sol-ssi, can you go get some food and drink for Kyuhyun?", then as if remembering something, he adds: "And get some chestnut wine. He may not want to eat, but he will definitely drink, and when he drinks, he will want to eat something.". Sol only nods at him and gets on it right away.

As Sungmin gets closer to Kyuhyun, for some reason, he can sense that Kyuhyun already knows that he is here. Sungmin walks to Kyuhyun and sits down next to him. Around them, the flowers are swinging with every blow of the wind, enjoying the last sunshine of the day. In front of his eyes, the cliff looks hundreds of feet deep, but opposite to dangerous, it seems more mysterious and arouses the most curious and adventurous side in people. This must be the most beautiful spot in Bukhansan that Sungmin has seen.

"Kyuhyun ah, are you okay?", Sungmin asks as he gets closer to Kyuhun.

As he expected, Kyuhyun already knows that he is here. Without looking at Sungmin, he nods gently while keeping his eyes on an indeterminate point.

"What are you doing?", Sungmin again.

"Just thinking."

Sungmin does not ask any more questions. If Kyuhyun is here to have some peace for himself, then he would not want to take away that peace by keeping asking stupid and irrelevant questions. But after a moment of silence, he hears Kyuhyun speak in a low and somewhat sad tone.

"Isn't it strange how certain people, despite how short a time you meet them, can have such a significant effect on your life?"

Sungmin does not answer this question. Somehow, he can feel that Kyuhyun is not finished speaking yet.

"I was only Jun Taekyung for five years, but have been Jo Kyuhyun for the rest of my life. I only lived with my parents for the first five years of my life. The Jos raised me until I was an adult. But until now, my parents have always been in my every thought. Everything that I do, everything that I am now, have all been shaped by something that happened fifteen years ago. Some people and some things just never leave you, do they?"

"Of course", Sungmin smiles, his eyes still fixed on the sunset behind the range of mountains in front of their eyes, "important people never leave your side, Kyuhyun. You might be apart physically, but they live inside every breath you take, everything you do, everything decision you make. They never truly leave you. That's what sets them apart from other people. And at the end of the day, they are the only ones that will be there for you when you fall and put you back on your path when you get lost. And when they cannot be by your side, they will always be in your heart."

Both of them stay silent for a long while after Sungmin says these words. For the moment, they only sit watching the sun leaving the sky nostalgically and the birds freely spreading their wings. But Sungmin knows there is still one more thing on his mind, and it will have to be said eventually. So it is best that he says it right then and there, when their hearts have already been wrought with several emotions.

"Kyuhyun ah, I have to go back to the Palace"

Kyuhyun slowly closes his eyes. He had always expected this moment to come, but now that it is here, he still does not know what to say to the other person.

Just like three years ago, when he first announced to Kyuhyun that he was going to the Palace. On the same field of bright pink flowers on the hill near Seowangmyeong. Today, once again, he is telling Kyuhyun that he has to return to the Palace. The wheel of fate turns round and round again, and nothing has ever changed.

After another while of silence, Sungmin turns to Kyuhyun, only to find a pair of eyes already on him all this time. He immediately looks away, his cheeks feeling blushed. He lies down on the field to avoid that intense stare from the other, and pretends to say jokingly: "Hey, Kyuhyun. I like to think that I am one of your important people, am I?"

But Kyuhyun does not take what he has just said as a joke. He slowly lies down next to Sungmin and speaks with a warm but serious tone: "Of course."

Sungmin smiles at this answer and turns to him: "Then, as I said, important people never truly leave your side."

This, as he feels, is more said to him than to Kyuhyun. For another while, they do not say anything else, until Sungmin hears Kyuhyun searching for something in the sleeve of his shirt and brings out three objects that have filled his hands.

"Take these". He hands Sungmin the three objects. For a second, their hands touch, and Sungmin suddenly feel his heart skip a beat. Taking the objects in his hands, Sungmin can now see three small emergency flares sitting in his palms. "Fire them if you ever get in trouble, and wherever you are, no matter day or night, I will come to get you."

Sungmin smiles at every word that has just been spoken, then takes the three flares and puts them carefully in the sleeve of his shirt. Even though he has no intention of ever using them, keeping them as a reminder of the other person is good enough for him.

When they look up to the sky again, the sun has already set and the moon is brightly shining above their heads. Then, Sungmin can see clearly on the mountain in front of them, there are three different peaks within just one mountain. His discovery comes at the right time when he feels like there is a need for a change in subject. Why dwell on negative things when he can just enjoy their final moments together. So he turns to Kyuhyun again and points to the wonder that he has just discovered.

"Look, Kyuhyun, there are three peaks on that mountain in front of us! How strange!"

Kyuhyun seems to share the same thought with Sungmin, as he also turns to the mountain and lightly nods.

"Um, does it have a name?", he continues.

"Three-horned mountain", Kyuhyun answers.

At this, Sungmin could not help but let out a laugh: "That is a terrible name, Kyuhyun! Who named it?"

"I named it."

"That is terrible."

"Why?"

"Because names need to be abstract and meaningful. Like Lee Sungmin!", Sungmin smiles playfully.

"Three horns are meaningful. They have three peaks. The peaks look like horns.", Kyuhyun shrugs.

Sungmin could only laugh at the literal name and Kyuhyun's rigid explanation. But in all the years that Sungmin has known him, Kyuhyun has always been the same way. It would not be Kyuhyun if it was another dreamy and romantic name. 

They stay there for another while, until the moon is shadowed by the clouds in the sky. Until they hear Sol's voice calling for them to come back to have supper. Neither of them wants to leave, as they both know, comes tomorrow, they will have to return to their own missions, their own paths that they have sworn to follow. But that is tomorrow's work, not today.

For today, there is nothing they want to do other than sitting here and looking at the moon.

********

The next morning, the gate to the commune is so much more crowded than usual. People from all households within the commune have come to see Sungmin and his five guards off. In front of the group of people, an old woman stands holding a basket of red apples and smiles gently at Sungmin. 

"Doryeonnim, thank you for helping me with the apples. Stay safe on your journey.". Then she hands Sungmin the basket of apples as a gift.

Behind her, a few younger women are also holding baskets of fresh vegetables, potatoes, carrots and other staples to give him. But Sungmin only takes the basket of apples, not because he does not want the vegetables or the potatoes, but because there would be no place to store or no way to explain where he had gotten these when he gets to the Palace.

Luckily, Sol and Do are standing next to these women. Understanding Sungmin's delicate position, Sol gently speaks to the women: "Noona, ahjuma, I'm afraid it will take days for doryeonnim to get to his destination, the food will all go bad. Plus, it is such a long journey, taking all of these vegetables and potatoes will slow them down."

At Sol's explanation, the women finally give in and stand down among the crowd. Behind them, Sungmin can clearly see a few of the children whom he had often observed practise martial arts. Sungmin gently smiles and waves at them. He has truly enjoyed their martial arts lessons as if he was the one being trained instead of them.

After waving goodbye to the children, Sungmin turns to Sol: "Sol-ssi, thank you for helping me in the past few months. And please take care of Kyuhyun for me from now on."

Sol returns his smile and speaks her voice as soft as a songbird: "Serving you has been my pleasure, doryeonnim." And she only nods to his second sentence.

Finally, Sungmin turns to the person sitting on a horse next to him from the beginning. After a while of searching for the right words, Sungmin gives up and only speaks what is on his mind: "Kyuhyun ah, you came", thinking about the last time that he had to say goodbye to all his friends and family to enter the Palace, "last time, you didn't come". Although the words might sound like a criticism, Sungmin's gentle voice and smile all suggest otherwise. 

Kyuhyun looks at him for a while, as if looking for the right words. Just when Sungmin is about to give up on an answer from Kyuhyun, he hears that deep and warm voice again: "Last time, I was there."

Sungmin widens his eyes in surprise. Kyuhyun does not say anything else, so he only smiles and leaves it at that. Some things are better left unsaid than others.

Kyuhyun accompanies Sungmin and the five guards until they get to the foot of the mountain, until Sungmin turns to him and gives him the brightest smile that he could: "I can go by myself from here, Kyuhyun."

Kyuhyun only nods at him. Then, to Sungmin's surprise, he speaks up again with his usual deep and warm voice: "Stay out of trouble, Sungmin. And take care of yourself."

Hearing these words, Sungmin suddenly gets a warm feeling inside him. His hands subconsciously reach for the emergency flares in his sleeve. His smile becomes even brighter: "You sound like my father", which receives a returning smile from Kyuhyun.

"And Jungho?", Sungmin knows their plans for him already, but wants a reassurance from Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun looks at him and answers casually: "He will stay here until he needs to come out."

Sungmin nods. He takes another look at the mountains, the forests and the commune that he has been staying for the last two months. For some reason, the place feels like a second home to him, even though the time that he spent here was not that long.

"You have a good thing here, Kyuhyun", he smiles at Kyuhyun, "this is a good place."

Kyuhyun seems surprised to hear such words, and so he only looks at Sungmin, temporarily at a loss for words.

Seeing that it is time to go, Sungmin turns his horse around, which prompts the five guards to do the same. Before they follow Sungmin, Kyuhyun gives Himchan, Hoseok, Hyunwoo and Jaesung a meaningful look. They all nod at him respectfully and obediently.

Then, suddenly, Sungmin looks back at Kyuhyun and yells: "Take care of yourself, Kyuhyun. I will see you again". He does not know when. He does not know how. But the only thing he knows is that it will happen. They will see each other again. Sooner, or later.

Then, in the brightest light of the morning, six figures on six horses slowly move on the narrow path at the foot of the mountain, then slowly become blurry figures which can hardly be recognized from afar, then completely disappear into the greens of the forest and the light of the horizon.

Only then, does Kyuhyun turn his horse around and return to his commune.

'See you again, Sungmin.'

********

Author's note: Another goodbye >.< But don't worry, readers, the next time Kyu and Min see each other, they will never be separated again! I'm determined!