After that day at the Queen's palace, Sungmin keeps tabs on everything and everyone close to him. Every day, Jongwoon informs him of news back at home and in Seowangmyeong. That day, the Queen said that she would target everything and everyone that he holds dear, which means his family and his father's private academy, Seowangmyeong. Seowangmyeong is his second family. He spent four years of his life in the school, and the teachers there are the closest people to him, so there is no doubt that if anyone wants to target his loved ones, Seowangmyeong would be an understandable choice.

"Mama," Jongwoon's warm voice pulls Sungmin back to reality. Sungmin immediately looks up to see an extremely worried-looking Jongwoon, which indicates something must be wrong. Today, his father sent another letter to update Sungmin on the situation in Seowangmyeong, as per Sungmin's constant request. Jongwoon is reading the letter to him at the moment. Jongwoon has also been trained at Seowangmyeong, and he was selected to accompany Sungmin by his father himself, so Sungmin is not cautious about him reading his letters. "Recently, there have been different groups of thugs hanging around Seowangmyeong. Two days ago, a group of first-year students were harassed and assaulted by a bunch of thugs. They were heavily injured and decided to leave Seowangmyeong and go home. Yesterday, another group of thugs broke into the dormitory and attacked the students and teachers, which injured Heechul and Hankyung seonsaengnim and about fifty other students. They have been tended to by doctors now, but some of the students have decided to leave the school as well..."

Jongwoon's voice gets more concerned and anxious with every word he reads aloud. When he looks up at Sungmin again, Sungmin's face is as white as a sheet. He did not expect that in the span of only two days, so many students and teachers of Seowangmyeong can get dragged into his affairs. This is no doubt what the Queen meant when she had said she would target everyone and everything that he holds dear. Sungmin sits in shock for a while, refusing to believe that a once kind and mild-mannered woman like the Queen could be capable of such acts.

"Were the attackers caught?" He turns to ask Jongwoon. 

"Mama, some were caught by Heechul and Hankyung seonsaengnim, but some got away. And with the current situation in Hanyang, I doubt that the police has much time and resources to look into this." Jongwoon's voice remains concerned as he studies the letter one more time.

"And can we connect these attacks to the Queen?" Sungmin asks carefully.

"Mama, the attackers caught have been investigated by Heechul and Hankyung seonsaengnim, and they can be traced back to The Queen's Head Court Lady," Jongwoon speaks in his lowest volume possible.

Sungmin lets the information sit with him for a moment, then suddenly remembers something about his loyal servant. He turns to ask him "Jongwoon, isn't your brother a first-year student this year?"

"Yes, mama." Jongwoon slowly bows his head so that Sungmin could not see his face. "He was among one of the assaulted students."

"What?" Sungmin replies as a reflex, "how is he? Quick. Go back and visit him."

"Mama," Jongwoon quickly interrupts Sungmin's rants. "He is fine. Excuse me, mama." As soon as the words are uttered, Jongwoon immediately stands up and leaves the room. This is extremely unusual for a calm and mild-mannered man like Jongwoon. However, this is an extraordinary circumstance, so Jongwoon's unusual behaviours would perhaps be more normal than otherwise.

Sungmin remains in his seat for another while, until another passes without his knowledge. Suddenly, there are loud footsteps coming from outside his residence, across his yard, then into his room. Sungmin hears his court ladies saying something to prevent the person, but he barges into his room so quickly and abruptly that they cannot stop him. Only when the person is already inside the room does Sungmin realize that it is the loyal servant who always accompanies Ryeowook in the Palace? He hurries into the room and kneels before Sungmin, his face as white as a sheet.

"Lee Soui mama, my master... he..." The servant seems to be in shock that he could not finish the sentence.

"What's the matter?" Sungmin can already feel in his guts something is wrong just by looking at the servant's expression.

"Please, mama, please help my master. He has been poisoned!"

As soon as the servant's words come out of his mouth, Sungmin immediately follows him to Ryeowook's residence. Outside Ryeowook's room, a few court ladies are pacing back and forth, their faces even more worried than the servant. Outside the doors, Sungmin can vaguely smell the scent of herbal medicine, but as soon as he comes into Ryeowook's room, the smell of medicine becomes stronger than ever. Inside the room, Ryeowook lies still on his mattress, his eyes closed shut, but his brows are tight in a frown as if in great pain. Ryeowook's face is pale, and sweat has covered his face from forehead to chin. 

"What happened?" Sungmin immediately turns to the servant for answers.

"Mama,' the servant starts shaking as soon as he starts speaking, "this morning, after my master finished his breakfast, he complained of a quite serious stomach. But we did not think much of it, and only thought that the food just did not sit right with him. But one hour later, he started throwing up, the most recent time even with blood. Then he fainted and has been unconscious until now. The royal doctor who came to diagnose him said that there must have been some kind of poison in the food. Mama, the doctor also said that his pulse is really weak, and he did not have any antidote for the poison. Mama, please help my master!" The servant barely finishes his sentence when he bursts into tears and bows his head before Sungmin.

"Don't worry." Sungmin quickly consoles him. "I will find a way." He then turns to Jongwoon: "Notify the King of the news, and send a letter to Kyuhyun. Last time, there was a doctor in Bukhansan who was very good at finding antidotes to poison. Tell Kyuhyun to send him as soon as possible."

Jongwoon immediately follows his order, but before he leaves, his eyes linger on Ryeowook's figure for a second. Sungmin thought he could see a trace of worry in his eyes.

That night, Sungmin stays in Ryeowook's residence all night. Ryeowook keeps getting fevers every two hours, so Sungmin stays beside him all night to keep an eye on his condition. In the early morning the next day, the King approves Doctor Shin's entry into the Palace, and he arrives at Ryeowook's residence at around four o'clock in the morning. When he and Jongwoon come into the room, Sungmin was dozing off beside Ryeowook's mattress, his clothes and hair completely a mess from the day before. Hearing footsteps, he immediately gets up into a defence position in fear of another attack on Ryeowook. But when he looks again at the people who have arrived at the door, he is more than relieved to see Doctor Shin and Jongwoon standing there, just as confused as he is. Sungmin quickly changes his pose and shows Doctor Shin to where Ryeowook is lying. 

Doctor Shin takes a while to examine Ryeowook's pulse, which makes Sungmin worry with his every frown and every sigh. Eventually, when he is done, he turns to Sungmin.

"Lee Doryeonnim, Kim Sowon mama was poisoned by a very unique poison. This poison will not kill him immediately, but will make him suffer so much that he will wish he was dead. Now he has fevers every two hours, but when the poison gets deeper inside his system, he will suffer from much greater pain, and eventually, his body will shut down. He will not be able to breathe or swallow food or water. Then, he will die..." Doctor Shin's tone becomes lower and more concerned towards the end.

Sungmin is shocked to hear this news at the moment. After all, he had not expected that a once kind woman like the Queen could be capable of such actions. But then, as he had told Ryeowook multiple times before, in this Palace, anyone could be capable of anything.

Sungmin thinks back to the things that he had always taught Ryeowook. That you can never truly know anyone's intentions in the Palace. That being put in the circumstances, anyone could be capable of murder. But above all, that he would always be there to protect Ryeowook. But now Ryeowook is lying here because of him. His mission has caused a great of collateral damage, and Ryeowook has been part of it.

"Then... then, doctor Shin," Sungmin feels himself stuttering and shaking, "is there an antidote to the poison?"

Doctor Shin contemplates his answer for a while and turns to Sungmin hesitantly.

"I would be lying if  I say there is no antidote. But this antidote is more difficult to get than reaching the stars."

Sungmin is immediately lightened up at the mention of an antidote.

"If there is an antidote, please tell me."

Doctor Shin lets out a deep sigh before continuing.

"There is a plant which grows on the mountains northeast of Hanyang which can be made into an antidote to this kind of poison. It is quite a rare plant that only blooms once every three years. Even though it is a very rare plant, I believe that you can find it being sold for high prices in the market. But getting the plant is not the issue that I am concerned about. Making it into medicine is. This plant is one of the most difficult plants to process. First, you have to peel off all of its skins, which are covered in thorns. Next, you would have to chop it into precise pieces, then grind the pieces into a liquid. This step has to take precisely three days and three nights, no more, no less. If you exceed or have not reached the time required, the whole plant will be ruined. If you grind too slowly, the medicine will be too clammy. If you grind too quickly, the medicine will not be thoroughly processed. Either way, the antidote will not be effective. So, as you can see, doryeonnim, getting this plant is hard enough, but the real challenge is processing it. I myself cannot do it, as my eyesight is not as good as when I was younger, and my hands are also not as dexterous, so I am telling you beforehand that you would have to find someone will excellent eyesight, skill, and endurance to peel every thorn out of the plant, then spend three whole days and nights awake and grinding continuously. If you can process this plant, then I can make an antidote for Kim Sowon mama. Otherwise..."

"Say no more, Doctor Shin," Sungmin interrupts the doctor, his voice sounds certain and determined as ever, "I know who can do this task. It is no one other than myself. I am not sure if I can do it, but if there is a way to save Ryeowook, then I will have to try it." 

"Jongwoon. Jongwoon!" he now turns to the man who for some reason looks just as concerned as he does at the moment, "Help me to buy the plant at the market. Whatever it costs, I will pay for it."

Sungmin then turns to Ryeowook. The other lies on his mattress, his face slightly red and covered in sweat, his brows deeply furrowed, as if in the darkest nightmare. Sungmin takes his hand in his own hand and gives him a soft smile, even though he is sure the other cannot see it at the moment.

"Don't be afraid, Ryeowookie. Hyung will always protect you, at all costs."

~~~~~~

The process of making the antidote, as Doctor Shin had warned Sungmin, is even more challenging than described. At first, he thought that the plant's thorns would look like a rose's, but when Jongwoon brought him the plant sold at the market, he is stunned to see an extremely thorny but little plant. In order to peel this plant, a person no doubt must have incredible eyesight and steady hands.

"Mama," Jongwoon's warm voice tears apart the dead silence in the room, "if you don't mind, I can prepare the plant for Doctor Shin."

Sungmin looks at Jongwoon for a moment. Deep in his eyes, he can see a pure genuity that he hardly ever sees in this Palace.

"I appreciate it, Jongwoon," he smiles, "but I have to do this myself. I cannot entrust it to anyone else."

Then, he immediately starts working on the plant. After one whole day of scanning and peeling the little plant, Sungmin's hands are all scratched up and bloody from the little thorns. But he refuses to bandage up his own wounds, as it would prevent him from being able to grind the plant. As Sungmin holds the grinder tightly in his hands, he can feel the grinder start to be drenched in his blood. With every movement he makes, his hands start to bleed a little more. He bites his tongue tightly to endure the pain. Standing beside him, Jongwoon almost snatches the grinder from his hands a few times, but remembering the task that they have to complete, he stands down and watches his master beside him, occasionally taking a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat on his forehead.

After three days of nonstop grinding, the plant is finally soft and smooth enough to be made into an antidote for Ryeowook. When Doctor Shin sees the well-ground plant, Sungmin thinks that he has seen a glint of shock in the happiness that he shows. 

"Doryeonnim," he says, "in the past twenty years, probably more, I honestly have never seen anyone able to process this plant. I did not even think that it could be done."

But Sungmin is already woozy from the lack of sleep and the injuries in his hands, so he only nods without an answer to Doctor Shin. Doctor Shin then excuses himself to go make the antidote.

When he comes back with the medicine, Sungmin is dozing off beside Ryeowook's mattress. "Doryeonnim," he calls out gently, "the antidote is ready".

At the mention of the antidote, Sungmin immediately jumps up.

"Really?" He asks, half doubting the man standing before him.

Doctor Shin only nods his head and hands Sungmin a small bowl with a dark liquid.

"You can give him this right now, and I'll prepare another one for tomorrow."

Sungmin takes the bowl from him. The liquid inside the bowl is still hot, and the scent of the medicine attacks his nose.

Sungmin sits down beside Ryeowook and takes one small spoon of the medicine from the bowl. After slightly blowing the heat off the medicine, he slowly gives Ryeowook the dark liquid. Ryeowook slightly frowns at the taste of the medicine. Standing next to Sungmin, Jongwoon also slightly frowns.

"Mama," Jongwoon softly whispers, "I can do that if your hands still hurt."

"I'm fine, Jongwoon," Sungmin says while continuing to pour every spoon of medicine into Ryeowook's mouth.

The sky starts to get darker outside the window. When the bowl of medicine is empty, Jongwoon helps Sungmin take it back to the kitchen, leaving Sungmin and Ryeowook once again alone in the dark and lonely room.

"Ryeowook ah," Sungmin takes the other's hand in his own while whispering softly, "Please, please, wake up."

It does not take long until Sungmin is asleep again beside his younger friend. The two figures lie next to each other quietly and peacefully, until suddenly, Sungmin feels a hand slightly grabbing his hand. He opens his eyes to find a weak but awake Ryeowook staring at him.

"Ryeo...Ryeowookie... You're awake?"

Sungmin is about to reach out to touch Ryeowook's face when he remembers the wounds on his hands. He does not want Ryeowook to see those wounds, so he quickly withdraws his hands and hides them behind his back.

"Hyung...", Ryeowook calls his name weakly.

"Ryeowook, how are you feeling? Do you feel any pain?"

Ryeowook smiles at his series of questions and shakes his head.

Sungmin lets the situation sink in Ryeowook for a while before starting to explain everything to him.

"Ryeowook ah, there seemed to be something in your food, which made you sick. But hyung has found a way to make an antidote for you. Don't worry, and don't be afraid, ok? You will get better soon."

Ryeowook smiles again, more softly this time.

"Hyung, as long as you are with me, I am never afraid."

Sungmin suddenly feels a burning in his nose. He looks away to hide the redness that he feels in his eyes, but a mischievous tear has uncontrollably rolled down his face. Sungmin quickly wipes away the tear and turns to his young friend, as gentle and caring as ever.

"Of course, I will never let anything bad happen to you." He smiles. "Now, rest, my restless dongsaeng."

He looks at Ryeowook lie back peacefully, and, after a while, when he can hear Ryeowook's regular breathing and is sure that he is once again sound asleep, Sungmin looks out the window into the dark and lonely sky of the Palace, half relieved. The other half, determined on what actions he needs to take to make sure that his promise to Ryeowook is kept. And determined that no further collateral damage is taken in his whole mess with the Queen.