"Kyuhyun."

A familiar voice pulls Kyuhyun out of his endless chain of thoughts. Amidst the large field of flowers, the other's voice is the only thing he could hear despite the songs of the birds and the sound of the autumn wind.

Kyuhyun turns around to see the other person. On his face, a smile is as bright and soft as the very first time that Kyuhyun had seen him. In a forest not unlike the one they are standing in at the moment.

Kyuhyun has been waiting for this moment for the longest time in his life. Not only for the last seven days. But probably since the day that Sungmin entered the Palace. He has been waiting for a time when both of them can stand in front of each other like this, without worry, without responsibility. But now that the moment is finally here, for a while, all the words in the world seem to escape his mind, and he fails to express his feelings.

Sungmin takes a step towards him. His face seems to have gotten more colours. His posture is as steady as ever, as if he was not just on death's door a few hours ago.

"So," after observing Kyuhyun's figure for another while, Sungmin finally speaks up, "this is what Heaven looks like."

A smile as bright and lively as the flowers themselves. His eyes shining like a crescent moon. Kyuhyun widens his eyes in surprise for a moment.

"This is not Heaven, Sungmin." 

The bright smile suddenly disappears at Kyuhyun's words. Sungmin furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"So... this is Hell?"

Kyuhyun almost laughs out loud at the other's logic, but he manages to contain his feelings and calmly looks at Sungmin in the eyes.

"This is not Hell either. You're not dead, Sungmin."

"I'm not dead?" Sungmin suddenly raises a hand to pinch himself in the arm, "I'm alive?"

Kyuhyun carefully nods his head. Without his knowledge, he returns a smile to the other. A warm and gentle smile that no one has had the privilege to receive yet.

"Come on," Kyuhyun takes Sungmin's hand and slowly leads him back to his room, "let's get back inside. You need to rest."

Through the field of flowers, through the bamboo forest, through all the gardens and orchards, Kyuhyun takes him back to his room in the secluded corner of the mountain. Passing the guards at the entrance, he quickly tells them to get Doctor Shin. 

When they enter the room again, it looks just as peaceful and cozy as how Kyuhyun left it.

"Kyuhyun, tell me how I got here."

The last thing he remembers was drinking the poisoned chestnut wine, and seeing pieces of his memory from the past. In front of him, the Head Eunuch pronounced him dead to the rest of the doctors, eunuchs and court ladies in his residence.

"It's a long story," Kyuhyun finally speaks up after a moment of contemplation, "I will tell you when you get better."

Sungmin is about to say something else when Doctor Shin arrives at the door and announces his entrance into the room.

"Ah, Lee Doryeonnim," the doctor looks at him with such astonishment and joy, "how are you feeling now? We have all been waiting for you to wake up. Especially our Master."

"Kyuhyun?" Sungmin asks him.

Kyuhyun is about to say something in response when the doctor continues: "Oh, yes, he has not left this room for seven days. I am equally worried about him as I am worried about you."

Sungmin looks at him in surprise.

"To be honest, I would really like it if I do not have to see you in circumstances like these any longer." He laughs amusingly as he continues his endless rambling.

Sungmin understands what the doctor is referring to. In the span of only six months, he had met with him three times, and each time with a life and death situation.

He nicely returns a smile.

The doctor carefully examines his pulse and temperature. After a while, he flashes him a satisfied smile: "Doryeonnim, everything seems fine. Your pulse and temperature have gone back to normal. There seems to be no side effect from the poison I gave you. You might experience some headaches, shortness of breath or fatigue at times, but that's common. There is nothing too serious."

"You... gave me poison, Doctor Shin?"

"Oh, yes, Master didn't tell you?"

"Doctor Shin," Kyuhyun calls out just as he is about to start another rambling, "don't you have to prepare another dose of the antidote for Lee Doryeonnim?"

"Oh, yes, yes." The doctor nods passionately, a smile still present on his face. "I will get on it right away."

Then, as he leaves the two of them alone in the room, Kyuhyun slowly and carefully tells him every detail of the story. How he placed more spies inside the Palace to be his eyes and ears. How he had asked Doctor Shin to make a special poison to fake Sungmin's death. And how they had switched the poison in the wine with their own poison. It was a long story, but Sungmin listens to it with his utmost attention. When Kyuhyun is finished, he suddenly looks at Kyuhyun with even greater attention. For a second, Kyuhyun feels like his face is getting redder.

"Kyuhyun ah," Sungmin smiles at him softly, "I just realise, you have gotten much taller than me."

Kyuhyun looks at him in surprise.  But Sungmin continues.

"The last time I was here, I was either lying in bed or staying on a horse. We never really stood right in front of each other, face to face. But just now, for the first time in years, I stood in front of you, and I could see you so much more clearly. You have gotten so much taller, I can hardly see your face without having to look up."

For some strange and unimaginable reason, after hearing Kyuhyun's story of how he saved his life yet another time, Sungmin could not help but think about how much they have both grown as two individuals, apart and together. When they first became friends with each other, they were both only twelve years old. At the age of carefreeness and innocence, they became friends without the slightest calculated thought. All they wanted to do was spend time with each other. Until the day Sungmin entered the Palace and became the King's concubine, they remained the only people in each other's lives that best understood one another. But circumstances tore them apart, and for years, all Sungmin had was the lanterns with his best wishes for the other. Little did he know that Kyuhyun had always kept an eye on him and kept him safe. When he was in danger, Kyuhyun appeared like a knight in shining armour to rescue him. When he was at death's door, all he could think about was protecting his family, Kyuhyun included. He wanted to distract Kyuhyun from the Palace and from his execution just long enough so that Kyuhyun would not get involved. But again, little did he know that Kyuhyun had known all along, and was already planning to rescue him another time. 

And all he could think at the moment is how tall Kyuhyun has gotten.

As well as how much they have both grown as people. 

And how far they have gone from the first day that they met each other.

In the forest. 

Underneath the tall and large trees.

"Kyuhyun," he suddenly feels the need to ask a question that he has been dying to ask, "were you Pineapple boy? In the forest that day?"

For a moment, silence fills the bright and cozy room. Kyuhyun only looks at him, his eyes filled with both surprise and fear. But for some reason, Sungmin takes this as the best answer he could get.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Kyuhyun gives him a gentle smile, but for a second, it looks like the saddest smile Sungmin has ever seen.

"I just... didn't want you to remember me that way. As the boy who cried in the forest."

"But I don't." Sungmin gives him another smile. "I remember a strong and brave boy in the forest. The one that liked my pumpkin pie and pineapple candy. The one that carried me on his back and walked for miles to bring me home."

He was really fond of that boy.

But one day, he just disappeared.

And just like the work of fate, he met and became friends with that boy again, years later, without even knowing it.

Sungmin is about to say something else when a loudly announces his arrival at the door. Shortly after, Doctor Shin enters the room with a tray and a bowl of dark liquid.

"It's time to take another dose of the antidote, Doryeonnim."

Sungmin nods his head and takes the bowl of liquid from the doctor. The bitter taste of the medicine slightly makes him frown, but he continues to take spoon after spoon without a word of complaint. When Sungmin was little, he often got sick, especially on cold winter days. When he got older, he often got injuries from practising martial arts, so he has been used to having to take medicine since he was little. When his mother got sick, he was also the one to bring her her medicine and feed her every spoon, so the scent and taste of medicine have been with him his whole childhood. It has come to be a necessity for him, as he finds that as he gets older, the amount of medicine he has to take does not seem to decrease.

Kyuhyun sits quietly and watches him take one spoon after another, as if supervising a little child taking his medicine. When Sungmin is finally finished, he gives him a piece of candy from his pocket like it is the most casual thing to do.

"Take some rest."

He gently says to Sungmin, to which Sungmin is about to protest, but he suddenly feels the drowsiness crept in. He slowly lies back down on the mattress, his mind suddenly shifts back to a memory from fifteen years. The night that he last saw the boy from the forest. He was also lying on his mattress resisting the feeling of sleepiness, and Kyuhyun was sitting quietly next to him just like this.

"I will see you later."

He says as he finally gives in to the drowsiness and fatigue, a smile not yet fading from his face.

It takes Sungmin another month to fully recover from the poison.

Even though Sungmin insists that he had felt much better only one week after he woke up, Kyuhyun would not believe in such rapid recovery. Besides, he had Doctor Shin to back him up, so Sungmin had to follow the doctor's order and stay in his room for another three weeks.

Today, Sungmin comes with Kyuhyun to the academy to watch him train the children in martial arts. 

Their main teacher, Teacher Han, was seriously injured in the attack a few months ago, so during his recovery, Kyuhyun decides to take on his role as the children's martial arts trainer.

On the way to the academy, Sungmin can see houses on the side of the street being rebuilt and redecorated. After a tragedy like what had happened a few months ago, the Children of the Mountain seems to be on the right track towards recovery and normality.

At the academy, the children are all looking forward to starting a new lesson after a period of delay and adjustment.

Sitting at a table not far from the practising yard, Sungmin eagerly observes each and every martial arts move made by Kyuhyun. His mind shifts to the time when they themselves were students at Seowangmyeong, when he was so eager to learn martial arts and graduate to apply his skills to help people. Now that he thinks about it, that was probably the best years of his life. But just like other good things in life, it can quickly disappear in only a blink of an eye. 

Engrossed in his thought, Sungmin does not realise a young student approaching him, sitting down next to him and looking him up and down.

"Doryeonnim," the student's voice breaks the silence surrounding Sungmin, slightly startling him, "you are Master's friend, aren't you?"

Although startled by the girl's sudden appearance, Sungmin quickly gathers himself. He gives her a soft smile and answers.

"Yes, I am."

"Then...you must know..."

"I must know about?" 

"You must know... about Master's secret girlfriend?"

Secret? Girlfriend? Kyuhyun's secret girlfriend? Sungmin inquires loudly in his mind, but on the outside, he maintains his calm and composed look.

"How do you know that Kyuhyun has a girlfriend?" He answers the young girl's question with another question.

"Master said it himself. I mean, he said it to my elder sister. My sister had been having a crush on him since the very first day that he came to Bukhansan, but she only managed to gather all her courage and tell him how she felt a few months ago. It was around the time that we started rebuilding the commune, and my sister had the chance to spend more time with Master as he was helping our family rebuild our house. One night, when my house is close to being finished, my sister decides to confess her feelings to Master. She had never done anything like that in her life, and so she rambled on for more than fifteen minutes just to finish her speech. But Master had listened to every word with full attention. But at the end of her speech, he told her that he had had someone in his heart, and he was not willing to open his heart to her."

"I remember my sister had asked who that person was, what she was like, and what she could have done to be better for him. But Master only smiled at her gently and said that she was good enough in her own way. His exact words were 'You are already amazing in your own way. You have nothing to improve. It's just that my heart has already been taken by someone else. And even if there are a thousand more amazing and perfect people out there, I cannot look at anyone else other than that person'".

"So, Doryeonnim, do you know who that person is?"

The girl's question seems to only be water in Sungmin's ears, as he does not react to her question as well as inquiring look.

"Doryeonnim?" The girl asks again patiently.

"Ah, oh, uhm, I don't know." He answers briefly.

"You'd better get back to your lesson", he quickly sends the girl away.

A moment suddenly feels like a century for Sungmin. He suddenly feels an ache in his heart, despite Doctor Shin's regular examination. It feels as if there is a storm of emotions wreaking havoc in his heart, but he does not yet know what kind of emotions they are. Heart-broken? Disappointed? Angry? Or just emptiness?

That afternoon, Sungmin sits with Kyuhyun on the field of flowers watching the sun setting on the mountains of Bukhansan. In front of them, the sun is as red as an egg yolk. The wind slightly blows in their hair. 

"Yah Kyuhyun," Sungmin calls out due to lack of a better way, "know what I heard today?" 

He curses at himself as soon as the words come out of his mouth. It was such a lame way to start this conversation.

But Kyuhyun does not seem to mind. He turns to look at Sungmin: "What?"

"That our Kyuhyun has a secret girlfriend!"

Kyuhyun's face suddenly turns white. This, to Sungmin, seems to be an admission of guilt.

"And you turned down a lady in the commune for her."

"Sungmin..."

"She must be an amazing girl!"

Sungmin shows him his brightest smile, but deep down inside, his heart does not seem to agree with him.

"Sungmin..."

"Who is she?"

 "Sungmin..."

Without another word, Kyuhyun turns to Sungmin, gently takes his hand into his own and push him onto the green grass. In just a second, their faces are so close to each other Sungmin could feel Kyuhyun's every blink and breath. Kyuhyun speaks to him softly, almost whispering into his ears.

"I do have a person in my heart. That person, to me, is the bravest, strongest, most intelligent person I have ever known. Yet, at times, that person can also be the most silly, stubborn, shy and clueless person I have ever known. But despite those quirks and flaws, once my heart is taken, I can never look at another person except for the person that took my heart. That person, Sungmin, is no other than ..."

Just when Kyuhyun is about to the word that would have answered Sungmin's burning question, a voice so familiar to both of them disrupts the absolute peace of the vast field of flowers.

"Minimini!"