Thick tendrils covered with thorns emerged from the ground. They blocked his way in. Minho tried to climb over them, but he cut himself at the first touch. His torn skin burned with pain. The blood in his palm dripped down.

Behind the green wall, Taemin was flying. With his arms crossed, he stared down at Minho.   

"I thought I had made myself clear." But Taemin no longer sounded as harsh as before.

"Taemin please, give me another chance! When we were children, you let me in too."

"But you're not a child anymore!" The fairy flew right in front of his nose, his wings fluttering so fast that gusts of wind spread out in both directions. 

"But I'm not an adult either!"

Taemin still looked at his old friend with narrowed eyebrows, but he let the tendrils disappear back into the ground. Minho did not want to anger Taemin further. He wiped his bloody hand over his shirt, hoping that the little gift for Taemin would not get stained. But by the time he held the stones out to Taemin, the blood had already spread on them.

"I got them from our driveway. I thought they would be more comfortable here...if you want to give them a home here. "

Taemin slid to the ground and stopped in front of Minho. He took the stones in his hands and ran his fingers over the smooth, cold surfaces. He took a deep breath before turning and leaving. Without a word, they walked to the small rise where Taemin had planted Minho's flowers before.

Taemin knelt in front of the raised area and placed the bloody stones in front of it. Minho sat down next to Taemin. He watched as the fairy placed his small gift there.

"Minho-"

"I never meant to hurt you." Minho interrupted him. Taemin didn't need to speak further, Minho heard how bruised he was.

Taemin let a slender tendril slide out of the ground. It was smooth and thin. Minho flinched involuntarily as Taemin took his hand. The fairy's skin was so soft.

"Why did you stop visiting me?" asked Taemin as he enclosed Minho's wound.

"I don't know...my parents said you weren't real..."

Taemin's hazel eyes shone as he looked at Minho.

"Is this not real?" Taemin knotted the tendril tightly around Minho's hand, causing Minho to flinch.

Minho's breathing quickened, intensified.

"Or this?"

Taemin slid closer to Minho and took the human's face in his hands. Slowly, he Minho's cheeks. Any tension in Minho's body evaporated. He felt weak. At any moment he could fall into Taemin's arms and fall asleep.

"Why didn't they want us to meet again?"

"I don't know...I gave them a lot of trouble when I was little. My brother was never like that."

"Sounds like they love your brother more than you."

"No...they...they love me too."

"Is that love? When they separate you from your best friend?"

Minho didn't dare look Taemin in the eye any further. Was that love? Minseok didn't need pills. And also, he was always allowed to hang out with his friends. So why did his parents forbid him to see Taemin any longer?

He suffered so long without him. He was so lonely without Taemin. Why did his parents want that?

"I think they like your brother more because it was easier for them to make him grow up. But you, you can still be saved. It's not too late for you."

"What do you think I should do?"

"To never grow up you have to break away from what wants you to become like that."

Minho could feel Taemin's breath on his skin. Taemin's eyes glowed, but the anger in them was not directed at Minho, it was directed at his parents. The fairy moved a little closer to him. Only weakly could Minho wrap his arms around him. Taemin kissed his forehead gently and Minho fell into a deep sleep.

Minho's eyes snapped open. The vibrating of his mobile phone sounded distorted and regular in his ears. Minho stared around. How had he got into his father's office? In front of him was his father's desk. He sat in his leather-covered chair.

Only a few days ago he had sat on the other side. And even though it was the same room, Minho couldn't help but notice that something had changed. He tensed up and a heavy feeling spread through his shoulders.  

Weighing his breath, Minho looked out of the window. With the forest in view and the conscience that he could go there again in a moment, Minho calmed down a little. Minho tilted his head. He felt as if the forest was beckoning him, or was it taunting him?

A throbbing sound went through the room. Minho flinched and swung his head towards the door, but that was not where the pounding had come from. Beads of sweat formed on Minho's forehead. Twice, as if someone was begging to be freed, there was another knock. Minho grabbed his temple, but there was no pain. It wasn't his head either, it was clearly coming from inside the room.

Minho's body tensed. He could not focus; the miserable sound of his mobile phone was heard and did not stop buzzing. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. He cleared his throat before answering the call and speaking through his teeth.

"Hello?"

The thumping sounded again, louder, more insistent this time. Minho jerked his head in all directions but he could not make out where the noise was coming from.

"Good afternoon, this is Mrs. Kim. I'm Dr. Park's receptionist. Am I speaking to Choi Minho?"

Minho's lips went dry. It was as if someone had stolen the air from the room. He sat up straight and swallowed hard. He had assumed he would get an email with the documents. Why was the lady calling him?

"Yes, yes. That's me."

"Mr. Choi I would like to make an appointment with you to talk about your medical diagnosis."

The blood in Minho's veins began to pulse. He undid the top button of his shirt. What had he done when he tried to calm down earlier?

That's right, the forest!

Minho's gaze went out the window again but instead of calming down he pushed himself further back with the chair.

"It can't be..." was all he could say under his breath. Had the forest always been this close to his father's company? No, no, he had to be imagining it. His eyes slid back and forth uncontrollably. But before, he was sure, he could not make out the individual branches. Before, it was all a tangle of dense green.

"Mr. Choi?"

Oh God - right. Calm down.

"With all due respect Mrs. Kim, I'd just like my papers."

Again and again it rang out in the office. Dark and angry,