Minnie followed Teukie all the way to the market and frowned when he saw the direction that Leeteuk was heading. He urged his horse to go faster and overtook Leeteuk. Sungmin stopped in front of his hyung, forcing Teukie to pull the reins before he could go on into the forest. "Hyung, what are you doing?! It's dangerous to go into the forest especially since it's getting dark now!" The setting sun was painting the entire sky crimson red, it was as if blood had just been spilled across the usually peaceful sky. Leeteuk raised his eyes to meet Sungmin's, not caring that he was showing his tear strained face and vulnerable side to his dongsaeng. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest as Kyuhyun's crying face showed in his mind eye. Kyu lost his mother since he was young and looked on at the world coldly, not caring how others see him, just hurting others and himself in the process. For seventeen years, he was often left alone to fend for himself until he met Teukie who changed him and taught him how to love. Leeteuk vowed once to protect him from others but now he realized that the one Kyu needed to protect himself the most against was himself. He looked on at Sungmin, anger building up within him, "Leave me alone!" Teukie screamed, "Stop following me! Just go home!". A few villages were looking on at a distance but Sungmin ignored them, "Hyung, something is obviously wrong! Why are you doing this to yourself and Kyu?!". At the mention of Kyuhyun's name, Leeteuk's face twisted in pain.. Just then, a loud thunder clapped across the blood-red sky and big, fat droplets showered the place. Rainwater and tears mingled on Leeteuk's face as he whispered his reply, "It's none of your business, min..." Teukie's almost inaudible words stabbed Minnie deep in the heart and he watched helplessly as Teukie maneuvered his horse around Sungmin's and galloped into the dark and forbidding forest. He looked once at the sky filled with rain that was pouring down, colouring the world in shades of grey and black before turning into the deep woods and raced after Leeteuk.

Teukie skillfully raced through the huge trees while Minnie struggled to keep up. The large canopy decreased the amount of rainfall falling through but a thick fog prevented Sungmin from seeing Leeteuk clearly. "Teuk hyung, slow down! " Sungmin's heart pounded rapidly in his chest as he lost sight of Leeteuk for a brief moment. Suddenly, the neighing of a horse resounded through the forest and Minnie's heart stopped. "Hyung!" He screamed into the fog and rode faster. When he saw the limp body sprawled unconsciously on the yet ground, he quickly pulled the reins and jumped down from his horse. He sprinted towards Teukie who was lying face down. Minnie turned his body around and let out a cry; blood flowed down from one side of Leeteuk's face. "Hyung, wake up!" Sungmin shook Leeteuk but he remained unconscious. Minnie looked around, looking for a shelter in the heavy rain and saw in a distance, a shadow of a mansion. After much effort, he lifted the injured Teukie over the horse, mounted and galloped over to the shadow that he fervently hoped that it was a house and that there'll be people there that could help them. He sighed in relief when the mansion came into sight and lights were shone through the windows. He slowed his horse and helped Leeteuk down from the horse after he dismounted. He supported Teukie with one shoulder and made it to the front door where he knocked desperately. The door opened after a few minutes to reveal a man, perhaps slightly older than Minnie, dressed in the attire of a butler. His eyes widened at the sight of Sungmin and Leeteuk. "I'm sorry for being rude, but can you please help? My friend is injured." Without any hesitation, he flung open the doors and helped Minnie to bring Teukie into a spare room. When Minnie laid Teukie down, the Butler gasped, "Master?!" He quickly turned towards the footman standing by the door and said, "Go and invite Doctor Kim now. The Master is injured." , he then gestured to a few maids who ran off, most probably to get dry clothes. Minnie turned towards the butler in confusion, "Thank you for calling for a doctor." The man shook his head, "No, I'm the one who is supposed to thank you for saving our Master. Please, accept my deepest gratitude to you." Minnie stared in shock as the man bowed and choked out his next words, "Teukie hyung is your Master?" The man smiled slightly, "Yes, he is indeed our Master." Minnie looked towards the unconscious Teukie and back to the butler, "But...". Just then, the door slide opened and three maids came in with two sets of dry and clean clothes. The butler bowed, "Please change out of the wet clothes first, young master.". Minnie looked down at his drenched clothes in surprise; he had forgotten about the heavy rain that is still pouring down outside. He looked back to Teukie hyung, thinking that it's easier to get answers from his hyung when he's awake and alright. He turned back to the butler and nodded. While Minnie was changing, the doctor arrived and was tending to Teukie when Minnie went back into the room. Minnie kneeled besides Leeteuk and asked the doctor, "Is he going to be alright?". Doctor Kim, who seems to be in his early thirties, turned towards Minnie with a smile, "He is going to be alright, it's just a small cut. Did he fall from a horse?" At Sungmin's nod, the doctor turned back towards Teukie, "He'll have a few bruises, it's fortunate that he had not broken his bones. Don't worry too much, he'll wake up soon." Minnie sighed in relief and thanked Doctor Kim. As the butler was sending the doctor out, Sungmin realized that the rain had stopped and he wondered how is Kyuhyun now. Teukie stirred besides him and Minnie turned his attention back to the older man. Leeteuk opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of his hidden mansion. From his periphery view, he could see the worried Minnie shifting towards him and he sighed inwardly. He frowned a little at the throbbing pain at the back of his head and the aches in some parts of his body. "Hyung?" Minnie called out softly, "How are you feeling now? You fell down from the horse and hurt your head." Teukie raised a hand to touch the bandage that circled his head and tried to sit up. Sungmin helped him up slowly and quickly poured a cup of hot tea for Leeteuk. He blew on it to make it cooler before passing it on to Teukie. Leeteuk smiled a weak smile to show his gratitude before sipping on the warm tea. "Hyung... What happened just now? Why...why are you doing this to yourself and Kyu?". Leeteuk closed his eyes in pain as Kyuhyun's crying face flashed back into his mind. "Hyung! Does your head hurt? I'm sorry..".Sungmin asked hurriedly in concern. Teukie opened his eyes to the panicking Sungmin and reached out a shaking hand to reassure his dongsaeng. "Minnie, my pain is not from the head but the heart. I... He... He must still be crying now because of my actions. I'm sorry for forcing that kiss on you and dragging you into this mess, Minnie. But...I... I have to do this, if not.... he'll be hurt more..." Leeteuk teared up as he spoke and Minnie's heart tightened as see his best friends in such pain. "What really happened, hyung? Could you... could you tell me?". Teukie hesitated a little before spilling out everything that had happened. "I'm going to feign my death so that my father would not go after Kyu. However, I could only make Kyuhyun think that I betrayed him so as to make him forget about me. I didn't realize that... " Teukie's voice broke as another fresh wave of pain and sorrow surfaced within him. "I'll be staying here, i bought this mansion and hired the servants myself, so you don't have to worry about me. No one can ever know about this, so, Minnie... please, help me to keep this a secret. Tell no one, not even Kyuhyun and Wookie. Please...". Teukie pleaded, "Please, help me...".

When Sungmin left the mansion, it was already late evening and his heart felt heavy in his chest. Leeteuk had sent a footman to ride ahead of him to guide him out of the forest and Minnie mentally memorized the route back. There's no way Sungmin is just going to let Teukie live here without at least one companion and friend to talk and chat with him from time to time. However, this secret that Teukie swore him to keep it for him meant that he couldn't explain the situation to Kyu. He would be like the others, heartbroken when they heard about the death. Ryeowook would be hurt by the news too, he liked Teukie hyung... Leeteuk's plan was feasible and could solve the problem of Kyu's family not being threatened by Teukie's father, but it's going to hurt a lot of people who loved him. Sungmin sighed, he couldn't face Wookie when he knows that he can't tell Wookie the truth so as to prevent him getting hurt. However, he promised Ryeowook that he'll go and see him today. When Minnie reached the Kim mansion, he was shown as usual to Wookie's room. Sungmin's heart sunk even more as he watched the younger man's face lit up at the sight of him but it fell slightly when he noticed that Kyuhyun was not with him. When Wookie asked him where Kyuhyun was, Sungmin answered in a monotonous voice, "He's not coming today, Wookie." After that, he had several small conversations with Wookie but he kept drifting off, engrossed in his own thoughts of what had happened today. He apologised when Ryeowook asked him what as wrong and quickly made up an excuse to leave soon. He couldn't sit there besides Ryeowook and pretend that everything is going to be fine when he knew he had the chance to spare him the pain of losing a hyung he respected and cherished. When he stood up to leave, he turned back to look at Ryeowook one last time before he left. He was filled with guilt, but he promised Teukie hyung. "I'm so sorry, Wookie...." Sungmin thought in his head, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me for not being able to spare you the pain. If I were to tell you the truth, Teukie hyung's sacrifice to protect Kyu would have been worthless.". With that, he left the Kim mansion and went back to his house where he spent the rest of the long and tiring day alone in his own thoughts.

Okay, this is the last part of what happened. The next chapter would be back to the present. Thanks for reading and commenting! :D Saranghae~