The present:

Wookie was sobbing quietly in Minnie's arms and Teukie reached out a hand to cup his cheeks, his own eyes shining with tears,"Wookie, why are you crying?". Ryeowook looked at Leeteuk through his tears and said in broken parts, "It's so... so sad, hyung... You and... Kyu..." Leeteuk smiled at the younger man and gently wiped his tears away, "You don't have to cry for us, Wookie. You should be angry at me. It's because of my inconsiderate way of handling matters that caused all your injuries. You always have had a weak body, now, it seems like your condition is going to get worse." Teukie touched Ryeowook's burning forehead and flushed face in concern. Wookie shook his head but he had a faraway look in his eyes, "I'm...fine...hyung......" His words trailed off as his eyelids fluttered close and he leaned back more against Sungmin. "Wookie!" Leeteuk cried out in alarm when Ryeowook's head nodded and Wookie slipped into unconsciousness. "Ryeowook!",Sungmin shook Ryeowook slightly, attempting to wake the younger man up as Leeteuk shouted for his butler and asked if the doctor had arrived. A pageboy quickly ushered the doctor in and Minnie was not surprised to see that it was the same doctor that had treated Teukie one year ago. As Doctor Kim neared Ryeowook, Sungmin looked up and asked, "Do I have to lay him down?" The doctor shook his head, "You don't have to, just hold his body up so that I can inspect the wounds and tend to it.". After the doctor examined Ryeowook's injured body, he applied some medicine to the wounds and bandaged it up. "Some of the wounds are infected, that's why he's having a fever now. I'll tell the servants to cook some medicine, feed it to him two times a day until his fever subsided. Just clean his wounds thoroughly and change the bandages daily and he'll recover but be prepared that there might be some scars left behind on his body as the wounds are deep.". When Teukie went out of the room to send the doctor off, Minnie carefully lay Wookie onto the mattress. Tears sprang into his eyes as his heart tightened in pain when he looked at the unconscious Ryeowook, whose sweat was dotting his forehead as the fever raised his temperature. Sungmin Ryeowook's reddened cheeks gently, "Wookie..." he whispered and the tears streamed down his cheeks onto the ground. The door slided open, and Sungmin could hear the footsteps nearing him. When the person stopped and sat down besides him, Sungmin was surprised to see that it was Kyuhyun instead of Leeteuk. "What are you doing here?" Sungmin's voice crackled in anger. Kyuhyun kept his eyes on Ryeowook, "I'm sorry.". Minnie clenched his fist and shook with fury, "You're sorry?!", he spat out the words, "Look at Wookie now! He's in this condition all thanks to you! I know how much you love Teukie hyung, but Ryeowook treated you like a friend and you knew how weak his body is! If Teuk hyung had not appeared, you were going to kill him, weren't you?". Kyuhyun chose to keep silent. The anger within Sungmin exploded as he stood up, turned and grabbed Kyuhyun by his clothes from the front. He pulled Kyuhyun up to his feet until their faces were but a few inches away, making Kyuhyun look at him in the eye, "Answer me, Kyu!".  Kyuhyun averted his gaze but replied in an even and unwavering voice, "Yes,". Sungmin shook him, furious at the younger man, "How could you be so cruel, Kyu? He's innocent!". Minnie broke off, unable to continue. Kyuhyun finally looked at him in the eyes, "I know that Wookie is innocent, hyung but I saw Teukie kissing you in front of my own eyes. You couldn't imagine the amount of pain I went through when I attended his funeral, Hyung!", Kyuhyun's eyes glistened with tears as he recalled those days of pain and sorrow. "I lost him to death but the last thought that came into my mind when his coffin was lowered into the ground was that you were the one who took him away from me. Since then, revenge was the only thing on my mind. I'm really really sorry for my actions, although I know now that these words are useless.". Sungmin released his grip on Kyuhyun, "No, you were wrong. I could imagine the pain you went through, Kyu. I was also there when they buried the fake coffin, watching everyone crying and sobbing their grief of losing him when I knew that Teuk hyung was still alive. Wookie locked himself up in his own room even though he was still sick, refusing to see anyone, even me. In the end, he fainted from the grief and illness, I almost lost him too... The pain that seized me then, you could feel it too, can't you?". Minnie asked, his face wet with tears. Kyuhyun sank to his knees as tears streamed down uncontrollably. Guilt and remorse covered him like a thick, choking blanket. "I'm sorry...". Sungmin kneeled besides the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder, "The one you should be apologizing to isn't me but Wookie. Seek for his forgiveness when he's awake.". With that, Sungmin left the room to recollect himself, leaving the sobbing Kyuhyun alone in the room with the unconscious Ryeowook. Minnie slided open the door and was met with the sight of a crying Leeteuk with one hand cupped over his mouth as sobs threatened to erupt. "Hyung,,,", Sungmin started, unsure of what to say, with his emotions all over the place as well. Teukie shook his head and pulled Sungmin into a hug. Minnie leaned into his embrace and broke down when Leeteuk whispered, "I'm sorry too." In the room, tears also flowed from Wookie's face while he was still unconscious and cloaked in a burning darkness. That night, as the full moon shone brightly up in the dark sky, the four grown man in the Cho Mansion cried for what they all had gone through, the pain, guilt, sorrow and grief for both themselves and their friends.