Changmin couldn't go home after Jaejoong left. He was shaking like crazy. His hands couldn't hold anything. His knees were weak that they gave in after he heard the door closed.

He continued sobbing when he was alone. He was so angry and mad and sorry for himself because he got scared of nothing. He was a well, grown-up healthy man but yet he always cried basically for everything this world had turned his mind too. If he was to stay for more weeks, he was afraid his heart couldn't take it no more.

He rather dies than feeling helpless like this.

Changmin curled into a ball on the floor of the showroom. He would mourn his life here for a while and maybe, just maybe he would feel better afterwards.

*

Yoochun nodded when he listened to the caller on the phone. There was tearstain on both his cheeks, and his eyes were red but he had stopped crying. The voice of the caller was calm. Yoohwan was sitting not far from him, his eyes were red too and he was crying. Both of them were both in misery. Yoochun put down the phone and looked at Yoohwan.

"We're suspended." Yoochun said wearily. Yoohwan wore a shocked face but tried hard to not show it. "Yunho-hyung was forced to stay in his house. Changmin-hyung was gone." Yoohwan sobbed. Changmin had always acted nice around him because he was proud to hear Yoochun's dongsaeng called him 'hyung'.

"What did the police do?" they hadn't learnt about anything. There's no news about it in the Internet because it would be too much for the netizens to take. The company didn't want Changmin's disappearance be known, because people might speculate that Changmin broke down because of what happened to DBSK. It might taint more the clean reputation that the group had.

"I don't know. Yunho-hyung called me just now." Yoochun massaged his forehead. He was having headache of all the crying that he had done. These past few weeks, all he could do was mourn. He thought Yunho would be with them but he went back. He said he had to protect the name, and also Jaejoong. He wanted to protect Jaejoong from the company. He wanted to protect the five of them and the fans.

How could a single man protect such a big legacy?

***

Changmin was standing not far from them. Yoohwan was sad for his hyung, Yoochun was suffering because of the situation. Changmin stood awkwardly.

He had been flown across the dimension again, just like how he watched the phone call between Yunho and Jaejoong. How did the universe do that?

Changmin approached Yoochun and stood before him. Of course Yoochun couldn't see him, touch or smell him. Changmin tried to grasp Yoochun's shivering hands but couldn't.

What was he expecting? He wasn't in this world. He was somewhere unreachable. He looked at Yoochun, his hyung looked at his sobbing dongsaeng.

"Yoohwan-ah..." Yoochun wiped the tears with his thumb. He tried to smile. "Why are you crying? Hyung is the one in the pit now..."

"How can I not? You are suffering because what they did!" Yoohwan pushed Yoochun's hand away.

"Hyung can endure more, Yoohwan-ah..." he tried to persuade his dongsaeng but Yoohwan shook his head.

"You always said that! Don't try to stand everything to yourself. Tell us. Tell everyone. You cannot be in this alone!" Yoohwan was emotional. Changmin couldn't be any more pathetic of himself and what the decision had done to them.

"Hyung is okay..."

"I will be with you, hyung." Yoohwan said.

"Yoohwan..."

"Look, you're crying again and you told me not to?" Yoohwan was screaming right now. His shoulders shook.

"..."

"I wanted to earn money. I'll stand by your side, I'll be the one who will be the bread maker," Yoohwan said with determination.

Changmin bit down his lip. He touched Yoochun's face. He didn't feel anything. He was there in front of him but he wasn't there exactly. He tried to thumb the tears on his face, tell him he was alright and healthy.

"Hyung..." he and Yoohwan said simultaneously. Changmin looked at Yoohwan, expecting Yoohwan to look at him too and laugh but he didn't.

"Don't worry, ne?" Yoohwan said. "I'll protect you. I'll protect mom and you from everything."

Then there was a phone call coming in again. Yoochun picked it up. His face turned paler, if he still could. He listened and when he was done, he put it down.

"Jaejoong called. Junsu collapsed."

Changmin gasped.

Stop! he wanted to shout. Stop, please. Stop everything. Stop the time. Please.

*

"Please...please..." Changmin mumbled under his breath.

He realised he slept on the floor. He immediately sat up and looked around.

He was still in the cat spa. He woke up, his head was throbbing. He walked to the cat cage and brought out Gramps. Gramps didn't protest when he brought him to the couch. Changmin lay there on the resting room, and put Gramps beside him. Gramps whimpered and snuggled closer to him. The kitten sniffed Changmin's face and made the man giggled.

"Do you like my tears?" he asked Gramps in a soft voice. Gramps his face, apparently he was responding to Changmin's question. "I miss them so much. Here, there's too much confusion." Gramps settled down and snuggled between his face and shoulder. "I was so tired, Gramps-ah..."

He blew into Gramps' ear and the kitten shook his head which brought Changmin to laughter.

"I was scared. I was alone. Nobody tells me anything anymore." Gramps whimpered as in response. Changmin Gramps and closed his eyes.

Toki wo tomete.

Please stop the time, and let it go back to where it was.

Return me to where I was.

"I can't sleep." Gramps bumped his head on Changmin's forehead. "Do you want to hear me sing? I'm a singer, you know."

Then Changmin started to sing. The song was Toki wo Tomete. The song was painfully sad to him and he sang it with tears rolled down his cheeks. He even sobbed and at one point he was hiccupping.

But finally both of them fell asleep together.

***

"What's wrong with you sleeping here?!" Kyuhyun's loud voice woke Changmin up. He rubbed his eyes and winced to see Kyuhyun opened the shop's window. "It's good I'm here first or else the girls would be delighted to see you, another juicy news for a gossip!" Kyuhyun scolded him. Changmin looked down and saw Gramps stretched. Gramps growled a little when Changmin smiled and patted his head.

"Ah...sorry, Kyu-ah..." Changmin ruffled his own hair. He indeed slept here for the whole night. Kyuhyun took a good look at him and shrieked.

"What happened to you? Your eyes are puffy! Do you break up with someone?" Changmin didn't answer. It was so early in the morning and he still couldn't absorb the environment around him yet. He looked at Kyuhyun and shook his head. "Aish!"

"Nothing's wrong," Changmin felt his face. It was sticky. He stood up immediately, left the grumpy Gramps on the couch and went to the basin to wash his face. He took the toothbrush and brushed his teeth. He looked fresher.

"Poor guy." Kyuhyun said when he saw Changmin walked out the door. He was holding Gramps in his arms. "Did you just sleep with him the entire night?"

"Well..."

"Are you sure you're not heartbroken?"

I'm sure I was scared last night I didn't want to go out.

But he said nothing. He looked at Gramps and suddenly the kitten jumped towards him. Fortunately he managed to catch the kitten even though his nails were cutting into Changmin's skin. Both of the boys were shocked. Gramps climbed onto Changmin's arm and nested there.

"He's attracted to you. Look at the affinity he had with you. Gramps had never been with someone as close like this." Kyuhyun sounded surprised. Changmin planted a kiss on Gramps' head and the kitten purred softly.

"I'll put him back in the cage." Changmin went to where the other cats were sleeping and he put Gramps on the ground with the other kittens. He woke up from his trance and immediately retreated to a place where no kittens reside. He was becoming a lone ranger again.

Again, Changmin was reminded of himself. He was alone in these two dimensions. It ran in parallel and he was stuck here. There are no other flashbacks so he couldn't remember the last moment he was on the other universe.

"Aish...you bothersome cat..." he poked the kitten and Gramps groaned.

"Why don't you go home and clean yourself?" Kyuhyun suggested when he saw Changmin was playing with the kitten again. "It's still morning and I came early. Do so and I'll give you the permission to play with Gramps again."

***

Changmin didn't go home. He went to the public bath and cleaned himself there. Junsu had left some money on the table yesterday's morning. Even though Changmin was reluctant, he took it because he knew he would need it to pay for the bus and the food. Junsu gave him quite a lot, knowing that Changmin would use the extra for snacks.

Changmin had his breakfast afterwards, his mind was elsewhere when he was inside the restaurant. He ate more than he always did this morning. He was fidgeting the whole way he was out in Seoul; he was afraid Jaejoong would send his people to take him away again. He was afraid for Yunho, by the sound of it Jaejoong wouldn't let go of Yunho that easily.

'Even in another life, Yunho will fall in love with me over and over again.' Jaejoong's voice echoed inside his head.

How did he come to the conclusion? How did he predict that? It was true. Yunho loved Jaejoong in his world, he loves Jaejoong so much that he'd do anything to protect him.

***

He needed to find Yoochun and continued where they left off. He would go to the hospital later that day after he finished his working hours for today. His appointment with Dr Kang was tomorrow, so he would have a longer time to meet Yoochun. He was excited because Yoochun knew his name before he introduced himself. It thrilled him to know the story behind Five Warriors of the East.

Changmin said goodbye later that day to his circles of friends that were his colleagues. All of them were cat lovers, not like him. But Changmin admitted that he loved the connection that he'd established with the kitten Gramps.

Changmin took a bus to go to the hospital. He couldn't gather enough courage yet to walk to the hospital without feeling he was being tailed. He was insecure and felt unsafe.

It was already 9 pm when he arrived at the hospital. He hoped Yoochun stayed for the night with his brother so that they could meet. He was reminded about words that Yoohwan threw at him on their first encounter.

'All of you just want to hurt hyung!'

Hurt Yoochun? Why? How? He would never hurt Yoochun. Far from it.

Changmin walked along the hallway, scolded himself silently in his head for being this stupid. He didn't know where Yoohwan's room was and even if he was still a patient.

"Changmin-oppa!" Changmin turned around and saw Yeon Hee, fully dressed in a nurse uniform. "What are you doing here? Weren't you being discharged yesterday?"

"I...I just try to find someone." Changmin beamed at Yeon Hee who furrowed his brows.

"Who?"

"You might not know him...but...his name is Park Yoohwan. Can you find him for me?"

"Park Yoohwan?" Yeon Hee used her index finger to tap his forehead. "Follow me. I'll try to find him in the registry,"

"Okay." Changmin followed suit. They walked to the counter and Yeon Hee keyed down the name. "But why do you come at night?"

"I have to work." Changmin beamed, he was so relieved to meet Yeon Hee that night. She practically had saved his life.

"Oh. What work? Do you start to remember?"

"Oh, uh...I got a new job. A helper at a cat spa,"

"A cat spa? Is that the one..."

"Yes, yes." Changmin nodded. It's the one and only cat spa in Seoul. So, there wasn't any competition, that's why it was so successful.

Yeon Hee's face lightened up.

"I always wanted to visit the cats, they look so adorable,"

"Indeed." Gramps' face appeared in Changmin's mind. "If you ever want to go to the cat spa, I'll show you the best cat they have."

"Really, oppa?" Changmin nodded and smiled.

"Just tell me."

"Do you still keep my phone number, oppa?"

"Ah...yes. Mianhe, Yeon Hee-ah, my phone was gone. Someone stole it and I haven't bought a new one."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Guess I will have to wait until I meet you again to get your number," Yeon Hee chuckled to herself. For a while, Changmin was at ease.

"Then..."

"I'll see you later, oppa!" Yeon Hee scrammed away when suddenly she was called by a doctor nearby. She waved and Changmin waved back.

Changmin headed to the room where Yeon Hee told him Yoohwan was at. The door was closed. Changmin looked at the name tag, it was Park Yoohwan indeed. Changmin's heartbeats started to accelerate. He stood in front of the door for a while to think.

Was it worth it? Will he meet Yoochun? What if it's only Yoohwan in there?

Whatever will be, will be. Que sera sera. He convinced himself.

He knocked on the door and opened it. He peeked inside and saw Yoohwan was in bed reading a book with only the night light on. His eyes searched for Yoochun and saw he was sleeping with his bed rested beside Yoohwan. Yoohwan raised his head from the book and saw Changmin.

"You!" Yoohwan's eyes went wide.

"I...I just want to see your brother..."

"Get out!" fortunately Yoohwan's loud voice woke Yoochun up. Yoochun sleepily opened his eyes and turned his head towards the door. "Hyung...! This person here..."

"He's here to see me." Yoochun said as he straightened up his posture. He smiled lightly at Changmin and gestured to him so that he walked in. Changmin was relieved but still frightened of Yoohwan's glare. He had had no blood left on his face, making him the palest in the room. Changmin compared the two brothers; Yoohwan looked as if he would die in any second with that emaciated body and Yoochun, though healthier, was thinner and fairer from his Yoochun. Yoochun looked like he had never gone outside, unlike his Yoochun who always hang out at the beach on vacation with his Jaejoong. He wanted to ask if he ever go out and see the sun but refrained himself to do so.

Changmin walked towards Yoohwan's bed and saw Yoochun's eyes were so tired. Yoochun stood up.

"If you ever want to talk to hyung, you better talk with me here!" Yoohwan barged in. His eyes were red of angst.

Changmin was startled. What did this universe do to the sweet kid?

"Yoohwan-ah, hyung won't be long." with that Yoochun dragged Changmin out of the room. They went to the waiting room. Yoochun bought hot cocoas for both of them. They sat across each other. Changmin observed Yoochun's face as Yoochun sipped his hot cocoa.

"What do you want to ask me?" Yoochun asked.

"How do you know my name?" Yoochun stared at Changmin and smiled.

"I just know."

"Just know?" Changmin's mouth dropped open. "How? Do you read people?" Changmin meant it in if Yoochun was a fortune teller or close to it.

"I learned your name from my dream." Changmin was confused. "You must be thinking that it was preposterous."

"No, no. If you listen to my story, you'll be surprised." Yoochun lifted his brows in amusement. "How do you know just from your dreams?"

Yoochun finished his hot cocoa.

"Not a while ago, I was in an accident." Yoochun put down the paper cup. "I was in a coma. In my coma, I dreamt of meeting you and your circle of friends."

"Bwoh?"

"But I only remembered you, Changmin."

"What did you see?"

"Your circles of friend. I can't remember but there's also myself inside my own dreams. There were five of us, including you." Changmin couldn't hide his joy. It must be the five of them. It must be.

"When was the accident?"

"It was a long time ago, and I already forgotten about it. Then I met you."

"Really?" Changmin was sure of it now. "What else?"

"Why do you want to know? Shouldn't I be the one who ask you questions? I've done my part." immediately Changmin blushed.

"I..." he was about to tell Yoochun the same story that he told Junsu. He wondered if Junsu actually believed them, but he would like to believe that Junsu did. "You were right. I should tell you what I should tell you." Yoochun didn't say anything so Changmin continued. "I wasn't from here. I think the five persons in your dreams are me and my hyungs. I was involved in an accident and I was thrown here."

"That's interesting." Yoochun said, but his face didn't change. "I'm aware of it. But if you're thinking that you and I were in a same situation was wrong. You appeared here as a whole, solid even, while I was just merely a spirit there." Changmin looked at Yoochun in disbelief.

"Do you know that I would be thrown here?" Yoochun shook his head. "Then...how?"

Yoochun looked even tired than ever.

"The universe had done their part. One of the reasons I was flung there and become a spirit is for me to appreciate my family more. I was too in love with my work to pay attention to my dongsaeng and my parents. I was involved in the accident and was in a coma for a while. It was an eye opener for me because of what I see in my dreams." Changmin watched as Yoochun's face saddened a bit as if reminded by something very sorrowful. "I can see your face vividly in my dreams. Their maknae, they called you that."

Changmin put his finger in his mouth.

Their maknae. Uri maknae. They called him that.

He blinked to shoo the tears that started to build at the back of his eyes.

"It's them..." whispered Changmin. He rubbed his face with both his palms and he started crying. "They're worried about me?"

"They never talked about anything else." Yoochun looked down upon his shoes. "Even if I can't remember them very well right now, I know one of them perhaps was me. You were vulnerable in my dreams, like you were a very valuable treasure in their life. The discussion was a secret not known by you." Yoochun lifted his hand and touched Changmin's face. His thumb softly caressed Changmin's cheek and wiped his tears. "You are very precious."

"I'm old enough to know. I want to know. I can't live with people always deceiving and hiding the truth about me," Changmin whined. Yoochun let out a heavy sigh.

"I would like to tell you more, but I don't want to burden you more emotionally," Yoochun said and he patted Changmin's shoulder.

"But I..."

"I may look like this, Changmin-ah...but I know a lot," Changmin nodded. "I'll tell you more. But now Yoohwan needed me more than you," Changmin stood up together with Yoochun. "No need to get so work up, Changmin. Take a rest, go home, and have a good night sleep."

a/n I'm sorry it's a bit short!

but hey now Yoochun just told us why he knew Changmin's name.

i'm sorry the pace of the story was so slow, but thank you to all the readers that read and subscribes and commented! it really gave me strength to write on!