...She picked the instrument up and decided to play the same song whilst she prayed until she received a phone call. She looked at it with discontent and sorrow, as it was from the Headquarters again. She let out a mocking laugh before switching it off and burying her head on Kyuhyun’s pillow. She simply didn’t have the heart to care anymore, even if someone told her that the world was going to end in ten seconds, she just didn’t have the strength to bother.

-

The Super Junior members were all forced to go home under Leeteuk’s order, as there was simply nothing they could do. All schedules were immediately cancelled due to the traumatic situation they were in. Once they entered their dorm, they witness for the first time in their lives something which they thought they would never see - they saw a corrupted, weak, crying Kira. Despite how monstrous she could be, the sight created a heavier weight which pressured their hearts, making breathing difficult for them.

Donghae started to cry. Those horrifying things were showing up again and began strolling down his flawless complexion. The teary atmosphere spread like a disease, causing all of them to weep in silence.

Donghae tried to approach the heart-broken girl, yet like always, nothing could come out from his mouth apart from her name. Shindong saw how hopeless the two was at communicating, so he simply shoved Donghae to the side to sit down next to Kira.

“Kira,” Shindong wiped his tears away, trying hard to smile. “Kyuhyun is still doing the surgery, but things are still going well! The doctor said the kid has got a lot of will to survive.”

“...but did he say he’ll definitely live?” Kira stared at him expressionlessly. “He didn’t, did he?”

“You’re right, he didn’t. Yet do you know why I think he can live through it?” Kira simply stared at him quietly, waiting for him to continue. “He’s not afraid of anything. Knowing him, if God was to take him away, he’ll probably have a fight with him. Even the devil will be scared to take him away.”

Kira finally laughed at the thought before shaking her head. “Is that what you really think?”

“Nope, but it made you smile. The real reason why I think he’ll live is because he once told me how thankful he was. He was thankful for his family, s, and his fans...lastly, he was thankful for meeting you. It’s because he’s thankful, he’s not willing to let go.”

“I think...I’m getting goose bumps,” she chuckled weakly, as she rubbed her arms.

“You go tell him that when he wakes up. You have to have faith in him. Right now, you’re acting as if he’ll die for sure.”

“I wasn’t. I just...came here to invade his room.”

Shindong just rolled his eyes at her comment before leaving the room.

---

“You will regret this,” those words echoed in Steph’s head whilst only darkness surrounded her. She tried to breathe, but she couldn’t as there was something stuck in her trachea, preventing air from being exchanged. She tried to cough it out, yet to no avail. However, her cough did grab someone’s attention.

-

Rae, Lee Jonghyun and Seulong was walking down the street, trying to figure out what had happened to their original plan as they had lost all communications with Steph.

Suddenly, Rae walked in front of the two men, asking them if they could hear anything and whether it sounded familiar to them.

“No matter who it is, let’s check it out,” Jonghyun suggested.

The three hurriedly followed the direction of the noise until they found a body in an alleyway.

“Excuse me,” Seulong started before rolling over the reckless body to see that it was none other than Steph.

Rae instantly gasped at the sight as her friend was covered in scratches and blood. Jonghyun just stared with sympathy, knowing the consequences of betraying the Headquarters too well, whilst Seulong was unwilling to believe what he was seeing.

“Stop it, Seulong. We need to get her to a hospital!” Jonghyun yelled. “Rae, call the ambulance,” he demanded as he carried Steph on his back, heading towards the road so it would be quicker to get to the hospital once the ambulance arrived.

-

Leeteuk was slowly falling asleep whilst he waited for the doctors to inform him of those who was injured.

“Oppa,” Renee sighed as she shook him by the side, causing him to wake up with a groan. “Jonghyun is fine now.”

“That’s good,” he smiled. “Do you know about Kyuhyun?” he asked worriedly, yet she could only shake her head despondently. “I see...” he responded with a heavy heart before seeing more of his friends being submitted to hospital.

“W-why are they there?” Renee asked curiously when she saw Rae, Lee Jonghyun and Seulong together with faces as pale as a ghost.

Emotions was a like a rollercoaster for them, constantly going up and down, not allowing their frail hearts to rest..

“Renee?” Rae immediately ran towards her and Leeteuk once she noticed them.

“Why are you guys here?”

“...because of Steph,” Rae replied gloomily.

“What are you talking about? She’s in England right now,” Renee simply laughed, but quickly stopped when she noticed Rae’s grave expression.

“She didn’t go,” Seulong sighed. “...because Rae told her that they would attack SM.”

“Y-you...k-knew?” Renee asked Rae in a slightly stunned manner. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wouldn’t change anything! We already tried our best by preventing trainees from going back,” Rae explained.

“Tried your best? Do you know how many people are injured right now?” the younger one asked with bewilderment, devastation and astonishment.

“We can’t win completely. All we can do is reduce the amount of losses to the minimum. This is a war Renee, you know that. Even though a lot was injured, a lot was saved because of this...including your mother,” Jonghyun added, causing Renee to eyes him strangely. “...because everyone was transferred to attack SM, we were able to save her. She’s awake now.”

“I’m happy to hear that, but I can’t even smile. Is this really the best? You all make it sound so perfect, but tell me, why is Steph in the hospital? How many more lives must we risk?! Why can’t we just let the whole world know?” Renee cried with her hoarse, broken voice.

“Renee, you should calm down,” Leeteuk breathed sombrely. “This is a hospital, and it would be impolite to make such a big fuss here. We should wait patiently and quietly. I’m already...really tired,” he slowly lifted his legs off the ground and placed them on the chair whilst he held his knees close to his chest, burying his head so no one could see those hopeless tears falling.

Suddenly, a doctor approached them, asking if they were relatives of Steph’s.

“How is she?” Renee just grabbed the doctor’s sleeves with desperate eyes. “She’ll be alright, right?”

“The injury on the outside isn’t doing her much harm, but she needs a lung transplant. As a patient with cystic fibrosis, her lungs could no longer function properly due to the large amount of mucus being produced.  I need one of you to sign a few papers acknowledging the surgery and the risks of it,” the doctor explained, yet the word ‘risks’ did not seem comforting in the slightest to them.

“What are the risks?” Seulong asked, stuttering every word.

“The surgery is very difficult because the body is responding to the faulty gene very quickly; hence it may lead to death. There also seem to be a few things slightly awkward here and there, but I don’t know what it is. It’s as if it’s another form of cystic fibrosis with other symptoms, which is why even if the surgery is a success, we don’t know for certain if it can save her.”

The doctor’s words seemed to have had the ability to drown Leeteuk in a world of deep remorse.

“This isn’t right,” he whimpered under his breath over and over again, until it blended with the background noise along with all the other cries.

“I-I’ll sign the papers,” Jonghyun announced as he stepped forward, knowing the others were too devastated by all the sudden occurrences.

After signing the papers, they immediately performed surgery on her. Jonghyun finally convinced Leeteuk to return to the dorm to look after the other members whilst he was on the watch for those who were in hospital. Rae tried her best to console Renee, yet the atmosphere remained as gloomy as ever. Seulong on the other hand, simply sat at a corner, silently waiting, silently praying.

-

The doctor was about to give Steph a drug which would make her drowsy, yet Steph stopped him by asking him a question.

“D-doctor...will I die?” she spoke with her pale dry lips as she held onto his sleeve, stopping him from continuing the procedure. “I asked a bad q-question...didn’t I? C-can I t-tell you something?” she smiled weakly, and the doctor leaned closer towards her so she could whisper it the words into his ears.

Suddenly, he withdrew himself, glancing at her curiously.

“I-if you can’t p-promise me, t-then don’t perform the o-operation.”

The doctor could do nothing but give a reassuring nod.

Jonghyun, Rae, Renee and Seulong werewaiting outside patientlyfor news of either Kyuhyun or Steph. Waiting for the doctor to announce the news which would either send theirheartstobliss, or shredtheirsanity apart to miniscule pieces.

A doctor finally came out, calling for relatives of Cho Kyuhyun. They immediately tried to move forward, until they saw Kyuhyun’s family approach the doctor, so they remained unmoved and only eavesdropped in what they were saying. Yet soon they were distracted when another doctor came out calling for friends or relatives of Steph.

The doctor looked at the four with motionless eyes before heaving a deep long sigh. They allstared at him with a puzzled expression. Was the surgery a success or fail?

“The surgery is completed, but the body continues to reject the new lungs,” he proclaimed.

“W-what’s that supposed to mean?” Renee asked incoherently.

“You can say that the surgery has failed. I’m really sorry.”

Seulong’s eyes widened in disbelief, even though he knew the day would come, he refused to accept it.

 “You’re lying,” Renee immediately accused. “What kind of doctor are you? Aren’t you supposed to save people?!” she grabbed his collar, glaring into his guilty eyes with her miserable ones. Then, Rae placed a hand on Renee, causing her to focus her attention on her. Rae simply shook her head whilst tears built up again.

Things were falling apart, and none of them could stop of fix it.

“No, this can’t be happening. Unnie!” Renee kept calling whilst she dashed into the room, followed by her friends.

“No. It can’t be,” Seulong shook hishead disapprovinglyonce they entered the room where she laid on a green bed with a gas mask covering half of her face. Blood spillages surrounded the room like shattered red glass fragments.

Tears instantly dropped once Reneewitnessed the sight. Shestood there like a statue, unable to move, unable to react, unable to believe. She was lost in herown world until the barely living body called for her. Once she heard her voice, she rushed by her side, ignoring the blood that would stain herclothes.

“Unnie!” the younger one called.

“M-Mrs Hiew i-is w-waiting for you i-in our dorm. Boa unnie i-is with her,” Steph finally managed to say.

“I know. Thank you,” Renee cried whilst she held Steph’s hand. “Don’t die?” she asked uncertainly, which caused Steph to chuckle weakly.

“In my room, t-there’s a b-blue box in t-the drawer n-next to my b-bed,” Steph breathed with difficulty as she could feel that herbreathe was being taken away, but Renee hushed her.

“I’ll figure it out. You need your rest unnie. Y-you’ll be alright.”

“Y-you...guys m-must s-save Anna unnie. S-she’s in t-the Headquarters r-right now.”

“We’ll save her. Definitely!”

Suddenly, Seulong gently pushed Renee aside in order to lift Steph up so he could hold her from behind. Her head rested neatly against his heart which was slowly being eroded away by time.

“T-thanks,” she beamed as she glanced upwards to look at him. “I f-feel...warm.”

No replies were heard from Seulong apart from the desperate cries which were filled with thousands of words. His arms around her tightened the moment he felt her body go limp. His body froze and his eyes moved rapidly from left to right and back again. ‘Why was it happening?’ Things which were only seen in dramas, why was it happening to him? Why does life seem so vulnerable now? Why does death seem so close? The pain of losing someone, really, truly is unbearable.

-

“Steph? Steph! Wake up! Wake up!” Seulong shook her once he brought himself back to reality. He touched her hand, just to find it was ice cold. Tighter, he held her whilst he cried and screamed his pain out which managed to tear the hearts of all those within the same room.

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear. “I love you. Come back. Come back. I’ll…I’ll do anything. Just come back! COME BACK! Can’t you hear me?”

-

A few hours later, Leeteuk received a phone call from the hospital which made him laugh like an idiot. Warmth, joy and relief all curled around him, giving him the tingly feeling inside. Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to explain what was so funny.

“Kyuhyun, hahaha! He’s alive!” Leeteuk bounced up and down like a little kid who was given ice-cream. Everyone’s eyed widened before embracing each other to celebrate the survival of Super Junior’s magnae. Kira on the other hand froze like a block of ice.

“It’s real right? You’re not making it up…? He’s really…alive?” A glimmer of happiness sparkled in her eyes. Leeteuk gave her a cheeky grin before nodding his head. She smiled with delight before dashing towards the hospital straight away. The other members simply laughed at her eagerness to visit Kyuhyun.

Once the members had finished rejoicing, they were about to catch up with Kira so they could visit Kyuhyun together. However, things aren’t always as ideal are they?

-

Once Ryeowook opened the door, ready to go out, Seulong stood in the way. He looked at Ryeowook blankly before putting his arm down as if he was about to knock on the door before Ryeowook opened it.

Seulong gave a small bow which slightly confused him as well as the rest of the members.

“Seulong? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in England?” Ryeowook furrowed his eyebrows questionably.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Where’s Steph?”

“C-can I come in?” Seulong stuttered as if something had caught his tongue. Ryeowook was frustrated that he didn’t answer any of his questions, but he moved over so he could enter. Once he entered, all eyes were on him.

“Ryeowook, maybe you should sit down first.” Seulong suggested, but Ryeowook was getting impatient and insisted for him to continue as they were.

The tension grew, and Leeteuk quietly made his way to his room as he could already guess the reason for Seulong’s sudden arrival.

Without further ado, Seulong took out the mobile chain with two balloons dangling from the string.

“We found this in her room. Renee was supposed to give it to you, but...she’s a bit...tired.” By now, his eyes were already swollen with a tint of scarlet. Even thought his sentences were disjointed, they were crystal clear to Ryeowook, whilst the others were still confused.

“W-what’s this…supposed to mean? Where is she?” Ryeowook knew the answer perfectly well, but he refused to accept it. He didn’t want to jump into conclusions when it was probably not true. However, it was.

“S-she...went to a place where we can’t reach her.” Seulong kept rolling his eyes back, hoping that the tears would roll back into his eyelids, but they still continued to fall. “I’m...sorry. I-I couldn’t make her stay.”

-

Kira immediately went looking for Kyuhyun’s room once she reached the hospital. She was about to unlock the door until her hesitation prevented her from doing so. Instead, she just glanced through the glass window, showing Kyuhyun sleeping soundly inside. Just seeing him and knowing that he’s safe, made her feel comforted inside.

When she finally decided to push the door open, something stopped her again. It was a high, desperate and mournful screech coming from just two doors down the corridor. She turned around to see the corrupted soul lying sitting on the floor, unable to find the strength to get back up.

“Karen, this is a hospital. Let’s not cause trouble, come on,” Renee pleaded as countless tears escaped from her eyes.

“No. No, this can’t be! The doctor must’ve made a mistake! Tell them, unnie! Tell them that Steph unnie is still alive. Do something, unnie!” Karen begged desperately whilst Renee embraced her tight. It was just like the night when they first met – Karen begged her to save her.  

 “What’s all this?” Kira finally approached the two. “Why...are you two...crying?”

“Steph died a few hours ago,” Renee sighed.

“She...died?” Kira repeated to herself despondently. It was as if the news were too sudden for her to react to it.

“She did, but we have to stay strong if we don’t want the same thing to happen again.”

“What do you mean?” Kira asked in a baffled manner.

“My...Mr Hiew has got Anna unnie.”