Changmin watched in raw anticipation as one of the jurors stood up. Right now, that was the only thing his mind could focus on. He didn't feel his body shaking. He didn't feel Yunho gently squeezing his shoulder. He didn't notice when Kyuhyun grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together in a tight grip. He didn't notice the anxious stares he was receiving from everyone. He even forgot that there were other people still in the room.

The only thing in the world Changmin knew right now was that whatever the juror was about to announce would drastically change his life.

The juror cleared his throat, and Changmim grew suddenly irritated that the juror was taking so long in declaring his verdict.

But Changmin unknowingly held his breath as the juror finally began to speak.

"On the charges of kidnapping, murder, , attempted murder, and aggravated assault," the juror began. "We the jury, find the defendant, Choi Jinsuk, guilty on all charges."

At first, Changmin didn't react. He had to make sure that he heard correctly. He needed to make sure that he really understood what the juror had said. Changmin needed to make sure this was real, and not some part of his imagination.

Finally, when everything began to make sense for him, Changmin released a sob, a smile on his face. 

Because for once, Changmin wasn't crying because he was scared. He wasn't crying because he was sad, helpless, or stressed out. 

He was happy, and it felt good. Even though his body felt so tired all of a sudden, he couldn't stop himself from feeling relieved.

All of his friends noticed Changmin's reaction, and immediately crowded around him, big smiles on their faces.

Kyuhyun stood up, pulling Changmin to stand up with him, before pulling his friend into a tight hug. And soon, Changmin found himself being passed around to be congratulated and hugged before he finally found himself in Yunho's arms.

"It's over, Changmin," Yunho whispered. "I promise."

When Changmin heard those words, he felt his body grow weak. His legs suddenly collapsed beneath him, and Changmin would have completely fallen to the floor if Yunho hadn't been holding him in the beginning.

Despite the gasps and calls for concern he was receiving from the others, Changmin was still able to smile again, though it was much weaker than before. "I'm okay," he says as he straightened himself out. "I just..." he looked to Kangta. "I'm really tired." Changmin bit his lip. "C-can we go home now? I'm so tired."

Kangta immediately nodded. "Of course, Changmin," he replied.

Changmin turned around, looking on time to see Jinsuk being led away. There was a dark, threatening glare in the older man's eyes, as if Jinsuk was trying to tell Changmin that no matter what, he still owned him. It made Changmin shudder, but he quickly relaxed again when he remembered that Jinsuk would be out of his life for good, no matter how much the older man tried to fight it.

Yunho smiled, a sigh escaping his lips. "Let's get you home, Changmin." he sent a worried glance at his maknae. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Changmin nodded as he allowed everyone to lead him out. Before they could head outside, though, two familiar faces stopped them from leaving.

"Changmin-ssi," Detective Kang said, he and his younger partner approaching the group.

"Hello, detectives," Yunho greeted them.

"You all did good today," Detective Kang said with a smile. "Choi Jinsuk is going to jail for life, and we're doing everything in our power to make sure it stays like that."

Surprising everyone, Changmin did a quick ninety degree bow to the detectives. "Thank you," he said as he rose back up. "Thank you so much."

"There's no need to thank us," Detective Kang replied. "It's our job. We really hope that all of you will be okay from now on."

"Rest assured that Jinsuk has already given us his list of names," Detective Park stated. "All those people are going to be in jail by tonight. You can all count on that."

"We really appreciate everything you two have done," Kyuhyun replied. "We won't ever forget how much you've helped us," he added, earning nods of agreement from all of his friends.

The detectives smiled. 

"We won't forget the bravery all of you have shown these past few months," Detective Kang said. He smiled and turned to Yunho. "Yunho. I hope to never see you again."

Yunho smiled, a soft laugh escaping his lips. "Likewise," he replied.

"You guys should get going," Detective Park said, noticing how tired Changmin looked. "We have to stay a little while longer for damage control."

Everyone said their goodbyes once again before the group started heading out. Even though they weren't surprised that there would be a sea of paparazzi waiting for them, they still were frustrated as they stepped outside and were greeted by cameras and people yelling at them, throwing them questions that no one really wanted to answer. This had been a very stressful time for them, especially Changmin, and it made the others mad that these people viewed Changmim's hardships as entertainment and a way to get a bigg