"Are you okay?" Kyuhyun asked after he and Changmin left the house. "Your mom told me you couldn't sleep because you kept having bad dreams."

Changmin smiled, an effort to try to reassure Kyuhyun of whatever worries he might be having. "I'm fine," he answered with a nod. "They were nothing too bad."

"Well they were bad enough if they kept you up all night," Kyuhyun replied as he and Changmin entered the car.

Changmin released a heavy sigh as he got into the passenger seat. Kyuhyun didn't fail to notice that.

"Changmin-"

"I wish my mom didn't tell you that," he said, keeping his gaze away from Kyuhyun's. "Last night was terrible; I'll admit that. But this is something that's going to be a part of me for a while. You of all people should know that." Changmin crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want people constantly worrying about me every time I have a bad dream."

Kyuhyun nodded. "I'm sorry," he said in understanding before he started the car. 

Changmin bit his lip, looking towards Kyuhyun for the first time since this conversation started. "Don't be," he replied. "I know all of you care about me. I just feel so guilty."

"We've told you to stop thinking that way," Kyuhyun said. "You have nothing to feel guilty about."

There was silence in the car now, which was a rare occurance for the two. Changmin looked at the window as Kyuhyun focused on the road in front of him.

"Are you ready for your visit with Dr. Cha?" Kyuhyun asked, trying to rid of the tense feeling.

"Yeah," Changmin answered with a nod. 

"I was thinking we could eat lunch together afterwards," Kyuhyun suggested. "Besides your therapy visits, you don't go out much. I was just wondering if you were interested."

Changmin hesitated. He realized that the last time he had eaten lunch with Kyuhyun, Jinsuk was still out there, watching his every move. The very thought sent a chill down Changmin's spine. He took a few deep breaths, reminding himself that Jinsuk was gone for good, and at this point he had nothing to fear.

Changmin smiled. "I'd like that," he finally answered with a nod.

"Yunho told me about last week," Kyuhyun said with a smile as he continued driving. "Is everything he said true?"

Changmin bit his lip, already knowing where Kyuhyun was going with this conversation. "Before my trial," he finally began. "I told Yunho he should continue on without me. I wanted him to be a solo artist. I...I wrote him a song to get him started and show my support."

Kyuhyun laughed softly. "I don't know why you thought Yunho would oblige to that," he teased.

"I guess being gone for so long made me forget a few things," Changmin replied as a joke, but instantly regretted it as he noticed Kyuhyun's expression drop slightly. Changmin cleared his throat. "When he came to visit last week, I gave him a duet song I had written."

"So..." Kyuhyun hesitated. "Does that mean you're ready to be part of DBSK again?" he asked.

"I...I think so," Changmin answered. "I've realized how much I've missed...everything." Changmin looked down at his lap. "I know I can't make everything go back to the way it was, but I'm going to try my hardest at being the Changmin that everyone knows. I want everything to back to normal, and I realized that being an idol is normal for me. I thought that...maybe...this was what was missing. I thought that maybe, even though I seem to be doing everything I can to help myself get better, this was that empty feeling that I still had."

Kyuhyun nodded. "I'm glad," he said with a smile. "And you're sure about this?" He had to ask that. Kyuhyun knew that Changmin thought he was holding Yunho back from continuing his career, and Kyuhyun didn't want Changmin to go back to being an idol just because he felt guilty. Kyuhyun wanted to make sure Changmin was ready to once again tackle the agonizing stress of being an idol. With Changmin's state of mind still a bit fragile, it wouldn't be a good thing for him to rush into something as big as this.

Changmin nodded. "I never realized how happy it made me until this whole thing happened."

"Then I'll support you one hundred percent," Kyuhyun promised.

"That's very good, Changmin," Dr. Cha said in response to Changmin's announcement.

"Thanks," the younger one replied. "I spoke about it with my family for a while before I finally told Yunho. And I'm sure Yunho has told practically everyone." Changmin sighed. "Kyuhyun is worried about me, though. I'm sure everyone is. Especially my mother."

Dr. Cha gave Changmin a questioning look. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Changmin bit his lip, suddenly questioning whether or not he had said too much. "She was just...very hesitant to agree with my decision," he finally answered. "She really doesn't want me becoming an idol again. She'd rather have me stay home with all of them."

Dr. Cha nodded. "That makes sense," he replied. "Some time has passed since you've returned, but your loved ones still have a lot of healing to do."

Changmin shook his head. "That's not the only thing," he said, catching Dr. Cha by surprise. Changmin let out a deep sigh. "I think my mom is blaming herself for my kidnapping, and it makes me feel...I don't know. Helpless?" he guessed. "Either way, I hate it, and I feel that nothing I do will make her change her mind." Changmin angrily ran his fingers through his hair, breaking eye contact with the doctor. "I just want to walk up to her and yell at her that it's not her fault."

"Then why haven't you?" Dr. Cha asked, causing Changmin to look at him in confusion. "Well...not exactly like that," he clarified. "But why haven't you gone up to her and asked what's on her mind? Why haven't you told her that you know that none of this is her fault?"

Dr. Cha asked his questions in such a gentle manner, but the words still cut at Changmin's heart, a dull ache suddenly formed in Changmin's chest and he hated it.

"Everyone tells her that," Changmin muttered in answer.

"But have you?" Dr. Cha asked. "All of us have a tendency to be our own worst enemy. If what you're thinking is true, then that means your mother has convinced herself that she's responsible for everything that happened to you," he explained.

"I can't even think of any reason why she would think any of this is her fault," Changmin replied, before releasing a humorless laugh. "Ever since I've come back," he began. "Everyone has done everything they can to make sure that I'm okay. But I've done nothing for them."

"But these people that care for you know your situation," Dr. Cha pointed out. "They're not looking for anything from you other than to be alright."

Changmin looked down to his lap, playing with his fingers. "Growing up, my mom was always so strong," he said sadly. "The first time I had ever seen her cry was when someone in the family died. It always shocked me to see her like that, and I never got used to seeing my mother so vulnerable."

Dr. Cha nodded in understanding, urging Changmin to go on.

"But now I'm the cause of her pain," Changmin said. "Sometimes, I can hear her crying some nights, when she thinks I'm asleep. My dad is usually the one awake with her. And I know that they're both