For those of you that still remember this story...

One year later

Jinsuk died in prison two months after Changmin made his decision to return to being an idol. There was a fight that broke out in the prison. Jinsuk was caught in the crossfire. He didn't stand a chance once two gang members got a hold of him. From what Changmin and his family were told, Jinsuk's death seemed slow and painful.

The news only brought Changmin into a moral dilemma. He was caught between feeling sorry for Jinsuk, or being happy that he no longer had a reason to fear Jinsuk ever coming back.

For almost two hours, Changmin didn't show a reaction. His demeanor was so neutral, no one could tell exactly how he was taking the news. When someone asked him if he was okay, he would just look at them, a fake smile crossing his lips, before he said he was fine, his voice lacking any emotion. But once those two hours finally came and went, Jiyeon asked him once again how he was doing, and he finally broke down. With tears streaming down his face, he finally admitted what had been racing through his mind so violently.

Changmin was happy that Jinsuk was dead, and he hated himself for thinking that way. Changmin knew that was ridiculous; Jinsuk had ruined his life, as well as the life of everyone around him. Changmin believed that Jinsuk deserved death a thousand times over, so it didn’t make sense why he felt so terrible when Jinsuk finally died in a manner that was as violent as the life he lived. Changmin’s head was spinning when he heard the news, but he finally admitted to himself and to his family that finding out that Jinsuk was dead made him suddenly feel so much safer than before.

Changmin felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. That overwhelming fear of Jinsuk suddenly reappearing seemed to dramatically dissolve.

The best part was, Changmin wasn't afraid of being happy anymore.

Changmin had said it before, but while Jinsuk was alive, he could never be happy. While that man was still alive, Changmin was never at peace. Every time he began to believe that things would finally start to get better, Jinsuk would return, and Changmin’s world would crash once again.

With Jinsuk dead, Changmin could finally look at life a little more optimistically.

As terrible as it sounded, Yunho was glad to see Changmin in this state. He knew the tears falling from Changmin's eyes were just a result of overwhelming relief and a bit of confusion. But Yunho was just glad to see that Changmin was feeling something, instead of shutting himself off completely like he usually did whenever Jinsuk came into the picture.

He was there with the Shims when they received the call. Yunho remembered Mr. Shim’s face turn pale, before he placed the phone on speaker in order to not have to answer the questions that began flying his direction.

“This is about Choi Jinsuk.”

Yunho felt his heart stop upon hearing those words, but he felt a wave of pain enter his body when he looked to Changmin, and saw the younger one’s relaxed expression turn into one of panic. Time seemed to slow down as Yunho watched Changmin’s hands begin to shake. Changmin’s eyes were quickly looking around the room, and Yunho couldn’t tell if it was Changmin looking for an escape route, or whether he was trying to figure out what part of the house Jinsuk would appear from.

It didn’t matter at that point.

What mattered was watching Changmin go from fearful to genuinely confused after hearing that Jinsuk was dead.

The maknae immediately looked to Yunho, looking for a confirmation.

Yunho nodded his head, and Changmin showed a hint of shock before looking down at his lap, his facial expression becoming neutral.

Those two hours waiting for Changmin to finally react was painful for Yunho, but he was glad when the time finally came, and Changmin felt that he could finally express himself.

Yunho predicted that things would get significantly better from here on out.

Thankfully, life proved him right.

Everyone noticed how much Changmin was improving once Jinsuk was sent to prison. They noticed that he was willing to eat a little more, that he was sleeping a little better, and just had a little more enthusiasm than before. While the “old” Changmin hadn’t completely returned, it was nice to see that progress, even if Changmin’s improvement was coming a little at a time.

However, the months after Jinsuk's death had been a major step in Changmin getting better. With the fear of Jinsuk returning finally gone, Changmin allowed himself to live the life he had before Jinsuk had kidnapped him.

Then Changmin found himself finally going to the studio for the first time in years.

Changmin and Yunho walked into the practice room, Changmin marvelling at the sight.

“It’s just like I remember it,” he said in a low voice, a small smile on his face as he looked towards Yunho. “It’s weird.”

“Weird?” Yunho asked in response.

“I thought coming in here would bring a lot of bad memories,” Changmin replied. “I started second guessing whether or not I made the right decision in wanting to become and idol again.” Changmin sighed as he started walking around the room. “But...it almost feels like home.”

Yunho laughed. “As DBSK we practically spent our entire lives here,” he commented, remembering the l