Ryeowook spent the entire day with me, then towards the evening, he got a phone call. He took it, then he looked at me.

"I have to go to my script reading for the movie now," he said. I smiled and nodded.

"Good luck," I said. Ryeowook smiled back and rubbed my hand.

"I love you, Kyuhyun. Get well soon."

I saw his eyes fill with tears, and I squeezed his hand.

"I will. Don't worry. Get going before you get yelled at."

Ryeowook squeezed my hand one last time before getting up from my bed reluctantly and moving to the door. He turned around just as he was about to leave the room, then he sighed. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

I nodded and waved him goodbye just as the intern came into the room.

"Did you have a nice time?" he asked.

I nodded, I sighed the breath in my lungs, then I looked at him again.

"Everyone keeps crying when they see me. I - I look terrible, don't I?"

"No, never." He smiled a little. "Do you want a mirror?"

I shook my head. "No. No, I don't want to see myself like this."

He gave a small chuckle and continued organizing my charts.

I bit my lip. It would be okay. Not looking my best would be okay, but there was something I needed to know. And painfully and carefully, I opened my mouth.

"Am - am I going to be able to - to sing again?"

He glanced at me. "Your voice seems to be doing fine, and your lungs should be fine as soon as your ribs heal. I don't see why not."

I sighed with relief, and then looked at him questioningly again.

"Am I going to be able to dance again?"

The intern froze in place, and stopped everything he was doing.

And I was sure I knew the answer, and I felt my eyes well up.

I felt my chest tightening with fear.

"Will I dance again?" I repeated.

The intern straightened up and looked me in the eyes.

"We'll work hard so that you can dance again," he said, forcing a smile.

I nodded.

I took it as a maybe.

I wasn't really keeping track, but it must have been just over a month that I'd been at the hospital. And I was sitting up on my bed, leaning back against the wall with the headboard against it. I had a movable table across the bed and a tray full of food in front of me.

It was a small portion, but I had my own spoon and my own fork, and I was steadily pushing small pieces of food into my mouth.

Believe it or not, I was eating.

I sighed in the middle of my eating and closed my eyes in appreciation. I'd started eating solid food a week ago, and I'd been able to sit up since then.

I guess you could say it was about time that I started eating solid food and sit up a little bit, but that's not what it felt like. I was so thankful for being able to have a full stomach again, and not to have my mouth always be craving for food.

I'd never been one to be picky about my food, but I'd never quite appreciated before just how delicious everything was, and I didn't think that I would ever be able to refuse any type of food,  no matter how foreign, ever again.

I ate silently and slowly, but after I was finished, I was still my lips, craving more. I glanced to my side where Seunghwan hyung was eating his own breakfast. He looked up and noticing me watching him, smiled a little. I smiled back. He'd gotten so much better, too. He'd stopped crying, and he was speaking more, smiling more.

"Hyung, can I have your dessert?"

Seunghwan hyung laughed and took the small cup of fruits off of his tray and reached across the beds to hand it to me. Just as I took it from him with a laugh of my own, the door opened. I froze, hoping it wasn't the the intern catching me take Seunghwan hyung's food, but the door opened, revealing a hoard of the tired members. But as soon as they stepped inside, their faces brightened and everyone started yelling.

Eunhyuk was the first to come into the room, followed by every other member. My eyes widened in surprise, my arm still extended to take the fruit from Seunghwan hyung.

"Hyung!" I yelled. What was going on?

"Hey, look, you're sitting up?" said Eunhyuk, being pushed further into the room by everyone else. I raised my eyebrows.

"I've been able to sit up for over a week now," I said. Eunhyuk said something in response, but I didn't hear it, everyone else being so loud and mobbing both me and Seunghwan hyung.

"Kyuhyun, say hi!" yelled Heechul. I'd been about to bow my head a little to greet him when someone else got my attention.

"Hey, can I move this?" shouted Kangin, picking up my laptop from my bed.

"Yeah, just put it over - "

"You're eating again!" shouted Donghae.

"I know, I - "

"Does that mean I can cook for you now?" gasped Ryeowook, his eyes sparkling.

"Seunghwan hyung! You look so much better!"

"Kyuhyun, you're still really thin."

I laughed and pushed the tray table away from my bed to make room for everyone, who found places on the bed to sit.

The laughter and the yelling died down a few minutes later, and Leeteuk spoke quietly, smiling.

"How've you been? I'm so sorry we haven't visited so much lately," he said, holding onto my hand. I hesitated before speaking.

"I know you've all been busy with the movie," I said. I then looked at Leeteuk. "But hyung, I thought you weren't in it."

"I've actually - " began Leeteuk, but he was cut off by someone, whose voice was so cold and so harsh that a sudden hush fell in the room.

"Hey, Cho Kyuhyun. What's this?"

I looked up, the smile sliding off my face. What was it?

Kangin had my open laptop in his hands and had on a frown.

"What - what's wrong?" I asked, flustered, trying to remember what I was doing on the laptop last night. The expressions of the member who were look over Kangin's shoulder hardened as well, and I gulped.

And then I finally remembered what I was doing on my laptop last night.

Oh god, I was researching for - oh god -

"Law school?" said Kangin, disbelief written all over his face.

I wet my dry lips. "I was - I was just looking to see - whether I still had a shot. It doesn't mean - it doesn't mean anything."

I looked up and forced a smile to try to lighten the mood, but saw that everyone's face had fallen.

"Wait - wait, I haven't decided anything, I was just - just seeing if there was - "

"Kyuhyun," whispered Ryeowook. I looked up at into his face to see his eyes welling up with tears. "Kyuhyun, you don't want to do this anymore?"

I shook my head furiously. "No, that's not it, I was just researching, just - just in case - "

Then someone took me by my shoulders and shook me hard.

"Kyuhyun, get a grip!" shouted Sungmin. I winced with the pain at the increased pressure on my hip, then my eyes welled up with tears at the fact that Sungmin had just yelled at me.

I had just hung my head when Seunghwan hyung spoke quietly.

"Guys, lay off. Kyuhyun has a right to make his own decisions on his own career."

There was a long silence in which the members took minute steps back away from my bed. When no one spoke for minutes and just stared, Eunhyuk finally opened his mouth. And as he did, I saw a tear drop from his eyes.

"Why do you want to leave us?" he whispered.

I bit my lip. "I mean, I'm not sure if - I mean, even when I get out of here, who knows, I might not be able to dance, still, and that just -  I mean, my father - my father always wanted me to be a lawyer, and so I - "

I looked up pleadingly into the first face I saw, which was Leeteuk's, willing someone to understand. Understand that this was a new chance at life for me, understand that it was so hard having such an unclear future, and I was just doing all I could to make it clearer.

But he wasn't looking at me. His eyes were downcast, and I'd rarely seen him so distressed. I tried to reach out and grab his hand, but I couldn't, seeing his dejected face.

I sighed and hung my head again. "I'm just not sure if I can do it. I - I'm alive, but everything is so hard. And I'm not sure if I can - if I can go back to that life, hyung, not after - after how hurt I am after the accident. So I was just - looking into my options."

There was a long silence as my words sank in, and then Kangin spoke.

"Kyuhyun, it's just - a bit of a slap in the face to know that you're saying something like that, especially today," said Kangin frankly. I looked up at him apologetically as he continued. "Because we actually all came today after a really long day and night of filming because - " He finally paused to bite his lip. "Because I don't know if you know, but today's your debut anniversary, Kyuhyun."

My mouth dropped open.

Oh god, it's - it's been a whole year?

"What do we need to do for you?" said Leeteuk quietly.

"What?" I whispered.

"What do we need to do for you to stay with us?" clarified Leeteuk.

I hung my head again and stared at my hands again when Heechul suddenly got up from the bed, clearly frustrated.

"Jesus, if he wants to leave, let him leave," said Heechul, rolling his eyes. "Do you even realize how much happier we were before Kyuhyun joined?"

My eye widened at the harshness of Heechul's words, and my face flushed instantly. Is - is the really the hyung that held my hand all night and cried his apology just a few weeks ago?

"He couldn't even dance to begin with, do you actually think that he'd actually get well enough to dance better than he did before? Give me a break."

I glared at Heechul with hatred, and I started shaking as he continued.

"When did he ever do anything for us? We're better off without him. I don't know what we're even doing here. We're wasting our damn time with this kid. The stage looks better without him."

I clenched my teeth and and my fists, exerting more strength than I'd had to since I was brought to the hospital, and glared at Heechul with all the hate and fire I've ever had inside me.

"You should go back to the dorm," I said quietly, shaking with anger. "You can have my bed. Maybe - maybe it'll make you feel like before I joined the team again. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Kyuhyun - " said Leeteuk, trying to calm me down. He put his hand on my shoulder, but I hit it away.

"Enjoy it while you can," I said through gritted teeth. "Because I'm going to get better soon. And I'm going to stand on stage again."

"Listen to yourself," said Heechul with that condescending smile of his. I could almost feel my blood boiling. "And to think that you were considering being a lawyer."

I opened my mouth angrily to retort when I realized what he'd just said. What?

"That's right," said Heechul, squeezing my cheeks in between his hands. I grimaced, then he ruffled my hair and kissed the top of my head. I pulled away, and Heechul held my hand instead. "You have to try. You have to believe."

He squeezed my hand and looked in my eyes.

"Because the rest of us are praying. And we all believe."

I bit my lip and nodded.

Everyone just watched each other for a minute, then Eunhyuk spoke through his sniffles.

"It's true when they say you don't know how much you love someone until they're gone," said Eunhyuk, his eyes still tearful. "And we're going to make sure you to come back."

I grinned, touched, as Leeteuk continued. "So if you promise never to think about anything except getting well enough to participate in the second album, we'll give you something in return."

I stared at him, wide-eyed, and tilted my head to the side. "What?" I asked.

"We promise you'll never have to do any chores ever again," said Siwon. I thought for a little, then shook my head.

"But then Ryeowook will be the one to do more work," I said.

"Okay, then I have something he can have right away," said Kangin. He waited a little for dramatic effect, then finally spoke. "Using informal speech to all the hyungs."

As soon as I heard it, I felt my my eyes light up.

"Okay," I said in informal speech, to much laughter.

"What? I don't even speak in informal speech to Jungsu hyung!" shouted Sungmin.

"Hey, I'm out," said Heechul, shaking his head, but then Kangin raised his eyebrows.

"Hyung, Kyuhyun is promising us - "

"Wait, it's not fair, Kyuhyun already speaks to Hyukjae in informal speech!" shouted Donghae.

"Then Hyukjae can do something else for Kyuhyun," said Sungmin. "Kyuhyun, say anything. Anything you ever wanted. He'll grant you every wish."

I looked at Eunhyuk, who was still crying. But his eyes were looking at me, expectant.

"You'll do anything?" I asked.

Eunhyuk nodded to confirm it.

I thought for a second, then I smiled.

"Give me all of your dance breaks," I said with a smile, but Eunhyuk continued crying and nodded.

"Okay. If you stand on stage, I will," he said through his tears.

"Liar," I said with a small smile. "You think I'm the worst dancer ever. You're just saying that to get me better."

"No, I'm not. I promise," said Eunhyuk, shaking my hand as if he were frustrated. I chuckled and nodded.

"Okay," I said, and I linked pinkies with him before rubbing his hand.

"Okay, so now you have to keep your end of the promise," said Leeteuk, looking at me. He then took my hand, and reached out to hold Hankyung's, who was next to him. Hankyung took Heechul's, who yelled, "Aw, Jungsu, you're the king of cheesy!" but also reached out to hold Kangin's. Soon, all 13 of us were holding hands, Eunhyuk reaching for my other hand to complete the circle, our heads solemnly bowed.

Leeteuk took a deep breath before speaking. "Let's promise we'll be togther forever. No matter how old we get, how hard times get. We'll support each other, protect each other, and help each other for the rest of our lives. And we'll always be by each other's side."

"Even when you have no one else left in this world," said Eunhyuk through his tears. "We'll always be by your side. Always."

"And now, like you said," said Kangin, clenching his teeth through his tears, "all that's left to do is get better. So please get better."

"Okay," I whispered. "I promise."

I felt the two of Eunhyuk and Leeteuk squeeze my hands, and I squeezed back. I looked up with a smile, touched, when the door opened again.

We quickly let go of each other's hands and looked up to realize that someone in a formal, black suit had walked into the room, the intern hot on his heels.

"Good morning," he said sharply.

There was a flurry of movement as everyone who was sitting got to his feet and turned to the door. We all gave a hurried bow, me still in the bed, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seunghwan hyung bow a little as well.

Before we even said anything though, he spoke with a frown.

"All of you are here? I thought you were all busier than this."

"We were on our way back to the dorm, but - " began Leeteuk, but the representative cut him off.

"Could I ask you all to leave now. I'll be speaking to your managers about this. He seems to have given free reign," he said, clearly displeased. I gulped, worried for the immediate future of Jinsoo hyung, and watched as the rest of the members were forced to leave the room without so much as a proper goodbye. After they all left the room, the representative crossed his arms.

"So I was speaking to your doctor just outside," he said, glancing at the intern. He almost looked nervous too, and I felt my eyes shifting with discomfort. "Both of yours, really."

I took a glance at Seunghwan hyung, who I'd never seen look so nervous before.

"I was just checking up to see how you're both doing. So that we can make plans."

I found myself nodding, although I didn't even know what I was nodding to.

"But he told me that patient information was confidential and that he needed your permission to give me the information."

The first thing I felt was gratitude to the intern not to tell the representative, but the next thing I felt was just worry. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to decide whether I was supposed to give him permission. Oh god. What if he - what if he's here to kick me off the team? If he finds out that there's a chance that I might never dance again, things might not go well for me, but there was no way -

"Well?" he said.

Seunghwan hyung sighed beside me. "I guess I have no choice," he muttered.

I looked at the intern, trying to look for guidance, and he sighed. "Kyuhyun, don't feel coerced into - "

"Excuse me," snapped the representative, then he looked at me. "Kyuhyun, if you want your career to still be there after you get out of here, I think it's best that you give him the go-ahead to tell me."

I bit my lip, then I nodded slowly. The representative smirked, then turned to the intern.

"Now, doctor, now that that's out of the way, let's discuss this further," he said, then he opened the door to let the intern and himself out of the room again.

As the door closed behind the two of them, I looked at Seunghwan hyung.

"Hyung," I whispered.

"It's going to be okay. Everything is going to work out," he soothed.

I nodded and shifted my weight, trying to put less pressure on my hips somehow. The heavy silence continued on until the door opened and the representative entered again, alone this time.

"So, Seunghwan," he said. "What do you think?"

"Sir?" said Seunghwan hyung, clenching his teeth.

"Your girls are supposed to debut in a month or two," he said. "You've been in bed for more than a month."

Seunghwan hyung looked lost for a second, then he nodded. "I'll be well again by the time they debut."

The representative chuckled. "Seunghwan, you're supposed to be their head manager. You have to be better than just well by the time they debut. You have to be well... soon. And from what I gather, you won't be well soon."

Seunghwan hyung looked dumbstruck for a second, then he bit his lip. "Are you saying - "

"You won't be managing them any longer," said the representative unfeelingly. My eyes widened, as did Seunghwan hyung's.

"Sir - sir, I really - I really need the money right now," he said quickly. "I - I really need the job."

The representative laughed, enough for me to be annoyed. "You'll get your old job back. Besides, you're still only in your twenties. You have lots of time to earn money. Don't make this bigger than it is."

I saw Seunghwan hyung bite his lip resignedly, apparently deciding that arguing with him more than he already was wasn't going to further his cause. I felt a shudder as the representative turned to me.

"And you, Kyuhyun."

I gathered my hands together under my sheets and prayed silently.

Please, God. Please let me keep the promise I just made with the hyungs. Please. Please, just give me a chance.

"So we're in the process of thinking about the second album," he said. "And do you know? It's been over a year since your single was released as a team."

Exactly a year, I thought, but I didn't say it out loud.

"So according to your doctor, you won't be in perfect health until sometime next year, Kyuhyun. Does that sound familiar?"

My eyes widened. Next year?

I shook my head. "I mean - I don't really - ask about my - my health that much, so - "

The representative sighed. "I'm afraid we'll have to move on with the second album without you, Kyuhyun. There just isn't any sense in waiting until you're better."

I paled.

"I - I really want to participate in the second album," I said in a shaking voice. I wasn't going to have this dream taken away from me by anyone other than myself. Not so soon. "I missed the first one, I don't want to miss another."

"Kyuhyun, you're not even able to get up from your bed, and you can barely talk," said the representative unfeelingly. "It just doesn't make any sense."

He gathered up his briefcase from the floor and turned around.

"Wait," I said desperately. "Please."

He started walking away, towards the door, and I didn't know what else to do except -

I clenched my teeth, then I pushed myself off the wall until I wasn't leaning anymore. And then I lifted my legs that I hadn't used in over a month up from the bed and dropped them over the side, to where the representative was. My bare feet touched the cool tiles of the room. And then I put all of the effort I ever had into standing up, gripping the bedside table hard.

"KYUHYUN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted Seunghwan hyung, but I ignored him.

I can do this. I've been able to walk all my life. I can walk now.

And then  I let go of the table and took a step.

I didn't make it. I fell, and I felt a tug on my hand as the IV needle jerked in my hand. I grunted at the pain from the fall and the tug and pulled the needle out of the hand. And as soon as I did, all the pain returned, and I gritted my teeth through it, and ignored my eyes moistening with the pain.

"KYUHYUN!" shouted Seunghwan hyung from the other bed. "OH GOD, SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HIM!"

I paid no attention and started crawling towards the representative with my elbows, my eyes filling with tears.

"I have to do it," I whispered. I took a few more paces forwards with my elbows.

But I had to stop him from leaving, I had to -

"Please," I whispered, looking up from the floor. "Please."

I used my elbows to drag my useless legs along the floor when the intern burst into the room.

"Kyuhyun, what are you doing?" screamed the intern, coming to my side and taking me by the arm. "I NEED A TEAM HERE, STAT!" he shouted.

I looked up at the representative, the tears streaming down my face.

"Please," I whispered.

The representative shook his head.

"I hope that didn't set your recovery back too much," said the representative, and he left the room.

*Author's note: Happy belated birthday to KYUNEUNIM!!!!! Happy 24th, I love you, as if that wasn't obvious... x)

And happy birthday to our Siwonnie!! <3 God bless 8D