As Dongwan walked down the plain white aisle leading to the doctor's office, he felt his heart pounding with every step. His eyes were opened, but all he saw were blurred lines around him. His jumbled thoughts distracted his normal mental process and his feet moved on their own accord as his mind floated somewhere his body wasn't. Patients dressed in monochrome passed by, but none of the their faces registered.

            Because only one face was plastered on Dongwan's mind.

            Hyesung... The brokenness that was so evident in his expression...

            Dongwan had heard the doctor say that Hyesung's condition was critical. He had waited in the hospital room for two entire days, observing the man's beautiful pale face clearly pained, even in his dreams. It was obvious Hyesung was hurting; it didn't take a genius to see how sick he actually was.

            But it was more than that. It wasn't just his physical body.

            Hyesung was suffering even more on the inside.

            Dongwan had seen it in his eyes the moment they had fluttered open. Something was deeply wrong with him, something that could not be x-rayed or tested through blood.

            What devastated Dongwan even more was that, even though he saw the man he loved being internally tortured, he couldn't do anything about it.

            There was only one person who could fix Hyesung. And it wasn't him.

            Dongwan, who loved Hyesung with every bit of his heart, couldn't do shit for him.

            I'm useless... The words rang in his mind in defeat.

            Why did you have to fall in love with Eric? Why couldn't you have given me a chance, Hyesung?

            He bit down on his lip as he remembered the doctor's order:

            "Make sure you don't leave him alone. Watch over him. Make sure he gets better."

            He would surely die himself if he continued watching Hyesung wither in pain with the full knowledge that he couldn't heal him in the slightest way. His insides were already burning up in sorrow and frustration.

            There had to be a way to help... There had to be something he could do...

            Suddenly, Dongwan felt his pocket vibrate. He fished out his phone and read the incoming message. "Did you do it yet?" was all it said. It was sent from Amy, reminding him of another matter that had his brains in a scrambled disarray.

            Of course, he had his little "mission" to carry out. He had almost forgotten, caught up in the recent mess of events.

            "Soon," he quickly texted back. Yes, he had to keep his head in the game. He had to catch the mysterious person who was out to hurt him and his friends.

            Dongwan sighed in an attempt to compose himself. He would stick by Hyesung's side even if his heart disintegrated and his soul turned to ashes. Whether Hyesung loved him or not, he would do everything he could to protect him...

            Then maybe... Just maybe, Hyesung would stop hurting and move on...

            Dongwan couldn't keep illogical hope from consuming his reason.

            Maybe Hyesung would move on and start over with someone else...

            Maybe Hyesung would give him a chance...

***

            Minwoo sat in his office as he stared down at the opened letter in his hand, his mind blank. He didn't believe that its contents were real nor did he trust any of the words printed on its paper. It was just a scribble to him, a string of nonsensical black ink... It just couldn't be real.

            Why would Amy do this to him? Why would she suddenly send him such a letter?

            Why would she go through the trouble of helping him? After everything she put him through? After she had made sure every ounce of love he had for her had turned to hate?

            "Invitation to the Shinhwa Party, hosted by Amy. Confirmation of everlasting friendship and brotherhood." It didn't even make sense, Minwoo thought as he rubbed his temples in frustration. This was too fancy and elegant, even for someone as rich as Amy. A party just to "confirm Shinhwa's everlasting friendship and brotherhood"? That was plain corny. And people would definitely question why she would be the host. Nothing fit and anyone with a brain would realize that.

            But at the same time... The timing was perfect. Everyone was expecting Shinhwa to disband any moment, and the fans were a mess, torn by betrayal and confusion. If this celebration would help remedy the situation, even a little bit...

            It was too late anyway. The invitations were already out and there was nothing Minwoo could really do about it. As the CEO of Shinhwa Company, he could release a statement saying that the party was a phony, just a stupid lie to catch attention, but even now, he didn't have the heart to taint Amy's image and hurt her personally...

            He read the pink sticky note attached to the paper, handwritten in curly text: "I'm sorry this is so sudden, oppa. I know you hate me, but I really have to do this. I'm not trying to harm you, there is no underlying intention behind this. I want to help you, not as an ex but as someone who regrets ever hurting you. Please."

            Was there really no underlying intention? Did she really want to help Shinhwa?

            Did she... really regret hurting him in the past?

            Stop thinking so much, fool, he ordered himself, his head throbbing. He cast the document aside and attempted to focus on more important matters.

            There was still a confrontation with the reporters scheduled for today. It had been decided the moment Hyesung had been hospitalized for the second time. There was no way he was going to join them in his condition and Eric had agreed that they had delayed the interview for too long. It would be just the five of them, but hopefully, that would be enough.

           Yet Minwoo couldn't shake off the feeling that some of the members were not ready, that their conditions were just as terrible as Hyesung's, if not worse...

            He grabbed his phone with haste and dialed the number three.

            Someone picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

            Minwoo knew instantly by his voice that something was wrong. "Eric? Are you alright?"

            The line went silent. Minwoo thought his heart was going to burst from the wait.

            "No," Eric finally replied, his tone low and raspy. "I'm not. I'm really not, Minwoo..."

            "Eric? What's going on? What happened?" Eric never said that he wasn't alright. He never admitted that something was wrong, at least for the past seventeen years Minwoo had known him. Minwoo felt the blood draining from his face as he realized there was only one thing that could make Eric this depressed, this hopeless.

            "Eric... What's wrong with Hyesung?"

            He didn't answer again. His silence drove Minwoo nearly insane.

            "I... I don't know..." he whispered so quietly that Minwoo almost missed it.

            "Eric, Eric!" Minwoo nearly shouted, his heart pounding with every word. "Do you want me to head over?"

            "No... He told me to go. He made me leave his side."

            "W-What? Hyesung's... awake?"

            "Yeah. He's awake."

            "Well, that's good, right?" Minwoo asked, but he knew by Eric's tone that everything was far from good.

            "Yeah. It is." His voice cracked a little.

            "Eric... What's going on? Tell me."

            "Minwoo... He's acting strange... Something's wrong..." Minwoo could tell Eric was crying at this point. One of his closest friends was breaking down over the phone like a lost child... Minwoo's heart shattered, knowing he could do nothing but listen. "I don't know what, he's just different... Hyesung... Something's not right with him..."

            "Eric," Minwoo did the best to comfort him, "he just woke up. He's just probably still sick."

            Eric ignored him, his ears deaf with mourning. The sound of his rough breathing filled the phone line. "Minwoo, what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do to fix Hyesung?"

            "Eric... Calm down... Please..."

            Minwoo stayed with him as he composed himself. "I... I'm sorry..."

            "Why are you apologizing?" Minwoo told him softly. "Eric, you don't have to worry about fixing Hyesung. He's been through a lot, he'll be back to normal in no time. You know how he is."

            There was a slight pause. "Yeah," Eric answered. Minwoo sighed in relief at how much more stable he sounded.

            "Eric... If it's too hard for you... I can postpone the interview session scheduled for today." Minwoo felt terrible for bringing it up when his friend was going through such a hard time, but as a co-CEO, he had his responsibilities. It had been the reason he had called in the first place.

            Eric hesitated. "No. Don't postpone it. Not for this," Eric pressed, sounding completely different from the torn man who had wept only a moment ago. Leader Eric was back.

            "Are you sure? What about Hyesung?"

            "He... He won't join us... He's too sick..."

            "Well, of course. But we can wait until he gets discharged--"

            "He's being discharged today."

            "What?! But he just woke up!"

            "...Yeah..."

            Minwoo couldn't believe it. What was Shin Hyesung thinking? "He doesn't know about the interview session, right?"

            "Yeah. I'm not planning to tell him either."

            "Yeah," Minwoo agreed. "I'll call Dongwan to make sure his tongue doesn't slip."

            "Yeah. I don't think he'll tell him though."

           "Eric..." Should he tell him about the invitation Amy had sent out? It's still too early, Minwoo decided. Eric needed all the focus he could gather for the confrontation with the reporters. "... Don't worry, okay?" he added warmly.

            "I'm over thinking it all. Sorry, I'm just a bit stressed."

            Minwoo swallowed. "As you should be. It's okay to admit that sometimes."

            "... Thanks, Minwoo."

            "I'm just doing my job. As your friend."

            Eric's answering laugh was weak. "Yeah."

            "I told Jinnie and Andy that Hyesung's at his parents and not to disturb him."

            "They bought that?"

            "Well, I couldn't think of anything better."

            Eric sighed. "As expected of our Special Stupid." Minwoo caught the faint smile in his voice and laughed in relief.

            "Anyway, I'll see you at 4pm sharp?"

            "Yeah."

            "Okay. Eric... Just relax, okay?"

            "... Okay. Bye, Minwoo."

            There was a click as Eric hung up. Minwoo heaved a sigh, his headache worse than before. Usually he had Eric as a reliable co-CEO, but now that Eric was the one in need of support, things became so much more difficult.

            Minwoo pressed the number four and waited, tapping his finger against his desk.

            Finally, someone picked up. "Hello?"

            "Hey, Dongwan," Minwoo said. He was glad that his friend's voice didn't sound as bad as Eric's. But then Dongwan was a very good actor, even in real life...

            "Hey, Minwoo. Oh, by the way, Hyesung's awake!" Dongwan cried happily.

            Minwoo was almost stunned at how differently his two friends reacted to the same event. "Yeah, I heard."

            "You did?" Dongwan seemed confused. "You talked to Eric?"

            "Yeah. I was just on the phone with him."

            "Oh, I see. I was kind of worried since I didn't see him all of a sudden."

            Dongwan didn't know that Hyesung had made Eric leave? "Um, yeah, I think he left. He has to prepare for the interview with the reporters after all."

            "Oh!" By the sound of it, Dongwan had completely forgotten about the plan. "Yeah, I completely forgot about that. We're not rescheduling it?"

            "No," Minwoo stated. "Why would we? We postponed it enough."

            "I just thought... Since Hyesung was awake now..."

            "Well, Eric and I agreed that he's too sick to join us. It'll be just us five."

            "I see..."

            "You'll be there, right?"

            "Yes, boss. When is it again?"

            Was Dongwan really asking about the time? That was so unlike him to forget something so important... As Minwoo had expected, something was up with him as well, no matter how well he concealed it. "Four. We have an hour."

            "Dammit. I have to drive Hyesung home."

            "You're driving Hyesung home?" Minwoo asked in surprise then shook his head. "Never mind. Just make it by four o'clock."

            "Yeah, it'll be tight, but I'll be there."

            "You better be. Bring your brain with you. We'll really need it."

            There was the sound of Dongwan's laughter. "Oh, the perks of being so smart. Don't worry, I got the stories covered."

            "Good." Minwoo felt his heart lighten at Dongwan's bright attitude. So different from Eric... "I'll see you. And make sure not to tell Hyesung about the interview session."

            "Oh, he's gonna be so pissed."

            "Whatever. It's his damn fault for being so sick." Minwoo knew it wasn't Hyesung's fault at all, but he couldn't hide that fact that he was frustrated with him. Really? Two hospitalizations in a row? It totally messed up the schedule he had given so much effort to plan perfectly.

            "Uh-huh. I won't tell him a thing. But I'm blaming you when he finds out. Bye, Minbong."

            "Bye."

            Minwoo was the one to hang up first this time. He put his head in his hands, torn between irritation and anguish. Why was everything so damn complicated? Every one of the members made his head hurt. He loved all five of them like his own blood and flesh, but they were all so damn annoying to take care of.

            How had Eric managed as the leader for so long by himself? Part of him wished he had started to help him with his leadership earlier. It must've been so hard to carry the burden of all six members as he acted as the lone glue that kept them all together...

            Minwoo's eyes drifted to the opened envelope again. He felt the smoothness of the paper and traced the words written by his old lover's hand with a trembling finger. Then without hesitation, he crumpled up the letter and threw it against the wall.

            Shinhwa needed him now. He would worry about his own problems another time.

***

            Junjin fiddled with his fingers in the driver's seat. He was parked in front of the building where he would meet with all the reporters within an hour. The six of them would be pressured to answer all the questions thrown at them... With one slip, their careers could possibly end. That was the importance and power of an interview session.

            But he knew everything would be alright. If it was all six of them together.

            Except it wasn't. It wouldn't be six. It would be five.

            Six minus one equaled zero. That was the equation Shinhwa had always lived by. Yet here they were, trying to make five happen.

            "No way," Junjin muttered as he took out his phone from his pocket.

            He hesitated. Minwoo hyung had firmly instructed him and Andy not to disturb Hyesung...

            "He's with his parents. Don't you dare contact him. He's been through a lot and he needs to be with his family now."

            Bullshit, Junjin thought with gritted teeth. There was no fucking way that the Hyesung he knew would abandon Shinhwa when they needed him. There was something Minwoo wasn't telling him and that made him more angry than upset.

            Why would Minwoo lie to him and Andy? Well, if no one else was going to enlighten him, he would find out on his own.

            He pressed the number two on his speed dial.

            "Choongjae yah," the familiar man greeted him almost instantly. Junjin felt his heart lighten just from hearing his voice.

            "Hyung! I'm so sorry to disturb you..." Jinnie said, but in fact, he wasn't sorry at all. It made him so happy to be talking to his favorite hyung in the world.

            "You know you never disturb me. What's up?" Hyesung asked.

            "Are... Are you with your family right now?" he questioned. A part of him wished it was true, that Minwoo hadn't lied after all.

            There was a long pause. "Uh, yeah," was his reply.

            Hyesung was such a bad liar.

            "Well, you're really gonna miss the interview session to be with your family?" His words dripped with sarcasm.

            There was another pause. "What? What interview session?"

            Wait, did he really not know about it? Had no one informed him about it?

            Was... there a reason why he didn't know?

            "Um..."

            "Tell me," Hyesung demanded, his tone icy.

            Shit. Mommy bird was angry.

            "Uh, there's an interview with the reporters in an hour."

            "Fuck," Hyesung cursed furiously. "How dare they..."

            "What?" Jinnie was totally confused now. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to "disturb" Hyesungie hyung...

            "Never mind. I just decided I really can't miss out on this interview session for anything. I think my family will understand if I leave them now." Hyesung was fuming at this point. Choongjae shivered at how dangerous he sounded.

            "Hyung... Maybe you should stay with your 'family' after all..."

            "Don't worry, Jinnie. I'll be sure to be there. I'm sure all the members will be so pleasantly surprised to see me."

[A/N]: Hey, beautifuls! Finally got through with this chapter, I had such a bad writer's block (hence the creation of my first ever oneshot "His Marriage", please be sure to check it out~ hehe). I hope you guys enjoyed this. I didn't get to edit this chap yet (you guys know how I am with editing T.T) so please pardon the mistakes! Hopefully, the next update will be up in a flash! "Love and Friendship" will be updated soon, too~ I really enjoy writing for you guys :) Every comment makes me feel so happy and fluffy inside ^___^ Thank you all for your awesome support! Fighting, everyone!