Eric stumbled his way over to the table waiting for him, dragging his painful legs to an empty seat. He suppressed a groan as he felt his thighs aching as he collapsed in the open chair. The two across him watched him curiously. The younger smiled at him in greeting while the other observed him with careful eyes.

            "What's with the limp?" Minwoo asked, his expression unreadable.

            Eric shrugged. "Lost a bet with a friend."

            A corner of Jinnie's curled lips twitched as he handed him a menu. "Sorry, hyung. We ordered already. We didn't have time to grab lunch earlier so we're starved."

            "That makes the three of us," Eric answered casually. After barely skimming the list of foods, he waved a waitress over so she could take his order. The three of them waited quietly as the dishes arrived one by one. As predicted, Eric's meal was prepared last, but no one raised their utensils until everything was placed before them.

            Jinnie's stomach gave a large growl as he eyed his hot bowl of rice noodles hungrily. Eric smiled at the young waitress who had served them and said, "Thank you." She blushed and darted out of sight shyly.

            The three of them refused to speak while they gave in to their hunger and devoured their respective food. Their mutual silence was finally broken when the youngest his bowl clean and set down his chopsticks. "That was delicious." His tongue trailed over his lips. "Whoever's paying, thank you!"

            Minwoo, slowly emptying his plate of barbecue ribs, rolled his eyes. "Do you ever buy your hyungs food? No wonder you owe Hyesung--"

            He stopped midsentence when the friendly atmosphere intensified to ice at the sound of his name. He cleared his throat awkwardly and cleaned his hands with a napkin. "Never mind about who's paying for the meal. We didn't gather to just eat after all..."

            "We didn't?" Jinnie asked with widened eyes.

            Minwoo narrowed his eyes at him. "Do you have a habit of acting clueless all the time?" he snapped in irritation. Honestly, Eric couldn't agree more.

            Junjin flashed him a cheerful smile. "It's not a habit, it's my personality. Innocence defines me, unlike you naughty hyungs."

            The older two snorted in sync. "That was too obvious of a lie and too tasteless of a joke," Minwoo retorted, jabbing him in the shoulder. Jinnie let out an overdramatic gasp as if he was actually hurt.

            "Anyway," Eric started, sipping his glass of water to soothe his dry throat. He was impatient to get to the point. "You have some nerve calling me up like this." He shot a glance at his co-CEO. "I heard you're supporting Dongwan?"

            "Does that mean we're no longer friends?" Minwoo asked, his glare icy.

            "No. But you obviously wanted to meet up to discuss about Dongwan and his useless pursuit of Hyesung."

            "Useless, huh?" Minwoo raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that how you see it?"

            Eric couldn't resist the urge to smirk. "Is there another way to see it?"

            The shorter man shook his head. "I think that Dongwan has a chance."

            There was a short pause. Eric gave him approximately three seconds to take back his idiocy...

            One... Two... Three...

            When nothing happened, Eric let out a loud burst of laughter. Guests from across the restaurant turned their heads, surprised by the sound.

            "Really, Minwoo? Sometimes, I really question your sanity," he said, shaking his head with a lingering grin. "Don't you know Hyesung at all? I mean, you did play a big role in his life, didn't you?"

            In a brief instant, anger flashed across the other man's eyes. "You don't know about what happened between me and Hyesung," he snarled back furiously.

            Eric shrugged in nonchalance and wiped his mouth. He was now full and tired, so he was really not in the mood to deal with this bull... "Whatever. I know enough to say that you were the beginning of his rather... nasty change."

            Just admit it, won't you? Just admit that you're damned like the rest of us. Just ing admit that your soul is black with filth and sin...

            This is the road we've chosen to walk after all.

            "Aw, hyung," Choongjae pouted cutely. He placed a hand on Minwoo's arm as a sign of peace. "No need to dwell on the past. Besides, it's not like it was Minwoo hyung's fault that Hyesungie hyung had to... you know. He would've turned out messed up regardless. That's the kind of life we all chose to have, isn't it?"

            Eric sighed in defeat. Yes, they were all messed up. There was a price that came with fame and all six of them had decided to pay it when they had signed their contact more than fifteen years ago.

            Except for some of the members, the price was heavier... uglier...

            Dirtier...

            He loved Minwoo like a brother with all his heart. But he couldn't help but be pissed off at his positive change of attitude. Seriously, the guy acted like he could start life fresh again after everything that had happened. Like all those disgusting things they had to face, all those nightmarish memories that still haunted Eric in his dreams, would be erased into nonexistence if they tried...

            But there was no such thing as a clean slate. Eric knew that. He had tried so hard to start over, to pretend he had never been so cruelly harassed by fate... to no success whatsoever.

            But maybe it wasn't so bad that Minwoo was doing better. Maybe Minwoo wasn't just pretending. Maybe he was actually in the healing process, maybe he was really recovering...

            Maybe Eric could, too? Had he given up too soon?

            Could he transform, too? Remedy his sullied life into something cleaner and... happier?

            ... Could Hyesung do the same? After all the scars that shaped his past...

            "Do you really mean it? Do you really think Dongwan can... change Hyesung?" he asked with hesitation and doubt.

            Minwoo stared deep into his eyes with overflowing confidence. "I do."

            How could he be so sure? Hyesung was like broken porcelain. The things thrown at him at such an early age... He deserved none of it. Now his soul was dark and faithless...

            "I really wish things were different... Sometimes I wish the six of us never signed that contract with SM."

            The two of them listened intently. Eric didn't have to explain his statement because both of them understood so well... Jinnie lowered his head sadly and sighed. "I know what you mean, hyung. But I can't say I regret it."

            Eric and Minwoo turned to him in surprise. He gave them a weak smile. "I know we went through a lot. , we went through hell. But in the end, it was worth it because I met the five of you. We turned out okay, didn't we?"

            We turned out... okay? It was true that they weren't forced to do the things they had to do in the past. Now, they were just fulfilling their lifelong dreams as musicians. There were no catch, no discreet "fees" they had to pay. Their nights were filled by hours of nonstop album recording, not--

            "Ugh," Eric grunted as the memories threatened to resurface. His friends looked at him questioningly. He shook his head in dismay. "I'm sorry... I guess I'm the only one who can't move on..."

            ... And Hyesung...

            "It's not your fault. You had it a lot worse than the rest of us," Minwoo told him softly.

            "No... Hyesung had it the worst..."

            Silence fell over them. Eric's heart constricted, remembering Hyesung's pain... His secret tears... His sacrifice...

            "... It's because of him, isn't it? You can't move on from what happened in the past because you feel guilty about what happened to Hyesung... right?" Minwoo whispered.

            Eric blinked at his words. Was it true? Was it because of Hyesung?

            Did he feel guilty about what happened? Well, no. It wasn't Eric's fault. But in the end, Hyesung had gone through all those things to allow Shinhwa to exist.

            That fool... He had carried all that burden by himself with a photogenic smile plastered on his face. "He's an idiot..." Eric heard himself mumbling. He placed his head in his hands in despair. "He endured all of that... He... He had to..."

            "I know, Eric." Minwoo closed his eyes, perhaps remembering the Hyesung from long ago. Did Minwoo remember it, too? How Hyesung had once been so pure and innocent... How he had smiled because he truly wanted to... Minwoo swallowed and grabbed Jinnie's hand for support. "Hyesung... I really regret what happened back then. And I also know you really love him. I did, too. Sometimes... I think I still do." He let out a bitter laugh.

            Eric nodded slowly. He truly loved Hyesung with all his heart. But sometimes he forgot that he wasn't the only one.

            If he stopped to think about it, it was ridiculous how loved Hyesung was... How so many people would give up their lives just to protect him...

            Except the man himself failed to see that. He really had no idea, always doubting that people could love him without underlying intentions... That sometimes, love had nothing to do with the physical body but the heart...

            "Hey, don't forget about me!" Jinnie cried. "I love Hyesungie hyung, too!"

            Both Minwoo and Eric exchanged glances. Despite his anxiety, a small smile consumed Eric's lips. "Yeah, we know you do," Minwoo agreed, wrapping an arm around the younger's shoulder.

            Jinnie hugged him back tightly. "I wish... Hyesungie hyung can be happy. Even if it's impossible to forget what happened... I wish he can be happy." He sniffled like a tiny puppy. Eric's grin widened as he watched his friend peck the adorable boy on the cheek.

            Happy, huh? It sounded like a distant word, almost foreign. Could Hyesung really be... happy? Was that possible for someone like him?

            Eric felt delighted just by thinking about it. If Hyesung was happy, even if it wasn't with him, perhaps... he could be happy, too.

            "I'll let go of him," he finally said. The two looked at him, stunned. Junjin's mouth hung slightly open. "I'll... let go of Hyesung. If I know for sure that Dongwan can protect him and give him the happiness he deserves... I'll make sure not to be in the way."

            Minwoo's brown eyes filled with grateful tears, understanding how difficult it was for Eric to promise that. Honestly, Eric had always felt that it was his responsibility to be by Hyesung's side... He didn't really know how to live otherwise. He always lived in regret, always downcast by the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fix Hyesung's brokenness.

            If Dongwan could heal him... If Dongwan could make him happy... There was really no point of Eric being constantly next to Hyesung anymore.

            But if Dongwan couldn't heal him... If he hurt Hyesung even more...

            Eric would kill him with his bare hands.

            "I still doubt Hyesung will change his mind," he stated firmly, crossing his arms.

            Minwo nodded, but his eyes sparkled with definite hope.

            "We'll just have to wait and see."

***

            Andy didn't know why he was in front of his hyung's apartment.

            He hadn't planned to come here. Without any conscious thought, he had driven in this direction, and now he found himself standing outside the door, watching his finger lift to the buzzer in horror. He heard the short melody that alerted his presence, followed by faint footsteps growing louder and closer.

            The door swung open and the man greeted him with a brilliant smile.

            "Andy!" he shouted in glee.

            Andy stared at him blankly. "Hyesungie hyung..."

            "What brings you here at this hour?" Hyesung asked, his tone still upbeat.

            What brought him here? Only a second ago, Andy could've sworn he had no idea. It had been as if he was possessed and had no control of his body. Yet now that Hyesung was in front of him, right in front of his eyes, Andy knew exactly why he had come to see him.

            "Hyung..." he whispered low, taking a step towards him.

           Sensing the intense atmosphere, Hyesung's pleasant lips twisted into a frown. "Andy, are you alright?"

            Andy didn't respond. Instead, he took another step closer, closing the distance between them.

            "A-Andy?" Hyesung asked, startled. "What's wrong?"

            What's wrong? Andy sneered as darkness crept to overshadow the light in his heart.

            Oh, something's wrong alright.

[A/N]: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry this is a pretty short and uneventful chapter T.T Also, very late update... I started working so I had no time to write, plus very, very bad writer's block >.< I'm too tired to even read this over right now (please forgive my mistakes and terrible writing)... I'm gonna go sleep, but I really hope you guys enjoyed it even if it's a tiny bit. I got a basic storyline down for this fic now so I shall update with something more exciting soon~ Please comment and support, it really helps! Thank you for staying with me, guys. You guys really brighten up my life :) I'll update "Just Best Friends" shortly, too~ (And maybe start a new fantasy fic, I'm really excited :D) Anyways, buh byee, love you all <3