Blood. Bright scarlet soaking his fingers.

            Mother… Mom… Mama…

            Suddenly, time around him shifted. In front of him was the woman he loved, the one person he had sworn to protect. She was bleeding, her body beyond repair, her hand tightly holding the knife that had sliced .

            “Junghyuk ah… I’m sorry…” she murmured faintly, her lips crusted in red. “My child… Let me hold you one last time…”

            “Mother...” A lone tear fell from his eyes as cold memories erupted and washed over him. “Mother… Please…”

            “Junghyuk… Help…”

            Eric woke from his trance at the sound of a male voice. He looked down at the face of the wounded. It was not his mother. His fingers were not painted with his mother’s blood.

            Because his mother was already dead.

            “Junghyuk!” Hyesung cried out in pain. “Please… It hurts…”

            “What’s wrong?” Eric asked in panic, finally coming to his senses. “You were fine just a second ago!”

            “It’s… My wings…” the man whimpered. “My wings are starting to grow back…”

            Hyesung screamed in agony, arching his back. His blood was beginning to paint the cushions of the couch.

            “You’re losing too much blood,” Eric cautiously observed. “I need to call the ambulance.”

            “No! Don’t!” Hyesung shouted in eager protest. “Please… You can’t…”

            “You’re going to die like this!” Eric retorted, reaching for his phone.

            “NO!” Hyesung grabbed his wrist abruptly.

            Eric winced in shock. “Your hand… is burning…” He checked the other man’s forehead for his temperature. “You’re burning up! I’m taking you to the hospital right now!”

            “Please… You can’t…” he was whispering now, not having the strength to speak out loud.

            “Stop being so goddamn stubborn! I’m not going to let you die in my house!”

            “Junghyuk ah… Please… Only you can help me…”

            Eric groaned in frustration. Why was this man such a ing idiot?

            Trying to maintain his cool, he asked in a strained voice, “How can I help you then?”

            Hyesung’s lips curled into a small victorious smile at Eric’s compliance. “We need to be alone… No one else can be here with us.”

            “What?” Eric looked around awkwardly. “What the hell are you talking about? We are alone…”

            Hyesung closed his eyes as his lungs struggled to breathe. “Send him home, Eric.”

            “Send who home?” Eric threw his arms up in the air in infuriation. Maybe this guy was mentally sick, too? “What the hell are you saying—”

            At that moment, a familiar jingle echoed throughout the house, sending chills down Eric’s spine. Hyesung opened his eyes again to gaze right at him. Despite the droplets of sweat raining down his forehead and the readable pain in his expression, the cocky bastard somehow still had the energy to shoot a crooked grin that seemed to say, I told you so.

            How had he known that someone else was within their private vicinity?

            Still wordlessly stunned, Eric rose to face the intruder. He briefly looked through the peephole to identify his guest before opening the door.

            “Andy yah... What are you doing here?’ Eric asked quickly.

            His dongseng grimaced. “Thanks for the greeting, hyung,” he commented sarcastically.

            “Oh, sorry,” Eric apologized awkwardly. “It’s just… I told you that you didn’t have to stop by on the phone.”

            “Well, I was worried about you, hyung,” Andy said sincerely. “Plus, I dropped off Minwoo hyung and Wannie hyung and your place just happened to be on the way.”

            “Oh.” Eric didn’t really know what to say. “Thanks, Andy, but I really need you to leave…”

            “What?” Andy responded, shocked. Eric mentally smacked himself when he saw the hurt etched across his friend’s face. “Are you mad at me or something?”

            “Hell, no! Look, Andy. I’m really sorry, this has nothing to do with you. I just need to take care of something right now,” Eric was practically begging at this point. He hated being rude to his dongseng, but there was a man still dying on his goddamn couch.

            Andy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Is this about the person you found outside your house? Is he still here?”

            “Y-Yes…” Eric stammered, not wanting to lie. “Look, I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, Andy. So please, please…”

            “Hyung… You know you can trust me, right?”

            Eric blinked. “Of course!”

            “Then promise to call me if you need my help. There are crazy people out there these days. I don’t want you getting hurt,” Andy pressed firmly.

            “Yes, I definitely will. I promise,” Eric agreed.

            “And I won’t ask what you’re up to right now because you seem desperate… But that doesn’t mean you can keep me in the dark about whatever you’re going through. I’m here for you, okay?” Andy said in a dead serious tone.

            Eric nodded with a smile. Andy was absolutely the greatest person on the planet. “Thank you for understanding. Get back safe.”

            Thankfully, Andy returned the smile. “You’re the one who needs to be safe. Good night, hyung.”

            “Good night.”

            Eric waited until Andy had walked out of view to close the door shut. Then he raced back to the couch where he had left the wounded stranger.

            “Ugh,” Hyesung was in pain, his pale body curled into a tight ball. He was shivering in a pool of crimson, a sight that made Eric’s stomach turn.

            “Hyesung… I sent him home,” Eric told him as he kneeled beside him. “We’re alone now.”

            Hyesung tried to open his eyes to look at him then flinched and let out an agonizing scream.

            “Hyesung!” Panic rose rapidly in Eric’s heart again. “What was I thinking… I should have called the hospital right away…”

            “No… Junghyuk ah…” Hyesung murmured so softly that Eric had to lean in closer to hear. “You… You’re the only one who can heal me…”

            “Me?” Eric asked in confusion. “I’m not a doctor…”

            “A doctor can’t save me… Only you can…”

            Eric gulped. The man wasn’t making any sense, but the situation was getting desperate. “W-What do I need to do then?”

            “Kiss me.”

            “W-What?!”

            “You have to kiss me.”

            Eric backed away. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I am not kissing you. I don’t even know who you are, and who knows if you have a disease or something--”

            Suddenly, Hyesung reached out with a shaking arm and grabbed Eric by the collar.

            “Mun Junghyuk, listen to me. I told you I was sent to you for a reason. You have the power to heal me, and the gift of healing is directly related to the feeling of love. A kiss, an action that derives from love, will be powerful enough to close my wounds.” Hyesung paused to gasp for breath. “Please, Junghyuk ah...” he pled in a wavering voice. “I’m going to die otherwise…”

            A thousand thoughts darted by in Eric’s mind. Nothing made sense, this whole situation was illogical, straight up insane. Yet his human conscience ached as he watched the beautiful man being overpowered by pain. His heart beat faster, not in romanticized anticipation, but in anxiety and desperation, as he drew his face closer to the other’s.

            For a moment that seemed like an eternity, they looked into each other’s eyes, one weak and faint, the other strong and determined. The world slowed as their lips nearly met. Eric could feel Hyesung’s heavy breathing against his skin, and fear crept in, the uncertainty that perhaps this man would really meet his deadly fate too soon. Then they touched, lips of people who had just so recently met, and yet somehow seemed so familiar as if they had known each other for a lifetime.

            And all doubt vanished from Eric’s mind.

            As they kissed, something incredible happened, a miracle that Eric could not categorize as either good or bad. Hyesung’s delicate lips burned him as if they were set ablaze and a terrifying tremor shook Eric’s body. It was a strange sensation, a feeling Eric had never experienced before. It was as if his soul was being out of its shell, as if the man in front of him was not a man at all, but a black hole; Eric felt as if his whole being was irrevocably being ripped apart into little pieces. And oddly enough, it was not a horrible feeling in the slightest. An extraordinary sweetness rippled throughout his spirit, shocking him with unimaginable ecstasy. Eric was sure there was no drug in the world that could replicate such an incomparable effect, a feeling both heavenly and sinful.

            Suddenly, Eric wanted to let go. He wanted to entirely surrender his soul to this remarkable sensation.

            Eric felt his body jerk back as a strong force pushed him away. He felt gravity pulling down on his body, grounding him to reality. The world around him came back into focus, and he was hit with an unexpected pain inside his chest. He could not stop shivering as every inch of his muscles felt sore.

            “That’s enough.”

            Eric stared at the man who had spoken in both awe and terror. His handsome face was no longer pale and a pink glow was quickly returning to his cheeks. The blood flow that had never seemed to end had instantly stopped, and his wounds had already closed, leaving a nasty long scar on each of his shoulder blades.

            “Thank you,” he said rather shyly, his eyes averted.

            Eric was too traumatized to see that the other was blushing. “What the hell was that?” He backed away in intimidation. “What the did you just do to me?!”

            Hyesung finally met his gaze with a stern look. “Are you afraid?”

            Eric realized he wasn’t so sure. As unthreatening the man looked, he was certainly something different. The sensation Eric had experienced when their lips had met… It had been unearthly, supernatural.

            “W-What are you?” Eric questioned, his voice quivering.

            The unyieldingness in Hyesung’s eyes gradually shifted to melancholy. The man looked so beautiful, so vulnerable, so innocent… He looked so perfect as he sat upright, his stature poised yet his marvelous face adorned with glorious sorrow.

            “I already told you,” he answered softly with a sad smile. “I’m an angel who lost his wings.”

***

            When Andy reached his car parked by his hyung’s apartment, a dark hooded man was waiting for him. Andy narrowed his eyes when he saw that the figure was grinning slyly.

            “Shouldn’t you be with Minwoo?” Andy asked unapprovingly.

            The other man sneered. “I heard the rumors and I just had to see for myself.”

            “It’s true, alright,” Andy sighed. “Shin Hyesung. And sent to Eric of all people.”

            “Shin Hyesung… Even I’ve heard of him. He’s a powerful one, isn’t he? I wonder what happened to him that he got in that sorry state.”

            “You know that kind of information is strictly prohibited, Dongwan.”

            Dongwan barked out a laugh. “One can always wonder.”

            “Watch it, or curiosity will eventually be your demise.”

            Dongwan rolled his eyes in displeasure. “Always so serious. You know that I do my job well. Look at how great Minwoo is doing.”

            “Aren’t you getting too close with him?” Andy warned. “You know the rules—”

            “I know, I know,” Dongwan cut him off impatiently. “If I were you, I would worry less about other people and worry about Eric Mun instead.”

            Andy clicked his tongue in frustration. “If Shin Hyesung is as powerful as I’ve heard, things are going to be troublesome.”

            “What are you planning to do?” Dongwan asked.

            “Is that even a question?” Andy stated matter-of-factly. “I’m going to kill him at the earliest convenience.”

             The other nodded. “Ah, sounds good.”

             Andy crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I hope I can rely on you for support?”

            Dongwan’s smile widened, his white teeth glistening under the moonlight. “Obviously. I would’ve been disappointed if you didn’t ask.”

[A/N]: Hi, guys!!!!!!!!! Omg, I can't believe I updated this... It's been foreverrrr I hope you guys didn't forget about it >.< I've been really busy and I know I should've updated more often and I'm really sorry, forgive me >.< I'm so excited about Shinhwa's comeback! And with that excitement, I hope to be more motivated to write more chapters! I've been having major writer's block so I wrote like half of this chapter couple months back and then finished it today (with lack of sleep fyi), so the flow of the chapter might be a little weird... I will fix it (with other errors) another day... (yes, I didn't proof read this one either, you guys know me by now lolol). Anywayyy, I really hope you guys liked it despite the pretty terrible writing lol. I'm almost done with another chapter of Remembrance, too so hopefully that'll be up soon, too~ As always, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CONTINUE TO COMMENT AND UPVOTE! YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME, I LOVE YOU GUYS TO NO END <3