“Hello, oppa!” you grinned at Ryeowook.

He just looked at you miserably as he lay on his hospital bed. “I haven’t been able to check my email in weeks. How the heck can you be so cheerful?!”

You were at the hospital with Kyuhyun once again, checking up on Ryeowook, Sungmin, and Donghae.

“Nevermind the email, Ryeowook,” Kyuhyun interrupted. “Have you found a way to prove ---------‘s innocence?”

You scowled at him. “Kyuhyun, Ryeowook is trying to recover from his injuries! Don’t stress him out too much.”

“The sooner I can get you under the protection of the Court of Rogues, the better,” Kyuhyun told you. "Rogue Guild and…. others… will not stop until you are dead."

Your eyebrows shot up at his slight pause. "'Others'?"

Kyuhyun ignored you. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small package, the same one that you had seen Yoseob push across the table that one night. 

"This is important, Ryeowook." Kyuhyun said. "I want you to decode this and use that application on your computer to open it."

Ryeowook took the package curiously. "Where is it from?"

Kyuhyun hesitated. "Busan."

"Oh… oh my," said Ryeowook. He looked over the package with a new light in his eyes. "You sure it's safe?"

"Absolutely."

You had been watching this exchange impatiently. "Kyuhyun, who the hell is after me? What's in the package?"

"You'll learn soon enough," he replied, his face not giving away anything. "For now, let's give Ryeowook a little space. Want to go visit Donghae?"

You frowned, not liking the situation at all, but agreed and walked out the door.

…And got the shock of your life as you saw Kim Kibum, the traitor and your former crush, in Donghae's hospital room, looking over your dear best friend. You went for his throat, arms outstretched, and had nearly got there before Kyuhyun, entering the room after you, yanked you back and into his arms. 

"Let me go! I'm going to kill that traitor!" You yelled at Kyuhyun furiously, trying to get free.

Kyuhyun only held you tighter. “We are in a hospital, a place of healing and peace. It is against Court rules to spill blood here,” he whispered frantically.

“When has HE ever paid attention to the rules?” you growled, angrily gesturing to Kibum. Your fingers twitched, wanting to lock themselves around his throat and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze. You stopped struggling though, and Kyuhyun released you. As you looked upon the face of the man that had brought so much death to people you loved, a dangerous rage rose up from somewhere deep inside you and choked, leaving you unable to speak for a few seconds.

While you were momentarily silent, Kyuhyun glared at Kibum. “I wondered when you’d show up,” he said in a tone of icy disdain. 

Kibum refused to meet his eyes, instead keeping his gaze on the comatose Donghae. “I had to show my respects. He was a talented Rogue.”

“He IS a talented Rogue!” you cried, outraged. “A better one than you’ll ever be...And who are these gentlemen?” you asked, glancing at the two men who stood behind Kibum.

“My associates,” said Kibum quickly.

“More like your bodyguards. Too scared to go around by yourself, eh?”

Kibum ignored Kyuhyun’s sneering and looked up at you, smiling sadly. “I said the next time you saw me, I’d tell you why I turned traitor, yes?” 

You nodded, surprised that Kibum would bring this up right here, right now.

Kibum turned towards the men that were with him. “Leave us.” He reached into his jacket pocket. 

You gasped. Did Kibum have a weapon?

Kyuhyun reacted quickly, drawing his gun and aiming it at Kibum. “Not so fast, there.”

“I’m just getting my phone out,”Kibum said calmly. He took the phone out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons, holding it out to you. 

Kyuhyun kept the gun trained on Kibum.

You looked at the phone. It showed a smiling young woman. She seemed happy, but she was too pale and looked slightly ill. Her hands were neatly folded in her lap as she sat in a wheelchair. 

“This... is my sister,” Kibum said softly. “My parents died while I was training as a Rogue, so I had to watch over her. I’ve kept her a secret from everyone... except Rogue Guild found out.” He took a deep breath, and the words rushed out of him. “They blackmailed me- if I refused to help them, they’d torture her and kill her. But, if I agreed to spy for them, they’d help me start a new life with her somewhere far away from all of this violence. She’s very sick... they promised me enough money to see that she would be well taken care of for the rest of her life.”

You and Kyuhyun listened to his story wide-eyed. 

Kyuhyun sighed. “If we had known...”

“This does not justify killing dozens of others!” you yelled at Kibum. “How could you betray all of us, just for one life?”

Kibum suddenly looked much older and much more tired. “That one life, HER life... She’s the only thing I have in this world. I made my choice.”

“I hope you choke on it.”

Kibum took his phone back and turned to leave, nodding at the two of you. “I don’t expect to see you again. Our flight leaves tomorrow, my sister and I... we’re going to a place far from all of this.”

“You don’t think we can catch you?” Kyuhyun asked grimly. “Once Rogue Court returns to power-”

“- We will be well hidden by then,” Kibum interrupted smoothly. “Goodbye.”

You didn’t want to waste any more words on the man that you had once had such strong feelings for. Instead you turned your back as Kibum walked out of the door and out of your life.