Kyungsoo blinks as he stares at the person standing a few steps away from him. "Yifan hyung? What are you doing here?" He earns a small smiles as the older walks closer to him and Jongin.

"Jongin told me you are being discharged today."

Kyungsoo glances to Jongin that had his eyes fixed on him. He has been meaning to see Yifan and Joonmyeon so that he could apologize to them but Yifan didn't come back after first day. He asked Jongin about Joonmyeon but all he got as a reply was silence as Jongin darted his eyes away from him. "Hyung."

"Here." Yifan holds out the paperbag he has been holding towards the younger, earning a raised eyebrow. "Jongdae baked this for you. He wanted to come but I asked him to do me a favor and he told me to give you this." He watches Kyungsoo's eyes widen a little as the younger peeks inside the paperbag before lifting his head and looks back at him.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo sees Yifan nodding slightly before he finally notices his surrounding. "Joonmyeon hyung... didn't come with you?" He catches the exchange glances between Yifan and Jongin before he feels Jongin's hand on his back.

"We should go." Jongin only manages to take a step forward before he being blocked by Yifan that is suddenly in front of him. "Hyung." He looks up, wanting to ask the older the reason for his action but those words get buried when he sees Yifan is staring at him with such determined eyes.

"I need your help."

Jongin can only blink because he has never seen Yifan like this. The older has his eyes fixed at him, unwavering with lips pursed into a thin line. And this is the first time Yifan ever asked him for help.

"Joonmyeon..." Yifan notices how the younger glances to the side where Kyungsoo is standing and he turns to Kyungsoo. "Could I talk to Jongin for a moment?"

Kyungsoo gives his permission with a small nod and watches as the two people walking away from him. He can't hear their conversation but he can see how serious Yifan is as Jongin listens patienly before he gives Yifan a nod. He meets with Jongin's eyes when Jongin glances over to his direction for a moment before he turns around and starts walking away from Yifan while Yifan is walking back towards him. What is going on?

"Let's send you home." Yifan sees the younger is looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and he puts a hand on the small of Kyungsoo's back, reassuring him and guides him to walk. "It is nothing. Jongin said he will tell you later." He hears a faint sigh of relief as Kyungsoo faces back to the front, their feet matching each other's pace.

"Hyung."

"Yes?"

"Will Joonmyeon hyung ever forgive me?"

Yifan looks down at the younger standing behind the opened car door, his eyes staring up at him with worries. He gestures Kyungsoo to get in before closing the door and circles around the front of the car, seating himself on the driver's seat. He sees Kyungsoo's fingers caressing the paperbag that he gave earlier as he exits the hospital ground and takes a deep breath. "Joonmyeon was never mad at you."

Kyungsoo turns his head slightly towards Yifan that has his eyes fixed on the road in front of him. What is Yifan saying? He has done nothing but making troubles and being a burden to everyone. First it was his own little brother, then Jongin, then Joonmyeon. And as if they weren't enough, he dragged Yifan and Jongdae into his problems too. Joonmyeon has every right to get angry with him but he is acting like some innocent kid, hoping for forgiveness from the older.

"He really likes you..." Yifan nods as he glances to his side. "...and he knows you have your own reasons and he understands that. He could never be mad at you."

"But, he never came to visit..."

Yifan breathes out. Maybe Jongin won't mind. "He did come, but you were still unconsious." He notices the younger's eyes staring at him intently, asking for more and he knows what he has to do. "He thought you need your rest and he will visit you when you are fully recovered." He sees Kyungsoo pursing his lips, trying to hide his smile as he faces back to the front. The younger needs it and a small lie like that won't hurt anybody.

"You are so lucky, Yifan hyung. Finding someone like Joonmyeon hyung."

"It was Joonmyeon that found me."

Kyungsoo turns his head at those words and sees no curve on the older's lips but the way Yifan softly gaze at his hand where the wedding ring is tells him everything. The couple was so lucky, able to find each other and had their feeling returned. If only he could say that to Jongin. "Love..."

Yifan casts a quick glance towards the younger.

"It wasn't supposed to be there, and I still don't understand how it managed to be there, but it did. I saw it in his eyes even before he noticed it himself, and I couldn't allow that." Kyungsoo looks down at his hands that are full with scars. "I am like this. Liking me wouldn't get him anywhere. He would only get himself hurt at the end."

"But you shared the same feeling."

Kyungsoo chuckles faintly. He was that obvious, huh? But, that was why he ran away too. Because he couldn't allow that to happen either. He is him, someone with a disgusting sickness and Jongin is someone that is better without him. "It was never going to work."

"You came back." Yifan breathes. He knows how Kyungsoo is feeling because in some way, he is the same too. "Maybe you thought you don't deserve him but you came back. You want to be with him."

Kyungsoo stares blankly at the paperbag on his lap. He went to their old house, the house he and Sehun lived before all these happened and he remembers staring out the window of his room for a whole day, wishing his little brother could be there with him but that was all it. It was blurry what happened after that and before he knew it, he was in the hospital with Jongin sleeping on the chair by his bed, his warm hand holding his wrapped one tightly and he never felt such relief before.

"You should smile like that more. Jongin would love it." Yifan can see from the corners of his eyes that Kyungsoo is staring at him with disbelieved look before looking down back at the paperbag. He doesn't know what is exactly going on between Kyungsoo and Jongin, it is their secret to keep, but he does know that they need each other and that is all that matters.

"Just like Joonmyeon hyung?"

Yifan frowns at the younger, doesn't really catch the meaning behind those words.

"We didn't see each other much but you always had this serious expression whenever I saw you. I would see Joonmyeon hyung smiling while talking to you and you would reply him only a nod."

Yifan recalls, and Kyungsoo is right. He admits he doesn't smile that often but that is just who he is. He doesn't know how to express himself well.

"But then one day, you came to the office to pick up Joonmyeon hyung and I saw it. You had this warmest smile I have ever seen as you listened to Joonmyeon hyung talking and then Joonmyeon hyung smiled even bigger before you both left the office." Kyungsoo turns to face the older and sees Yifan's lips curved upwards, as seems he is remembering the day he talks about and it is a small one but it is just as warm as the smile he saw that day. Something happened that made Yifan change but he isn't complaining. "Joonmyeon hyung is the happiest when he is with you."

Yifan looks at the younger as the car comes to a stop, and he breathes out. "Me too." He smiles, hoping everything is going well with Jongin and Jongdae and the plan he had.

+ + + + +

Joonmyeon watches as rows of buildings slowly fading away and he is greeted with a green scenery of the empty vast field and although he still doesn't know the reason why he is here and where he is going, he welcomes the serene feeling as he stares out the car window. It has been really a long time since he went to somewhere like this and it reminds him how he missed travelling.

"Kyungsoo was discharged this morning."

Joonmyeon turns his head to the driver's seat, a bit surprised. Does he is allowed to talk about the younger now? "That... is great." He purses his lips, staring at his little cousin that is busy concentrating on his driving. He found Jongin waiting for him outside of his office and he was told to get into the car before he could ask anything. It has been a couple hours since then and this is the first time Jongin talked after they left his office. "Jongin."

"Not yet." Jongin shakes his head. It was obvious what Joonmyeon was going to ask him by the way the older fidgeting in his seat and he can't allow it to happen. At least not yet.

"Let me apologize to Kyungsoo. Let me see him."

"You will, but not now. He needs his rest and that means without you in his face."

Joonmyeon slumps back into his seat, shifting his gaze back to the window. He feels a little disappointed but Jongin is right. Kyungsoo does need time to recover from what has been happening and he can't agree more than that. And he will wait for it no matter how long it takes. He takes a deep breath before lazily face the younger. "You have changed."

Jongin rolls his eyes, scoffing. He has lost count of how many times that words being spoken to him by so many people but one thing he knows that Joonmyeon have said it the most.

"No. It's not like that."

Jongin glances slightly to his older cousin and sees a smile on Joonmyeon's face.

"If it was the old you, you would already punch me in the face the second you saw me outside Kyungsoo's room but you didn't. And you chose not to tell Kyungsoo about our deal because you want to protect him from being hurt some more." Joonmyeon lets out a sigh. "It is a bit different but you are my little Nini."

Jongin purses his lips at the nickname. It was what Joonmyeon called him when they were little kids and he told the older to stop calling him that when he entered middle school since the name was embarrassing and he's not 'little' anymore but Joonmyeon refused to listen. It was not until the next year when he suddenly had a growth spurt and became obviously taller than Joonmyeon that Joonmyeon finally stopped after he had countered the older with 'Tiny Myeonmyeon' every time Joonmyeon used that name on him. "Hyung."

"I know. I won't call you that anymore. I..."

"I'm sorry."

Joonmyeon blinks a couple of times, trying to make sure he heard the words right before shifting slowly to look at the younger. Jongin just apologized to him. Why?

"For changing in the first place."

Joonmyeon's breath hitches.

"But dad wasn't there anymore and I realized I need to take care of myself since nobody else would..."

"Jongin..."

Jongin shakes his head, knowing what Joonmyeon was going to say and that it is not important anymore. It's all in the past and since he can't change it, he is just going to live with it. "We can't never be exactly like before but I will try. And even though we are cousins..." He glances slightly to his side. "...Kyungsoo is my priority now."

Joonmyeon nods, can't help smiling at the fact that he and Jongin aren't in bad terms anymore. He really thought the younger would cut him off completely out of his life after what he had done but he was wrong. Jongin had changed but not completely. His 'Little Nini' is still inside the younger and he is forever thankful for that.

"Your importance to me fall way below down there, after Sehun and Jongdae hyung and other people that are more important than you."

"Of course. Whatever you say. I understand." Joonmyeon hums softly as he throws his gaze outside the window, noticing the wide blue ocean in the distance with the sun just above the horizon, slowly setting down. When did they get here? Are they going to the beach? Did Jongin bring him here so they can patch things up? "You haven't told me where we are going."

"We are almost there."

Joonmyeon watches as Jongin turns a corner and a familiar house greets his view as they come closer and closer to it until the car stops right in front of the main gate. He gets out of the car only to stare dumbly at the big house in front of him. How can he forget the way to his own summer house? Was it really that long since he last came here? "Jongin."

"What?" Jongin glances over his shoulder where Joonmyeon is walking very slowly to catch up with him before manages to match his pace and he sees a grin on the older's face.

"Why are we suddenly coming here? Is there a surprise for me?" Joonmyeon hears a scoff before following his little cousin that takes a turn to walk on the stoned pathway that leads towards the back garden.

"Why would I do that for you?" Jongin stops when they reach the patio at the back of the house with Joonmyeon next to him and his eyes immediately meet with a familiar figure that has his back against them. "Hyung." He sees Joonmyeon's eyes widen a little when the figure turns around and starts walking towards them.

"Jongdae?" Joonmyeon blinks repeatedly when the younger stops in front of him and suddenly pulls him in a hug. "What are you doing here?" He waits but Jongdae just keep hugging him and can hear him taking a deep breath before letting it out. The younger was still giving him the cold shoulder this morning and he can't help feeling a bit relief as Jongdae is giving his frame a slight squeeze.

"Didn't I tell you, not to fight so much with someone you love?" Jongdae takes another long breath as he tightens his hug around his young master's body that has become thinner than before. "Why did you do that if you would be missing him this much?" He pulls away, smiling at the creases that have appeared on the older's forehead. "Be nice to him. We will be going now."

Joonmyeon watches as Jongdae follows Jongin that is already walking ahead before they both are no longer in his sight and Jongdae's last words ringing in his ears. What did he mean by that?

"Joonmyeon."

Joonmyeon's breath hitches at the deep voice coming from his behind. No.