Changmin was stunned and traumatized seeing Brian in that state. He heard the emergency exit door crashed opened and felt someone hugged him and brushed his tears away but he the image of Brian bathing in his own blood was stuck in his head. He heard people conversing but he was in too much of a daze and didn’t catch what was being said. After sometime he felt someone tugging him upright and guiding him away from the scene. After walking down a hallway, they entered a room and someone sat him down on a couch. Changmin felt people approached him. He felt the person who was guiding him earlier sat down to left while another one sat to his right and started rubbing soothing circles on his back.

After awhile he started to calm down and took a deep breath. He looked up and found himself inside Junsu’s room surrounded by his friends. To his left was Kibum, one of his arms wrapped around his shoulders. /He was the one who has been guiding me gently earlier./ Changmin thought. Hongki was the one who was sitting to his right and rubbing soothing circles on is back. Sitting next to him was Jaejin whose eyes’ was wide with worry and concern. Jonghun and Yoochun was standing by the couch both their eyes were like Jaejin’s, filled with worry and concern. A couple of paces back, there stands Yunho whose eyes’ were also filled with worry, his arms were wrapped on a pretty guy’s shoulders he had never met before.

Feeling guilty for worrying his friends on top of Junsu’s and Brian’s accident, he gave them a shaky smile as an attempt to alleviate their concern. Seeing Changmin’s attempt to smile, his friends started to relax visibly.

“Minnie-ah, a-are you alright?” Kibum asked softly.

Changmin was surprised by Kibum’s use of his childhood nickname but he immediately recovered and gave a slow nod. “Y-yeah. I-I’m sorry for worrying guys like that.” He said in a shaky voice. “I guess I just p-panicked. S-seeing all those b-blood..”

“B-blood?” Jaejin said in a small voice, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and fear.

“What are you guys talking about?” Yoochun asked slowly, his darting from Changmin to Kibum then towards Jonghun.

“Well.. Brian had an accident.” Jonghun said simply.

“Accident?” Hongki breathed out, his teeth worrying his lower lips.

“He fell down the stairs.” Jonghun answered.

“Is he alright?” Hongki asked, his voice rising a couple of notches.

“We don’t know yet. The orderlies took him to the emergency room.” Yunho answered from where he was standing. It was then when the other’s noticed Jaejoong standing next Yunho who now has one of his arms wrapped in Jaejoong’s waist. Noticing their stares, Jaejoong blushed. He executed a 90 degree bow towards the on looking group and introduced himself. “H-hello, I’m Kim Jaejoong. I-I’m a friend of Siwon hyung. I-I mean, Inspector Choi.” He explained nervously.

Yunho chuckled at the smaller man’s actions. “You’re cute when you’re flustered and nervous, Jaejoong.” He said with a smile causing Jaejoong to glare at him.

“Yah! Jung Yunho! I’m a guy and guys aren’t supposed to be cute!” Jaejoong retorted, giving Yunho a glare.

“Y-you’re a guy?” Jaejin said in disbelief, making Jaejoong blush deep red and pout cutely. Seeing this, Yunho can’t help but grin widely.

“Aish, Jaejin. How could you ask that question when you and your brother looks girly yourselves.” Kibum retorted, earning him a glare from Hongki and Jaejin.

“Aish, enough already. Mianhe, Jaejoong-shi. They could be so childish at times.” Yoochun said in behalf of his friends.

“It’s alright. I get that a lot so I’m pretty much used to it. And you could just call me Jaejoong.” Jaejoong said with a wry smile earning him smiles from the group.

“Min hyung, uh.. what’s that?” Yunho.

“Huh?”

“That. What’s that you’ve been clutching in your right hand all this time.”

Changmin blinked and suddenly remembers about the ring. He looked at his right hand and opened his palm, showing them Brian’s ring in his upturned hands. “I saw it on the floor on my way back here. I ran after him planning to give it back b-but…” Changmin’s eyes watered and a single tear escaped from his lashes. “I-I was so s-scared…”

“Calm down Min. He’ll be alright. This hospital has the best doctors in the country. They won’t let anything happen to him.” Jonghun reassured his friend.

“He’s right Min. Everything will be alright.” A sigh escaped from Kibum’s lips and he pulled Changmin closer and placed a against the Changmin’s temple.

Eyes wide Changmin turned red at the older man’s display of affection and covered his face with a hand (his other hand still clutching Brian’s ring).

Everyone smile at Changmin’s cute reaction Yunho chuckled and said, “Aigoo~. You’re so adorable, Min hyung.”

Changmin dropped his hands on his lap and pouted at Yunho’s remark. A couple of seconds later he sighed and smiled back at his friends. “You’re right… He’ll be just fine.”

~*~*~

Siwon was standing on the steps of the stairs, watching as the forensics sweep the scene. Dusting here and there for prints. Taking samples of the blood on the floor. Bagging evidences they’ve found around the area. And taking tons of pictures in every possible angle they could think of.

Siwon knew the prints were a dead end, after all they were in the emergency stairs that is accessible to the public. There would be probably hundreds of nurses, orderlies, doctors and visitors who uses this particular stair  way.

There wasn’t much evidence either, just the roses Brian was clutching and the victim’s cellphone they found a couple of feet from the body.

It was the blood that was intriguing Siwon. There was too much blood on the floor. Too much that it was impossible it came from Brian, even if it came from a head wound. That plus the fact that some parts of the puddle were already drying.

Something is wrong here. He could just feel it.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Calling out forensics just to process a scene of an accident. Now, now Siwonnie. Isn’t that a bit too much. You’re wasting taxpayers money, you know.” Said by a voice behind him.

“Yah! Stop calling me that, Hankyung!” Siwon exclaimed turning around to face his partner, Li Hangeng a.k.a. Li Hankyung. “And to my defense, I have this gut feeling that this isn’t just an accident.

Siwon turned and surveyed the area. “Something just doesn’t add up.”

“Like?” Hankyung asked, his eyebrows arching in question.

“The amount of blood.” Siwon said pointing out at the puddle of blood at the floor. “No matter how I look at it, the amount is just too much even if it came from a head wound. Plus… the roses.”

“Just like the last one, huh?”

“Neh. Just like the last one.”