How was one supposed to react to the news of his lover being injured and for that brought before the doors of death?

It's never an easy question to answer. It's a personal matter, isn't it?

However, despite the immediate reaction to the news, which was different according to the various affected people, the ultimate belief of being betrayed by life's mockery persisted more or less in everyone.

For Kyuhyun perhaps it was destiny, since he already was at the hospital to assist Jiwon in her delivery, or maybe simply a punishment, for he didn't have to be there in the first place, being his only legit spot by Ryeowook's side, any of the two ways, Kyuhyun felt like he was being played with by the bitter resentment of life. 

Why Ryeowook? Why now, of all the possible times? They were yet again so close to happiness...

...instead Kyuhyun froze over the phone, when Yesung, who still firmly held a satisfied Eric by the collar, called him, forced to pass the news on to his best friend since the other present people were busy with their mournful cries and frightened screams.

He was waiting outside the delivery room, his ears, up to that moment caught into the repetitive merciless shouts and inhuman struggles coming from Jiwon from the other side of the door, now perceived a strangely glacial silence. His mind too focused at trying to recall how melodious Ryeowook's voice had always been, but miserably failing at it, because those were the little details one never paid enough attention too. And now that he longed the most for his sweet voice to replay in his mind, for his gentle caresses to travel on his cheeks, for his clingy hugs to never let him go, now that he simply wanted to have him by his side, he was about to lose him?

Again?

Why destiny liked to play at mocking them? Because that was it and Kyuhyun had never imagined his life without Ryeowook would have started even before his life with him could be crowned with their dream of marriage.

He still remembered his reckless run from the delivery ward to the emergency room and the hall where ambulances unloaded patients. Doctors, nurses, patients and visitors alike threw him judgmental stares, not to mention a quite unpleasant load of curses, while he risked to knock down a few of them in his desperate attempt to dodge all the obstacles and successfully reach the first floor.

Destiny, in its absurd brutality, had wanted that Ryeowook would be brought to the same hospital as the one in which Jiwon and Kyuhyun were, making it awfully easy for the latter one to see with his eyes what had truly happened to his loved one.

That was at least what he wanted to do, what he desperately needed to do in order to set his heart at peace and tell Yesung that he was wrong, that Ryeowook was fine and only underwent some minor injuries.

He had to finally believe otherwise when, in the failed attempt to get access to the restricted area of first aid reception - and for that causing his usual ruckus with the local staff, which involved fists in the air and loud shouts - a few rescuers passed him by. They were frantically pushing a stretcher in the opposite direction, shouting orders and monitoring weak vital signs coming from the small lump of a body rested and covered under a thin, white sheet.

A flash then. It was a second, lasting almost an eternity as he turned his head and out of curiosity watched the pitiful wounded pass him by.

Biting lips to the point that his teeth were marking the flesh, almost lacerating it, and tears unexpectedly gushing as if someone had just ordered him with a remote control, Kyuhyun's cries of pain and despair flew high and free in the little hallway after the scene he had just witnessed to: an arm lifelessly hang out from the cover, it dangled in the void looking heavy and it was dirty in stains of dried blood. Just a little detail could successfully catch Kyuhyun's attention though, so that his cries rose as loud and pained as ever, and that was the thin ring adorning one of the man's fingers; it was supposed to be made in the finest silver to convey gracefulness and elegance to the hand of that very special one bound to carry it around, but now it had turned of an ugly rusty red, whereas diamonds that had to sparkle more brilliant than the light, in truth had just bathed in blood and became glowing rubies.

"RYEOWOOK!!!!" 

Kyuhyun shouted and shouted, not caring of the fact that he could put one step behind the other, because of his shaking posture and wobbly legs. He didn't care at all, but simply tried his best to run after the petite lump he had recognized to be the familiar shape of the man that every night snuggled close to him until eyelids grew heavier, breaths steadier and sleep overtook him.

Now he stood still, unmoving before the thick window behind which many babies were wrapped in warm covers and rested in small, identical cradles.

From time to time nurses entered the restricted room and showed their most respectful, caring attention to those newly born, innocent lives, and Kyuhyun found himself to bitterly smile to that cruel joke: sometimes life was granted at the price of another one. And that was the same.

He lightly knocked on the glass and caught the attention of a lean woman bent over a healthy baby girl. Kyuhyun then pointed at said baby before directing his finger in the direction of his own self. The woman smiled and nodded, her arms carefully lifting the small body and keeping it close to her motherly chest before walking up to the door and right in front of Kyuhyun.

"You've been watching over her for quite a while now" she shared her observation with a wide smile of understanding "You must be very excited to start your journey as the father of this lovely creature"

Kyuhyun opened his arms and accepted the little weight, which he carefully hugged and held glued to his chest, making the baby rest her tiny, sleepy head on his shoulder: "There's actually someone else that would like to see her, I'm sure" he cracked another smile and saw the woman nodding.

"Maybe her mother?"

Kyuhyun's face darkened at once: "More or less" he sighed and after greeting the nurse with a small tip of his head, he walked away from the nursery wing of the hospital to a room he had known for three long days now.

There was no one in the room, except for a single patient resting on a bed while being wired to tons of different machines that checked all the needed vital signs.

Kyuhyun's smile reappeared, this time glowing in a light of relief as his eyes took a glimpse of the other's improving conditions.

"I couldn't let them set the baby for adoption without showing her to you" Kyuhyun took a seat next to the bed and lightly opened his arms to reveal the tiny lump that peacefully slept indisturbed. The man took the baby and moved her to gently place her onto the chest of the lying patient, who slowly moved to grasp her and secure the baby to prevent any dangerous fall.

"She's...beautiful" a thin voice cracked, but even behind the oxygen mask it sounded light like the chirp of a crystal bell. Then a smile subsided on those lips and two almond shaped eyes wrinkled into crescents to convey appreciation.

"I know" Kyuhyun sadly commented "After all it took for this baby's sake, it's sad to know that the only person who would have unconditionally loved her is now gone" the man said while moving his hand to cover the other one he found lightly the baby's back.

"What happened?"

Kyuhyun sighed, but that didn't keep him from going straight to the point, after all it wasn't needed: "Jiwon's dead" he announced and noticed that hand considerably stiffening, just like the rest of the patient's body, despite lying there for three, long days.

"She suffered some major complications and blood loss during the delivery and didn't make it to the end" Kyuhyun explained, giving out further details "I wasn't there when she exhaled her last breath. I was here, next to you, praying hard not to watch you doing just the same" now his hand had moved to the man's head and was trying to keep from shaking too much, while tugging some strands of hair away from his eyes.

"Ryeowook, you can't imagine how scared I was to lose you" Kyuhyun's voice cracked and he sniffled with his nose and tried hard not to burst into tears at the memory of Ryeowook's accident.

"I'm sorry" Ryeowook murmured, his cheeks tinted of light pink for feeling guilty.

"You have no reason to apologize, it was that bastard's fault!" Kyuhyun argued "If only I had known that he would follow us here and plot his own revenge against me this way..." he sighed in the end, blaming his little care, while handling his divorce process, which had angered Eric and made the man take a plane all the way to France just ot scheme an efficient way to get rid of Ryeowook.

He had first tried to frame him as the culprit of Cho Ahra's murder, but since that failed, what he did next was nowhere near to the first threat moved onto Kyuhyun to keep him under strict control. Eric decided to show up at Ryeowook's concert and shoot him down from one of the highest seating rows of the theater in which the pianist played.

Coincidence, or brutal fate...who knows? The thing was that, almost twelve years after the accident that wanted to claim Ryeowook's life, and that instead took Ahra's, it was another bullet to finally hit the target and make as if the circle of that surreal story lasted too much could close forever.

While Ryeowook was hospitalized and his wound treated - doctors said that a little scar would remain on his right hip though - Yesung successfully managed to catch the perpetrator and rightfully entrust him to justice, finally putting a final stop to Kyuhyun and Ryeowook's disadventures.

"Siwon's on his way here" Kyuhyun said, breaking the silence which was filled of Ryeowook's appreciation hums towards the little baby that rested on his chest "I asked him to take care of the baby, but he fears that she might still be in danger with his mother around him, so he suggested to give her up for adoption, but..."

"Poor creature" Ryeowook's features wrinkled in sadness and his grip unconsciously tightened around the baby girl, as if he weren't ready to let her go yet.

"...but, since I was legally married to Jiwon, I can choose a different path for her...only, if you want" Kyuhyun announced, eyeing Ryeowook with a bit of uncertainty while he tortured his hands in his lap.

The pianist held a sigh, which was released soon after with his breath when those words clicked better into him and he finally understood. With a much calmer smile he showed all his comprehension into his words, his inner self willing to help others and maybe grant himself a selfish wish that would otherwise be unattainable through nature: "Let's keep her!" he turned his head towards Kyuhyun and read his lover's awe-struck face with a scan of his features "Let's adopt the baby and bring her up as if she were ours! We are going to get married and then we will be perfectly able to obtain parental custody together right? You just need to claim her as your daughter and...and I can adopt her through being your spouse, right?" Ryeowook's eyes twinkled as the little, pinkish hand, weakly stretched and got a hold of the K pendant that was hung around the pianist's neck and that got across her way.

"Are you...sure?" Kyuhyun lighted up almost immediately, glowing in a sparkle of hope as Ryeowook suggested what he was frightened to say.

Ryeowook automatically stretched his hand and grabbd Kyuhyun's, which he gently and encouragingly squeezed in his own: "I've never been more sure of something in my life, except for when I decided I wanted to marry you, Kyu. Trust me, we'd make great parents for her, for Jiyoon"

Kyuhyun's eyes widened a little bit, before softening in the sweetest glance ever thrown at the man he loved, while this one already showed his growing affection for the baby he had just baptized and got to know: "Jiyoon?" he asked, his eyebrow lifted in a frown of wonderment.

His lover nodded and smiled ever so brightly: "I just thought that choosing a close name to hers could be our last gift to Jiwon, in the end she wasn't a bad person. Plus, it sounds good with your surname" Ryeowook managed to weakly pout even behind the oxygen mask

"Cho Jiyoon" Kyuhyun thought for a while about it, that strange combination of names replayed on his lips until they accustomed there perfectly "I guess it could sound good"

"Better than Kim" Ryeowook looked down at the sleeping creature and giggled by himself, showing Kyuhyun that he was on the proper way to a full recovery.

Kyuhyun stood up for a while just to sit on the edge of Ryeowook's bed, taking all the needed care in order not to hurt or bother him, but ready to bend and lean over the lying figure just so his lips could rest on the pianist's forehead and leave there small, tender kisses: "I'm sorry, Ryeowook. I'm too, deeply sorry..." Kyuhyun exhaled his guilt, his eyes never leaving Ryeowook's while his hand sweetly fondled the man's hair and swept his bangs away.

"For what?" Ryeowook chuckled, feeling extremely good for receiving such a tender attention.

"For everything" Kyuhyun mumbled and his lips quivered, his eyes trembled with warm teardrops caught into his long eyelashes before rolling down and streaking his cheeks "For being this bad of a man, for lacking in so many aspects, for showing too much of my jealousy and yet giving out lies after lies. Believe me when I said that I did it so I could protect you, I couldn't stand the thought of you being hurt because of me..."

"I know" Ryeowook tried to interrupt him with his reassuring words, but Kyuhyun simply couldn't stop. And so he went on: "...but then I realized that I ended up being the one to directly hurt you with my foul attempts of protecting you. I should have known better and immediately told you everything! This wouldn't have happened, you wouldn't be here after almost touring the afterworld with your three-day-long coma and..."

"I know, Kyu!" Ryeowook's hand clamped his lover's mouth and that was finally the time for Kyuhyun to stop blabbering nonsense "Stop it now, it's all in the past and I'm still here, willing to permanently link my life to yours, there's no need to apologize"

"There is!" Kyuhyun opened his mouth against Ryeowook's cupped palm and his breath tickled on the flesh, which muffled his answer into a low hum.

"There isn't. Just promise me that from now on we will live in complete harmony, blissfully in love to provide our...daughter with a good environment to live in" Ryeowook argued back, but at the mention of Jiyoon's presence in their lives he stopped a little bit throughout his sentence, considerably weighing the importance of those words.

Kyuhyun blinked a few times, silent because Ryeowook still held his hand on the man's mouth. Then he moved his own hands and with both, Kyuhyun took Ryeowook's to keep it against his lips and thoroughly kiss him. He nodded in the end, feeling growing responsabilities in his heart as well as the deep devotion he felt towards that special man that had always been a great and meaningful part of his life.

"She's so lucky to have you as her father, you know?" Kyuhyun smiled again before he could get lost in his yet again growing worries as he watched Ryeowook taking off his mask "Wait! What are you doing? Isn't it dangerous?"

Ryeowook smacked away Kyuhyun's hands which were trying to help him to wear it back: "I don't need it!" Ryeowook complained, stretching his arm towards Kyuhyun and grasping him around the neck to pull him down. Their lips crashed softly in one peck and Ryeowook's fingers, despite the annoying presence of the IV needle on the back of his hand, managed to slip through his fiancé's hair.

"See? I don't need oxygen, when you can give it to me through our kisses" he blushed, but soon kept on pulling Kyuhyun down to meet his lips in other pleasant kisses, to which he responded with light nibbling and by the other man's plumps lips "And, by the way...she will tell me soon enough the same thing about you. I'm blessed and proud to have you as my other half, Kyuhyun. I love you." the two men's forheads rested together then, while their sweet glances resumed to look the at the innermost source of their love concealed in each other's eyes.

"Me too"

The baby in between them probably felt the huge emotion that wrapped them all, like in a bubble bound to never burst, and she stirred in her sleep, unconsciously smiling on the chest of her future daddy, caressed in the hand of the other, most probably ready to meet two men whose love would soon be permanently part of her life.

Four years later...

"We will first record part of your performance before proceeding with the interview. You can comfortably sit at the piano, while our cameraman will zoom in on you, okay?"

The performance hall of the Conservatory had been booked especially for that interview purpose. It was very hard to get one with worldwide famous pianist Kim Ryeowook, after his reinstatement as a teacher of the academy and his decision to permanently leave the spotlight to dedicate his time to his private life.

He smiled in the direction of the camera, briefly stretching his fingers on the keys before starting to play, before the recording signal could turn red and tell him that the footage was being filmed.

"Shhh, you need to keep silent though, okay?" another man whispered, crouching down next to a little child and then standing up to take her small, warm hand to lead her from the back of the theater to the very front rows.

She nodded, seemingly understanding, but when she managed to get closer to the stage, she couldn't contain all her excitement and wriggled free of the man's hold just to wildly run on stage, her blue and white dotted skirt whirling in the air.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed as she reached Ryeowook's seat and threw her arms to his waist, hiding her lovely grin in the man's clothes.

Startled, Ryeowook turned to see the little girl by her side and his smile grew wider. Totally forgetful of the filming session, he leaned towards her and opened his arms to take her into his, lifting the girl to allow her to sit on the big piano stool.

"What are you doing here Jiyoon, mhm?" he asked, his lips on the girl's crown of the head after sharing a gentle kiss.

"Daddy Kyuhyun brought me here!" she grinned, lifting her face and directing her twinkling eyes onto her father's pleased features. Her way of smiling was just too identical to the one Kyuhyun was used to do.

Ryeowook lifted his face and tried to look for Kyuhyun's presence behind the massive walls of cameras, spotlights and people from the recording staff.

"I'm sorry, she's just a kid, she didn't want to interrupt and waste your work" Kyuhyun emerged from the darkness with his flushed face of embarrassment and apologized to the crew.

The staff leader simply shrugged it off with a light wave of his hand, showing understanding and curiosity as to know the identity of the little girl.

"Kyu!" Ryeowook called his name out loud, finally catching Kyuhyun's attention and motioning him to join them onstage with a gesture of his hand. He hastily walked up to where they were, a bit unsure as for the reason why Ryeowook had called him there.

"What?" Kyuhyun looked down towards him and shrugged.

Ryeowook shared a wide smile, one that looked a bit too naughty for Kyuhyun's likings. It never meant something good.

And in fact the pianist turned to the filming crew and rose his voice to say out loud: "I need to make a statement! Is the camera on?" the cameraman showed an okay sign and so Ryeowook went on "I read the script and there's a very interesting question. What's happiness to you? Well, I can't quite explain that with words, but I can show you who exactly my happiness is. That's my family: my caring husband and our lovely daughter" Ryeowook took Kyuhyun off guard by finally revealing the truth behind their relationship to the light.

With a swift move, he bent to lift little Jiyoon in an embrace and leaned in to tilt Ryeowook's head and sweetly kiss him in front of the cameras.

Heart swollen in pride and joy, he was sure his love for Ryeowook could do nothing but increase day by day, especially now the world knew exactly to whom the pianist belonged, just like he had always wished.

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A/N: sad to say that this long journey lasted almost 8 months is finally ended! T_______________T My story, my baby is complete and fully available for you to read it all over again, if you like it that much.

I'll take my time to reply to your comments, I swear I have never received such a high amount of comments for just one chapter like you did yesterday.

I'm yet again sorry to notice that many of you considered this story a waste of time, just because you read about Ryeowook's accident at the theater, but believe me when I said that this was what I had always had in my mind ever since the very beginning, and now that the story is all out, I wouldn't change anything.

Plus, I did put the "angst" tag for the ff, you were warned from the beginning at your own risk. u.u

I am sure I wanted to write some more in my final notes, but now my mind is literally gone blank and...I don't know...really, I'm so happy I could wrap it all, and I'd be happy if you could leave me your last impressions, since you've all supported me throughout these long months. For that I sincerely thank you.

Thank you my readers, thank you my inspiration, thank you to all those wonderful authors I follow and that I consider to be like my mentors, they are the ones that truly trigger my inspiration (besides Kyuwook of course xD)

To my friend Gaby, a special note to you: see? This is a happy ending! ♥

And well...who knows, I might be back to write a spin off for this, since this kind of Kyuwook is the couple I feel to own the most, but I'm not sure... I've got plenty of different ideas in my mind for other stories as well and very little time to do that. Let me just find my own little apartment, where I can set up a good internet connection and we will see.

Well, thank you again and until next time, your author... xxx