Min leaned against the door of Yi-an’s hospital room, his legs feeling weak after all the adrenaline left his body. Gazing up at the ceiling, the heir suppressed his frustrated sigh. Just how much longer did he have to drag this out for?

“...I don’t even know what to do anymore….”

Taking a deep breath, the heir reluctantly straightened himself and turned to leave when he froze in his tracks. Standing a few meters away was a face he recognized almost instantly. His bleached blonde hair and charismatic crimson eyes stared back at the startled heir.

“... Yoon Min.”

“You’ve got the wrong person–”

“For fuck’s sake! Do you think I’m an idiot?! I know it’s you, Min– Mmph!”

Forcefully covering Young-woo’s loud mouth, Min hurriedly dragged the idol away from Yi-an’s door and into an empty hallway adjacent to the nurses’ station. Prying Min’s fingers from his lips, Young-woo wiped his lips on his sleeves as he glowered at the flustered man before him. This complete psychopath…! 

Grabbing Min by his collar, Young-woo bared his teeth at the seemingly aloof heir, “You… Why the fuck did you fake your death?! You could have given us a call or emailed us or whatever! You didn’t do anything for eight years, and this is how you show up?! What in the world are you thinking?! Why are you approaching Yi-an when he’s just finally started to let you go?”

Min couldn’t say anything as he silently listened to Young-woo rant at how irresponsible he’d been for the past eight years. There was no denying it– he had faked his death (even though he had no knowledge of it until recently). Everything that Young-woo was saying was correct. Yet, Min couldn’t help but feel wronged and upset. He was a victim, too. He had been ostracized and kicked out of his family and country without a chance to fight back. And most of all, his dreams of becoming an idol had been ripped away from him… So what could he have done?

“... –you heartless scumbag!”

“Are you done?”

“What?!” Young-woo scoffed in disbelief, gaping at Min’s defiant gaze. 

“You have every right to be upset with me. But Young-woo, I didn’t choose any of this to happen. Everything was beyond my control.”

“Bullshit! We were supposed to debut in a week’s time, and YOU blew it! Do you know how long the boys and I had to wait until another opportunity came? Fucking FIVE years, FIVE! And you think that’s all? Yi-an was a fucking mess after he heard that you passed away in a car accident. Everyone suffered because of you.”

Min winced at Young-woo’s stinging remarks. Memories of Yi-an sobbing in the deserted practice room while holding onto his photo surfaced in his head, making the heir grip onto the wall next to him. None of this was what he had wanted for himself and for those around him. Yet, just like Young-woo, who had persevered throughout the years for his dream to come true, Min had also prayed for a chance to make everything right again. Now, it was Min’s chance to do just that and he wasn’t going to let the past pull him back than it already had. 

“But after all that suffering, you guys are one of the most influential groups in the industry, no?” Patting Young-woo’s shoulder, Min fondly smiled at his former friend, “I’m proud of what you guys accomplished without me. You’ll always have my support… and thanks for taking care of Yi-an all this time.”

“I don’t need your fucking thanks. Yi-an’s my dear friend whom I cherish more than anything. If you already decided to leave everything behind, then stick with it. Stop showing up in front of Yi-an for your selfish needs!”

“... Think what you want, but you can’t stop me from seeing Yi-an. He was my best friend too, not just yours. Anyways, good luck on your new tour, I’m always rooting for you guys.”

Without so much of a glance back, Min grazed past Young-woo, sauntering down the winding hallway before vanishing behind the corner. A sharp pain throbbed in the idol’s chest as he fought back the tears in his eyes. For sixteen years Young-woo had stood by the sidelines, watching as his crush fell for his best friend and subsequently mourning for the loss of that love. So how could he stand back and see Yi-an fall for the jerk who had hurt him so deeply with his lies?

“No matter what you try, Yi-an’s never going back to you. I’ll make sure of it…” Young-woo’s crimson-red contacts glimmered with conviction as he touched the window beside him and gazed at the billboard across the street, “Because this time, he’ll be mine.”