“... Because this time, he’ll be mine.”

Clenching his outstretched hand into a tight fist, Young-woo lightly rapped his knuckles onto the glass window before letting out an exasperated sigh. Ha… what was he saying? He waited eight years for Yi-an to get over Min, and now, that jerk was back. Did he even have a chance against him? Young-woo ran a hand through his blond bangs before trudging towards Yi-an’s room. Right, it was best to not get his hopes up. 

“I should just be happy that I can stay by Yi-an’s side as his friend. Nothing more, nothing less–”

“Hey, Y.W.! Where were you?” 

Looking up from his feet, Young-woo let out an irritated sigh. What was he doing here? Young-woo had repeatedly told his group mates to head back to their dorm instead of coming to the hospital. After their three-week tour around Asia, Young-woo knew that his group needed their well-deserved rest– especially after how much CEO Lee grilled them about how the company stocks had plummeted. The singer clenched his teeth at the thought. That money-hungry swindler! Yi-an’s suffering like this, and all he cares about is using us as his new ATM machine? I should’ve canceled the tour when the scandal first broke out!

“Young-woo…?”

“Tae-ho, I told you not to come, didn't I?”

“I know, I know. But it didn’t feel right not to come by and I want to make sure Yi-an’s doing all right.”

“God, you never listen, do you? Well, come on, let’s go see him.” Brushing past Tae-ho, Young-woo was about to knock on Yi-an’s door when he paused and glanced at his sulking group mate, “I’m warning you now, don’t mention anything about the suicide attempt and… You better make sure that CEO Lee doesn’t find out that we came to see Yi-an, got it?”

“Got it. Don’t worry!”

“...Ha….”

Unable to hide his displeasure, Young-woo rolled his eyes and knocked on Yi-an’s door. A few seconds passed before a muffled “yes, come in” sounded from the other side. Casting another cautionary glance at Tae-ho, Young-woo slid the door open to find Yi-an bundled up in his covers looking like a little squirrel getting ready for hibernation. The leader of SHINE immediately darted over to his best friend, giving Yi-an a bear hug. 

“Huh? Y-Young-woo? Tae-ho? What are you guys doing here? What about the tour–?”

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m so sorry, Yi-an….” Young-woo whispered, holding onto Yi-an for dear life.

Yi-an felt a pang of guilt in his chest as Young-woo’s hot tears plopped onto his shoulder. Dammit. Why did he have to break down like an idiot in front of his friends? The disgraced idol had been steadfast in his resolve to stay strong and confident in front of his loved ones and yet… All Yi-an had wanted was to escape from everything– including his friends and family. Hesitantly, Yi-an hugged Young-woo back, his lips quivering before a loud wail erupted while tears flooded his cheeks.

“Y-Young-woo…! Hic! I… I’m sorry. I was just so scared! I didn’t know… what to do!”

Young-woo felt his heart drop at Yi-an’s words. He thought Yi-an had been doing okay since his parents had come from Canada to be with him, but perhaps, he had been too hopeful and delusional. Pulling Yi-an closer, Young-woo patted the singer’s back, his eyes glinting with both anger and resentment. No matter what it took, Young-woo was determined to protect Yi-an against anyone who would hurt him– including Min. 

“You reap what you sow… The people who did this to you will get what they deserve. I promise.”

“I don’t mind if they don’t. I was the idiot who got swept up by their words.” Yi-an sniffled, wiping away his tears like a child while flashing a reassuring smile to his childhood friend.

“You’re not an idiot; you were just lost. But don’t worry, I– er, we’re always here for you.”

Yi-an paused before a slight grin graced his chapped lips, “... Thanks, that means a lot.”

Tae-ho, who had been watching from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. God, how could Young-woo act so sweet while saying something so sinister? Oh, brother. What’s he gonna do now?! It’s just one scandal after another…  Maybe I should just switch to acting. Actors aren’t embroiled in too many controversies compared to idols, right? 

“Um… Tae-ho?”

“Ack?!” Tae-ho flinched, noticing that the two idols were staring at him with scrunched brows.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, haha. You must be exhausted from your trip, but you still came all this way to see me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you guys worry about me….” Yi-an mumbled as he fidgeted with his hands.

Tae-ho lightly chuckled as he approached the hospital bed and tousled Yi-an’s hair, “Nah, don’t say that. We’re all just glad that you’re still here with us. I don’t know how you’ll take this, but… Don’t give up, okay, Yi-an? I’m sure the perpetrators will be caught soon.”

“Perpetrators…? What do you mean?” Yi-an asked, his eyes growing wide at the news.

“Hmm? The prosecutors and police are conducting an investigation into your defamation case. That’s the only thing people are talking about right now.”

“Why would they do that when I didn’t file any charges?”

Young-woo and Tae-ho paused as they quickly glanced at each other. Frowning, Young-woo looked over at Yi-an, “You didn’t…? Didn’t you sign with a new agency right after leaving ours?”

“No…? I mean, the only thing I did was ask Gina noona to send some files to the reporters, but that was about it–”

Yi-an’s jaw dropped to the floor as he gawked at the TV screen that Tae-ho had turned on. There, standing in front of a sea of reporters, was Jake Yoon, standing tall and aloof while a caption on the news headline read:

“BREAKING NEWS– DISGRACED IDOL, ASH, SIGNED WITH S&H GROUP’S ONE ENTERTAINMENT.”