Of course, I went.

But I didn't go for Younghoon or because I pitied him and how desperate he sounded; I went for Changmin. I was curious to learn more about him and figured maybe I could see a different side of him at a party.

When Kim Younghoon said "birthday party," I didn't know why I expected very few people to be there. Of course, the place was going to be packed with people from school and strangers. It was going to be a typical highschool party, with underage drinking and - if they got lucky enough - drugs. Younghoon seemed like the type to throw a party like that anyway, so what was I expecting?

I tried to steer away from any place filled with drunk teenagers and drug-addicts. I had no problem with them - I just hated social interaction, especially with people I didn't know. Eventually, I ended up sitting in the hallway on the second floor of the Kim household, hugging my knees close and hoping that the people passing by would simply ignore my existence and continue on with their business (to which they didn't seem to have a problem doing).

It wasn't until two hours had passed that I felt someone's presence beside me. I looked up, afraid that it would turn out to be a stranger, but it wasn't.

It was Changmin, and he looked as if he were about to cry.

I had only seen him cry few times, but still - it broke my heart to see him that way. The way his eyes welled up in tears and his bottom lip quivered, how fragile he looked. Seeing him cry made me want to hold him and never let him go.

"Hey," he said to me through the loud music. "I didn't know you were here."

"Are you okay?" I asked, standing up. He hesitated before shaking his head. I watched as a tear slowly rolled down his cheek and how harshly and quickly he wiped it away.

"I- I don't know where to start," he said, breaking down. Changmin's head hung low as he cried, his shoulders shaking. "I'm sorry."

I grabbed his hand. He didn't try to pull away as I led him into a random room at the end of the hallway and closed the door behind us, blocking out some of the music and cheers from other people.

Changmin collapsed to the floor, his cries getting louder. He sounded out of breath as if he couldn't breathe and I panicked, not knowing what to do. He put a hand over his chest and repeatedly hit himself, screaming.

Out of instinct, I knelt down beside him and pulled him close. I rocked back and forth, patting his back as he cried his pain away. "It's okay, you're okay. No one's gonna hurt you, okay?"

It took me a moment to realize that I wasn't afraid of his cries anymore. I wasn't afraid if he kicked me, scratched me, pushed me away - none of that mattered anymore. All I wanted was to protect the boy in my arms for as long as I could. And though I might fail, it was still worth trying.

He was worth it.