Scars {G-Idle}

Chapter 2

Minnie was sobbing as she sat on the soft bed, knees drawn up to her chin. When the men had dragged her away, they had brought her to this white room, saying that surveillance would be on her 24/7. But she could barely move and she wished Yuqi hadn't woken for a long time so she could have drowned herself. She didn't sleep that night.

"How long have I been here...?" she whimpered, looking down at herself. "I just want to end it all..."

"Minnie, it's time for painting." A nurse poked her head in through the door. "Ready?"

"No..."

"Come on." She beckoned to her. "I'll be by your side the entire time."

Nurse Jin was the nicest to her, but she couldn't help but feel heartbroken that her group was not yet there for her. The look on their faces when she was ripped away from them seemed cold, like they knew she was being taken to suffer and they didn't care. Minnie numbly stood up, her legs feeling like jelly as she stumbled over to Hyejin.

"Good girl." Jin smiled, patting her back. "Let's go, sweetheart."

She shuddered as she let the nurse lead her down the hall, keeping her head down. Out of everyone in the current ward, she knew she was in the worst mental state and was incredibly embarrassed around anyone else. Minnie could feel the stares on her like blazing fire and her face grew hot as she approached the art room. An easel had been set up for her, along with some pretty paint cans and brushes.

"Go on, go on," Jin chided. "Paint your emotions."

Minnie whimpered as she dipped a thin brush into a can of red paint and brushed it across the canvas, making small stripes in random spots. Alternating between red and black and mixing some colors together, she kept painting, not knowing G-Idle was standing near the edge of the room. 

"Oh no..." Soojin bit her lip. "She's painting cuts... oh, the poor thing..."

"Minnie, what is this?" Jin questioned. "Why are you painting this?"

"B-because I want to..." 

"No, no!" Soyeon lightly slapped her shoulder. "Bad Minnie, bad!"

Her eyes welled up with tears. "Unnie..."

"I can't believe you, Minnie! You need to stop doing this!"

"Soyeon, calm down," Jin snapped. "She could have been abused for all we know, but she's only been here for a day. She's not ready to open up." She looked at Minnie. "Let's be done with painting today, okay? Your friends can escort you back to your room."

Soyeon smiled and gently swung Minnie into her arms. "Let's go, little one."

"I'm scared..." she sniffled, pressing her face into the older's chest. "I'm so scared..."

"Minnie, I know you're scared, but maybe talking about it will help?" Shuhua commented as Soyeon reached Minnie's bed and sat down on it with her in her arms. "Forgive me for saying this, but I know you and if it was just the idol life, you would have snapped long before you first cut. What's wrong?"

"I told you... it is the life. I can't handle it... all the threats and fear..."

"Minnie..." Yuqi bit her lip. "Do you know where we are?"

"Some other place..."

"Sweetheart, we're in a mental hospital. You need help and we just want you to get better."

Minnie looked away. "I don't need h-help..."

Yuqi narrowed her eyes. "So I should have just done nothing and let you drown?"

"I-I'd like that..." she whispered.

Miyeon clasped her hands to her chest. "Minnie, no! We need you! We love you so much and we don't want you to die."

"Why... why do you care?" Minnie moaned, curling up into a ball on Soyeon's lap. "I'm so weak... so weak..."

"You're not weak, little one," Shuhua cooed. "You're just going through a rough patch in life and I know you can get better. I believe you'll be starting group therapy in a little bit."

"I'm scared... I don't want to tell you anything, let alone a group of people I don't even know and who could hate me..."

"They won't hate you." Miyeon smiled. "You're too sweet."

"I can't do this... I can't..."

"Yes, you can." Soyeon cupped her face. "We know you can. You're our sweet little Minnie. Now, can we see how those cuts are doing?"

Minnie sniffled as her leader rolled up the sleeves of her hospital gown, revealing the bandages underneath. Slight stains spread out beneath from the dried blood and one of them on her left arm had an angry red tint to it.

"Might want to keep an eye on that one." Shuhua jabbed a finger at it. "Looks like it could get infected."

"Can you die from an infection?" Minnie asked, a note of hopefulness in her voice.

"Yes and don't sound excited about it." Yuqi glared at her. "You know we don't want you to die."

"But whyyyyyyy?" She pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. "Why?"

"Why? We love you, unnie!" Shuhua growled. "We need you!"

"But why? G-Idle still has all of you and you can easily get a new main vocalist..."

"We need you as our friend!" Miyeon sighed. "If someone is hurting you..."

"If anyone is hurting her, I will have their head," Soyeon snarled. "I will make them pay for what they've done to our Minnie."

"No one is hurting me!" Minnie wailed, wiggling out of Soyeon's arms and cowering in a corner of the padded room. "Leave me alone!"

All of the other girls exchanged looks and Soyeon sighed. "Well, then... if you keep hurting yourself, I guess we'll have to start hurting you too. Maybe Soojin should cut you up, don't you think?"

Minnie gasped. "N-no... I just want to cut myself..."

"We'll just put your fate in the hands of the universe. You can take it."

"T-taking me..." She swallowed, her hands beginning to shake. "T-taking me..."

"Are you okay?" Soojin tilted her head.

Minnie let out a terrible scream, her hands lashing violently at the air as her nose began to bleed.