The Clockmaker's Son #2: Forsaken (Chae Hyungwon of Monsta X x Reader fanfic)

Part Nine: The Forbidden Line

Everyone had been called to the hospital where Kihyun had been admitted and was now fighting for his life. Jooheon... had been lost in the crash, and nobody seemed ready to talk about it just yet. Your minds were all preoccupied with praying for Kihyun to pull through. Hoseok, Hyunwoo, Changkyun, Minhyuk and yourself had been waiting in the hospital lobby while the doctors hastily worked to stabilise Kihyun's state. Hyunwoo was constantly stepping away from the group, trying to reach Hyungwon on his cell. Everyone had left a message too, but Hyungwon hadn't gotten back to any of you. Once the doctors had returned to inform you of Kihyun's stable condition, Hyunwoo suggested for you to go and fetch Hyungwon.

'Call us if there's... something that's happened,' he said, reassuringly giving your shoulder a squeeze. 'We're counting on you.'

You opened your eyes, revealing to yourself the façade of Hyungwon's home. You couldn't see him through the glass door, but you were sure that he was inside. You stepped onto the porch, running your fingers back through your hair as you contemplated ringing the doorbell. Ultimately deciding against it, you moved closer to the door, trying the handle.

Creeeeak.

It opened with no resistance whatsoever.

'What the...?" You muttered to yourself, alarm bells going off in your head.

Why was the door unlocked? Had Hyungwon gone out?

You slipped into the house, shutting the door behind you with a quiet snick.

'Hyungwon?' You called out into the emptiness.

No response.

Well, you'd expected that.

You moved into the kitchen area, seeing an empty satchel of his medication. A sombre look filled your eyes as you peered closer at the packaging. Antidepressents. You set the satchel back down and continued your search for Hyungwon. He wasn't in the bathroom. Nor was he in any of the bedrooms here in the extension.

Slipping into the hallway, you made a beeline for the clock repair shop. Peering in after flicking on the light switch, you came to the easy conclusion that Hyungwon wasn't here either. That left only one other area unexplored. You warily ascended the staircase, not exactly knowing what to expect.

Emerging into the open-plan living area, you looked around. No discarded pills littered across the kitchen counters. There was no mess around the couch either. Had Hyungwon tidied up after you all had left? With your heart thudding painfully in your chest, you approached the bathroom. You peeked inside. Absolutely pristine it was. Hyungwon had definitely tidied up after you'd left.

'...Hm?' You glanced over your shoulder, feeling as though you'd heard a footstep down the hall.

You moved towards where you'd last heard it, before recalling the office Hyungwon had mentioned. Haesung's office. Standing before the closed door, you took a deep breath and reached out, rapping your knuckles once, twice, against the wood.

Silence, and then: '...Who is it?'

Hearing Hyungwon's voice immediately relaxed all of the tension in your body. You wanted to collapse onto your knees and sob at that very moment. Instead, you steeled your nerves, saying:

'It's me.'

'...Come in.'

You tentatively rested your hand on the doorknob, twisting and pushing the door open to let yourself in. Across from you, standing behind Haesung's office desk, was Hyungwon. He appeared tired and dishevelled, looking pale as his slender fingers tinkered with the wristwatch he was carrying in his hands.

...That goddamn wristwatch.

'Hyungwon,' you began softly.

'I shouldn't be surprised that you came back,' he interrupted, just as softly. His eyes didn't meet yours as he spoke. 'Have you come to deliver me more bad news?'

'No, I-'

'Has Kihyun died too then?'

'Hyungwon-'

'Jooheon's dead isn't he? Did Kihyun finally die? Is that why you're here? To let me know?'

'Hyungwon stop interrupting me!' You finally exclaimed, hands balling up into tight fists at your sides. Realising you'd raised your voice, your eyes went big and you apologised. 'I... I didn't mean to shout...'

'It's okay. I understand why you did,' was his flat response.

'...I wanted to check up on you. I want to make sure you're alright.'

'Why? We haven't even been dating that long.'

Your eyes shot up to his in an instant.

'Excuse me?' You said.

'You're a complete joke,' Hyungwon continued saying, completely monotonous. 'Why do you bother? Just leave me alone.'

Gritting your teeth, you crossed the space between you two and seized his arms, jerking it, forcing him to face you.

'I love you,' you told him fiercely. 'I'm not leaving you alone! How hard is that to understand?'

With a curious tilt of his head, Hyungwon shook your hand off of his arm. He gazed away from you and down at the wristwatch he held.

'...How's Kihyun?' He asked softly.

'Stable,' you answered, hand stinging from the rejection. 'You... We should go see him. The others are there with him.'

'Not all of them,' was Hyungwon's immediate reply.

'...' You looked away from him, shoulders quivering as you recalled hearing one of the emergency medics pronounce Jooheon dead on that road, right in front of you.

Hyungwon seemed to notice your distress and calmly lifted a hand to rest on your shoulder. His hand was cold...

'It's alright,' he lied through his teeth.

You took a breath, nodding slowly as you tried to find comfort and warmth in the chill of his palm. His demeanour had become ice-cold, completely detached, but you were sure his true self was still there... somewhere...

'Y/N, you know,' Hyungwon suddenly said, lowering his hand from your shoulder back to the watch, 'I've been looking over this for a long time now.' He stroked a finger down the face of the watch. 'I can't help but get the feeling that something good will happen if I keep playing with it.'

'Something good?' You echoed worriedly, reaching out and lightly hugging his arm. 'Is it such a good idea to play with it so much though? What if it breaks...'

'It won't break,' he replied flatly.

His fingers brushed across the dials on the wristwatch, and you felt a tremor run through his body. You glanced up at him, surprised, then looked back down, realising that he was... he was... turning the dial?

'Hyungwon...?' You started saying, feeling uneasy.

He was turning the dial the other way around, and the two of you watched as the four numbers on the face of the watch began to rapidly count backwards.

'Something good will happen,' Hyungwon was whispering to himself as you clutched tighter onto his arm.

'Hyungwon, something doesn't feel right,' you pleaded with him. 'Please sto-'

The lamp on Haesung's office desk fell sidewards with the force that had taken you both. It blinked on and off, and on and off, and on and off...