Things we keep in the dark | minsung

📖the big news

Jisung had slept over again, Sunday morning was quiet. The birds didn't sing, the city fell silent. Only Jisung's soft breath on Minho's collar mattered, the rest remained a blur.

"Do you think...you could drive me home today..." the younger one brushed his fingers across his chest, looking up to match his eyes.

"I thought you didn't want to go?"

"I don't. But...my school stuff is in there, I need it for tomorrow."

"I see." He said flatly, nodding. "We can go when ever you'd like."

<3

After they had eaten, both sat in the car, the radio spiralling on random songs. Jisung had opened the window and laid his head on the side, taking in the wind, even if his hair want everywhere. They drove for a few minutes, watching the buildings go by, soon reaching smaller houses, until they didn't look like houses, more like small squares one by the other.

"How long have you lived here...?"

"Since I can remember."

There was spray paint on every building, every surface. Trash looked like it was picked up once a year, the streets filled with muddy newspapers and old cans.

"We're not so far, it's the house with the blue roof." Jisung pointed and Minho had to squint his eyes to see it. Once he did, he drove up to it and jisung stayed very still for a few seconds.

"I'll be back." He said with so much hesitation that Minho didn't believe him.

"Okay."

He stepped out of the car and watched as Jisung opened the door slowly, so not even a creak was heard. Minho stood back and tapped his steering wheel a few times, flinching at every sound he heard. It felt like hours when he waited there, not knowing how or if Jisung would ever come out.

"Damn it..." he grew impatient, scared.

As he was about to step out of the car, he watched Jisung walking towards him, a bag in hand. He got in the car and when he closed the door, he didn't speak. He only stared in front of him, an expression of pure confusion on his face.

"He wasn't there." He said lowly, but loud enough that Minho caught on.

"Isn't that a good thing...? Why do you look so upset?"

"You don't understand...he's always there." The sentence made both look ahead and wonder. Minho picked up thread by thread, piecing together what was really going on. His eyes glanced to Jisung, panicking in the most neutral of ways. One thing the younger one was good at is thinking quickly under pressure, but now he just appeared so slow.

"What does that mean?" Minho asked calmly, glancing back at the house with a blue roof. It seemed so small, so quiet.

"That something really bad is going to happen..." he shivered. "Or it already did."

<3

After they had gone back to the apartment, Minho's mind was blank. Jisung was pacing back and forth, so much that a line seemed to form on the floor. Minho wanted to know who this "he" was, why Jisung was petrified of him. It's then he pictured them again, jisung's scars, the cigarette burns.

"I know that...you don't want to talk about it...but I'm getting really concerned. Who is hurting you?"

Jisung stopped, frozen in place. He turned around to face Minho, almost with a betrayed expression on his face.

"I don't care. I won't tell you-"

"Jisung I'm hiding you under my roof from...god knows what. The least you could do is tell me what's happening with you."

"So you want something back? Is that it?" He rose his tone, but deep down they both knew, it was just the pieces falling, like broken bones aching. "There is a reason I am not telling you, or anyone, if it's the last thing I do."

Jisung headed towards the door and grabbed his bag, shoving things inside of it.

"I know what it's like." Minho walked to him and laid a few fingers on his arm. "I don't know your situation, jisung, but I do know what it's like to be hit, to be screamed at beyond reason, to never know when your next meal will be. I understand. Please, all I want is your safety."

Jisung looked at him one more time and shook his head.

"I can't tell you..."

"Why can't you tell me?"

Jisung bit his lip, tears in his eyes.

"I don't want you to get hurt." He slipped from his fingers and opened the door, exiting the apartment with his head low. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

When the door closed, Minho stood back and crashed on his couch, rubbing his eyes until all he could see were white spots.

He looked in the corner of his eyes to see his packet of cigarettes. It's only then he noticed, he hasn't even touched it since Jisung arrived, let alone think of it. He chuckled to himself, ironically.

"God..." he said. "What a mess."

<3

Monday rolled around, classes went by, although something was clear in the school, something strange was happening. Police crowded the windows and the red and blue lights shined in the cafeteria. Students were being pulled from class at random times and return, confused.

A girl went missing, the parents were all over the news, praying that their lovely girl would be back in no time.

Only, she never would.

Minho remembered her name, she was in his class, philosophy at last period. Only, this time, her seat was empty. Everyone kept staring at it as if she would just appear. The class went on and soon, it ended. Students left, whispering about the missing girl, Alya.

When he went to his office that afternoon, footsteps followed. He couldn't even close the door before Jisung snuck in.

"We need to talk." Jisung spoke quickly and locked the door.

"Now you do?" Minho lifted a brow, scoffing.

"Listen to me. Aren't you worried at all about everything that's happening?"

"If you speak about Alta's disappearance, what troubles you?"

"The school has whispers, trust me, it's all I've been hearing all day. I heard from-, well Sophie, her friend was told by the police, who then told Richard, who then told Vincent from the football team, and then heard it in the locker room from-"

"Just tell me."

"People say she's not just 'missing'...they say they found the body."

"What?" A lump formed in his throat and they both stared at each other.

"Why do you think police are everywhere?"

"How did she...die?" Minho frowned, putting a hand on his mouth.

Jisung seemed to have chills running up and down his spine, because he flickered and lifted his shoulders.

"I don't know...and to be honest I'd rather not."

"Then what did you want to talk about?"

"Don't you understand yet?" Jisung walked to him. "She has not been seen since Friday afternoon."

"Which means...." Minho widened his eyes.

"You were the last person to see her alive."