19 | minsung

48

silence enveloped them, with only the whispers of the wind being the audible sounds, accompanied by the rustling of leaves from the surrounding trees.

"you're not dating han jisung," chan said through gritted teeth, shaking minho with each word.

"because he's dead," he firmly added, reluctance evident in his voice, perhaps second-guessing whether he should share this heart-wrenching information with minho.

after those words were spoken, felix burst into tears, his sobs filling the space. hyunjin immediately embraced him in comfort, feeling himself tearing up as well. changbin hid his face in his hands, his body lightly trembling, an indication of his silent tears that he intended to keep hidden. seungmin, on the other hand, just stood there, his mouth slightly ajar as he tried to process what was unfolding before him.

when those words were thrown at him, minho remained stunned. his face showed no expression, until his features contorted into a scowl. his eyebrows knitted, and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

he harshly pushed chan away, the latter stumbling with the force of minho's actions. fortunately, the table behind chan prevented his fall. after chan collected himself with the help of seungmin, minho's outburst began. he pointed accusingly towards chan and the group.

"you! all of you are fucking liars!" he exclaimed, the intensity of his venomous voice contrasting with the gentle whisper of the wind.

tears of fury welled in minho's eyes as he continued, "I GAVE YOU GUYS THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. I CHOSE TO HEAR YOUR SIDES BEFORE BELIEVING JEONGIN." each word was punctuated by his harshly extended fingers, emanating feelings of betrayal and anger.

chan flinched at minho's sudden hostility, the rest of the group wearing confused and teary expressions as they looked at him.

minho retracted his fingers with an audible scoff, his clenched jaw indicating the simmering anger within.

"FIRST, YOU SAID HE WAS CRAZY. NEXT, YOU ACTED LIKE HE DIDN'T EXIST. AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME HE'S DEAD?! DO YOU REALLY THINK I'LL BELIEVE THIS BULLSHIT?!"

"YOU..." minho's voice trailed off, tears streaming down his face as he raked his hands through his hair in frustration.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE WORST GROUP OF FRIENDS!" he finished, the echo of his words hanging in the air before a deafening sound of skin meeting skin reverberated through the space.

minho's head was violently turned to the side with the force of the slap, his body recoiling as he attempted to process the unexpected strike. his hand instinctively flew to his warming cheek, feeling the stinging sensation.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW, MINHO? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT US THAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY THOSE WORDS?" seungmin retorted, standing before minho and shielding chan behind him. chan's tears fell uncontrollably as he watched his friends hurt each other.

"seungmin, that's enough!" changbin exclaimed, rising from his seat, attempting to defuse the escalating situation.

the tension crackled in the air as seungmin's words pierced minho's already frayed emotions. "YOU CALL US THE WORST WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, WITHOUT REALIZING THAT THE PERSON YOU'RE CALLING YOUR BOYFRIEND ISN'T EVEN ALIVE. WAKE THE FUCK UP, MINHO," seungmin snapped, his words laced with venom and an underlying sorrow.

minho's rage surged at seungmin's biting words. swiftly, he stood up, ready to retaliate. his fist swung toward seungmin, but before it landed, changbin firmly grasped his wrist, preventing the blow.

"enough!" changbin's voice boomed, his eyes intense as minho aggressively tried to break free from his hold, seething with anger.

hyunjin quickly covered felix's ears, sheltering him from the escalating scene. chan stood rooted in place, consumed by guilt.