fever | ateez lore story

CH 17

hongjoong

I'm standing at our usual meeting spot before we head over to the warehouse to record more music. Weve been doing so well, and our music has gotten a lot more recognition! Inception is becoming very popular, but Answer and The Leaders, in particular, seem to be people-favourite.

-"Hongjoong-ah!"

Hongjoong-ah?

When Wooyoung reaches the bottom of the campus stairs, I throw a hand to the back of his head lightly, clicking my tongue against my teeth.

"Hongjoong-ah? How many times do I need to tell you to greet me formally?" I tease, knowing deep down, I really don't care about dynamics. It's just funny teasing Wooyoung like this.

"Bro, is it ever that deep?" He sighs, rubbing the impacted area with a hiss. I flinch as he lunges forward slightly with a puff of air, watching as Jongho catches the basketball after hitting him bullseye on the back.

"I worry for your partners' parents in the future. Don't want you greeting them as sis and bro when you ask for your partner's hand, isn't that right, Hongjoong-hyung?" Jongho teases, bouncing the basketball with a smug smile on his face. Wooyoung only laughs as his eyes roll around, looking for San like a lost child. The others approach together, but I notice something.

I do my usual mental headcount; 7?

"Why's there only 7 of us? Is Mingi still on his way?" I ask, watching as everyone looks around, as if Mingi was just right behind them. I doubt it, the campus is almost empty with people, and Mingi should've appeared by now.

"I saw him run out the back of the class once the bell rang. I don't know where he went, though." Yeosang said. Yunho looked down at him with slight worry, his broad shoulders tensing underneath his white school shirt.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"Yunho?" I say, watching as the golden-retrievers eyes fill to the brim with discontentment, almost as if his brain is trying to calm itself down.

"See you there later, Song." he mumbles, only adding fuel to the confusing fire that burned between us.

"Huh? What are you saying, Yunho?" Seonghwa queried, watching Yunhos every tense movement. I step forward, catching Yunhos eye in a plead for him to say exactly what he said earlier.

"See you there later, Song. That's what Min-J said to Mingi earlier today after he provoked San." Yunho explains.

"What does there even mean? That could be anywhere in this city. And why would they be seeing each other? They're the last people they wanna see after school so why..." Wooyoung's detective mode switches on, which has us thinking about the whole thing, too.

I don't understand. Mingi and Min-J have been doing well after I spoke to Min-Js parents about his behaviour. What stupid move are they pulling now? And why hasn't Mingi told us anything?

"There'...the warehouse?" Yunho questions calmly, almost too calmly that it scares the daylights out of me. Of all places, why would they meet in our warehouse? Our escape from reality? Our home?

No one shares a word, until Yunho breaks into a sprint and heads into the direction of the warehouse. Wooyoung follows suit, then San, and then the rest of us.

The more aggravated steps I take, the more my heart beats, the more scared I become. Not scared for me and what I may end up running into, but for Mingi. He's been doing so well. Why now? Why now does he decide to fuck up?

---

We reach the warehouse, and the gate is opened a crack, the chain hanging loose as when I first found the place. The thudding of our footsteps stop as we hear squelching, groaning, crying and hitting being heard from inside. I don't think twice before I run inside, finding Mingi towering over Min-J, who is drenched in his own blood and sweat, clambering onto nothing, lying on the concrete floor like a dying man. I feel my stomach bubble, resisting the urge to throw up.

"This, is me, Min-J. You were so curious before. You got your fucking answer." Mingi's intimidating, bassy-voice bounces off the metal walls of the building, his attention not wavering at the suffering boy in front of him. All of us are too stunned to say anything as we watch the scene unfold.

Mingi hails a hard blow to Min-J's torso with his large foot, the blooded man folding in on himself with a shaky wail leaving his mouth. Wooyoung whimpers in shock and his hands fly to his mouth, loud enough to draw Mingi's attention. I can see from metres away, his body tensing. His eyes scan the state of each and every one of us, and we can only watch as he pulls an earbud from his ear slowly, almost like wed shoot him if he moved any faster.

"What are you doing?" I say weakly. The room is silent, other than the painful suffering of Min-J's cries filling the quiet air.

"Mingi, I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry. This time I really am." Min-J insists, his limbs unfolding and his hands in the air, asking for a truce. Mingi rips his attention away from us and back down to his victim, leaning over and gabbing the shirt of his collar and forcing him to his knees. Min-J lets out another cry, his hands wrapping around Mingi's, trying to pry them away from his shirt.

I've seen Min-J play victim too many times in the past, but this time, he's fearing for his life. He's not just scared, he's petrified. It's the same way people beg God for forgiveness.

"Mingi!" I hear San call out weakly from behind me. 

"You're sorry? Do you know what you've done to me? My friends? My life? An apology is not gonna cut it. An apology is not gonna fix the shit you've put me through!" before Mingi hails another blow, I decide that this is enough.

-"Song Mingi!"