This Day | Gyuhao (Threequel to Youth & The Aged)

- 33

| Chapter Thirty - Three — Back where it started (even if i don't want to be) |

"Wait, wait, wait, wait—" Minghao repeats it like a mantra, resisting as much as he can as he's dragged down the hall like a rag doll, the men holding him acting as if they were puppets on strings, like robots who acted as if Minnie and Shuhua were the remote controls.

He can feel his skin bruising under their touch, his legs flying up and kicking nothing as he tries to get away, hands gripping every doorframe they pass, only to fail and leave the scrape of his attempts of freedom in the drywall.

"P-Please! I listened to you all and did what you asked!"

"Yeah, and you're a dumbfuck for doing so." One of the guys laughed.

Minghao just wanted to protect his family.

He knew the risks, knew that something might've happened from coming here. He was right.... but he'd listen to himself, he'd take his own advice that he'd fight until his last breath, that he'd try and break free as much as he could, using the desperation for seeing Mingyu and his kids as fuel.

"Stop fucking fighting us." A hand squeezed his arm harder, a leg coming up to kick him in the back of the knee. Minghao loses his footing momentarily, falling to the concrete only to be picked up again and dragged all the same, "Just accept it."

Accept death.

Minghao wouldn't.

He'd rather die than die... as funny as it sounded.

But it seems like all his confidence fades into nothing as soon as they make it outside, the rain hitting his face, feeling like heaven's tears. He thinks Umji's watching him from up there, knowing there's not anything she could do but cry for him.

"No! No!" Minghao spots his parents' car. It's just across the lot, sitting right next to the forest. He knows there's a really sharp cliff down there, knows that they put the car there on purpose just in case he didn't die on first impact, having another opportunity to get crushed amidst rolling down the hill.

Minghao grips the doorframe for his life, holding on tightly, hissing in agony when he just gets hit and kicked even more. The physical pain doesn't hurt as much as the emotional.

"Let go, goddamn it!"

"You're a fighter, aren't ya?" The other man hums, clicking his tongue, "You're just like Sunoo-yah." Even when Minghao pales, the man continues, "But nobody's like Sunoo.... he's my perfect little angel. Nobody compares."

"You—" Minghao whines, still holding on, "You know S-Sunoo?"

"Of course I do." The man grins, eyes doe like. He looks like bambi, "We met here after all.... even gave him a ring and everything only for him to leave me." The man sighs, frowning, "So sad. I'll get him back though. Tonight, he'll be here. With all of your friends too. Isn't that so exciting, Minghao?"

"Stop rambling Heeseung hyung, we gotta get him in there." The second man says.

'Heeseung' sighs, smiling, "That's Jake if you care."

"I don't." Minghao spits, saliva slipping down Heeseung's cheek, mixing with the rain.

Heeseung laughs, wiping his face in surprise "You fucking piece of—" Minghao's face flies to the side as Heeseung hits him, knees buckling and fingers involuntarily slipping from the doorframe, giving Heeseung and Jake access to dragging him again.