Waiting To Bloom (BL)

Chapter 29

Terrified beyond words, my eyes stayed fixated on the devastating scene unfolding before me. The acrid scent of smoke lingered in the air as I witnessed the solemn procession of paramedics wheeling three covered bodies away from the charred remains of the house. My hands trembled as I stumbled off the gurney, the impact of the moment making my heart race with fear and despair. Struggling to compose myself, I made my way towards the paramedics, only to be halted by a stern-faced cop, his expression mirroring the gravity of the situation.

In a voice choked with anguish, I pleaded desperately, "Please, can you assure me that none of those souls belong to him? Jun-Myeon! tell me it's not him in those body bags!" The intensity of my emotions threatened to overwhelm me, each moment stretching into an eternity of uncertainty and dread.

The paramedic's face was a mask of pure terror as he slowly approached me, his eyes filled with an unspoken burden. With a trembling hand, he presented me with Jun-myeon's School ID card, and my heart clenched in agony. Taking the card from him, time seemed to grind to a halt as my eyes fell upon the charred, half-melted remains. The realization hit me like a sledgehammer, and I was consumed by a wave of overwhelming grief and horror.

In a moment of sheer desperation, I collapsed to the ground, my anguished cries filling the air. It was then that a gentle hand landed on my shoulder, grounding me in the midst of my turmoil. I turned to see Sebastian's bewildered expression, his eyes searching mine for answers in the midst of the chaos.

"Where is Jun?" Sebastian's voice broke through the haze of my despair, his concern palpable as he knelt beside me. With a trembling hand, I extended the ruined ID card towards him, my fingers barely able to maintain their grip. As Sebastian accepted the card, a flicker of emotion crossed his stoic features, his usual facade of strength momentarily faltering as sorrow etched lines of pain across his face.The weight of guilt bore down on me like a crushing weight, threatening to suffocate me with its unbearable heaviness.

"Sebastian, it's all my fault," I whispered brokenly, the words heavy with self-condemnation. In that moment, the flickering flames of the fire that had ravaged Jun-myeon's ID card seemed to mirror the inferno of guilt and regret that consumed me from within.

Sebastian's hands trembled as he clutched the charred remnants of the ID card, a tangible memento of the catastrophic events. With a steely resolve, he gently lifted me from the ground, enfolding me in the comforting embrace of Jun's Basketball Jacket, a garment imbued with the scent of Jun giving some comfort.

"I have to get you out of here now," Sebastian's voice, laced with both tenderness and urgency, pierced through the cacophony of sirens and shattered glass. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I struggled to contain the overwhelming wave of sorrow and heartbreak crashing against my fragile emotional defenses.

Sebastian guided me to the waiting car, a temporary sanctuary from the pandemonium that threatened to engulf us. The flashing lights of law enforcement cast an eerie glow over the scene as a stern-faced officer attempted to intercept our departure.

"I need to question him at the station to ascertain the events that transpired here," the authoritative voice of the officer resonated in the tense air. Ignoring the official's demands, Sebastian closed the car door with a resolute click, shielding me from further intrusion.

Sebastian's voice remained steady as he reassured the officer, "I will bring him to the station after he gets checked at the hospital." With a solemn nod, the officer acknowledged his words and turned his attention back to the haunting scene of the burnt house, a place of unimaginable terror where I had been held captive for what felt like an eternity.

In the midst of the chaos, Risha suddenly rushed to my side, enveloping me in a tight embrace, her tears flowing freely. The weight of her emotions hit me like a wave, a stark reminder of the harrowing ordeal we had just escaped together. It was only then that I realized she had been in the car with me all along, her presence a silent source of strength amidst the turmoil of my own shattered world.