falling into you || woosan

~60~

WOOYOUNG'S POV

As soon as we stepped out of the van, the situation was already spiraling out of control. The crowd outside the airport wasn't just fans; it was a full-on mob. Cameras were flashing non-stop, and the noise was overwhelming. San and I exchanged a look—this was going to be a nightmare.

We tried to stay close, but the moment we stepped inside, everything went to hell. The paparazzi and so-called fans surged forward, cameras shoved in our faces, people shouting our names like we could possibly respond in this chaos. The crowd was relentless, and security was nowhere to be seen.

I felt San's hand slip out of mine as the crowd pushed us from every direction. "San!" I shouted, but my voice was lost in the noise. I tried to push through, but I was shoved back hard. My foot caught on something—someone's bag, maybe—and I went down. The floor was cold and unforgiving as I hit it, and for a second, all I could think was how I needed to get up, to find San, to not get trampled by the swarm around me.

I scrambled to my feet, my heart pounding as I looked around frantically. I couldn't see San anywhere. Hands were pulling at my clothes, my hair, anything they could grab onto.

I caught a glimpse of Mingi a few feet away, but before I could call out to him, I saw someone yank his jacket right off his shoulders, disappearing into the crowd with it. Mingi didn't even try to get it back—he was too busy trying to protect himself from the people grabbing at him. His face was a mix of shock and anger as he shoved through the mob, his eyes searching for Yunho.

I felt the anxiety creeping in, but I tried to push it down. We've dealt with crowds before—fans, paparazzi, you name it—but this time, it was different. It was overwhelming. As the crowd surged around us, pushing and pulling in every direction, the noise, the flashes, the hands grabbing at me—it all started to close in.

I was being pulled further into the mob, the fear started to build, rising in my chest like a wave I couldn't stop. My breath started coming in short, panicked gasps, and the world around me seemed to blur as the anxiety took hold.

Where was San? Was he okay? My mind raced with the worst possibilities, and the fear clawed at me, making it hard to think, hard to breathe. I tried to push forward, to find him, but I was yanked backward, my jacket nearly torn off as someone pulled at it with relentless force.

I felt myself start to spiral, the anxiety turning into something sharper, something I couldn't control. My chest tightened painfully, and it felt like the walls were closing in, even though we were in the middle of a wide-open airport. My vision started to tunnel, the edges darkening as the panic took over.

Just when I thought I was going to collapse right there, I felt a strong hand grab my arm and pull me back. I turned, disoriented, to see Jongho's face. "Wooyoung, are you okay?" he shouted, but I couldn't respond. My heart was racing too fast, my breath coming in shallow, rapid bursts.

The crowd around us kept pushing, pulling, and the panic was still clawing at me, making it impossible to think straight. "I—I can't—" I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out right. My hands were shaking, and I felt like I was about to break down completely.

Before I could completely lose it, someone else grabbed my other arm and pulled me away from the worst of the crowd. It was Seonghwa, his face set in determination. "Wooyoung, breathe," he said firmly, but I could barely hear him over the roaring in my ears. "Look at me—focus on me. We're getting out of this."

I tried to do as he said, to focus on his voice, but my mind was racing too fast, my thoughts jumbled with fear and the overwhelming need to find San. Where was he? Was he hurt? The thought of something happening to him, of not being there when he needed me, made the panic surge even more.