Volcano | Bangchan

You're not alone

I don't even know how I came back home. The whole road felt like a blur. I entered the apartment to be met by Nomi. She was brandishing a pillow as a threat. "You better have a good reason for not answering your goddam –". She stopped mid-sentence when she saw my face. The pillow fell on the ground, and she rushed to me. I stopped her, not wanting any physical contact for the moment. I couldn't stop crying, and my whole mind was a mess. There was no way I could talk about it now. I managed to say a few words between my sobs : "It's done. We're done.". 

Nomi stood there, stunned. Her brain finally restarted, and she opened her arms as an invitation to hug, but I took a step back and shook my head. I quickly rushed to my room and closed the door behind me. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to let it all out. I wanted all this day not to exist. I wanted this to be just a nightmare.

Third POV

Nomi sighed, completely hopeless. She didn't have much information, but one thing was sure, she had never seen you crying this hard. She needed help. She needed the squad. The girl reached for her phone and called Seungmin.

The boys were rehearsing for almost 4 hours. They were learning the new choreo by themselves with Han, Seungmin, I.N and Lee Know. Seungmin was reproducing the steps under Minho's supervision as Han was laid down, using I.N as a pillow. Jisung whined : "Hyuuuuuung, when are we going home ?". "My ears...." I.N cried, trying once again to get rid of Han and failing once again. To say the boy was clingy was an euphemism. Lee Know replied without sparing a glare in his boyfriend's direction, too focused on Seungmin's steps : "We'll leave when Seungmin gets this right.". Indeed, the boys had the choreo right for an hour, but they were too perfectionists. It had to be perfect.

They were interrupted by the sound of Seungmin's phone. Han reached it and looked at who was calling. "It's Nomi.". Seungmin didn't budge. "She's probably trying to reach Changbin. Let it ring.". But she called again right after the last tone, which awakened his curiosity. He paused his rehearsal to pick up : "Oy Nom.".

His face changed instantly as Nomi started talking. Han stood up immediately, sensing the seriousness of their conversation. Lee Know turned off the music, tensed too. I.N frowned : "What's going on ?". Han replied, his eyes glued on the phone : "Something's wrong.". His bad presentiment became a reality. Seungmin finally looked at him and said only two words : "Code black.". Jisung didn't wait for further explanation. He gathered all his and Seungmin's stuff. Seungmin hung up after telling Nomi they were on their way. Lee Know gave a worried look at the two : "Code black... as in....". Seungmin's face was grave, he was too deep in thoughts to answer. Han replied : "Yes. Don't wait for us tonight. And don't tell anything to the others until we know what's going on.". And on that note, they left the studio to rush to the apartment.

In the car, Han asked for more information. He was more than worried. Code black had never been used before, which means the situation was concerning. Seungmin replied, as focused on the road as he could : "I don't know much. She came back home and was crying her eyes out. Nomi said she never saw her like that. She thinks Soo and Seokmin are no longer together.". They stayed silent the rest of the drive. 

Jisung was overly concerned. You had never been in a serious relationship before. And the first love story was the most painful to overcome. Seungmin wasn't really surprised. He never doubted your love for Dk, but he knew he wasn't the one for you. He knew someone else would fit you better. So, for him, it was only a matter of time before this story ended. But right now, he would only focus on his best friend, who should be devastated.

They arrived in less time than usual (let's just say Seungmin didn't drive safely), and rushed into the apartment. Ji didn't even knock and went straight into the living room. He spotted Nomi on the couch, waiting for them. Seungmin was about to speak when a muffled noise came from the bedroom. You were crying so hard that they could hear your sobs through the door. Han's heart shattered. He ran to your room, but Nomi stopped him as he was in front of the door. "Don't bother, she closed it.". Han sighed and put his forehead against the door. Hearing you cry and not being able to comfort you was breaking him. Both him and Seungmin felt so helpless.

Seung and Nomi were discussing what they could do. "She's not gonna be able to work tomorrow", "Nor the other days. She could use a week to recover.". "I'll call sick for her, telling the company that she has the flu. You-", "Yeah I'll think of something for the boys, pretending a family problem or something. I'll figure it out.". Nomi sighed : "In the meantime, you guys should go to sleep and try coming back tomorrow. Maybe she'll be mor-". They got interrupted by Han. He didn't say a word, he just sat down lotus position in front of the door. Seungmin smiled proudly and turned to Nomi : "We're not going anywhere.". Nomi didn't argue back. She knew it was no use. She unfolded the couch to make it a bed so that the boys could at least sleep a bit.

Sooki's POV

A few hours passed by. I painfully opened my eyes to check the time : 3 AM. I must have passed out from exhaustion. For a few seconds, everything felt like a nightmare. I was hoping it wasn't real, so I took my phone, hoping to have a text from Seok telling me to come back. I had many texts from Nomi, my parents, and the boys. But there was no sign of the person I was waiting for. Time to come back to reality. My throat ached, I needed to come out to drink some water. I went automatically to the kitchen, not paying attention to my surroundings.

On my way back, I noticed that the couch was unfolded. I tiptoed to see who was sleeping, and my eyes softened as I saw them. Of course, Nomi had called them. Knowing them, they probably rushed in here. But they stayed, even though I locked myself in my room. They stayed for me. I silently climbed on the couch and made my way between the two of them. I was lying face to face with Seungmin, Han on my back. Seungmin slowly opened his eyes and whispered: "Are you okay ?". I gave him a weak smile. "No. But you are here so it'll be okay.". He took my hand and stroked the back of it with his thumb. The simple gesture gave me so much comfort, it crushed the poor wall I was trying so hard to build.

I felt a tear, then two, rolling down my cheek. "He- he left me Seung... It's painful, so fucking painful..." I whispered-sobbed. Seungmin immediately squeezed me in a hug and kissed my forehead. "I know Monkey... I know...". I felt two other arms wrapping around my waist. Jisung didn't say anything, probably half-asleep, but he tucked me in a back hug. The heat and the scent of my two best friends gave me so much comfort. Right here, right now, I felt so loved. And that was exactly what I needed. As I felt my body relaxing and my eyes slowly closing, I whispered: "Thank you for being there.". Seungmin kissed my forehead once again and whispered back: "Always.".