왜...?(Why...?) Hyunjin x SKZ

.4._A Broken Reunion_

A Broken Reunion

Disclaimer:

English is not my native language, so sorry for any upcoming mistakes.
There may be some swearing, but not much.
The phrases or texts between '_____' are their thoughts.
At first, Hyunjin is still passed out and he remembers a scene that happened when he was young. It's all in his thoughts until Seungmin wakes him up.

=> If you're uncomfortable or dislike these elements, please consider not reading.

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'Darkness wraps around Hyunjin like a thick blanket, pulling him deeper into a suffocating void. He cannot see anything, but he can feel—oh, he can feel. A crushing weight presses against his chest, heavy and unyielding, like an invisible hand squeezing his heart, cutting off his breath. Panic claws at him, his mind swirling with fragmented thoughts.

'Where am I?'

His own voice sounds distant, as if muffled by the fog clouding his mind. He grasps desperately at the fragments of memory slipping through his fingers like sand, searching for something to hold onto. A faint light flickers far away, and he reaches for it with all his might, a silent plea for a lifeline. But the light vanishes, leaving him with only shadows in its wake.

Then, out of the darkness, he hears it: a voice—deep, authoritative, and laced with a seething anger. His heart clenches, dread pooling in the pit of his stomach like ice.

"You are no longer welcome here! Leave my sight!"

His father's voice. The words strike him like a physical blow, stealing the breath from his lungs. He is a child again, small and fragile, standing in the pouring rain just outside the towering castle gates. The cold is relentless, seeping into his bones, and the rain pounds against him like shards of glass, each drop stinging his skin.

King Hwang stands before him, his tall figure imposing, his face a mask of fury. Hyunjin's heart races, the fear coursing through him like a vice grip tightening around his chest.

'Why is he so angry? What did I do wrong?'

He wants to speak, to ask for forgiveness, to beg to be allowed back into the castle where it is warm and safe. But his voice is lost, drowned in the roar of the storm. The guards beside his father shift uneasily, their expressions blank, as if trying to ignore the cruelty unfolding before them.

"No, please..." he whispers, but the rain swallows his words whole.

The guards move, their hands cold and unforgiving as they seize his arms. He tries to resist, but he is too small, too weak against their strength. They drag him through the mud, away from the gates, away from the only home he has ever known. His knees scrape against the wet ground, splashing mud onto his face, the sting mixing with the icy rain.

'Please, no... I want to go home...'

But there is no mercy in their eyes, no compassion in their grip. They push him farther into the storm, the castle gates slamming shut behind him with a deafening thud that echoes through the night—a sound that seals his fate.

The rain is merciless, icy drops pelting his skin, mingling with his tears. The cold digs deeper, penetrating his bones, a chill that reaches beyond the physical into his very soul. He shivers violently, his small frame shaking as he tries to curl in on himself, desperate for any warmth.