just pretend.

39.

Minho jolted awake from a loud thud, his heart racing as the abrupt noise pulled him from the depths of sleep. Next to him, Seungmin groaned groggily, his face buried in the pillow. “Did Felix drop something again? I swear to god, that boy is clumsy”, Seungmin mumbled, his words muffled against the fabric. His breath was warm near Minho’s ear, and despite the startle, Minho couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Seungmin’s sleepy grumble. The comfort was short-lived, though, when the bedroom door flung open with a crash, causing Minho to sit bolt upright, gasping as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. Felix stood in the doorway, his face a mask of urgency and anger. “Sorry to interrupt, but you gotta come into the living room now!” His voice was breathless, and beneath the anger was an edge of panic that set Minho instantly on edge. Minho's gaze darted to Seungmin’s, both of them instantly alert, their shared concern unspoken but palpable in the air between them. Without wasting a second, Seungmin tossed the blanket aside, helping Minho out of bed. His legs felt unsteady, still shaky from sleep, but Seungmin’s steady grip kept him upright as they hurried down the hallway. “What happened?”, Minho’s voice was hoarse, his throat tight as his mind raced through the possibilities. The anxiety nagged at his insides, tightening his chest with each passing second. As they rounded the corner and stepped into the living room, Minho’s eyes scanned the room quickly, seeking out Felix, but instead, his gaze landed on Hyunjin. The anger etched on his friend's face made Minho’s stomach churn. “Hyunjinnie?”, Minho mumbled, surprise and confusion mixing in his voice as Seungmin continued to guide him into the room. The tension in the air was suffocating, pressing down on him like a weight he couldn’t shake. His eyes flickered to the couch where Chan sat, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his sweater. The sight of Chan, usually so calm and composed, looking so tense only made Minho’s anxiety spike higher. “What happened?”, Minho repeated, this time his voice smaller, the color draining from his face as dread began to creep in. The knot in his stomach tightened, his mind racing toward the worst possible conclusions. Every fiber of his being screamed that something terrible had happened, something that would once again turn his world upside down. “Chan has to tell you something”, Hyunjin said, not bothering to mask his fury. His voice was sharp, the anger radiating off him in waves as he paced back and forth like a caged animal, too restless to stay still. Minho turned his attention to Chan, desperately searching his face for any sign of what was coming. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before Chan looked away, his expression pained. The guilt radiating from him was almost palpable, and Minho’s heart began to race even faster. “Channie, what’s going on?”, Minho’s voice cracked, barely holding back the growing panic. He needed answers, needed something to hold onto before the rising tide of fear swallowed him whole. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension, and he could feel his grip on Seungmin’s waist tightening, his body instinctively bracing for the worst. “I know what happened to Jisung”, Chan finally mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. He swallowed hard, the words heavy with the weight of what they carried. Minho felt the air leave his lungs. His heart stopped for a beat, then began hammering in his chest as the room around him started to blur. His legs threatened to give way, and he clung to Seungmin, his fingers digging into his waist as if Seungmin were the only thing keeping him from collapsing. “What?” The word escaped his lips in a broken whisper, his mind struggling to process the implications. His entire world felt as though it was teetering on the edge, ready to crumble at any moment. “Tell him”, Hyunjin snapped, his voice cutting through the room like a knife. He had stopped pacing, now glaring at Chan with an intensity that made the room feel even smaller. Chan glared back, his jaw clenched tightly, his eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and guilt. “I told you I can’t tell him the whole story”, Chan bit out, his voice trembling slightly as his own anger seeped into his words. Minho’s head was spinning, the tension between Chan and Hyunjin only amplifying his confusion. He blinked at Chan, his heart in his throat, desperately trying to make sense of the fragmented pieces being thrown at him. What did Chan mean he knew what happened with Jisung? What wasn’t he telling him? Why were they all so angry, so tense? “Then tell him what you can”, Hyunjin retorted, his eyes narrowing as he stared Chan down. Minho could feel the heat between them, and the longer the silence stretched, the more his own nerves frayed. His patience was running dangerously thin, his anxiety clawing at his insides, threatening to consume him. “Please, just tell me”, Minho pleaded, his voice barely holding steady. His legs wobbled again, and Seungmin held him tighter, his presence the only thing keeping Minho from breaking down.