SEVENTEEN | SICKFICS - HURTFICS

MinWon | Sepsis/Car Accident Part II

Mingyu's heart raced as the cab sped through the streets of Seoul, the city's lights blurring by in streaks of gold and white. His grip on the seat was tight, knuckles white, eyes darting nervously between the rearview mirror and his phone, which still showed no updates from Seungcheol or Jeonghan. He was desperately trying to keep his breathing steady, to focus on the one thing that mattered: getting to Wonwoo.

He thought of him constantly-the faint, feverish warmth of his boyfriend's hand in his own, the soft, fragile tone of his voice in their last conversation. Just hold on, Wonu, he silently prayed, every minute of the journey feeling heavier, the seconds stretching out like hours.

His phone buzzed, but when he grabbed it, he saw it was a message from Jeonghan, asking him to be careful-nothing more. There was still no concrete update. Mingyu's heart skipped a beat, but there was no time to dwell on it. The hospital was just a few blocks away now. Just a few more minutes. He could make it.

His mind kept spinning back to the image of Wonwoo, unconscious and pale on the couch. The thought of being too late made him want to scream, but he couldn't-he needed to stay calm, needed to get to him before it was too late.

The cab turned sharply onto a busy intersection, the driver honking loudly at the honking horns of other cars. Mingyu barely noticed.

The truck appeared out of nowhere.

It was massive-one of those heavy-duty vehicles, barreling through the intersection without any sign of slowing down. The screech of tires and the blinding headlights came too fast. The cab driver shouted a warning, but Mingyu barely had time to process it before the world exploded into chaos.

*Bang.*

The sickening sound of metal twisting and crumpling filled the air as the truck's front end collided violently with the side of the cab. Mingyu's body was slammed against the door, his head snapping back violently. Pain exploded in his skull, his vision blurring, the sounds of the crash muffling all other thoughts. For a brief, dizzying moment, everything seemed to freeze.

And then there was nothing.

Mingyu didn't know how long he had been unconscious. His body felt heavy, his limbs numb. His mind swam in and out of darkness, the edges of his awareness blurred and distant. His chest rose and fell slowly, each breath coming easier than the last, but the sharp ache in his head refused to go away.

He tried to move, but his muscles felt like they were made of stone. Every inch of his body screamed in protest. His eyelids fluttered open, the light too bright, blinding him.

For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

But then-he remembered. Wonwoo.

His heart gave a desperate lurch as he struggled to open his eyes, forcing them to focus. He could hear distant voices. Muffled conversations. Something about ambulances, something about needing to stabilize him.

"Wonwoo..." he breathed, his voice a weak rasp, barely audible over the sounds of the chaos around him. His hands trembled as he tried to reach for his phone again, but it was out of his reach. His thoughts, though disjointed and cloudy, were clear on one thing.

He had to get to Wonwoo.

With all the strength he could muster, Mingyu forced his body to move, shifting slowly, painfully. He heard a muffled voice near him, but it didn't register. His eyes fluttered again, everything spinning, pulling him back into the darkness, and in the last fleeting moment of consciousness, Mingyu's mind was filled with only one thought: Please, let me get to him.

In the hospital, Seungcheol and Jeonghan were standing outside the emergency room, waiting anxiously. The minutes dragged by like hours. Seungcheol kept pacing, unable to sit still, each passing moment feeding the anxiety gnawing at him. His phone buzzed-an update from the hospital staff about Wonwoo's condition-but it didn't ease the worry. He wasn't allowed in yet. There was still no word from Mingyu.