The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

40 🕸️

3rd person pov.
Seungmin sat on a bench in the school park, staring at the ground. The images from the past few days kept swirling in his mind – what they had discovered about Chan, the secrets that were starting to form a darker picture. He wanted to escape these thoughts for a moment. He looked up at the sky, searching for the peace that never seemed to come.

Suddenly, he felt his mind drift back to the past, as if time had rewound. He felt that same coldness that had once pierced him to the bone. The memories returned with a force that wouldn’t let him forget.

It was the same day. The day everything changed.

He remembered leaving for school that morning, unaware that it would be the last time he saw his brother. They had their daily routines – they didn’t talk much, but in the silence, they drew closer. He had always been the quiet, reserved one, who hugged his family in silence.

But then, everything changed.

After school, he came home, but there was something strange in the air. The silence felt different. Instead of the usual sounds – music, conversations, footsteps – everything seemed muffled. He immediately felt that something was wrong. And then, the phone call came.

“Accident…” he heard, and his heart began to race, as if time had momentarily stopped. And then everything collapsed.

Seungmin's brother, who had always been by his side, would never return. He died instantly in a car accident. With all the chaos, all the unresolved things, the things he never got the chance to say. And the emptiness that had haunted him since that day.

“He died because it was his choice,” he repeated to himself, but that thought hurt. Deep down, he knew that there was something more he could have done that day. Maybe helped. Maybe he missed something that could have changed everything. And now, he couldn’t fix it.

For many years, Seungmin carried this emptiness inside him, never speaking of it aloud. He always felt that if he talked about it, everything he felt would become even more real. And he wasn’t ready for that.

He stood up from the bench, reminded that his thoughts were like a delayed echo – they came back when he least expected them.

“Sometimes we can’t stop the things that happen,” he whispered to himself, knowing he couldn’t change it.

≈🎃≈

Seungmin pov.
I sat on the bench, feeling the cold wind sweep through my hair. The guys were talking in the background, but their voices blended into one – I couldn’t focus on them. The image of that dream, of what I had seen, kept circling in my head.

Felix’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.

“What’s going on, Seungmin?” he asked, sitting beside me. His voice was soft, but I could sense the hint of concern.

I looked at him, then at the rest of the guys. I don’t know why, but I preferred to keep this thought to myself. Yet, I couldn’t. It was too strong to hide.

“I dreamed about my brother,” I said quietly, more to myself than to them. I kept my gaze on the ground, as if that would help me avoid their stares. “He told me someone is looking for me.”

I knew this was something that wouldn’t be easy to explain. My voice betrayed the uncertainty I felt. I didn’t know how they would take it.

Felix went silent for a moment, then asked, “Who’s looking for you?”

I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. It felt strange, like something was off about the whole situation. As if I sensed that what I had seen was important, but I didn’t fully understand it.

“I don’t know,” I finally replied, feeling my heart beat faster. “My brother… he said someone’s looking for me, but he didn’t say who. It was just… weird. Like someone knew more about me than they should have, like they wanted something from me. And I don’t know what they’re looking for.”

I looked at them, seeing their faces change to something more serious, as if, in that moment, they realized this was more than just a dream.

Jisung took a deep breath, looking at me with concern.

“Seungmin, maybe it wasn’t just a dream…” he said, his voice almost like a reminder. “Maybe someone really is looking for you. And you have no idea who that person is.”

Those words hit me like they were trying to explain something I didn’t understand. But could someone really be looking for me? And why? It all felt too strange to ignore. Maybe this dream, maybe that coldness I felt, were signs that something was approaching.

“I need to find out who that person is,” I said, feeling determination rise in my voice. I felt that what had started in my dream wouldn’t end there. There had to be something real behind it.

Jisung looked at me with concern, but didn’t try to stop me. It was as if this was something I had to do. I couldn’t ignore what I felt.

Even though Felix was saying something, his words barely reached me. For a moment, I felt like we weren’t alone, like someone was watching me, though the surroundings were silent and I couldn’t see anyone. A shiver ran down my spine, and my heart sped up. I glanced toward the darkness at the edge of the field, unsure of what to expect.

“What’s wrong with me?” I thought, trying to calm myself.

Suddenly, I felt Felix’s hand on my shoulder. His touch snapped me out of my thoughts, but the unease didn’t fade. I looked at him, trying to hide what I was feeling, but I don’t think I succeeded.

“Hey, is everything okay?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“Yes… yes, I think so,” I replied, but even to me, it sounded unconvincing.

I turned around, walking with the rest of them, but something inside me kept me on edge. I glanced back once more, into the darkness. It seemed like I saw some movement, a shadow… maybe I was just imagining things. Or maybe not?

I sighed softly and clenched my fists. I need to find out what this all means. I can’t just ignore it, I thought.

With every step I took away from the field, I felt more determined. I didn’t know exactly what awaited me, but I was going to find out. No matter how long it took.

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Movie suggestion: Smile 2 (2024)