The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

52 🕸️

3rd person pov.
Frosty evening. The streetlights spilled their glow over the empty road, and Jungmin stood by an old warehouse, staring down at the ground. It was cold, but the sweat on his neck reminded him of the weight of the moment.

"Don't just stand there like a fool, get over here," said one of the men, who seemed to be leading the group. He was tall, lean, with a cross-shaped scar marking his face. The rest of the men stood silently in the back.

Jungmin didn't move immediately. His heart pounded like a hammer, and all he could hear in his mind were his father's words from the night before.

"It's just a formality, Jungmin. You have to show you're one of us. Remember, you're doing this for the family."

Family? Was that really true? The thought of Seungmin, sleeping in his room, peaceful and unaware of what was happening, wouldn't leave his mind.

"Hey, are you listening?" The man's voice grew sharper. "If you don’t have the guts to do this, then maybe you should go back to your daddy's knees."

That snapped him out of it. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"What exactly do I need to do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Relax, kid. It’s just a loyalty test," the man replied with a smile that resembled a predator's grimace. He pulled a small package wrapped in gray paper from his pocket and handed it to Jungmin.

"Take it to this address," he pointed to a piece of paper stuck to the package. "And make sure you deliver it with no questions."

Jungmin glanced at the package, then back at the man.

"What’s inside?"

"Not your business," someone from the group growled. "Just do it."

He knew he had no choice. He took the package and turned towards the road. As he walked, he could feel the weight of the group's gazes on his back. Despite the cold, his hands were sweating.

He reached the indicated address – an old residential building with a peeling façade. A light flickered in one of the windows, as if it were about to go out. He took a deep breath and entered.

The hallway was silent, broken only by the hum of an old radiator. The door marked with the address on the package was ajar. Jungmin hesitated for a moment but then knocked.

"Come in," a low voice came from behind the door.

He opened it and stepped into the dim room. An older man sat at a desk, his face hidden in the shadows.

"It's from them," Jungmin said, handing over the package.

The man studied him for a moment, then looked at the package. His smile was strange, cold.

"I knew they'd send you. Your father was always good at manipulating people," he said, placing the package on the desk.

Jungmin didn’t respond. His mind was full of questions: Who was this man? What did he have to do with his family? But he knew he couldn’t ask.

"You can go now," the man said, waving his hand toward the door.

When Jungmin left the building, he felt relief, but only for a moment. He knew this was just the beginning.

Go home and pretend nothing happened? Or maybe tell Seungmin the truth?

These thoughts kept him restless as he returned to the warehouse to report to the group.

≈🎃≈

Jungmin glanced nervously at Chan, who sat next to him, clearly waiting for someone to start the conversation. He immediately noticed that, despite his younger appearance, there was something about this boy that made him impossible to ignore. Of course, Jungmin didn’t know him well, but he saw it in the eyes of others – Chan was treated with respect, and even though he was younger, he was considered someone with power.

Families chatted in the background, discussing organizational matters, but Jungmin felt as if all the words were flowing past him, as if he were on a different level of conversation. He knew that what was about to happen had nothing to do with what he had known. The whole situation was too… complicated.

"Hey," he finally said to Chan, trying to pull himself out of his own thoughts. "So... how do you feel about all this?"

Chan looked at him for a moment, as if wondering whether the question was sincere or just a formality.

"How do I feel?" Chan smiled slightly. "It’s strange. You know, I wasn’t sure if this was even going to happen. I thought everything would go differently. But now... now I just have to move forward."

Jungmin felt those words hit his heart. For Chan, this must have been a difficult decision, just like for him. But what was happening was beyond their control. Both of them knew they couldn’t back out anymore.

"I get it," Jungmin said, glancing at his father and Chan’s parents. "Guess there’s no turning back, huh?"

Chan nodded. "No, there’s not. There’s always a moment when you have to take a step forward, even if you’re not sure what’s going to happen."

Jungmin felt something stir inside him. It was the same courage he had seen in his parents’ eyes, the same determination that had driven them to join this sect. And although he knew it wouldn’t be easy, he felt there was no other way.

"So, what now?" he asked. "What are your plans?"

Chan was silent for a moment, staring at the floor as if contemplating his response. Finally, he looked up.

"First, we all need to unite here. In this sect, cooperation is key. But after that... we’ll see what happens. Every step will bring us closer to our goal."

Jungmin felt how this conversation changed his perspective. Yes, they were in the same situation, but the path they had chosen wasn’t easy or clear. He felt that, in this moment between them, a bond had formed, one that might have been unexpected but necessary to survive in this world filled with secrets and danger.

"Guess that’s all we need to know, right?" Jungmin asked, trying to hide his doubts.

Chan nodded. "Yeah. For now, we just need to trust each other. That’s the only thing we can do."

Before they could continue their conversation, the parents began gathering, talking about the next steps. But in that moment, between them, Jungmin felt like something had shifted. He didn’t know exactly what, but he had the feeling that this was just the beginning of something that would irreversibly change his life.

️🕸️🕸️🕸️

Movie suggestion: Halloween: Resurrection (2002)