Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 29 / S2

"3...2...1 GO!" The worker did the countdown and pushed both of you slightly forward to let you both fall at the same time.
But there was a problem with the Bungee cord attached to your Harness that no one noticed at first.
And when they did notice it , it was too late.

One of the cords attached to your Harness was really loose and that caused you to fall further down than intended with a sudden jerk.
The clip of the main cord was on the verge of detaching from your harness and you still had no idea about it so you just assumed that it was normal to wobble a bit while falling.
However fortunately for you , someone had noticed it slowly ripping off of your harness.
"YN!!" You heard Ni-ki scream meters away from you but you couldn't quite understand why he suddenly shouted your name out.
You looked at him confusion as you saw him using all his strength to shift closer to you because he was also hanging by a few cords attached to his harness which limited his moves.
"WHAT?" You spoke loud enough for him to hear as you moved a bit.
The others who had already did the jump would be cheering for you but they were dead silent for some reason you had no idea of.
"DONT MOVE!!" He shouted again , his voice showing concern and seriousness.

You were hanging so low from the platform that the workers up there wouldn't hear you nor would they hear Ni-ki and his shouts.
You obeyed Ni-Ki's demands and stayed still as he moved closer to you but he was already being pulled back up meanwhile you remained where you were.
And that's when it got to your mind , that you were in the verge of loosing your own life as the cord kept on tearing.
Fear quickly spread all over your mind and you felt cold goosebumps all over your body.

With a loud tear of the cord , you closed your eyes waiting for the worst to happen but instead you felt a tight embrace quickly wrap around you holding you back from falling into the deep ocean where escaping would be impossible.
Tears of fear and relief both fell down your eyes instantly as you slowly opened your eyes.

Facing the world that you almost left , you met with the eyes of the boy who had just saved your life , Nishimura Ni-ki.
"You are.. safe" Ni-Ki took a deep breath feeling relieved as you were both being pulled back upwards together.
Your mind raced with multiple thoughts of what just happened and you couldn't let go of that fear.

"Ni-Ki..." You stuttered holding onto him tightly as the tears streamed down your face uncontrollably.
"It's okay...Yn , I am here" He held you tighter making sure you felt safe in his embrace.
Soon , you were standing back at the platform of the Bungee Tower.

The worker who was responsible for your fall immediately came towards you two and started to apologise continuously feeling extremely guilty.

Ni-Ki's grip on you didn't loosen even after you reached the platform.
His arm stayed firmly wrapped around your waist as if letting go even for a second would put you in danger again.
You could feel his heart pounding against yours, mirroring the panic you both had just endured.

The worker's frantic apologies echoed around you, but you couldn't find it in yourself to respond. Your legs felt weak, and your breathing was uneven as you clung to Ni-Ki for support.

"How could this happen?" a voice suddenly interjected, sharp with anger.
It was one of your members , Ha-Eun who had ran up the hundreds of stairs when she noticed that you were about to fall into the ocean.
Her expression was a mix of fear and anger as she turned to the workers.
"You were supposed to check the harnesses before every jump! This could've ended—" Ha-Eun's voice broke, unable to finish the sentence.
She was just in an unbelievable position, she couldn't ever imagine loosing you.

Ni-Ki turned his head toward them, his expression cold and uncharacteristically stern.
"Enough" he said, his voice firm but low.
"Arguing won't change what just happened. Right now, Yn needs to rest".

He looked down at you, his gaze softening instantly. "Come on," he said gently guiding you towards a bench near the tower's edge.
His hand never left yours , helping you as you sat down.

The others gathered around, their concern evident. "Yn, are you okay?" one of them asked hesitantly but you couldn't find the words to answer.
Your mind was still replaying the moment the cord snapped, the terror of free-falling and the sensation of Ni-Ki grabbing you just in time.

You nodded slightly, but Ni-Ki answered for you : "She's shaken up, but she'll be fine." His voice held a protective edge, and you could tell he wasn't just saying it to reassure them—he was saying it to reassure himself, too.

One of the senior staff members approached cautiously, their expression apologetic.
"We'll be launching a full investigation into what happened here , Please rest assured that this is not something we take lightly" The senior staff member spoke.

Ni-Ki didn't respond, but the way he kept you close spoke volumes.
He wasn't ready to forgive or forget.

Minutes passed in tense silence broken only by the distant sounds of the ocean waves.
Finally, Ni-Ki crouched down in front of you, his hands resting on your knees.
His eyes searched yours, his worry still not disappearing from his eyes.
"Yn" he said softly, "do you want to leave? I can take you back to the hotel."

You shook your head slightly.
"I just... need a moment" you whispered, your voice hoarse.

Ni-Ki nodded, understanding.
"Take all the time you need" he said.
"I'm not going anywhere".

~ To be continued