The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

57 🕸️

3rd person pov.
Seungmin opened the door to his room when he heard a soft knock. Jungmin stood in the doorway, holding two pairs of sneakers in his hands.

“Get ready. We're going for a walk,” he said with a smile.

Seungmin raised an eyebrow. “A walk? Us? What about your mysterious activities that you always have?” he asked with a hint of sarcasm, though he took the shoes and began putting them on.

“Today I have time for you,” Jungmin replied, avoiding the question.

The boys walked down a nearby forest trail. The sun lazily filtered through the tree canopies, casting warm rays on the ground. Jungmin walked a little ahead of Seungmin, as though something was urging him to move faster, but from time to time he would glance back over his shoulder, making sure his brother was keeping up.

“I didn’t think we’d ever go to a place like this again,” Seungmin broke the silence. “Lately, you’ve had so much on your mind that I barely see you.”

Jungmin paused for a moment and turned towards him. “I know. I'm sorry. I want to make it right.”

Seungmin looked at him, surprised but also with warmth in his eyes. “You really have changed. Just a month ago, you barely exchanged a few words with me, and now…” he trailed off, not wanting to say anything that might ruin the mood.

Jungmin didn’t answer right away. A glint appeared in his eyes as if he were struggling with his emotions. Finally, he smiled and slightly changed the subject. “Do you remember when we used to come here with our parents? You would always run ahead and shout that you were going to find treasure.”

Seungmin chuckled. “Yeah. And it always ended with me either getting lost in the bushes or stepping in mud.”

“But you never gave up,” Jungmin said, looking at his brother with affection.

They walked a few more steps in silence. Jungmin seemed lost in thought, as if weighing every word he might say next.

“Seungmin…” he began quietly. “You know I’ve always wanted to be a good older brother to you, right?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, I know.”

“But sometimes I wasn’t. Sometimes I let you down.”

Seungmin stopped and looked at him carefully. “What are you talking about? Nothing happened.”

Jungmin sighed, looking away. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just glad I can spend this day with you.”

Seungmin sensed that something was wrong, but he didn’t want to press it. They both kept walking, but inside Seungmin, a vague feeling of unease started to grow, though he couldn’t explain it.

Jungmin took one last look at Seungmin’s smiling face and felt something tighten inside him. He couldn’t let his brother find out the truth. He couldn’t burden him with it.

He knew this would be one of their last days together.

≈🎃≈

Jungmin sat at the table, lighting a small lamp so as not to disturb the rest of the house. The night was quiet, and the only sounds in the room were the rustling of the pen on the paper and faint noises from outside. Though he no longer had hope for escape, he wanted to leave something behind.

He sat in thought for a moment, looking at the paper in front of him. He needed the words to be right. He began writing:

“Seungmin,

I hope that when you read this letter, you'll be able to forgive me. I know our life has never been easy, and maybe it was never how I imagined it. I always tried to protect you in my own way, but now...

I regret not telling you how much I love you. I regret not saying how scared I was. Maybe if I had been braver, maybe everything would have been different.

I remember our laughter, the moments we spent together when we were younger… I wanted you to have a better life, without any burdens. And even though that’s no longer possible, I know you’ll do better than I ever could.

Please, don’t blame yourself. For anything that happened. And don’t look for me among those who will hurt you.

I can’t explain everything to you, but know that I love you more than anything in the world. And if only… if only things had turned out differently…

Remember me.

Always yours, Jungmin”

Jungmin put the pen aside, and the paper lay in front of him, as if it were warning him about what was to come. He left the room, stopping for a moment by the door. He turned off the lamp, trying not to make any noise so as not to wake Seungmin.

The silence in the house was overwhelming, and with every step, he felt his heart beat louder. Although he had made the decision that there was no turning back, he wanted to feel his brother's closeness just one more time. He wanted Seungmin to have something that would remind him that, despite everything, they were family.

He entered Seungmin’s room, where his brother lay on the bed, covered with a blanket, with one arm sticking out from under it. The night light filtered through the curtains, casting shadows on the wall. Jungmin approached the bed, feeling his heart tighten in his chest. He looked at his brother, at his peaceful face, unaware of what was about to happen. This was the moment when, even though their paths were about to part, he wanted to stay as close as possible for as long as he could.

He couldn’t hold back the tears that started to fill his eyes. His fingers gently touched Seungmin’s brow, as if he wanted to freeze this moment forever, as if he wanted him to remember these times they spent together, the laughter, the shared plans.

“You will always be my brother, Seungmin…” he thought, looking at him for the last time. “I hope you find happiness, no matter what.”

But before he could take another step, he forced himself to reach into his pocket and pull out a small piece of paper—the letter that was meant to remain after him. He had wanted to leave it in a drawer, but something told him that someone else should give the letter to Seungmin, not him. He took a deep breath again, trying to remain calm. He looked at his brother one last time, then quietly left the room.

️🕸️🕸️🕸️

Movie suggestion: Halloween. Ends (2022)