The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

59 🕸️

3rd person pov.
Seungmin sat in his room, the letter from Jungmin lying open on his lap. He had read it several times before, but still couldn’t stop going back to those words. Every letter seemed to burn him from the inside, reminding him of everything he had lost.

"Seungmin... I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I know you hate me, but I had to do this. I wanted to protect you. You always deserved something better than what we were given. Our parents... I know you’ll want to know the truth. But please, don’t go down the same path I did. Don’t let them pull you in. You’re stronger than I was. Please, find your life and be happy."

His hands trembled as he scanned the lines again. Each time he read the letter, a wave of emotions hit him – sadness, anger, regret, even guilt. But now, for the first time, he felt something else – understanding.

He realized his anger toward his brother had been unjust. Jungmin hadn’t left because he wanted to. He left because he had to. Their parents dragged them both into that nightmare. It was because of their choices that Jungmin had to sacrifice everything.

Seungmin put the letter on his desk and rested his forehead in his hands.

"I hate them..." he whispered, feeling the tears spill down his cheeks. "But you... you just wanted to protect me."

After a moment, he stood up, walked to the shelf, and grabbed the photo frame with a picture of him and Jungmin, from a time when everything seemed simple. He looked at his brother’s smiling face and felt something break inside.

"I promise, Jungmin. I promise I won’t let your sacrifice be in vain," he said quietly, holding the frame in his hands.

The room fell silent. But in that silence, something new was there – a decision.

≈🎃≈

Seungmin sat on the couch, feeling his heart race faster with each passing second. Around him were Jisung, Felix, Hyunjin, and Jeongin – all looking at him with a mix of concern and curiosity.

"So, are you finally going to tell us what’s been bothering you?" Jisung asked, trying to lighten the mood, but his voice sounded more like a forced joke than something meant to calm the situation.

Seungmin sighed, feeling the tension building inside him. Finally, he looked at Jeongin, who nodded as if to say, Go ahead, I’m here for you.

"Listen, what I’m about to tell you is going to sound… unbelievable," Seungmin started, barely managing to get the words out.

Hyunjin furrowed his brow. "Seungmin, you’re forgetting we’ve known each other for years. Whatever this is, we can handle it," he said, although there was tension in his voice.

Seungmin took a deep breath. "It’s about my brother. About Jungmin... and my parents."

Felix looked up, watching him with curiosity. "What about them?" he asked cautiously.

Seungmin turned his gaze away, not wanting to see their reactions. "Jungmin… he died because they dragged him into something he couldn’t escape from," he finally said. "A cult."

Silence fell, only broken by Hyunjin. "What?" he asked, clearly shocked. "A cult? How…?"

"I don’t know everything, but I know our parents were involved," Seungmin quickly said before anyone could interrupt. "Jungmin tried to escape, but… he didn’t make it."

Jeongin leaned forward, looking him straight in the eyes. "Why are you telling us this now?"

Seungmin shrugged, feeling his voice crack. "Because I didn’t know if anyone would believe me."

≈🎃≈

Seungmin sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his friends who stood before him with uncertain expressions on their faces. Everything he had spoken about in the past few days – the cult, what he had seen, what he had felt – was starting to sound like some unbelievable story, something easier to dismiss than to believe.

Jeongin spoke first, his voice full of doubt. "Seungmin, this really sounds like something out of a movie. I don’t know… I can’t wrap my head around it."

Seungmin felt his frustration rising. Once again, he was facing the same questions, the same doubts that hurt him. This wasn’t a fairy tale; this wasn’t something he made up to get their attention. He hoped they would finally believe him, but their reaction felt like a bucket of cold water.

"Why are you even asking about this?!" he exploded, standing up quickly and glaring at them. "Don’t you get what’s happening? If all this is a lie, why would I even tell you anything?!"

Hyunjin stood next to Jeongin, trying to calm the situation, though his voice still sounded doubtful. "I’m not saying you’re lying, Seungmin, it’s just… this is too weird. Everything you’re saying sounds like… a movie. Maybe you’re exaggerating? Maybe you’re just misunderstanding it?"

Seungmin felt his heart race faster, anger flooding through him. He looked at his friends, who still couldn’t believe him, even though he was telling them what he had lived through. This wasn’t "maybe." This was something that couldn’t be ignored.

"So what? Do you want me to show you recordings? Bring you evidence? Do you really want that?!" he asked, his voice trembling with emotion, unable to hold back his anger.

Jeongin looked at him calmly, as if trying to find the right words to smooth things over. "Calm down, Seungmin, it’s just... it doesn’t sound like you think it does. It’s just too hard to believe, okay?"

Seungmin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. His anger only grew. He felt like everyone in his life was starting to ignore him. Once again, he was alone in all of this, alone in his fight. Once again, no one believed him.

"Fine, you don’t believe me, that’s great!" he yelled, his voice filling the room. "Maybe you’ll finally understand that I don’t have to do this alone! Why should I even care? You always doubt me, you never help, you never believe! You’re all just like them!"

Before anyone could respond, Seungmin turned and headed for the door. He stopped for a moment, not looking at his friends. He left the room, slamming the door behind him.