𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

21 | You Are In Love

Seungmin nervously fidgeted with his apron as the other students in the cooking class prepared for the assessment. He glanced at the door every few seconds, hoping to see Minho stroll in any minute. But the seat beside him remained empty.

He sighed, pulling out his phone. Where are you? he texted Minho. There was no response. He tried calling, but it went to voicemail. The anxiety brewing in his chest started to grow, and he sent another message. Minho-hyung, are you okay? The exam is about to start. Still nothing.

Seungmin's brow furrowed in concern. Minho had told him that morning how excited he was to meet him in the class and ace the exam together. It wasn't like him to not show up without any explanation. Seungmin bit his lip, debating his next move, and texted Chan. Hyung, is Minho with you?

The reply came quickly. No, I haven't seen him for the past hour. Why?

Seungmin's heart sank. Something was wrong. He considered stepping out of the class to look for Minho himself, but as he packed up his stuff and was about to leave, his phone buzzed again. It was another message from Chan.

The world seemed to tilt beneath Seungmin's feet as he read the words. His blood ran cold. Without hesitation, he bolted out of the classroom, ignoring the curious glances from his peers.

-

Some time back—

Changbin had only gone to the restroom to wash his hands before heading to class. But as he pushed the door open, he froze in his tracks. There, crumpled on the cold tile floor, lay Minho. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled, his face smeared with blood, and bruises blossomed across his visible skin. Changbin could clearly make out the wheezing sound with every labored breath.

"Minho?! Oh my god!" Changbin exclaimed, rushing to his side. He crouched down, carefully tapping Minho's cheek. "Hey! can you hear me? What happened?!"

Minho's eyelids fluttered weakly, and a barely audible groan escaped his lips. He was conscious but clearly in immense pain. Panic surged through Changbin as he gently lifted Minho into a sitting position, supporting him. "Hang on, okay? I'm getting you to the nurse."

Changbin carefully helped Minho to his feet, keeping an arm around his waist to support his weight. Minho winced and stumbled, but Changbin steadied him, murmuring reassurances.

After a while of Changbin supporting almost all of Minho's weight, Minho completely collapsed into his arms, not being able to keep up anymore. He quickly lifted up the boy into his arms and hurried towards the nurse's office. Minho had been surprisingly light.

When they arrived, Changbin eased Minho onto the cot and immediately texted Chan. Found Minho hurt in the restroom. He's in bad shape. Come to the nurse's office asap.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

Chan arrived within minutes, his face pale with worry. "What happened?" he asked Changbin, his voice filled with worry.

"I don't know," Changbin said, running a hand through his hair. "I just found him lying there like that. He was barely conscious."

Chan clenched his fists, his mind racing. He watched as the nurse began cleaning the blood off Minho's face with gentle precision. Minho winced and shifted uncomfortably, though he didn't fully wake. When the nurse unbuttoned Minho's shirt to check his bruises, both Chan and Changbin winced at the sight of the angry red and bluish-purple marks covering his torso.

Just then, the door opened, and Seungmin hurried inside, his eyes wide with panic. He froze in the doorway as his gaze landed on Minho, his chest tightening at the sight of his badly hurt friend. 

Seungmin looked at Chan, his expression a mix of worry and desperation. "What happened?"

"He's hurt, but we don't know much yet."

(Before you guys ask, no, Chan doesn't know sign language, but obviously anyone could make out the 'what' sign made with your hand and even understand it in that situation)

Seungmin glanced at Minho again, his hands trembling. He moved closer until he was standing at the edge of the cot, his eyes locked on Minho's bruised face. The nurse frowned at the sudden crowding and turned to them. "I need space to work," she said firmly. "Please wait outside."

Seungmin hesitated, his body stiff with reluctance. Chan gently placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him toward the door. "Come on. Let her do her job. We'll see him as soon as she's done, okay?"

Seungmin glanced at Minho one more time before reluctantly following Chan and Changbin out of the room. Once outside, he immediately grabbed his phone, typing furiously. "What happened to him? Who did this?"

Changbin explained what he'd seen, recounting how he found Minho in the restroom. "I think someone beat him up..." Seungmin's face fell further with every word, his chest tightening painfully.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

Changbin had left after a while after telling Chan to inform him once Minho got better. He didn't know Minho that well yet and he didn't want the situation to get awkward.

A few minutes later, the nurse emerged from the office, looking frazzled. "He'll be fine, just bruises and cuts." she said briskly.

She gathered some of her stuff from inside, and then walked away muttering something under her breath, clearly annoyed. "These fights are ridiculous. They just make more work for me."

Chan and Seungmin immediately went back into the room. Minho was still unconscious, lying on the cot with a bandage on his forehead and another on his cheek. His shirt was still unbuttoned, revealing the now-cleaned bruises on his torso.

Seungmin's gaze trailed over the marks, his throat tightening as he saw the ugly wounds. But what caught his attention was that there were even more, brownish, fading bruises scattered across Minho's body—seemingly older.

He moved closer to Minho and carefully pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, covering him securely. He then gently took Minho's hand in both of his as he sat beside him. His thumb brushed over the bruised knuckles, and his chest tightened further.

Chan watched from the corner, his heart aching at the sight. A small smile played on his lips despite the situation. The way Seungmin held Minho's hand so protectively told him everything he needed to know about the younger's feelings. He was grateful Minho had someone as kind and caring as Seungmin by his side.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋

The bell signaling the end of school rang, breaking the heavy silence. Seungmin glanced at the time, his expression torn.

"You should go," Chan said gently. "Hyunjin will be waiting for you."

Seungmin shook his head, his grip on Minho's hand tightening.

"I'll stay with him," Chan reassured him. "I'll text you as soon as he wakes up."

Seungmin looked at him, still not convinced.

"And I'll take him home safely." he quickly added. "Don't worry, okay?"

Seungmin hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. It was true that Hyunjin would panic if Seungmin didn't show up in time, and that wouldn't be a nice thing to deal with. He gently brushed the back of his hand over Minho's uninjured cheek one last time. And with a final glance at Minho, he left the room, his heart heavy and his mind swirling with worry.

༺═───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────═༻

Don't worry guys I won't kill Minho yet😂