The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

78 🕸️

3rd person pov.
Minho glanced at Jeongin with a slight raise of his eyebrow. The room was silent, the only sounds being the hum of the air conditioning and the faint tapping of a keyboard echoing from the hallway.

"So you think Seungmin was kidnapped?" he asked, though there was a note of skepticism in his voice.

Jeongin lifted his gaze, his hands tightening around the fabric of his hoodie.

"What else does it look like to you?" he replied quietly but firmly. "He didn’t come home, he’s not answering his phone, not responding to messages. That’s not normal."

Minho leaned back in his chair, silent for a moment, then looked at Jeongin intently, as if analyzing every word.

"Where was he last seen?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

"At school," Jeongin answered without hesitation. "He was supposed to go home after classes, but he never made it. He’s not answering his phone, not texting back, no one’s seen him."

Minho nodded, processing the information.

"I’ll handle it," he stated firmly.

≈🎃≈

Pain. That was the first thing he felt. A dull, pounding ache in his head, as if someone had hit him with something heavy. His eyelids felt glued shut, but he forced them open.

It was dark. Not completely—somewhere to the side, a faint, cold light seeped in, casting long shadows on the walls.

He tried to move, but his body met resistance. Something was binding his wrists and ankles—tightly wrapped, rough rope digging into his skin with every slightest movement. His heart leapt into his throat. This wasn’t a nightmare. This was real.

Swallowing hard, he tried to steady his rapid breathing. For a moment, he simply lay still, listening. It was almost entirely silent—the faint hum of an old ventilation fan and his own uneven breath being the only sounds.

“Where the hell am I?”

His eyes darted around, scanning for any details in the dim light. The walls were concrete, cracked and damp with moisture. The floor was cold and hard—probably concrete too. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and metal.

Gritting his teeth, he flexed his fingers, testing how numb they were. He hadn’t been here long, but if he didn’t find a way to get free, time could turn into his worst enemy.

He clenched his fists. He couldn’t panic. He had to get out.

≈🎃≈

The office door slammed open, hitting the wall. Minho practically stormed inside, a stack of documents in his hands, which he then slammed onto the desk with force.

"Why the hell has no one checked these documents?!" he growled, barely restraining himself from punching the desk. "I sent someone hours ago to investigate that whole tube-with-a-brain thing. Have we even gotten a response back?!"

The officer he was addressing took a small step back, visibly startled by his outburst.

"As far as I know… I don’t think so," he said cautiously. "Or I just haven’t checked yet."

Minho narrowed his eyes, his hand instinctively clenching into a fist.

"For fuck’s sake, then do it. Now."

The man nodded quickly and rushed out of the room, leaving Minho and Changbin alone.

Changbin, who had been watching the scene unfold with mild amusement, crossed his arms and leaned against the desk.

"Damn, dude, what’s got you so worked up?"

Minho shot him a cold glare but didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself, but it did nothing.

"You remember Seungmin? The one helping us with this mess?"

Changbin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"He’s missing. I don’t know if he got kidnapped or just walked off and never came back—who the fuck knows. His friend thinks it’s the work of that cult."

Changbin furrowed his brows, processing Minho’s words.

"And that’s what’s pissing you off?"

Minho gritted his teeth, his gaze sharp.

"Have you seen what they’re capable of? Because that thing is definitely not some fucking robot."

A heavy silence filled the room. Changbin sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright… so what’s the plan?"

≈🎃≈

Minho pulled the car into the parking lot in front of the school and turned off the engine. Through the windshield, he spotted Jeongin standing with his hands in his pockets, visibly tense.

Changbin stretched, glancing at him.

"Kid hasn’t slept much," he noted as Jeongin shifted anxiously from foot to foot.

Minho didn’t respond. He just opened the door and stepped out. Jeongin immediately approached them.

"So what now?" he asked, unable to hide the strain in his voice.

"We look around. Maybe someone saw him," Changbin replied, shutting the car door.

They entered the school and started questioning students and teachers, but no one had any useful information. That was until an older janitor, sweeping the hallway, lifted her gaze to Minho and frowned.

"Ah, that boy? Yeah, I saw him," she said, resting on her broom. "He left the psychologist’s office and headed for the exit. I thought he had gone home."

Jeongin froze.

"Psychologist?" he repeated quietly, clearly thrown off. "I thought he was just catching up on schoolwork..."

Minho and Changbin exchanged glances. That did sound suspicious.

"Do you have access to that office?" Minho asked, inhaling sharply through his teeth.

The janitor shrugged.

"You’ll have to ask the principal. But I don’t know if they’ll let you in..."

≈🎃≈

Minho and Changbin stepped into the surveillance room, where the police technician was already waiting, rewinding the footage to the right moment. Jeongin stood beside them, watching the screen with intense focus.

"Alright, here’s the hallway leading to the exit," the technician said, pressing play.

On the screen, Seungmin appeared. He walked slowly, glancing around, as if looking for someone or deep in thought.

"Stop," Minho suddenly ordered, pointing at the screen. "Rewind a few seconds."

The technician complied. This time, they paid closer attention—to the shadow at the end of the hallway. A figure stood there. Motionless. As if waiting.

"Who the hell is that?" Changbin muttered, leaning closer to the monitor.

On the footage, Seungmin took a few more steps toward the exit. Then, the shadowed figure moved. They approached him quickly—too quickly for a normal walk. The screen glitched for a brief moment, and then… Seungmin was gone.

Jeongin sucked in a sharp breath.

"Where did he…?"

Minho leaned back in his chair, his fists tightening.

"Fast-forward. See if he appears anywhere else."

The technician sped up the footage, but Seungmin never reappeared. The mysterious figure was gone too.

A heavy silence filled the room before Changbin finally let out an exasperated sigh.

''Well, that's fucking great."