The Party That Killed || Hyunlix

79 🕸️

Seungmin had never been in a situation like this before. A few older guys from the neighborhood cornered him, demanding money, and when he refused, things quickly took a turn for the worse. He wasn’t the type to get into fights, but he wasn’t about to just let himself be robbed either. Unfortunately, the numbers were not in his favor.

That’s when Jeongin appeared. He didn’t know him—maybe he had seen him once or twice at school, but they had never spoken. That made it all the more surprising when the boy stepped up beside him and, without a hint of hesitation, said:

"Hey, how about you leave him alone?"

The attackers scoffed, laughing, but Jeongin didn’t look like he was about to back down. Seungmin, though initially caught off guard, realized that if he backed down now, he wouldn’t just lose his money—he’d lose his pride too. The clenched fists and determination in Jeongin’s eyes gave him courage.

He didn’t remember exactly how it ended—lots of chaos, a few punches thrown, and then, suddenly, the guys retreating when an adult caught sight of them. When everything settled, Seungmin looked at his unexpected savior.

"Thanks," he said, wiping the blood from his split lip.

Jeongin gave a small smile.

"Don’t mention it. You looked like you could use some help."

From that moment on, they stuck together.

≈🎃≈

Jeongin was walking down the hallway of his apartment when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out absentmindedly, not expecting anything important. But when he saw the sender—a number with no name or markings—his heart skipped a beat.

He opened the message, his eyes scanning the short but chilling text:

"You talk too much. Maybe it’s time you learned to keep quiet."

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the screen as if it might give him answers. A cold shiver ran down his spine. This wasn’t random. Someone had sent this on purpose. Someone knew. But what exactly? What were they trying to accomplish?

He glanced around, half-expecting someone to be watching him from the shadows. The apartment was silent, the only sound was his own quickened breathing. His mind raced. Was this about Seungmin? About what they found out? Do they already know?

Without thinking, he forwarded the message to Minho and Changbin.

"We have a problem." he wrote, attaching a screenshot.

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated again.

Minho: "Where are you? Don’t reply to anyone else, we’re coming to you now."

Jeongin tightened his grip on the phone. His heart was still beating too fast. He knew this was only the beginning. Whoever they were, they were sending a warning.

But were they going to stop there?

≈🎃≈

Minho sat in front of his laptop, fingers tapping against the desk while Changbin leaned over his shoulder, watching the complex code on the screen.

"Got anything?" Changbin asked, swallowing hard.

"It’s not that simple." Minho frowned. "The message was sent through several proxy servers, but... wait. I have a starting point."

Silence fell in the room, broken only by the soft clicking of Minho’s keyboard. Changbin watched as coordinates appeared on the screen.

"It’s some abandoned place on the outskirts of the city," Minho said, glancing at Changbin. "Could be a trap."