Red Strings

Red Strings 8/?

Devastatingly horrid, unedited.

Taekwoon rolled around his bed lazily, a pout played on his lips as he pulled out the device hidden under his bed. He sighed for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes when he saw no calls or text messages from Wonsik, tapping his thumb on the side of his phone nervously.

Should he call him?

He went to their messages, re-reading the others words of, "I'll see you later, Woonie. Leave the window unlocked! Don't wait up."

Despite what the other had said, the elder had been up waiting for almost two hours, lazing around on his bed and playing games that Wonsik had downloaded for him.

Biting his lip with a nod, he pressed onto Wonsik's name in his call log and put it up to his ear.

Once, twice, thric—

"H-Hello?" An unfamiliar voice trembled, "Taekwoon?"

"Hello? Who is this?... Wonsik?"

"Oh my god, Taekwoon!" The voice cried out, "T-Taekwoon, listen. Listen, okay? It's J-Jaehwan. You probably don't know me but... fuck! I-I'm a good friend of Wonsik's and, a-and..."

"Jaehwan? What's wrong?" Taekwoon sat up stiffly as he heard a screeching sound on the other side of the phone, "Where's Wonsik?"

"L-Look, I-I-I..." There was a sob on the other side, "Pull yourself together, Jaehwan! Fuck!" Deep breathes were taken, "Taekwoon, I'm on my way driving Wonsik to the h-hospital."

"What?!" Taekwoon gasped out, tears forming in his eyes as he held a hand against his lips. "What's wrong? What's wrong with Wonsik? Why're you taking him to the hospital?"

"Y-You know he fights, right?" Taekwoon noddedly numbly, choking out a yes as he realized Jaehwan couldn't see it, eyes glancing over at his door as lights were turned on, shining through the crack. "Well, I should've known he wasn't in a g-good shape to fight but, shit, I trusted him too much. I-I don't know what was wrong with him but he kept spacing out and... a-and... oh god."

"No, no, no, Jaehwan. You can't just stop, what happened? What happened to Wonsik?" Taekwoon let out a whimper, cupped his lips more tightly as he realized how loud he was being.

"Taekwoon?" His father called, "Taekwoon? Open up your door."

"He's bleeding out so much... there's so much blood. I-I don't know. L-Look, I'm ta-aking him to Gangnam Yonsei Sarang Hospital, okay? I'll call you when I can." His voice was trembling and with that, the line cut short.

"No, no, no! No!" Taekwoon shouted as he quickly dialed Wonsik's phone once more, praying that it was just one sick joke the two were playing on him, that Wonsik would pick up with a chuckle and tease him, that everything was fine.

"Taekwoon! You unlock this door right now!" His father pounded on the door, making him jump as he realized the mistake he had made. He sat on his bed, vision a little blurry as sobs wracked his body, pressing his lips together tightly as he tried to stay silent.

Wonsik was hurt.

"Taekwoon!" His mother's voice sounded as the door clicked, signaling that his parents had indeed used the spare key they kept.

He was too numb to think clearly, merely sitting there with the phone held tightly in one hand as another pressed into his eyes.

"What is this? Where did you get this?" His father tried to snatch the device from his hand but he yanked it back with twice as much force, cries escaping his lips louder as he held it above his heart.