like a volcano | minsung (and a hell lot of other ships) ✓

𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦-𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒.

"Jeongin!"
Jeongin turned around to see Sunghoon running up to him. "Can we please talk?"
There was a note of urgency in his voice. Jeongin felt slightly worried. Was he okay?

"Okay, sure."
There was an empty classroom nearby, so they went inside. Jeongin closed the door and Sunghoon anxiously shifted his weight on his foot.

"Jeongin, I wanted to ask something. Please promise me you won't lie. And I know you know something about it, you're the only one who can tell me." Sunghoon began, speaking very fast.

"Sunghoon, are you alright?" Jeongin asked anxiously.
"Of course I'm alright, it's not me you should be worried about! I mean.."

"Ask the question, Sunghoon.."
"Yeah, right, I know you'll probably call me paranoid or lovesick like everyone else, but I tried calling him 20 times and he didn't pick up. Okay, I'll get to the point, do you know the whereabouts of Sunoo?"

"I.." Jeongin felt extremely shocked. How did Sunghoon find out? There was a tense silence.

"I know you'll say I'm overreacting, but I promise, Jeongin, he isn't okay. He gets panic attacks and he isn't doing well mentally. He once mentioned he wouldn't miss a chance to meet us even if his life depended on it. And I knew when Niki told us that I wasn't the only one worried, you know something too. And maybe I don't know it."

Jeongin was shocked to see how observant Sunghoon was. Anything that concerned Sunoo and his safety was his utmost priority. Now Jeongin had no idea what to tell the lover boy who was worried sick.

"Sunghoon, I can't tell you everything-"
"What do you even mean-"
"Let me finish," Jeongin cut him off. "There's something that concerns his personal life. I'd rather Sunoo himself tells you about it-"

"How come you know about his private life, then?" Sunghoon asked.
Jeongin looked at him to see why he was saying that, and realized that Sunghoon was a little jealous. He resisted the urge to laugh. Sunghoon was an idiot in love.

"It was purely coincidental," Jeongin told him (he didn't think he'd like telling Sunghoon about all the history of Sunoo and Jisung; also to remind him that Sunoo happened to be Seungmin's cousin).

"But I can assure you one thing. Him skipping school isn't normal anymore; but there is a chance that we may really be overreacting. It's only been a day so let's not make an assumption just yet. If he doesn't show up for a while, then I can say that we might have a problem. He could be in danger."

Sunghoon gulped. "Would Seungmin hyung give me his address if I ask him?"
Jeongin's eyes widened. He was prepared to go for his house? Damn he really be calling Jeongin single in 134340 languages.

"I don't think Seungmin has the address. You see, Seungmin's family is not close with Sunoo's."
Sunghoon hung his head. Jeongin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hoonie. Everything's gonna be all right."
-
The basement was dark. Sunoo could feel his stomach begging him for food; he was awake since the last 31 hours. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't see the way out.

His lamentable excuse of a father had thrown him in and locked him there; all because Sunoo refused to join the gang his father himself had eliminated him from. Then he forced him to join, but his personality had taken a 360 degree turn; even the gang members didn't want him there.

He didn't understand his father's  problem. He had always believed that bad people aren't actually bad; they're forced to act this way because they are hurt. He felt bad for them. But it felt impossible to pity his father. It felt impossible to believe that he felt any emotions at all. He was terrified to tell what his father was to others and there was no way he could escape him.

He sometimes wondered if his father killed his mother. He didn't believe him when he said his mother died in an accident. Sunoo hated his father. He hated him with every fiber of his body. Sometimes he even felt a bit bad for his gang members that they had an animal for a boss.

And now his father was determined to take away everything that Sunoo loved. His friends, his studies, his school, Sunghoon. Sunoo fought back tears at the thought of his boyfriend. Would Sunghoon wonder about him? It has been already a week since he was absent. Sunoo wondered how long it would take for anyone to notice. Now Sunoo wished he had told everyone everything.

His father was not worth being protected. What would Niki do? Would Jungwon search the internet? Would Jay hack? Where would they be searching? Would they even realize that Sunoo was gone? Was Sunoo as invisible as he felt?

Was Sunoo always a joke? Is this the revenge the universe had for him? Would Seungmin try to do something? Questions in his mind kept getting weirder and weirder; he was so low on energy he could barely move. His eyelids kept dropping, he couldn't think straight.

He missed school. He missed his friends. He missed Seungmin, Jisung, Jeongin, Felix. He missed Heeseung's flirting, Jake's laugh, Jay fretting over him and Niki's antics. He missed Jungwon so much. And he missed Sunghoon. Every minute. The warmth of his hands, his hugs, the goofy things he does and the feeling of his lips on Sunoo's...

His head was spinning. The dim ceiling was blurring, the world was spinning...

This is it. This is death. This is the end.

Sunghoon..

He saw white light. That's the archangel of death, bending over him, to take him home.

To his mother.

All the times he got hurt, he imagined her face. He imagined his mother to have long hair and a warm smile. Though she never really had a face. Your brain can't make up a face by itself, after all.

He was going to meet her. Finally.

Goodbye Sunghoon. I know we couldn't last forever, but I tried... I'm sorry that you'll have to live without me. But I'll meet you one day. This story doesn't end here. I'll meet you. Please hold on when I go.
-
Sunghoon breathed heavily, halting for a while. It has been a week since Sunoo showed up. He was worried sick. He confronted Seungmin and found out about the family issue, but even Seungmin didn't know the address.

He set out on the streets in panic, not eating or sleeping properly. When he slept, he would get nightmares of Sunoo getting beaten up by a horrible ogre. It would have sounded silly but it really wasn't. Sunghoon knew Sunoo needed him. Everyone knew that he was in trouble. Yet they had no idea of his whereabouts. They couldn't do anything.

They had no idea where he was, whether he was in the country or not. Whether he was kidnapped or smuggled or anything.. or, a dark voice in Sunghoon's head whispered, whether he was alive or not.

The very thought made his heart ache and he panicked every time. He set out in the streets, going to the markets, desperately asking everyone he saw on the streets whether they saw Sunoo or not. They all felt annoyed but Sunghoon wouldn't settle unless he found Sunoo.

Just wait. Just wait a little bit. It's all gonna be okay, baby, I promise.