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

𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦-𝑠𝑖𝑥.

"YEOREUM! UNNIE COME HERE!"
"What? Why are you screaming?"
"COME HERE QUICKLY! HELP ME GET HIM INSIDE!"

Yeoreum put the plate back into the sink. She removed her gloves, pushed her hair back and ran outside to see what the matter was. She was astonished to see her best friend Gyuha dragging an unconscious boy. The boy was injured, he had a knife wound and a few bruises.

Yeoreum would've questioned Gyuha why she was dragging a boy into their house, but seeing his state, her heart twisted. She hated to think what must have happened to the poor boy. So she went and helped her drag him inside.

The boy gained some consciousness when Yeoreum opened the first aid box. Gyuha and Yeoreum disinfected the open bleeding wound on his leg, and the boy winced feebly. As they wrapped the gauze over it, the boy finally spoke.

"Water.. water.."
Gyuha sprinted out the room into the kitchen to fetch the boy some water. After some help, the injured boy opened his fox-like eyes. He touched Gyuha's face.
"Mom..?" He said.

Gyuha looked at Yeoreum, confused. The boy began to cry.
"Mother, is that you? Mom, dad hurt me too, he hurt me so much. I hate this world, when will I see you? I always knew you'd come to see me. I miss you mother, I feel happy to finally meet you. I hate father. Look.." tears spilled out of his eyes as he gestured towards the wound on his leg. "Father tortured me... Father forced me to commit horrible things. Father controlled me, brainwashed me.. father killed your son, mom.."

The boy sobbed terribly. It was painful to see. He barely had energy but he was trying to reach out for Gyuha's hand. Gyuha burst into tears. This boy was broken.

"It's okay, son.. you're in safe hands now. They won't hurt you. I'll send you somewhere safe." Gyuha hugged him, gingerly keeping up this act of mother-son.

"Mother.. Sunghoon.." the boy cried.
"Sunghoon?" Yeoreum asked.
"He is the love of my life. I love him so much, I thought I'd introduce him to you in heaven. He made me the happiest and because of him I realized what my father had made me." He sobbed harder. "Now I'm in the stars and he's too far away."

"Shh.. calm down.." Gyuha tried to comfort him.
"Wake up. You're alive. You're okay. Sunghoon is alive too. We'll find this Sunghoon for you, okay? I'll talk to Chan. He has to know a solution." Yeoreum tried to make him realize that he was okay. He was safe.

The boy opened his eyes. His vision cleared. "I'm alive?"
"Yes," Yeoreum said.
"Then you must not be my mother." He said sadly to Gyuha. The pain in his voice made Gyuha tearful.

"I never saw my mother, and you're just like how I imagine her to be. Maybe that's why I confused you. I'm sorry." Sunoo came to his senses. He felt heartily embarassed to say all that to some saviour strangers.

He looked around him. Memories started flooding into his head. Keeho was trying to feed him, and he gained energy; his father was saying something,  then Sunoo fought back with his father, and father beat him up, was approaching him with a knife when Keeho immediately distracted him and told Sunoo to run. Sunoo's leg wasn't too lucky, but even so, he ran as fast as he could. He ran for hours before collapsing because of the pain. Then he passed out.

These girls must have picked him from there. He thanked them over and over again. The doorbell rang and one of the girls, called Yeoreum, ran to answer. A while later, a somehow familiar figure stepped in, his eyes full of concern. Sunoo could swear he had seen the man before, but he couldn't remember where.

He associated the man with Sunghoon. But then again, he associated everything with Sunghoon so he couldn't trust that very much.

"Sunoo! Oh my God, what happened to you!" The man was very worried to see all the scars. He bent down to examine him.