Feel the Fire (Yoonseok) ✔

Chapter 29

When Yoongi woke up his first instinct was to panic again. He shot up and gasped for air, big mistake. There was no fresh air here, he was only met with dust and warmth when he breathed in, both stinging on his windpipe. He started coughing, tears appearing in his eyes.

"Breathe, boy." A low voice behind him spoke. Yoongi looked over and saw his father. He slapped his son on his back, hoping that'd help, of course it didn't.

Yoongi turned away from his touch, swinging his legs over the side of the camp bed he was lying on. That's when he realised how little power he had in his body. So he just sat there, head hanging low, eyes clenched shut and fingers gripping the metal of the bed tightly.

He tried to imagine a calming place, somewhere where he felt at peace. In his mind he looked up at the blue sky. He saw birds and clouds but mostly the sun. He could basically feel the cold spring breeze. Like that he breathed in again, now trying to maintain a constant, slow rhythm.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" His father asked breaking him out of his trance. His tone was weirdly caring, it was even weirder hearing it from the man he remembered as a monster.

Yoongi looked up again meeting his father's eyes. To his surprise they were only filled with curiosity and worry.

"It's called a panic attack, I'm sure you've heard about them before." Yoongi explained. His father's eyes softened.

"Oh, do you need some fresh air, maybe?" He asked.

The young sorcerer just shook his head. "To get there I'd have to use the elevator, I'll probably pass out again if I do that." Yoongi said slightly stuttering. 

"Does this have to do with what happened back then? Are you scared of the elevator?" His father said gaining a sudden understanding. The warlock nodded, words costing too much energy.

"I've had them since then. Not often but sometimes I do have them." He explained after taking another breath.

"Is there anything I can do?" His father asked.

"Not really, just wait until it's over, I guess." Yoongi explained.

They spent a while just in a uncomfortable silence, neither knowing what to say. Yoongi just focused on taking deep breaths in and long breaths out. His father stared at him, unsure of what to do. He couldn't just go back to work but then at the same time he couldn't do anything here either. If anything his presence only put more pressure on the boy.

"Where are we even?" Yoongi asked looking around. He had never seen this room before, but still it must be somewhere in the mines. 

"A lot of things have changed since you left. I made the mine safer, fixed the elevators, made a first aid room and I improved the working hours. This is the sick bay." His father explained. 

Yoongi just stared at him in confusion. Never had he thought that his father would admit he was wrong, even less do something about his mistakes. 

"Why do you care all of the sudden?" Yoongi asked raising an eyebrow. 

"I've cared since I got the news that fifty good men, one of them my son, fell down to their death and that probably none made it out alive." Mr. Min said in a sad tone. "I never thought I could miss a piece of shit like you, but oh did the universe prove me wrong." He chuckled. Yoongi couldn't help but smile just slightly. He had the same twisted humour as his father.

"How? Did you miss having to dig for coal again instead of me finding it for you? Or was it the fact that now I couldn't let the coal float to the surface and instead you needed to use endless lifts?" Yoongi asked with a gleeful smirk.