The Mannequin - Minsung

seventy-nine

"He's been with people who knew what he was, and they used it just to get him to fucking remember something they wanted from him."

"He's been lied to, over and over again, told he was loved so that he could trust them and gain his memories— and each time, they fucking messed up at some point, and he, thank god, got scared and protected himself by turning mannequin."

Minho empties his coffee. He's still seething. Telling Hyunjin all that he has learned. Jisung's asleep. Minho couldn't get him to wake up. But he was okay. He had mumbled that he was tired. So Minho let him sleep.

"Were those... the people in that old village?" Hyunjin says.

"Yes, that's what I understood. I don't know if there was anyone before that, but Jisung was stuck with them for a long fucking time."

"They'd bring him to life, give him care and love, he'd turn mannequin when he learned of their true intentions, forget everything, they'd wait, bring him back and it just... continued I guess... until they all died."

Hyunjin appears disturbed. Shocked. "What in the world did they want from him to... to do all that to him?"

Minho rubs his eyes. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if Jisung knows yet, but I'm not going to ask him... I don't think it's a good idea to ask him— I don't want to know." He bites his lip. His heart aches.

"T-They hurt him just to get... whatever it was. I don't want to get anything from him. I just want him to stay with me..."

Hyunjin sits back. Glances towards the door of the bedroom. "Is he okay? Has he gotten better yet?"

"Oh, yes... he had a cold... but he's doing better."

"Poor guy..." Hyunjin murmurs. "Do you think... those storms that were mentioned... do you think he had anything to do with them?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe they blamed it on him because he was... obviously not normal... but if he somehow caused them, if whatever's making him protect himself by turning into a mannequin also caused that... Then I don't even think he can be blamed. They were abusing him..."

Hyunjin nods. "He might not even have caused them intentionally..."

"Exactly," Minho says. "Both times he's come to life with me, he has told me to please not be scared of him, and he begged me to not hurt him."

Minho closes his eyes. Presses them hard. He feels so angry. Since last night. He just feels like crying. "He doesn't want to hurt anyone."

Hyunjin comes to sit beside him. He brings an arm over Minho's shoulder. "You've learned a huge piece of his past from him," he says. 

"That means he really trusts you, Minho. He has gotten to what he is now because of you. This is great."

Minho sniffs. Sits upright. "I guess so..."

"Now we just... have to find out how to get rid of this curse, so that he can be free of it. But I think you're close, Minho..."

Minho looks at him. Frowns. "I feel like... that must be it," he says. "This... curse thing." If it can even be called a curse.