My angel of music | Stray Kids Minsung fanfiction

The missing body

-Minho?

The latter turned around to watch Jisung climb up the stairs to his old room.

-Is this...

-Yes. We used to have a lot of fun here, Minho smiled weakly as he stared at his wall full of photos with Jisung and Hyunjin.

Jisung analysed each one of them meticulously. He couldn't remember any of them being taken. He felt like a stranger in his own body. That was his face, his smile, his eyes. But he wasn't the one in the pictures. It was all blank.

-I've always liked you, Jisung. I was afraid of you would say if I confessed. For me it was enough to watch you and protect you.

Jisung didn't say a thing. He stared at the pictures and felt a tear rolling down his cheek.

-Jisung?

-That's not me. That's not me you loved. I don't remember a thing. Why can't I remember you? he grabbed his hair with his hands.

-It's alright, it's alright! We'll find the answer together. We'll find out why you can't remember and why I died. But before that... I need to know: do you love Hyunjin?

Jisung froze in his place and thought about it. He had always loved Hyunjin. Hyunjin was so kind to him. Hyunjin was his best friend. Wasn't he? But Chan said Minho was the one who did all those stuff. Minho was the one who protected him. Minho...

-I do, Jisung bit his tongue to refrain himself from saying more.

-Then I'll leave you alone, Minho bowed. I'm happy for you! he avoided the younger's gaze.

He didn't remember Minho. Was he being deceived? By who? Was he broken? His brain was set for Hyunjin. He knew it. He liked him. But his heart was yearning danger. Beating 10 times faster around the cold translucid body of a certain ghost.

Chan looked around the familiar place and felt his stomach drop as he watched his childhood safe place turn into ruins. He used to come there after every fight with his parents. Mister Lee was always so welcoming. He felt more attached to him than to his own father.

They would eat breakfast and sing on the porch. In return Chan would babysit Minho which felt more like a play date to him. It was so simple back then.

But the cruel time shows mercy to no one. Poor Mister Lee died because of someone else's greed. And his son received a fate worse than death.

-Have you found something? Felix asked as he swam into a pile of trash.

-Not yet, Chan replied before spotting a green shirt.

He took it in his arms and confirmed his suspicions. That was the shirt Minho was wearing that day. He recognised it. He had to get rid of it. He threw it into the fireplace and buried it under a layer of ash.

-What are you doing? Felix caught him.

-Nothing, Chan shrugged it with a smile, but made the tragic mistake of wiping his hands on his jeans, letting Felix see the traces of gray left by his fingers on the fabric.

Felix pushed Chan away slightly and dug until he found the clothing item.

-What's this?

-My shirt! Minho stared in pure shock. I remember this shirt! I was wearing it when I...

The last word got stuck in his troath. He couldn't say it anymore.

-Why were you hiding this? Felix asked Chan.

-You were what? Jisung got mad.

-I didn't think it would serve us.

-Of course it does! You said you can use it to find out what happened. Why would you want to get rid of it? Unless... you already know what happened, Felix linked the dots and took two steps away in fear. Did you do it? Did you kill Minho?

-God, no! But I do know what happened, he confessed.

-Then why are we even here? Jisung yelled.

-Because his body is missing. And I know only what the police wrote in his case before being obliterated from the records. I was there when they found the body. After 3 days of searching.

-What happened? Felix gulped in anticipation.

-He drowned.

-I drowned? That doesn't make sense! I hate the ocean. I'm terrified of it.

-Exactly. But you went in with Jisung. He didn't know you were afraid of water. He came to me that evening in tears telling me he couldn't find you. I had to send you to therapy, Jisung. I had to protect you! You couldn't live with the blame!

-Is that why I don't remember? Jisung felt his eyes filling with tears.

-Pretty much. Audrey was a big help in your recuperation. That's why I left with her. To find better treatment for you. I'm sorry, Jisung... I should have been honest. I was afraid you would go back to that state and I would lose you for good! This way even if you hated me... You could have had a good life.

-How could you do this to me? To Minho... To all of us.

-I just wanted to protect you, Jisung! You were a mess after Minho's funeral. You made so much progress. I couldn't let you go through that hell again.

-But Minho? He's been through his own hell for years! He has no blame.

-I'm sorry!

-Minho? Felix walked towards the ghost. Are you alright?

-At least I died doing something good, right? he forced a smile. I just wished I didn't leave dad alone here. Look at our memory fading from everyone's minds! It's like we never existed... This house, the theatre, the summers spent here... We are being erased.

-We'll find your body, Minho. I promise. We'll find out what happened. This is my promise to you, Felix said dead serious.

Back to the Opera

-Seungmin! Seungmin! Hyunjin barged into the younger's office.

-What's wrong?

-I found an article about Minho hyung! he took a moment to catch his breath before shoving the news paper into Seungmin's face.

-"Ghosthunters kicked out of a local theater." What does this have to do with Minho's ghost?

-Those people came here to find the Phantom of the Opera and stayed for two nights. While they were here, one of them smelled a decaying body.

-You don't think that...

-The body was Minho? Yes, I do. I think it's here somewhere and one of the employees did it.

-That's why they are targeted. The killer wants the body back. But why would they take a body?

-To scare the people away. To make everyone abandon this place maybe. Or to make it look haunted for the press, Hyunjin pointed towards the article. 'There's no such thing as bad publicity'. Nothing can stop the curious eyes from looking.

-We need to find that body! Seungmin gulped in horror.