Aftermath | D.O. + EXO

Chapter 2

Kyungsoo jolts awake, cold sweat dripping down the sides of his face, down his spine and his chest. The only sounds present in the room are his heavy breathing and the crinkling of the sheets as he pulls them closer to him. Tears slowly roll down his cheeks but he brushes them away with shaking hands. He covers his face, breathing in deeply before reaching awkwardly over to the cabinet to grab the television remote. As he turns it on, he realises how much of the world he has missed. He didn't bother with the news yesterday, but watching it has made him think more about how much he unwillingly left behind. As he watches a news presenter speak about the dangers of plastic pollution, a red banner comes up just beneath the presenter. He squints his eyes to see, but can read clearly his own name. His eyes widen as the screen cuts to the studio. He turns the volume up and listens to the female presenter.
"The disappearance of actor and idol Do Kyungsoo shocked the nation. Many fans of the talented young man mourned over the horrific abduction and gathered support to find him from all around the world. After nearly a year and eight months, he was finally found in the basement of a house almost four hours away from Seoul. Jo Sunglee has been arrested for the kidnapping and torture of Do Kyungsoo and is awaiting a sentence. Do Kyungsoo's trial date has not yet been discussed, but when the time comes-" He shuts off the TV in a blind panic, hands gripping at his covers as he attempts to get out of bed.
"No, no, no, no! Someo-" He attempts to shout, but winces as his throat burns in white pain. He presses the red button beside his bed as his chest begins to heave, his pupils blown.

After a few moments, help arrives and he is calmed down along with the help of a sedative.
"They-they've got the...the wrong...wrong person." He struggles to speak, his throat constricting. Black spots linger across his vision as his hands shake, his eyes unfocused as he slowly looks around the room. His breathing grows more shallow as he thinks back to Lee Iljung, back to the torture, to the grief. His eyes roll into the back of his head and his body goes limp, his head rolling slowly to the side.

He hates this. Hates this with a passion. He has only been awake for a few moments before an officer raps on the door, the nurse allowing them in. The officer dips their head in a silent greeting before pulling a pen and notepad out of their pocket. After a few moments of small chat, they begin.
"What happened on the day of your disappearance?" The officer asks, noting down the question and pressing 'record' on the small recording device set on the table. Kyungsoo takes a deep breath in, fidgeting with his hands as he thinks back to that awful day.
"I was getting ready for a promotion for my new movie, and I was eating dinner. I heard my dog whimpering in the hallway, but all of the dogs were supposed to have been taken to be looked after by one of our dog sitters. I was confused, so I went to check. I-ugh, don't you have this all on video? Do I have to explain what happened when you can see it for yourself?" He asks, voice beginning to break. He curses himself for being so weak. The officer nods after Kyungsoo further explains that he saw the camera while his hands were being tied. The officer allowed him to skip that part of the story.

"I was tortured. He wouldn't let me eat, sleep. I-I was strapped to a chair, beaten over and over again. Day in, day out. The only light that I saw, was the orange glow of the light bulb. I wanted out of there, and for a long time, I believed that my only way out was death. I couldn't take it anymore, I could tell that I was dying. I was barely able to stay awake for more than a few hours. Everything hurt all of the fucking time. All I wanted was to close my eyes and never wake back up." He bites his bottom lip and closes his eyes, the memories flickering like a flip book on the back of his eyelids. He can't escape. And perhaps that is exactly what Iljung wanted.
"I know that this is tough, but you are doing a great job. And don't worry, we got him. You're safe." The officer smiles gently, nodding.
"No. No I'm not. You didn't get him. The man that did this to me, isn't the man that you caught. The man who did this was Lee Iljung. A former member of EXO." Kyungsoo whispers, wiping his tears away. The officer notes down this information. The officer furrows his brows, clicking his tongue in thought.
"How do you know? How do you know that it was Lee Iljung?"
"When you spend almost two years trapped in a house with someone as psychotic as that...you'll know. I saw his face. I called him by his name. It was him."

Aft the officer leaves with Kyungsoo's statement, he gets another surprise. But this time, a much more...pleasant one. One by one the people file in, holding balloons, banners, gift bags and flowers. Baekhyun gazes at the tiny man on the bed, looking confused.
"I am so sorry, I think that we've gotten the wrong room." He apologises, bowing lowly. Kyungsoo only stares in shock as they begin to leave.
"B-Baek!" He calls hoarsely, hand weakly flying up to grasp his best friend's attention. Baekhyun slowly turns around, the others pausing.
"Baekhyun, it's me. I've come back." Kyungsoo says lowly, voice cracking as he speaks through his tears. Chanyeol's eyes widen, his mouth falling open.
"No way. Is that really you? Do Kyungsoo?" He asks hesitantly, not quite believing what he is seeing. Kyungsoo's tears drip off of his chin as the entire room is cloaked in silence, the awkward tension between the friends rising. Chanyeol gently places his gift bag down onto the window ledge and reads Kyungsoo's patient information that is clipped to the foot of his bed.
"Holy shit. It really is you." Chanyeol is so shocked that he can't bring himself to so much as step forward, instead bringing his hands to his mouth as he sobs hard. Junmyeon makes his way to the tiny male laying on the bed and carefully wraps his arms around him, feeling his eyes prick with tears at just how bony the other is. His weight loss is partially hidden by his thick pyjamas, but can clearly be seen on his face, neck and hands.
"What-what did they do to you?" Jongin gasps, tears streaming down his face as his legs nearly buckle from beneath him. Is Kyungsoo so unrecognisable that his family, nor even his closest friends knew who he was? Has he changed that much?

After they all leave (many hours later), he opens one of the gift bags to find his phone. He can't remember the password, but it seems as though Jongin was kind enough to leave a sticky note to remind him of what it was. He scrolls through the olds pictures and feels his heart ache at the sight of him with his brother, his parents, his best friends. He turns the screen off and throws his phone across the room in fright when he sees a skeleton looking back at him. He breathes heavily, throat tightening and fingers trembling. There is no way that he looks like that. No way.
"No! No, no!" He can't believe what he saw and it's not exactly like he can check to be certain either since his phone landed on the opposite side of the room and he is stuck in bed, his left arm in a cast and his entire right leg in plaster. He bawls, sobs tearing form his throat as he tips his head back. Life isn't fair, and Kyungsoo now is sure that he knows it more than anyone.

Hi guys! Hope that you are all having an amazing day and have enjoyed this angsty chapter- althohgh, just gotta say, I did warn you! Love you all and if you have any worries then don't be scared to chat, I'd love to make some new friends! 🍪❤️

Date: Monday 17th December 2018

Word Count: 1442