You Are (Not) a Cursed Boy // 2ho/yunjong

Listen to Me

Mingi's outstretched arms flailed around frantically, desperate for something to hold on. With everything so dark around him, this simple task became impossible and his left arm stabbed through the gap between two steps of the ladder, aiming straight into the open toolbox. His right arm briefly knocked onto something hard and cold - the lamp post - but his fingers missed and his body fell first.

Jongho shouted a second after Mingi's forehead and the cold metal made a soft clang. It wasn't over. To Jongho's horror, the top of the lamp wobbled. Suddenly, all the screws around the floor made sense - the lamp post hadn't been secured to the ground. Jongho prayed for it to stabilize, but Mingi's body weight slumped against it, and it started tilting...

"Yunho!" Wooyoung's high-pitched scream caught Jongho's attention.

Yunho had been distracted by the basketball and was in the process of picking it up. He was oblivious that he was crouching right in the middle of the lamp post's trajectory.

Wooyoung sprinted towards him, eyes flashing between the human figure and the lamp post, which was gaining speed as it fell. But San was closer, lighter, faster. He leapt and pushed Yunho out of the lamp's path, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

Wooyoung came to a stop abruptly when he saw San fly past him. His voice cracked with the shriek that escaped his lips, but nothing would - could - stop whatever that was coming.

With the help of San's push, Yunho rolled a few times on the ground, safely out of the lamp's trajectory. He looked stunned, yet unhurt.

But.

There was always a but.

Jongho felt the blood drain out of his face as he watched the lamp post land on the ground. When San saved Yunho and landed on the ground, he couldn't push himself away in time, and his left leg was close, way too close.

The momentum and height of the lamp allowed it to bounce against the ground a few times before it truly came to rest. When it hit the ground a second time, one of the heads flew out of its hook and shattered - right on San's leg.

The impact itself would've been painful enough, but the shards of glass that made holes in San's calves and stained his white skin with red made Wooyoung's legs grow weak.

A whimper escaped his lips before he ran to San's side. From Jongho's vantage point, the figure lying on the ground seemed small, and it wasn't moving.

A groan nearby snapped Jongho out of his reverie. Mingi rolled over onto his back, rubbing his forehead with a hand. The screwdriver was no longer in sight, but the screws remained scattered around. The stepladder fell over, but somehow the extra lamp head was still intact.

Jongho went cold all over. The curse. He had to leave. He would leave, and never come back.

He looked at Mingi again. He pulled his other arm out of the toolbox. It must've stabbed some sharp tool, because it was bleeding. Jongho's knees wobbled. Should he run? But they look hurt. Was Yunho alright? And, and... San?

"Guys!"

Jongho whirled around, almost relieved to see help coming, but also felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Yeosang must've heard all the commotion and came up.

Yeosang gasped as soon as the lamp post came in sight. Hongjoong joined Wooyoung's side and inspected San's wounds. Seonghwa didn't even wait before calling the ambulance.

At this point, Yunho was back on his two feet and had turned around to get a hold of the situation. His eyes widened when he saw the blood, but Seonghwa's gaze told him to stay put. Instead, he went to Mingi to help him up.

Seonghwa put his phone away and placing a reassuring hand on Yeosang's shoulder. "They said they will come up to the roof in at most ten minutes."

Seonghwa then crouched beside Wooyoung, who had started crying. "Hey," he said quietly. "Help is on the way. Let's calm you down, and when the ambulance comes, we can go together." Leave it up to Seonghwa for being the rational, reassuring and mature one.

Wooyoung didn't want to leave San's side, but Yeosang and Hongjoong pulled him away from the painful scene and back to the suite so he could get a cup of water.

Finally, Seonghwa approached Jongho. Only then did Jongho realize he had fell to the floor. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Seonghwa helped him up, but Jongho's weight pulled him down. "Hey, what happened?"

Jongho shook his head. His eyes were blank. Seonghwa decided to leave him and went to Yunho and Mingi instead.

"Mingi! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy and bleeding a little. Shouldn't you watch over San?" Mingi was now sitting up and leaning against the perimeter of the roof, with the help of Yunho.

Seonghwa glanced back at the lamp post, his frown deepening. He was smart enough to figure out the gist of things. "I will. Yunho, do you want to bring Mingi down for an ice pack? And find something to stop the blood flow."

Yunho was pale, but he nodded and started pulling Mingi up, only to be rejected. "I can manage on my own. You should check on Jongho instead." His voice had a hint of venom in it, but he gave a concerned look towards Jongho's direction before trudging away.

Seonghwa's phone rang, and he started towards San. Yunho looked around, realized he was left alone with Jongho, and his face went pale. His heart thumped in his chest and he felt light-headed.

When Jongho saw the familiar white hair, now turned a dull grey under the shadows, he stood up, suddenly angry.

Jongho glared at Yunho, whose eyes started shimmering. Soon, the tears began to flow freely down his cheeks. That only fueled the flame inside Jongho.

Frankly, he knew where the anger came from and what it was meant for, but at that moment Yunho became the target of it, just so he could put the blame on someone else.

"I told you, didn't I? I told you to leave me alone!" Jongho felt a tingly burn start up in his nose, but he refused to cry. "Why didn't you listen to me that day in the canteen? Why! If you did, none of this would've happened!"

"No, no... listen to me--" Yunho shook his head.

"I don't want to!" Jongho snapped. Over Yunho's shoulder, he saw Seonghwa running towards them. "I'm leaving. Don't follow me. Don't contact me. We're never seeing each other again, got that?" Jongho started walking to the stairway behind him.

"Jongho, please..." Yunho cried, wanting to continue but couldn't because of the hiccups and the sobs that got stuck in his throat. Jongho ignored his pleas. He didn't even look back.

Yunho dropped to the floor helplessly. Seonghwa was coming. He missed his chance.

All of that, for nothing.

—

Author's Note:

Did anyone notice how Yunho was scared when he was left alone with Jongho?

- Nerdy Giraffe

P.S. I feel a little bad for making some members get hurt 🙈 Honestly, I originally planned it to be even worse than what it is now 🤭