Yina hadn't felt this lonely since the accident with her brother. She thought she should feel free, at least, now that she didn't have eight boys watching over her every move, but the fact that that might have been the last time they see each other was a thought that Yina couldn't get out of her head. After all, they weren't just Yina's 'protectors', they were her friends and the love she felt for them was something that had already started to become a drastic weakness for her.
Her light footsteps that echoed throughout the twisting stairwell was the only thing letting her know that she wasn't dreaming. She made it out, whether she liked it or not. Maybe it hadn't hit her yet; Yina could possibly be walking to her death, a death that she wouldn't have deserved, but a death at the cost of protecting her loved ones... her family. If that was the case, she hoped that no one would try to go after the culprit.
A bright light tugged her out of her thoughts. She had reached the bottom of the stairs, but she wasn't alone. "Ah, my intuition never fails me," Yina's hand reached up to her eyes, trying to block the light and reveal the person behind. He lowered his flashlight, letting a stoic expression settle on his features.
"Seonghwa?" Yina asked, her brows furrowing at the concealed person who was brooding over her. His lips formed a smile. "I don't know how I didn't expect you to find out," She admitted, letting out a short yet heavy sigh as her hand held her head in disappointment. "Did Hongjoong send you?"
"No one sent me," He said, threading his fingers through his glossy hair, which was tinted a rich, inky colour with a slight blue tint. "I'm here on my own accord,"
Yina let her hand drop to her side, and now that she had grown accustomed to the darkness, she could see Seongwha more clearly. "Why are you here, then?"
Something jingled in his hand. "I came to give you a ride. You need one, right?" Even though he asked her a question, Yina could tell he already knew the answer, so she stayed silent. "Come on then, Wooyoung will come looking for us soon," And with that, he turned his back to the girl and left through the fire exit, where a sleek black Porsche was waiting for them.
Seonghwa clicked a button on his keys, causing the lights to blink on. Yina stared dumbfounded at the vehicle in front of her, the sheer appearance of the car seeming to mock her. Her companion raised an eyebrow at her stillness, encouraging her to climb in, which she did - and quite slowly, might I add.
"Since when did you drive this?" She asked once in the warm interior of the car. "Actually, don't answer that," Yina said, knowing the answer might not be to her liking.
Once Seonghwa started the car and drove out of the lot, the silence between them was deafening. The boy peered over at Yina with a small smile, who was trying to distract herself by playing with her fingers. "What music do you like?" he asked, causing her to make eye contact with him. "Also, put your seatbelt on,"
"Anything is fine," She answered briefly, the confusion as to why Seonghwa was helping her was so overwhelming, even he could feel it radiating from her consciousness. His slim fingers stretched out towards the volume dial as he turned on the radio, leaving it to play softly in the background.
He coughed, trying to gain the girl's attention as they drove on the deserted road. "Where to?" he asked, his once empty eyes gaining a shine of amusement as he watched her struggle to put her seatbelt on. Once it clicked in, she met his eyes.
"Where I lived before I moved here, B-"
"Busan, I know," He interrupted, sending her a cocky grin. Yina's mind filled with questions. What happened to his usual lack of emotion? Why is he helping her? And how the hell did he know that? "Before you ask, it's my job to know that," He laughed, shaking his head.
Yina stuttered. "W-well, eyes on the road, mister. I don't wanna die in your hands,"
He chuckled. "You won't,"
The two went quiet, Seonghwa began watching the road, occasionally glancing towards the girl next to him, who had her eyes focused on the scenery surrounding them, her head occasionally nodding as she struggled to stay awake. The inky haired boy was glad to finally have a moment alone with her, usually, she was always with someone. Being away from the rest of the guys was refreshing for him and gave him a chance to be a bit more lenient with his emotions, and he found himself wanting to intrigue Yina with his less stoic persona.
"You can sleep if you want," He said, causing Yina to jump awake. "I'll be fine, I like long drives. I'll wake you up and we can stop for breakfast somewhere if that's okay with you,"
The girl nodded, gladly accepting the permission to sleep. Though, before she was able to drift off into dreamland, she found herself wondering how far she would have gotten if he wasn't there. She came to the conclusion that she wouldn't have gotten very far at all.
As the winter sun rose in Seoul, Jongho and Wooyoung's apartment remained in soft silence, not a worry in sight. The windows were damp with condensation, and the tap let out droplets of water which occasionally broke the silence as it fell into the empty sink. To the untrained eye, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the apartment, nor the people in it.
Wooyoung woke up to a pillow hitting his face. "What the fuck?" He jumped up, his sleepy eyes struggling to adjust to the brightness in the apartment. Jongho, the culprit, stood in front of him, a victorious smirk on his lips.
"You deserved that," He said, triumphantly.
Wooyoung looked around him, his eyebrows furrowing as he did so. "Where is she?" he questioned, his eyes now flickering towards Jongho. "She better be here, Hongjoong will kill me if not,"
"Relax," Jongho said, prolonging the word in attempts to mock Wooyoung. "I took it upon myself to take Yina to her room. It's early so she'll still be asleep,"
The boy stared at him in disbelief. It wasn't long before he marched over to her room, her door slightly ajar and exposing the ruffled quilt on her bed. Wooyoung opened the door, the motion was quick but quiet as he didn't want to wake her up, but he was eager to express his annoyance towards his roommate.
His scowl dropped.
"Jongho, she's not here." He admitted, slowly turning to face him with raised eyebrows. The latter peered towards the door and the keys on the floor beside it, which Yina had slid underneath after making her escape.
Jongho reached for his phone.
JONGHO
she's gone
SAN
you're joking, right?
HONGJOONG
I gave you two ONE job
JONGHO
I don't know how she did it
JONGHO
Wooyoung was on the sofa
YEOSANG
you're both useless
JONHO
the only person who'll be able to find her is Seonghwa
YUNHO
He might be asleep
YUNHO
Joong, cant you wake him up? You're staying at his, right?
HONGJOONG
jesus fucking christ
HONGJOONG
he's gone with her
MINGI
I'm going to kill both of them when they get back
MINGI
and then I'm killing Wooyoung and Jongho
WOOYOUNG
i'd like to see you try
The morning was still only young, and someone, somewhere, in a town on the other side of Korea, was pacing around an empty house. A house that hadn't been lived in for months. A house where an accident had happened. A house that was once stained crimson. A house whose owners lost a son... and Yina lost a bother.
The man grinned, the corners of his lips reaching his ears.
His wait was almost over.
YOU ARE READING
Online | Ateez
Fanfiction"It's fun to pretend you're someone you're not, and doing it Online makes it easier." --- Seo Yina would like to call herself fun and carefree, but when something tragic happens in her life, she moves house and decides to download a dating app - les...
