Desperate times called for desperate measures. An hour and a half before, Cynthia walked to her room with her head dipped in defeat. There was only one person she could rely on now. With shaking fingers and sniffles, she texted Hyunjin and explained the situation.
Hyunjin was locked in his bedroom humming and working on a new sketch when his phone pinged. He was assuming it was Changbin wanting to know if he wanted to go get a late night snack. It wasn't like Changbin hadn't done it before.
He was about to tell him no when he unlocked the phone. His eyes narrowed when he found a single text message from Cynthia. She explained the situation and the moment she did, Hyunjin was fuming. He was quick to tell her he'd be right there. Dropping his pencil, he shoved on a hoodie, a face mask, and his sneakers.
He rushed from the dorm and nearly took out Han in the process. When Han asked where he was going so late, Hyunjin insisted there was no time to waste. He announced he'd be back later, grabbed his car key, and disappeared into the dead of night.
When he pulled into Flora and Cynthia's apartment complex nearly twenty minutes later, the rain started. He grabbed the bag of drinks and snacks he picked out for Cynthia and the bowl of ramen he made before he left the convenience store.
Cynthia was hanging beneath the overhead tarp near the front of the building. It hung over the front section to keep tenants safe from rain while they stood outside. The moment she saw Hyunjin getting out of his car, she sprinted towards him.
The sound of footsteps caused Hyunjin to turn around. Cynthia's green eyes were glassy. The tops of her cheeks had turned a muted red from crying. The sight of her looking so miserable and defeated felt like a knife in the chest.
"Cynthia," he started.
He never had time to finish as Cynthia leaned forward and carefully wrapped her arms around Hyunjin's waist. She buried her head into the warmth of his chest. The cold rain continued to sprinkle around them. Hyunjin shifted the bag of goods into the hand with the ramen and wrapped an arm around her back.
"Besides starving, are you alright?"
"My heart hurts."
"I'm so sorry."
"I don't know what I did wrong," Cynthia's voice wobbled. "I mean I know, but why was it such a big deal? She figured out my phone had a password and she just-" A sob busted out of Cynthia's chest. She had never felt so confused and so lost before.
Was this really like what life was like before the accident? Had she blindly obeyed Flora's every word? What kind of life was this? She wasn't happy and she was miserable.
Hyunjin swallowed the lump in his throat and shut his eyes. He told Seungmin he wouldn't, but things were escalating. Flora was getting dangerous and who knew what would happen. Cynthia needed to know the truth. She had to know she wasn't alone. She had to know this wasn't her only option. She didn't have to live like this.
"Cynthia, do you trust me?" He finally asked.
She paused and glanced up at him. "Yeah, I think so. I trust you more than I trust Flora. You've never hurt me like she has."
"This sounds crazy, but Cynthia, I need you to believe me for a second. There's so much to your life that you can't remember and Flora is keeping things from you."
She pulled away from Hyunjin. The rain was beginning to pick up, but neither of them cared. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
"The puppym plushie you have, you have it for a reason."
"Because I liked Stray Kids?"
"It's so much more than that. You know how I sent you those compilation videos of Seungmin? I was hoping it would help you."
"Help me?"
"I know this is so much and I know it's going to leave you confused. Before your car accident, you were dating Seungmin. I know that's confusing and I know it's hard to believe, but I swear!"
Cynthia stared at him with wide eyes. Despite the initial confusion, it made sense. The mystery guy that kept occasionally appearing in her dreams looked an awful lot like Seungmin. He even sounded like him. She couldn't believe she hadn't put it together sooner.
"Why hasn't he showed up?"
Hyunjin sighed and his shoulders sunk. "Listen, it's a very complicated situation. I promise, I will tell you everything, but I need to help you first. I'm giving you a way out of here. Cynthia, do you want to leave Flora?"
"What?"
"Do you want to leave? If you say yes, I'll make sure you're safe. I'll make sure you're fed. You'll be around the rest of the band and we'll make sure Flora stays as far away from you as possible. You can reunite with Seungmin and he will tell you everything."
"I can do that?"
Tears began to prickle in Hyunjin's eyes. Cynthia didn't even know it was an option. The guys were so focused on following Seungmin's wants and needs, they didn't realize how much Flora had been destroying Cynthia. He forced himself to nod.
Cynthia's heart pounded inside her chest. A flash of lightning lit up the sky and just for a second it was day again. She was thrown back into snippets of memories. They were shattered and busted into tiny pieces.
She and Seungmin laughing together. The two of them holding hands and going on walks. Seungmin with his arms behind her clutching her waist and his chin on her shoulder while staring at the Han River. Seungmin forcing her to pose with a bouquet of flowers. Seungmin holding out the puppym plushie towards her beaming with pride.
They came so quick and faded just as fast. Like multiple bolts of lightning zapping her head at once. She suddenly winced and grabbed the side of her head. Hyunjin took a step towards her with a face of concern. "Are you alright?"
"I think I rememb-"
"Cynthia!"
A roar of thunder shook the ground. Cynthia's body tensed up at the loud sound. Heavy footsteps stormed across the slick pavement and headed their way. Hyunjin glanced over as rage bubbled up inside of him. Like the wicked witch herself, Flora was headed right towards them. Her jaw was clenched and her hands curled into fists.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Cynthia spun around to face her. Part of her was full of rage and the other part was terrified. The last encounter she had with Hyunjin and Flora didn't go very well. When Flora caught her talking to Hyunjin on the phone, she blocked and deleted his stuff.
"Leave her alone," Hyunjin instantly came to Cynthia's defense.
"Fuck you, Hwang! I told you to get lost! Get in your ugly car and go away!"
"No."
"What the fuck did you just say?" Flora's voice raised.
"He said no," Cynthia's voice came out deadly, "don't talk to him like that."
"Wow, look at you. You think that just because he's here, he'll be able to save you." Flora shook her head, "you're crazy. Let's go." She leaned forward and clamped a hand on Cynthia's wrist. Cynthia tried to jerk away until Flora spun around and glared at her.
Something about the menacing look caused Cynthia's rage to blow out like a candle. She suddenly felt terrified like something bad was about to happen. Her heart rate began to speed up again. "Flora, I-"
"Save it."
"Let go of her!" Hyunjin cried.
Flora jerked her phone from her back pocket, turned on the flash, and began to film him. "I'd be careful if I were you. Your reputation is on the line here. One wrong move on your end and you fall from your golden throne. One wrong step and I'll upload this to social media. Go ahead and scream and curse at me. Jerk my hand from Cynthia, go ahead."
"I can say anything I want to online and you risk losing your fans, losing your brand deals, and destroying your band. How much are you really worth to that company of yours? I wonder what their behind the scenes punishment would be for assaulting someone."
She let out a laugh. "No bubble privileges? Another hiatus where you're forced to watch your band members move on with their lives without you? An Instagram ban? No more fan signs, no more fan events, no more videos, and no more concerts. I'll take every dream of yours and shatter it. How much is that band worth to you, Hwang?"
Hyunjin gritted his teeth and stayed quiet. On the inside, he wanted to blow up. He wanted to get in her face and scream. He wanted to dump the boiling hot noodles over her head. He wanted to tackle her to the ground and punch her until she was unconscious and bloody.
He had never felt such a red hot raw and primal rage. Cynthia was stuck in a web of confusion, disillusion, and fear. Her eyes met his and she looked terrified. It made his heart physically ache. Nobody deserves to be treated the way she was being treated. She was the sweetest and most kind-hearted person that he had ever met and now it was being used against her.
"Don't hurt her," Hyunjin finally got out. "Whatever you do, don't hurt her. She doesn't need to know the whole truth. She doesn't know anyth-"
"Fuck the truth! You want the truth? Seungmin abandoned her! He left her to me and proved that he didn't really love her! He never fought for her the way that I did. You want to know the truth, Cynthia?" Flora's eyes meet Cynthia's.
Droplets of rain mixed with Cynthia's tears. She was confused and terrified. Nothing was making sense and her head was throbbing with a headache. All she could do was silently cry.
"The truth is that you're too much of a burden for your boyfriend. You're too good for him and he doesn't need you now that you don't remember anything. You're too damaged and unloveable. In his eyes, you're worthless."
"That's not true!" Hyunjin spat. "Flora, stop it! Stop it now!"
"You're the shell of who you once were and Seungmin tossed you to the side. You were just a toy for him. Soon he'll get another girlfriend and he'll leave you here with me. At least, I care about you. I'm just trying to keep you safe."
"Flora!"
Cynthia's vision blurred with tears. Flora reached up with her free hand and wiped away a few of them. "It's okay, I know. Seungmin is such an asshole for dating you and then letting you all alone, confused, and defenseless. It hurts, doesn't it? Don't worry, you still have me."
A choked out sob fell from Cynthia's lips. Another flash of lightning was followed by a roar of thunder. Hyunjin felt so utterly helpless that he didn't know what to say. He was enraged and hurt that Flora would ever say something like that about Seungmin.
"Cynthia, it's not true. Cynthia, I swear he's wanted to see you. Flora is manipulating you and she's lyi-"
"Finish that sentence and I'll make sure you regret the day you were ever born!" Flora hissed.
Hyunjin shut up and glared at her. The phone flashlight from Flora's phone still partially blinded him. It didn't help that the rain continued to come down and Cynthia's sobs filled the air.
"Come on, you're soaking wet." Flora wrapped an arm around Cynthia's shoulders. "Let's get you back inside and find something to eat before you catch a cold. I fell asleep earlier and I'm sure you're starving."
Cynthia didn't fight it as she was tugged away. Flora turned around and shot Hyunjin a final glare before she tugged Cynthia closer. Hyunjin rolled his eyes as Flora cooed in Cynthia's ear. He watched the two of them go back into the building.
He was left standing alone and defeated in the pouring rain with ramen in one hand and a bag of drinks and snacks in the other.