Chapter Twenty-One

Taehyun felt like the whole world just crashed to him. His eyes wide open as he saw his lover fell down hopelessly on the ground. The pain from the headmaster’s hold on his can no longer be felt, instead he can hear his heartbeat hammering out of his chest and he can already feel his blood on his ears. Everything seems to slow down around him, his eyes are focused on Mino who seems to be not moving anymore.

No. His thought screamed.

And before he knew it everyone around him ran towards the other side of the clearing.

What they did to Mino has caused war.

And the head master is screaming his lungs out to the students as they attacked Junsu’s group.

The majority of his schools mates are not listening anymore. The headmaster freed Taehyun as he tried to stop the students, but everything is a chaos already.

“STOP!” Headmaster Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, but then again no one is listening.

Nam Taehyun can’t move, he is torn between fighting against Junsu’s army or just to stay beside the headmaster who is trying to stop the students. He knows, deep in his mind that they are no match in this battle.

He eyes searched for his friends and saw Jinwoo concentrating, that when he realized that the latter is trying to calm everybody down. But one against hundreds… is just so wrong.

His eyes met Jinhwan’s, the smaller is crying—which is shocking for Taehyun.

Taehyun then looked at Mino’s fallen body again.

I need to get him. Was all his mind is saying.

Taehyun shook the trembling hads of the head master and run towards Mino’s body. He just knew that he needed to bring his body somewhere safe, that is the least that he could do for his lover. Even though he can feel sweat and tears falling down on his cheeks, he doesn’t feel any pain. He is suddenly numb, some would shove him down on the ground but he saw Seungyoon attacked the enemies and helped him reach the other side of the field.

“I’ll watch your back!” he heard Seungyoon shouted at him.

A shadow cast over him, he momentarily looked up and saw a familiar dragon, his Dara-noona; who seems to be also helping him to get to Mino.

“Run faster Taehyun!” He didn’t dare to look behind him but he knew that the voice came from Jaejoong.

He is sobbing loudly as he pushed his legs to run faster, his mind is now fuzzy. He is no longer capable of thinking straight.

And there, just a few meters away from his beloved…his hand reached forward as if he is waiting for Mino to stand up from the ground and welcome him. But the tan male stayed immobile on the ground.

His legs started shaking terribly, and it almost gave up just before he was able to reach Mino.

He fell on the ground, just beside the tan male. His shaking hands gathered the body.

“Please…. No…. no.” He choked on a sob.

He is patting Mino’s cheeks, but the latter still has his eyes closed.

He looks so peaceful, as if he is just sleeping.

With a heavy feeling, his fingers glazed over Mino’s wrist; trying to locate his pulse. And after a few seconds—everything is a nightmare for Taehyun.

He knows, just by watching the way Junsu tormented Mino a while ago that the tan male won’t survive. But some parts on Taehyun are hoping that his boyfriend is just playing around and trying to trick the enemies.

But as he tried to look and feel any heartbeat….

There’s none.

He shouted. He threw his head back as he tried to locate any signs of life from his lover.

But there’s none.

He touched Mino’s soft hair, and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, then at last at the lips.

“Taehyun.” A raspy voice called him out. He looked up and saw Kim Jongin standing behind him. The taller is looking tired and pale.

“Can you… can you teleport him to the safe place?” he weakly asked the new comer.

Kim Jongin looked like he was about to say something, but no words came out from his lips. Instead he just nodded towards Taehyun and propped beside him.

He looked over his shoulder just in case someone will attack them. Taehyun does not even care about his safety anymore.

Jongin lifted Mino’s body off the ground before looking at Taehyun who is still kneeling.

Taehyun nodded towards his friend.

Jongin bowed and poof.

The pale boy stared at the puff of smoke on where Jongin was standing seconds ago.

He let out a painful smile as he knows that at least—Mino’s body is now safe.

He let out a sigh as he stood up from the ground.

His eyes searched for the headmaster and saw him fighting with Junsu. He walked towards the two moving figures, he saw how the headmaster fell down—face flat on the muddy ground. And in that moment he knows that it is all over. It is the end for all of them.

He wanted to run and save himself.

From the corner of his eyes he saw how Jinwoo fell on the ground as one of the members of The ‘X’ attacked him with a dagger.

He stopped and searched for Seungyoon, but he felt like screaming as he saw that his friend shouting his lover’s name as he was seconds away from his death.

“Taehyun! RUN!” Jinhwan screamed at him while struggling away from the two men that is holding him.

Taehyun didn’t have the heart to watch what happens next.

He just found himself running towards Junsu.

Dumb Taehyun, you are no match to him…

Junsu looked at him with a vicious smile on his lips, Taehyun felt cold ran through his back. This is it, he knows that he is facing his end.

He stepped forward.

Mino… what do you want me to do.

“Ah, I can sense that you have a price to pay to me.”

Taehyun didn’t reply back, there is nothing to say.

“As much as I wanted to kill you, I have my word to Song Mino. He was killed just for you to live. And I don’t think killing you is a punishment. Experience the pain you gave me when you killed my child. I guess you’ll be having soo much time for your own when I’m done with all the people you love.” Taehyun;s eyes widens as he saw Junsu went to where Seungyoon and the others are fighting with the other ‘X’ members.

“No… no…” he chanted, he saw this coming.

And in a blink of the eye… everything is red.

And before him is the bodies of his school mates, the headmaster, his friends. Everyone.

“No.” He choked out.

And all he can hear is the devil’s laughter before darkness enveloped him.

Pain.

No, suffocation.

Numbness.

Those are the words Taehyun is feeling now. The pale boy even got paler.

He is sitting in a sofa beside the house’s window. The world have lost color for him, everything is dull and lifeless.

“Taehyun, lunch is ready.” A soft yet low voice said.

“You can go ahead Minzy.” Taehyun replied, not bothering to look towards the girl’s direction.

“But you need to eat.”

“I’m full.” And with that, he stood up and went upstairs, to his room.

Minzy can’t do anything. She felt an arm sneak around her slim waist.

“I don’t know what to do anymore.” She said, she can’t stop the tears from flowing.

“I’m gonna say ‘he’ll come around’ but I guess he won’t.” Jongin said and the latter frowned, not really happy on how her lover is comforting her.

“Just call the others, what we can only do for him is to give him time.”

Jongin nodded and soon went outside of the house to call their other friends.

Minzy looked at the stairs, she is contemplating if she should go after Taehyun or just let him be like what they told her. But seeing on how the pale boy is responding to everything, she is afraid of the things taehyun is capable of doing.

She closed her eyes and tried to look for any visions, but all she can see is the fall of all her kind. The ‘X’ is still at it. They are all hunting and taking down all those who is not with them. Minzy shook her head as she saw a vision of her and everyone in her circle of friends dying.

But she is not that much bothered by it, the vision is not a surprise to her. She and the others managed to survive the attack in the clearing because she was kept in a safe place. But she knows that their luck will run out soon. They are ready for it.

But the thing that bothers her is, her other vision.

Nam Taehyun taking his own life.

Taehyun looked at the faded printed pictures of him and Mino. They are all dirty now since he kept it in his bag that the almost didn’t get after the bloody fight.

He clutched his chest for he didn’t know how to ease the pain away.

And then, he hand gloss over a sharp object beside him. A Knife.

He frowned.

No. Mino won’t want this. His inner self said. And he just let out a deep breathe

He gulped and ran to the door, but not before grabbing his sweater.

He bumped on Hanbin on the way down to the stairs.

“You are going out?”

Taehyun nodded, giving his friend a forced smile.

“Okay…” Hanbin said, unsure of what Taehyun was about to do.

His steps are light when he reached the front door. Minzy appeared just as he was opening the door. The woman is holding a white towel and a plate.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“Mino.” Was all Taehyun answered. And Minzy watched the latter went outside. Hanbin stood next to Minzy, also staring at the door where the pale boy went out just a few seconds ago.

“Should we follow him? I don’t like this feeling.”

Hanbin shook his head.

“Taehyun is wise, he won’t do anything reckless.

Taehyun looked down at the stone placed in the middle of a meadow.

A stone with his lover’s name neatly printed on it.

It is his first time to visit Mino’s grave. He refused to visit the place where Jongin and the others buried Mino.

“Took me long enough to come here huh?” Taehyun said as he squatted down, hands glistening over the grass beside the stone.

“I hate you. I hate you.” Taehyun whispered.

A tear drops on the ground as the boy clasped his hand on his chest.

“I thought you won’t leave my side. Now what, why am I alone now?”

“How to take this pain away Mino? How…” Taehyun let out a choked sob before plopping down on the ground.

He leaned his head on the stone, just like how he leaned his head on Mino’s chest before. He misses everything about the tan male, everything. Sometimes, he still can’t believe that his lover is gone.

Tears won’t stop flowing. He thought he won’t cry anymore because what he did on the past few weeks and days is to cry. He thought he is tired already. But no, the wound is still fresh and it seems like he still got gallons of tears to let out.

Suddenly, he felt another presence around.

His heart momentarily stopped, he didn’t dare to look up and he just stayed lying on the ground. His hands find its way to clutch the sweater around him.

“Nam Taehyun.” A smooth voice called him out.

Slowly, his eyes traveled upwards, first he saw a dirty chucks, then a faded jeans; a clean white this shirt—and finally the face of the new comer.

He noticed the blazing color of the man.

Orange.

He frowned, propping his elbow so he can lift himself up from the ground. He took a cautious step away from the man the moment he stood up.

His breathe is uneven, he doesn’t know if it because of all the crying he has done or because he is nervous.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I am not the enemy here.”

Taehyun didn’t say anything, his posture remains rigid.

“You really wanted to get Mino back?”

Taehyun  looked at the man, he noticed that there is something familiar with the other. He does not know what, but he looks someone he knew.

The man is gorgeous, enough to make everyone swoon. And there is something terrifying the way the man stood there. Taehyun just know that this man is powerful.

Instincts tells him to run, even though it is impossible to outrun the latter. But another part of his mind is to believe the new comer that he is indeed not the enemy here.

“Who are you.” Taehyun finally gathered his courage to speak.

“You don’t need to know my name, what you need to know is I won’t hurt you and if you really wanted Mino back, you must trust me.”

“Mino won’t come back.”

“Yes he will…”

The man took out a crumpled envelope from his pocket.

“Give this to your friend Hanbin, and everything will come back to normal.”

Taehyun puckered a brow.

“Trust me.”

Taehyun doesn’t know what comes to him but he took a step forward and took the envelope from the man.

“Good. Now go back to your house, and do as what I told you.”

The man smiled at him and gestured him to go on.

Taehyun nodded and walked as fast as he can away from the meadow. He didn’t even bother to say goodbye to his lover. But everything is creepy for the pale boy that he just wanted to go away.

Running his way back to the safe house, he saw his friends are waiting for him in the bench placed on the garden in front of the humble home.

“Taehyun!” Minzy said, happy that her dear friend came back alive and safe.

“Where is Hanbin?”

“Inside… why?” Jongin asked him this time, but the latter didn’t reply and just bolted inside the house to find Hanbin.

He saw the boy watching some action flix. Though it is obvious that he is not entirely focusing on the film; the boy, like Taehyun is still grieving for Mino.

“Someone said I should give this to you.” Taehyun said, trying to catch his breathe.

Hanbin looked up to him before taking the envelope from the other. He didn’t ask anything but he just quietly tears the envelope open.

He took out the paper.

And what he saw created a tiny spark of hope inside him.

Author's note

HELLO! Thank you for patiently waiting, seriously thank u sooo much.

and 200+ subbies <3 never expected that, i mean i am sooo happy w/ just like 20 ahahahha BUT ALL OF U R SO AWESOME THANK U THANK U.

Don't foget to vote and COMMENT~!

I am so sorry for the slow update 3 college is the life out of me.

i travel like 6 hours a day just to go to school. And currently taking 3 major subjects so my mind is all over the place as of the moment. 

I guess there's only 2 chapters left, and can u guess who is the mysterious man? hohoho.