Changmin’s eyes blinked open, registering the cold, hard tile under his cheek. Why am I laying on the floor?

BANG BANG BANG “Changmin! Open the door!” Is that Yunho hyung? The maknae pushed up from the ground, intending to open the door and get his hyung to shut up because the banging and his yelling was giving him a headache. Once he was sitting up, he saw the red stains on the toilet bowl and he squeezed his eyes shut against the rolling nausea. Flushing the toilet without looking at its contents, he took a few breaths, slowly trying to get on his feet using the sink as a lever. Changmin almost slipped back down to the floor at the shock of a hard kick that was brutally given to the outside of the door. With his hapkido skills, it could only be caused by Yunho, as thud after thud resonated around the small room.

“Hyung” Changmin’s voice sounded horse and he cleared his throat, finally pushing to his feet and bearing his teeth at the dull pain in his stomach. Maybe if Yunho stopped making so much noise he would feel a little better. Just as he wonders if he should speak again as perhaps Yunho didn’t hear him, or did I even say anything to begin with?… the banging on the door ceased.

“Min?” Yunho’s voice was quiet with relief and recognition. “Can you unlock the door please? Are you alright?”

Changmin faces the door, wondering if both questions required an answer from him. His legs felt wobbly, like the floor was moving under him. He felt hollow and unbelievably lightheaded. Flicking the hair out of his eyes, he takes a deep breath and tries to forget that he was stabbed in the gut. Wait I was stabbed? Gasping and horrified, Changmin’s hand halts half way to the door handle and instead clutches at his stomach. He needs to put pressure on the knife wound or he’ll bleed out, just like on one of those gang dramas they’d watched!

However, looking down, there was no blood. His fingers were clean and there was no red staining his white and silver shirt. Shaking his head, he goes to unlock the door once more and right after the lock clicks out of place, sounding too loud to Changmin’s ears, the door is abruptly pushed open, just narrowly missing the maknae’s nose. The youngest has to blink a few times as the Yunho standing over the threshold was out of focus. I must have forgotten to put my contacts in.

Changmin can’t quite make out the expression on Yunho’s face, but from what he could tell, the leader looked angry, furious. He should be happy because I wasn’t stabbed, right? Changmin didn’t make to move out of the small restroom, instead standing frozen on the spot, not even able to make eye contact. The pain was so excruciating, it paralysed him in a way he’d never experienced before.

“I cannot believe you Changmin! You left me hanging out there, it was so unprofessional! Are you crazy?!” Yunho’s rare outburst did not even make his dongsaeng flinch. Changmin was usually the quicker of the two to raise his voice, Yunho usually being the calm leader and the voice of reason. “Are you okay? Why did you lock yourself in the bathroom?” Did hyung just ask me something?  Changmin had decided it was definitely time to sit back down on the floor because now simply the act of standing was too painful. But before his legs could give out underneath him, various staff member come bustling through the door in blur. Fixing Changmin’s dishevelled clothes and re-hooking Yunho up to his mic and earpieces that he’d ripped off in a furious hurry earlier. The maknae doesn’t see or hear any of it. Why is Yunho hyung staring at me?

And all of a sudden he was taken by the bicep and steered out of the dressing room. Changmin gasped but otherwise clamped his mouth shut to smother any cries of pain he feared might escape. If someone hadn’t already stabbed him, it sure as hell felt like they were now – and twisting the knife just for good measure. Is this what dying feels like? They seem to walk for miles, many agonizingly painful miles – where they were going, Changmin had no clue.

Then within seconds he hears screaming. Deafeningly loud and high pitched. Oh no, they’re trying to murder someone else now! And then he sees a bright white light at the end of the tunnel. And then he hears… music. It’s familiar to Changmin, almost like a lullaby. That’s right. I’m supposed to perform.