CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Goodbyes

It is a complete chaos and it is unlike any of their ordinary kind of chaos. All members of RQS act on their respective instincts. Some are screaming and yelling in terror. Some think if it is the best to control the damaging element of nature. The rest are running for their lives, causing more terror on the audiences side as Yanan and Sungjae immediately start on the safety procedure.

“EVERYONE EVACUATE! THE BACKSTAGE IS ON FIRE!”

His assumption was right. Instantly, Minghao snaps his head back where the right side of the stage are raging madly. His eyes are wide and stuck on the blazing fury behind him and his heart race at the sight. His only alternative to get off the scaffolding is definitely not climbing down but to jump.

He quickly checks on the huge mattress where he supposed to jump for his final scene. Never in his life had he thought he will have to pull more dangerous stunts than this. For once, he is glad that his courageous self who loves extreme sports come in handy. Making his last check on the harness on him, he lets out a breath before he jumps.

“WHAT THE F-” Wonwoo heard the screaming from restroom. Even after a constant loud knocks, no one seems to hear him. He bangs the door louder to defeat the deafening voices behind the locked door. When he figures nobody remains in the backstage hallway, he slams his body onto the wooden door to seek his escape.

His shoulders ache at the endless pounding and he senses an increasing in temperature on the door. He takes a few second to rest and places his hand on the door only to wince at the immense heat. There is a chain of curses spilling out of his mouth when he realises what is happening out and beyond the closed restroom door.

Head moves swiftly to his surroundings, Wonwoo’s eyes locks on a window. It is usually used for ventilation only so it is installed higher than his actual height. Interestingly, if Mingyu is there, the boy might actually reach the opening after a couple of jumps. He has no idea how that thought can help with his situation but it gives him the energy to try.

She saw it. She saw the mysterious figure clad in black on the second floor. It was the most questionable episode she witnessed before the rest of the technical team heard their stage manager’s booming voice projected in their walkie-talkie. That and the even louder voices burst underneath on the audiences’ area. That is the most ear-piercing voice she ever heard from Yanan throughout the entire production period.

“Shinyoung, let’s go!” Soonyoung tugs her arms and similarly their eyes appear to be on the stage where their brains think of the same thing. “Someone needs to help him!” Shinyoung cried aloud and only Soonyoung was there to see her breaks since their crew members already sprinted out to save themselves. The Audio team and Yein even managed to turn off any power supply and Hyunggu saved his laptop.

“Someone will, Shin! Now take this and let’s save our lives first!” Soonyoung told Shinyoung after shoving her hardcover file into her hand and she willingly let him pull her out to the safe area of the building.

Once they are outside at the assembly point, both Sungjae and Seungcheol sigh in relief when they find Soonyoung and Shinyoung together which completes the technical team numbers. The director checks on the rest and majority of them are already there but it does not stop there obviously.

“Has anyone seen Wonwoo?!” He yelled.

“Haven’t seen him.”

“No.”

Oh my God, Seungcheol uttered in agony and Sungjae comes by to inform another bad news. It only appears in his mind that there is another member being left. He screams hatefully towards himself for letting that fact slides off his consciousness. In time of panic, all he can do is more screaming, more panic, and more hair pulling. And that does not add up.

This is not happening. He breathes the faint smoke coming from the building. It is evident for a building that old to catch on fire so quickly. It also does not help most of the things they have in the hall are made out of wood and cloth. Seungcheol collapses on the ground which taken everyone aback by shock.

The theatre director is crying. What did he do in his past life to deserve this? He wants to ask this and tries to see where everything went wrong. All of them look like it is running smoothly. He knew it was bad when he noticed Shinyoung sprinted on the second floor in fright. The lights were supposed to turn on exactly ten seconds once his actress stepped out of the stage.

“It’s going to be alright. The fire fighters are on their way.” Eunkwang and more recognisable faces owned by the former directors surround him. The sight only makes him even worse. He feels at his worst for disappointing them. When he manages to get a glance of Hyunsik, Sungjae’s voice rings in his mind.

Beware of a figure in black. There is someone out there determine to see Rose Quartz and Serenity Production out of business.

Did the so-called man in black behind all this? He wonders and in the midst of the endless lines of impossible to answer questions, Seungcheol’s head springs off Eunkwang’s shoulder to see the commotion. Next are his legs pushing his whole body up and his arms instantly wraps around the boy whose gaze is exhausted.

“Where were you?” Shockingly, the question comes from Soonyoung who holds Wonwoo’s shoulders once Seungcheol gives him the needed space. The boy is in the worst state in all production members combined. There is no room for the stripe of blue and pink to show themselves and his jeans are black unlike the last time they saw. One of his shoes is not attached on him and his heavy breathing is what catches their attention the most.

“Myungho. Myungho is stuck in there.”

Shinyoung’s mind blanks out almost instantly. Her eyes are wide, blown out of their sockets. Her heart beats fast and she jumps on her feet without her knowing. When she glances at the building, her legs move forward without any delay. Before she can break into a run, someone hold her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?! You’re not doing that! The fire fighters are on their way. Didn’t you hear Eunkwang?” His voice is unexpected. Tears steam down her cheeks as she helplessly calls Minghao’s name and makes an attempt to tug her hand off his grasps. Those useless several tries only increases the strength before the older male hold her in his arms. She brawls within his hold.

“Myungho…”

All this tugging and heat were getting on his nerves. Although his cries were deemed hopeless, the boy continued to pull the tangled knot on the sides of his torso. He did not recall it was this difficult to unclasp the harness off him. He groaned with all of his leftover energy and took a daring glance at the fire nearing his body.

An extra hand added on top of his and that stopped Minghao from forcing any more unnecessary pulling. He did not expect to see anyone aside from the fire department team to reach for his tangled self. Taking note of the blaze catching on the back façade of the main stage, the boy pushed Wonwoo off him.

“You shouldn’t be here!”

“Neither do you.”

Both of them were showing zero sign of giving up so instead of fighting, the younger gave the older male a chance to help him unwind the clasp. Beads of sweat took over their clothes and dark patches from the burned atmosphere found itself on Minghao’s previously white costume.

“Why is it so hard to take this off?!” Wonwoo complained as his hands constantly slipped from doing any decent work and he will surely regret listening to Minghao’s suggestion to leave him there. The damp atmosphere did not lessen the annoyance lingered in his mind as he diligently searched a way to help. “I’m going to get both of us out here, okay?! I literally knock over a door to get my esc-”

“Wonwoo, this is useless! Just go out and tell them to find me here. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” He told and a wince came out between his lips as the other pulled the harness too hard.

“But-”

“There is no time. The least you can do is to let them-” Minghao able to say a little before the two of them heard a metal detached somewhere above them. They were delaying a lot of time that they did not notice the fire had reached the ceiling and continued to eat the rest of the curtains hung on the stage. Slowly but surely, it was occupying the main hall.

“You better be alive when I leave you here!” Wonwoo shouted at long last after seeing the only way for them to escape was closing by the flame.

Running through the audience areas were tough with rows of chairs hindering his way. The smoke had taken over his vision and his glasses. He did not need them when he knocked them off by accident while running. Before he pushed the closed double door, he spared a second glance at the stage and widened when the rigs were dangerously hanging.

By the time he made it out, Wonwoo was shaking at the thought of his new friend alone in the building. It was up to him to gather remaining energy in him to find the rest of the production members and rushed the one responsible to save the poor boy.

Back in the burning hall, Minghao chokes on his own tears, already defeated by the ropes that are supposed to be there as safety mechanism. Right now, it does nothing but preventing him from being safe. There is no energy in him anymore to make any move. His legs are numb and as he lets his body laid on the mattress, he can feel the fire greeting him. He tries to tug to check again before he coughs hard. It is getting more difficult to breathe and keeping his eyes open.

Yet once he sees the flame gradually circling him, his life flashes in front of him.

Finally it all makes sense to her. Those red, orange, blue lights she once saw in her dream? Maybe it was telling her that the accident happening around her. Even being surrounded by comforting arms and words, she can barely hear the siren coming from the fire fighters truck. Slowly, she pushes her head off Yoongi’s shoulder to look at the rush.

The first thing she sees is Wonwoo’s body on the floor with Seungcheol and Soonyoung fanning and giving water for him to drink. She also catches Eunkwang and Changsub talking with all seriousness plastered on their faces. Hyunsik is standing on Ilhoon’s side who is speaking to Sungjae.

“I think it’s the best for you to-” Yoongi’s word cut instantaneously when everyone’s head turn to the huge source of sound. As if there is no one around her, her heart becomes heavy at the smashing sound from Silver Diamond Hall’s building. Immediately, her legs give up and meet the cold ground.

“No…” Shinyoung whispered shakily. “Tell me he made it out.” She asked him, still wavering and her eyes are watery. She was able to have it stop but not until she listens to the group of firemen saying…

“The building is collapsing!”

“No!” That was her last straw and manages to escape Yoongi. “Shinyoung! No-”

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO! MYUNGHO IS STILL IN THERE!” She shouted loudly and fights to be freed from the person who strongly hugs her from behind. The said person continues to maintain a strong hold. He can barely keep his own sanity in check while the others too scream at him for abruptly chasing her.

“Shinyoung, don’t make it worse, please.” The girl cries once she heard Wonwoo’s voice. Surely he is at his breaking point as well. Soonyoung swings by the two instantly when they stumble, not able to stand in the situation, literally. The male bites his lower lip at the thought and suddenly his brain replays the last time he sees him. That scene recall makes him join the two who are bawling on the ground.

When they are immersing in their own world, a foreign voice reaches their ears and breaks the group hug they are in. The girl is the first to wipe her tears and finds herself eyeing on a woman, probably in her early forties. Her question surprises her and the two boys.

“Yes, I am Kwon Shinyoung.”

“I don’t know if this is the right time but a boy came by my shop this morning and told me to pass this to you once the show is over. I cannot find him anywhere though.” The woman said before purchasing out a bouquet of flowers from behind her. “Wha-”

Shinyoung’s hand shakes after grasping the flower and notices it was an arrangement of her favourite kind. She cannot name the individual flowers at the time but her eyes find a card which resembles a lot like dark night sky, dotted with white stars on them. It does not take time for her to recognise and that shatters her heart into pieces.

 MEET THE CREW