oblivion ; minsung

"bow to fate"

Minho hasn't slept in days. He's afraid he'll wake up to something horrific. Hara screaming in the nursery... Hara silent in the nursery.

She still hasn't fully recovered from what happened the day of the garden party. The whole house feels sickly — a pall, a shadow. Shingles have been falling from the roof. Unless Minho keeps his eyes open, the wallpaper in his room starts to peel and flake off.

He's afraid of what he might meet in his nightmares. Or who. He's trying not to think of him. That guy. The only other person on the planet who knows what he's going through. The only one he can't reach out to. He wonders if he's thinking about Minho as well. But then his face comes to mind and every hair on Minho's body stands on end. He tries very, very hard not to think of that guy.

He's taken to reading to keep himself occupied. The shelf in his room is stocked with books that his mother chose when they moved in. Most are old and bizarre, probably chosen for the spines. He lies in bed and forces himself to read about the innermost thoughts of army generals. He tells his family he has a fever and has the cooks send food up to his room.

It's hard to keep his eyes open. It must be after midnight. The house is quiet, breathless. The words on the page don't make sense anymore. He's so tired he's dizzy.

His eyes droop shut, only for a second.

Minho?

His eyes open. He's surrounded by the Dark. He can't feel his own body. And standing before him is a figure made of light.

Jisung?

A void of a hand reaches out. The faceless shape seems to come closer. The lines between light and dark blur together. For one second in a vast nothing, they're something. They're connected.

"Mr. Lee, what are you doing!"

Something knocks the air out of him. His eyes open a thousand times and finally he can see.

He's standing on the threshold of the portico, looking out into the front yard. In his pyjamas. He quickly closes the door and turns around. A maid is staring at him like he's a lunatic.

"Uh, sorry, Ms. Yun, I... I don't know what happened."

"I didn't know you were a sleepwalker."

Neither did he. "What are you doing here so late?"

"It's seven thirty in the morning, sir."

"Oh. Alright. Thank you, I'm fine."

She nods and walks away. He rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. And confused. He could swear he felt Jisung's presence. Did he feel Minho too? Wherever he is?

Minho walks hesitantly into the conservatory, checking over his shoulder for eavesdroppers. He sits on the couch, picks up the phone and dials the number. He's afraid to press the phone to his ear. What if he's overwhelmed the second he hears the voice?

"Hello?" Too late. "Is that you?"

His every muscle is rigid, braced for the worst. "Yeah. Hi."

Silence. They're both waiting.

"Christ," Minho murmurs. "Are you as scared as I am?"

He hears a shaky breath over the line. "Your voice makes me feel... powerless. Like I'm losing control."

"I know."

"But I'm happy to hear it."

"Me too. God, me too. I was asleep and I thought I... felt you. Did you feel it too? Or was that me going crazy?"

"I think I did. It felt like... like I had two heartbeats in my chest."

"This whole thing is so fucking confusing. It's lonely. I wish we could see each other."

There's another silence.

"We should meet."

Minho isn't sure if he heard right. "What?"

"Meet me in the forest." But Jisung's voice doesn't sound the same. Doesn't sound right.

"I... think we should hang up."

"No, you have to meet me. Minho, please."

Minho tries to keep himself in check. Tries to control the vitriol in his body. They were finally talking. Now Jisung has fucked it up.

"If we meet, we're going to hurt each other."

An acerbic voice hisses over the phone. "It's inevitable. You know it."

"We... can't." He pushes a breath through gritted teeth. "Please. Don't do this."

"Begging won't save you, only reveal your weakness. You — you are inferior."

Minho can't feel his body. He thinks he's shaking. He thinks he's panting. Somebody else's voice comes out of his mouth.

"Then come, show your face. I'll kill you myself."

He hears Jisung's breath, a retaliation on his tongue, but a scream from upstairs jolts Minho back into his body. He slams the phone down, pushes himself away. Thunder roars overhead like a captive animal, rain beating down against the windows.

"Help! We need help!"

He runs out of the conservatory and up the stairs. Sooyun, his parents and a few maids are ahead of him. In the nursery, Haewon is clutching the baby to her chest.

"What's going on?" Father demands.

"Her throat, I think it — it's closing up," Haewon stammers, "she can't breathe."

"I'm calling an ambulance," says Sooyun.

Minho is frozen, horrified. This is exactly what he was afraid of. Hara's little body squirms against the pain, cries and sputters scraping up her throat. This is my fault. This is because of me.

His father shoves past him, murmuring "Get out of the way, boy." Haewon and the rest follow, rushing to the staircase. Sooyun takes Minho by the arm, tries to pull him along, but he jerks her hand off.

"Minho, come on," she says.

"No, I... can't. I can't go with you."

"Why the hell not? What's the matter with you?" She blows a growl through her teeth and runs after the others. "I don't care, just get there!"

She disappears down the staircase. Minho folds in on himself, clutching his head in his hands. He hears the front door slam shut. An ambulance somewhere in the distance. It's all hushed. He isn't sure if it's the rain or the house, the tar running thick in the walls. The air is eating his lungs and the shadows are blinding him.

He runs down the stairs and through the foyer. He passes through the conservatory and, just as he touches the door, he hears the phone ring. He stares at it, trying to fight the compulsion. Trying to swallow everything he wants to yell and scream and puke.

He picks up the receiver. Barely a second and he hears Jisung's voice.

"I'm so sorry, Minho, I lost control. I swear I—"

"Don't call again. We can't talk anymore."

"We have to at least try — I-I don't want to lose you. Please."

He squeezes his eyes shut. The knot at the back of his throat is choking him.

"It's hurting her — Hara. Every time we speak, everything gets worse — haven't you noticed? This isn't just about us, Jisung. It's about everyone, everything. I'm poisoning her. They're taking her to the fucking hospital and I can't even go with them. Don't come here. Don't contact me. Just... let me go."

Minho hangs up.

He turns and walks out into the rain, headed for the forest. It waits for him to arrive with open arms.