Forget-me-not

Seungmin

Seungmin already knew, but the look Chan gave him confirmed that the pair weren't going to reveal what happened back at the apartment complex. It was a slew of issues and a whole can of worms that would remain untouched for now.

They continued to keep an eye on Cynthia. Seungmin caught a glimpse of Felix and raised an eyebrow. All Felix could respond with was a shrug. Over on the floor, Han continued to calm Cynthia down.

Her breathing was beginning to regulate again. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her fingers brush along the cool tile. Han continued to speak softly as she recovered. Seungmin was grateful for his help because he would have panicked. He wasn't sure he knew what to do in the midst of a panic attack. It was something he didn't struggle with.

Chan walked over to Felix and placed a hand on his shoulder. He moved the other onto Hyunjin's shoulder. He carefully and quietly nudged the two back towards the back rooms. Hyunjin wanted to stay behind, but when he tried, Chan nudged him a little harder. He didn't want Cynthia to freak out when she came back around. People had the tendency to be overstimulating.

Once they were gone, Seungmin's attention turned back to Han. Han was keeping his voice low and asking questions. Cynthia's voice was shaking, but she managed to respond. Relief flooded Seungmin and before he knew it, his feet moved closer. He didn't mean to intrude, but his natural response was to protect Cynthia.

The sudden squeak of his shoe caused her body to freeze. Her eyes widened and every muscle was taught. Han glanced up and remained calm. "It's alright, it's just Seungmin. He's not going to hurt you, I promise."

Her eyes slipped shut and she nodded. She sniffled and picked her hands up from the floor. The pressure wrapped around her had eased. She wiped beneath her eyes and took in deeper breaths. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's alright, nobody blames you." Han shot her a smile and moved back, so she had more space between them. "Do you want me to stick around for a bit?"

She shook her head, "I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? I'd be happy to stay here."

"I'm sure."

"If you need me, just call my name. I'll come out here as soon as I can." He pushed himself up off the kitchen floor and dusted himself off. "I'll leave you here with Seungmin for now."

His footsteps faded away as he went to the back of the dorm. Seungmin was left standing and glancing down at Cynthia. She wiped away the last few tears that had been held hostage beneath her chin. She sniffled once more and mumbled an apology. Her head dipped down and she placed her head in her hands.

"Are you okay?" Seungmin stepped closer. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, I'm really sorry I freaked out. It was so stupid. It was just a knife and-" She squeezed her eyes shut. Two front teeth bit down into her velvety bottom lip. "You guys aren't like Flora. You wouldn't do what she did. At least, I-I don't think so."

Seungmin moved forward, so he was in front of Cynthia. He scooped down, grabbed the knife, and quickly placed it beside the kitchen sink. Other dirty dishes were placed around the sink. If he remembered correctly, it was Felix's turn to wash dishes tonight.

He felt fortunate that it wasn't him. After learning what he had just learned minutes beforehand, he couldn't bear the concept of mustering the energy to wash them. A round of being interviewed by a few different cops and then a detective had left him drained and emotionally distraught.

"Cynthia?"

"Hmm?"

Her head still hung like she usually did. When she was exhausted or just needed a bit of a break, her head hung like this. Her neck dropped at the base of her spine and the sides of her hair hung like curtains along the sides of her face. Her face was hidden by shadows, but he could feel the defeat radiating off of her.

"Did...did Flora do something to you? I mean, I know she did, but I have a feeling we're missing a lot of pieces of the puzzle. You don't have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Hyunjin was dancing with a knife."

"Huh?"

"When I woke up, Hyunjin was dancing with a knife."

"Oh?" His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. He wasn't sure that he was understanding things properly.

"I can't keep track of the days anymore. They congeal together and it scrambles my brain up. I don't know how long it's been since I first called Hyunjin and tried to leave Flora's apartment. There was this one time, I don't know, I think I freaked her out."

Seungmin stayed quiet and slowly dropped down beside her. He shifted and pushed his back into the wall of cabinets across from Cynthia. She kept her eyes averted onto the floor, too afraid to view his reaction.

"She shattered my phone," she admitted.

"What?"

"She got me a brand new phone and then shattered it when she found out I was talking to Hyunjin. She took a meat tenderizer and destroyed it in her kitchen. I had to watch her as she destroyed it."

He sat listening to her in shock. He couldn't imagine how much panic and fear that must have led to. If Flora treated Cynthia like the one day Seungmin met with her to ask if he could see Cynthia, he couldn't imagine it. There was something about that day that irked him. There was an unnerved feeling brushing against the back of his neck that wouldn't go away. He didn't figure out why until today.

"But the knife thing. It got bad one day. I went snooping in her bedroom to," she shrugged, "I don't know. I just wanted to know if she was hiding something, I suppose. It's when I found a box with my original shattered phone. I think it survived the crash."

Seungmin knew exactly what box she was talking about. Chan and him just uncovered it back at Flora's apartment. He shut his eyes and continued to listen in an attempt to calm his building heart rate.

"She came home early and I didn't know what kind of hell was waiting for me if she found out that I was in her room. The door was locked and I stayed locked in there as she called my name. Eventually, she left the apartment and I left her room. When she came back, she was pissed."

His eyes reopened, "how pissed?"

The tears began to come back. The feeling of helplessness briefly swarmed her. She swallowed the pit in her stomach. "She pulled out a knife and threatened to kill herself."

Seungmin didn't know how he forced himself to stick to the floor. He was glad he stayed there because if he got up, Flora wouldn't live. At least, not right now. Blinded by red, he wanted to rip her heart out. How could Flora do that to the person she called her best friend?

"So when I saw Hyunjin dancing, I-I panicked. It all came back and I couldn't breathe. I thought that maybe he would try to-" She never finished as she jumped to another topic. "It mixed with blood. I could feel the remnants of blood from the car accident and I-"

Seungmin watched her with a frown. Her breathing was starting to become erratic again. Her fingers curled into her thighs and she was starting to lose it. Without a word, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled something out. He pushed it towards Cynthia and waited.

When her eyes found the Puppym plushie, she froze mid-conversation. Her bottom lip quivered before she cautiously reached out and grabbed him. While Seungmin pulled his hand away, she jerked him to her chest and shut her eyes.

"I got him specifically for you. You always said he brought you comfort. I thought he'd be better at helping you than I am."

"Thank you." Her arms curled around the small plushie tighter.

"You're welcome."

"I mean it, thank you."

Still clutching the Puppym, as if it was a baby, her eyes went back to Seungmin's. "Do you think I could hug you?"

"For once, I'd be happy to have your cooties."

To his surprise, before he could get his arms open, she launched herself towards him and gripped his body tight.