the death bell | na jaemin √

十九

_rule 19
any sudden change of subjects is prohibited in exam season unless given the permission of the teacher or principal. changing of subjects not during exam season is allowed, but both teachers must be informed before hand

—-

jangmi and jaemin burst into their biology room, their eyes wandering over the chaos of a room. everyone was everywhere, talking to their friends about who went into extermination this time. their eyes went to renjun seat, that had a bag on his seat but he was nowhere to be found

"m-maybe he just went to the bathroom" jaemin breathed, the two taking slow steps up the isle towards their seats

"yeah..." she looked at his things, gulping.

"settle down" the teachers voice boomed over the loud mess "an extermination is currently undergoing so please remain quiet as i broadcast it"

the teacher slid the usb into the laptop, his hands busy with the keyboard as he said "Huang Renjun's extermination will be projected on the school board now."

the whole room erupted in whispers. many of which confused as to such a diligent student was getting out into extermination

jangmi's eyes snapped upwards, her throat becoming dry "no...no, that's impossible!" out of panic, she ran down the stairs towards the teacher "please, it isn't renjun! he didn't do anything!"

"miss, please return to your seat" but she only dismissed it while her eyes fervently scanned through laptop

"jangmi, return to your seat or else i will ask you to leave this classroom"

"no please!" she was ready to lunge at the teacher when jaemin caught her wrist "jangmi, let's go sit down. maybe it's not him"

a few crackles of the computer and a screen appeared in front of everyone, all the students eyes widening. in there, was a renjun getting held back by two security guards, his face morphed into hopelessness, but she could see a light smile in his eyes

jangmi fell into her seat, her hand shaking wildly. jaemin also looked up, feeling his breaths becoming shallower. his closest friend, his dorm mate, the person he relied on most. and he was about to die because of a school

they watched as renjun willingly followed the security guard as the guards opened a door into a glass cage, where he stepped in without objections. renjun looked at the shackles attached to the side of the glass cage, attaching it to his own wrist and doing it to all his other wrist and legs. most people were surprised that he was doing all this all on his own, within a single hesitation. even the teacher's mouth was slightly agape.

renjun took a seat on the floor of the cage, closing his eyes and letting his lips move up in a small smile. his glasses were taken off and his hair lay flat. it was a whole new renjun, and jangmi hated it.

"are you sure you want to watch the rest?" jaemin whispered softly, glancing at the unmoving girl. she gave no reply and kept her eyes on the screen, her heart tearing bit by bit

this is what she meant about not having any connections, because then, they all leave her.

water began spilling into the cage, the clothes on renjun beginning to stick to his skin. the process was painfully slow, the water filling up as if it did a drip at a time. the only thing keeping her sane was the fact that he was still alive, and then jaemin was right there next to her.

the water didn't stop filling up until it reached his chin, which renjun opened his eyes and as if he could see jangmi, he looked straight into the camera. it was like they shared a message through a screen, his last ever message

i'll miss you

and the water buried his head, his eyes fluttering shut and bubbles beginning to rise to the top from his nose. his hair looked so elegant waving against the water, his face enlightened with the soft hue of the water. he was lifted off the ground but the shackles kept him down. he didnt even attempt to grasp for air, he just let the water take his body.

"jangmi..." jaemin could see a tear prick her eyes, one crystal marble slipping down her cheek

"it's ok" she breathed, watching the bubbles still coming out of his nose "he's still alive"

"you know what's going to happen next...are you sure you want to look?" jaemin took her hand in his, causing her to tear her eyes from the screen

"i don't know" she looked down, another tear sliding down her face

"it's ok, i've got you" jaemin sighed, intertwining their fingers together. jaemin was upset, really upset. but he was mostly trying to keep it together for the girl. jaemin was always one to cry or show emotions in movies but he had to keep everything together to keep jangmi together.

her eyes returned back to the screen. the bubbles have disappeared and renjun's mouth was now parted, his once clenched fists rolling out of a ball. but when his body became limp, that's when jangmi snapped her eyes away, squeezing jaemins hands

"Huang Renjun is officially ruled out of the school registration books"

—-

"i dont...want to move it" jaemin sighed, leaning back in his bed as he avoided eye contact with the study material that belonged to renjun, sprawled onto their desk. his books were on jaemin's desk again, but he didn't want to move it. he wanted to think renjun was still alive, still alive to teach him computer science and to teach him maths formulas

jangmi took a seat next to him, leaning back on her hands "the more you leave it there, the more it's going to remind you of him. it's going to torture you, shove memories inside your head that you don't want" 

"i want to think he's still here" jaemin shrugged

"i know what it feels like to lose someone. and i've learnt to never forget those memorise but also cherish the present, you should try it" her eyebrows rose, jaemin cracking a smile

"hey jangmi? do me a favour?" he lay down and smiled. the girl nodded.

"talk. keep talking for me when i'm sad. i like hearing your voice" jaemin extended his pinkie "promise?"

"your so childish" she mustered a laugh

"cmon. a promise is a promise" he glanced between the finger and jangmi. she rolled her eyes and connected it

"remember, i hate broken promises"