𝙁𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉

Chapter 2

An alarm rang out in his ears, the same alarm that rang every morning. He had never heard a more comforting sound.

He takes a deep breath as he grabs his phone with his eyes closed, pressing the volume button to mute it before looking at the ceiling.

This wasn't his room.

He furrowed his brow as he sprung up from the foreign bed, looking around for Junhui, who was nowhere in sight.

It had to be a dream.

He searches through his phone frantically, going to his contacts first. His empty contacts.

He drops down against the foot of his bed, balling his hair in his fist. He needed to call someone. He needed to know this was a sick prank or dream or something.

He calls the first number he can remember. The first person he usually calls in a situation like this.

"M-Mingyu? Mingyu I-I don't know where I-I am and I'm scared. P-Please Gyu..." He felt his vision go blurry again as his throat burned.

The caller remained silent for some time, finally speaking with confusion flooding his voice.

"I'm sorry...Who is this? I don't like calls like this. I hope everything is okay but I'm afraid I don't know who you are. At least...I don't think so. Who am I speaking to?"

It was Mingyu's voice. The comforting voice of his best friend who had saved him from panic attacks and scary encounters so many times. It was him. But the pain in his voice was unmistakable.

"Minghao. P-Please I...I don't know where I am." His tears fell without warning, drowning him as his best friend remained silent.

"Minghao."

Minghao's sobs stopped immediately, turning into quick sharp breaths as he tried to listen. His name. This was a good sign.

"I hope everything is okay but...I really don't know who you are. I have to check on my friend in the hospital...I'm sorry."

Mingyu's gentle and friendly persona never faltered. Not even once.

Minghao curled into a ball as his sobs filled the room. He heard a quiet knock on the door, again, not exactly knowing how the sound reached his ears. He stood up as he wiped his tears, finally getting a good look at his surroundings.

A hotel room.

"Housekeeping?" The Korean woman said on the other side of the door, making Minghao nearly faint.

He was back in Korea.

"Come back later." He managed to say, biting his lip hard.

He wanted to get back to Junhui. To Mingyu. To everyone.

He was determined. He didn't know what to believe anymore, but he knew he had to get back to them. He looked back over by his bed, finding his backpack so conveniently placed. He grabbed it and made his way out of the room, trying his best to compose himself.

Mingyu was shaken by the call. He had never talked to this person in his life, he knew that. Yet this 'Minghao' knew his name. They knew his name and sounded so scared.

He didn't have time to focus on that though. Not after receiving the call that Junhui was in the hospital.

"Where's the nearest cafe?" Minghao asks the receptionist, set on his mission, and refusing to let in any distractions. The receptionist hums as she keeps her gaze on the computer, pointing at the door.

"There's a cafe around the corner. Are you checking out--" She barely got the words out before Minghao rushed out the door. He never checked in so why would he check out?

He rushes to the cafe, sitting down in a booth as he tries to catch his breath. He unzips his backpack beside him, finding his laptop and setting it on the table. That's when he saw it.

His ring was still on his finger.

He held back the tears that filled his eyes, blinking them away and shaking his head before the bells on the door chimed, making him peak up at who entered.

Two laughing men entered, both not caring much about the volume of their pointless conversation as they ordered their drinks. Minghao tried his best to ignore it, instead trying to find answers he so desperately needed. First, what day was it?

June 1st, 1:45 pm.

He died less than an hour ago.

His head spun as he searched for the accident online.

Car accident.-- Too many searches

China Crashes-- Too many searches

Xu Minghao--Absolutely nothing.

And finally, the last search.

Wen Junhui.

The first article said it all.

'Dancer Wen Junhui Badly Injured in Crash'

Badly Injured? What did that mean? He heard him before the explosion. He was out of the car.

He was about to click on the article when the two men from earlier sat in the booth behind him, still not caring about their volume. Minghao took a deep breath, searching through the article and trying to retain as much information as he could.

'Dancer Wen Junhui was badly injured in a car accident which occurred earlier today, killing one.'

His head pounded with each word he read. He ran his hands through his hair and gripped it tightly, closing his eyes. It wasn't until someone gently tapped on his shoulder that he looked up again. The two men from earlier were standing beside his booth, looking down at him with apologetic eyes.

"Were..were we too loud? Sorry about that." The first man said, holding his blue sweater paws in front of him and bowing his head slightly. The man behind him, which stood above by maybe an inch, mouthed a "Sorry.." before Minghao finally came to his senses, shaking his head.

"N-No it's...It's fine. It wasn't you two..I just lost myself reading." He murmured with a sigh, earning smiles from both men.

The sweater boy spoke first, pulling his sleeve up to reveal his now extended hand.

"Oh! Okay well..I'm Seungkwan! This is Seokmin." He gestured to the other man with his free hand as he took a step aside.

Minghao shook his hand, hoping maybe now they would leave him alone.

"Minghao. Now I have to get back to this. It's important." He says quietly, seeming to get an opposite reaction to what he expected as Seungkwan and Seokmin sat down across from him.

"Maybe we can help you!" Seokmin spoke up cheerfully, leaning on the table as he took a sip from his drink. Minghao closed his eyes and took a breath, knowing he couldn't afford to let his emotions show in fear of another breakdown.

"Unless you can get me to China, I'm afraid you won't be much help." Minghao murmurs, leaving both boys speechless as they looked at each other.

"Ch-China? What's in China?" Seungkwan asked, the quiet curiosity in his tone finally replacing their cheerfulness as they saw Minghao's expression.

"Everything is in China. My home, my best friend, my career, my Junhui--" His voice broke slightly, making him freeze. He hadn't realized how animated he had gotten so quickly. He took off his glasses and rubbed his face before staring down at the table.

"Hey, we'll...we'll help you." Seungkwan said quietly, earning a shocked yet accepting look from Seokmin. Minghao looked up, not sure if his ears were deceiving him.

"You'll help?" He asked quietly, slowly closing his laptop. Seungkwan and Seokmin looked at each other again before shrugging in unison.

"We have nothing better to do and you seem desperate. Now, let's get out of here." Seokmin hummed, standing up as Minghao had a delayed reaction, staring at both of them before rushing to put his things away.