Chapter Text
Their promotion for their new album had gone well and were now basking in the after effects of it.
They still hadn't finished and still had to do another stage tomorrow but they had allowed themselves this moment of peace. They had all nearly forgotten about everything regarding Seungmin's family but it didn't scratch away their remnants.
They didn't allow any member to go anywhere alone without another one being by their side or they checked on Seungmin more often than not when he went silent looking at his phone.
And Seungmin blamed himself for everything that had happened back at the convenience store, the rest had told him he wasn't to blame and they were perfectly fine in helping him get better. But he had felt powerless as he had let everything play out in front of him so he had decided to take up self-defense classes and maybe in the future he would consider going to see a therapist.
"Can we like...not move?" He heard Jisung mumble against someone's chest.
Someone laughed wholeheartedly but he didn't dare to open his eyes just yet to see who it was, however had an inkling it was Changbin or Hyunjin.
He had fallen asleep not long ago on the couch when they had come back from filming a Skz-Code and they had 2 hours to do whatever they wanted before having to go to the airport to fly to their next location.
They had already packed their suitcase the day before so they didn't have to do it today. When they arrived at the dorms some of them had gone to take showers, some went to look for a snack and others to check if they had forgotten something before they went to the airport unlike Seungmin who had said to himself he was going to rest a bit before being productive and instead had fallen asleep in an instant.
He had woken up not too long ago and didn't know how much time they had before they had to get going though he hadn't had the energy to open his eyes at the moment. He had settled in listening to their playful banter when they had all joined in one dorm while waiting for the last one to get ready.
He was curled in a far end of the couch hugging a pillow between his arms, burying his face in it.
"Can we eat pizza when we get there?" Someone asked but he was too tired to make out who said it.
He felt as if he was falling conscious and unconscious like a repeating cycle.
"We have 5 minutes before we have to go." Chan whispered.
Uh, weren't they talking about pizza before? He must have fallen asleep.
"Who's going to wake him?" Seungmin thought they were talking about him but couldn't be sure after all he didn't know if there was someone else asleep like him.
"He's so cute." The voice sounded strained as if they were containing themselves from doing something.
He heard the click of a camera next to him and maybe they were talking about him.
Someone hummed in agreement. "I want to squish his cheek but I think he would have my head."
"Can we not wake him?"
"But we would miss the plane."
"He looks so peaceful."
"Like a puppy."
"We could wait a few minutes."
"It wouldn't make much difference."
"I'm going to wake him."
"Wait, no."
Too much noise was happening around him and it was too much attention on him that he decided to open his eyes. He blinked a few times before registering that all the members were looking at him, they had all stopped on their tracks with whatever they were doing, Hyunjin being the closest to him.
"Hey, puppy." Hyunjin cooed. "Sleep well?"
Seungmin nodded as a yawn escaped his mouth which he hid behind his hand. "Is it time to leave?"
"Yeah, c'mon." Hyunjin offered his hands to help him get up.
Seungmin looked around and saw they were all ready to go, the suitcases that were once placed against the wall of the living room now were gone, probably already thrown into the van.
He took Hyunjin's hand and used it to get up. He wobbled a little as he stood up, still drowsy from sleeping, but Hyunjin was there to stabilize him, putting his other hand on his hip. He muttered a small thanks and took his time to get back to Earth slowly to make his limbs function properly so he wouldn't look like a newborn giraffe.
"Let's go." Felix's tone resonated deep like he too had just woken up from a nap.
Hyunjin didn't let go of his hand as they all got out of the building. When they arrived at the van Seungmin used his hand as support to get in and instead of sitting next to Hyunjin he was squished between Chan and Jisung. Without any fuss the rest climbed inside the van and it took off towards the airport.
Even though Seungmin had just taken a nap his eyes were dropping once again. Chan noticed and placed a hand in front of his eyes, keeping him from opening them again and Jisung slowly pushed his head towards him so he would rest it against his shoulder.
A sigh escaped his mouth when he saw they weren't going to let him stay awake, he squirmed a little until he found the perfect position and he was out in seconds.
When he woke up again they were near the airport and Chan was working on something in his laptop while Jisung had decided to put on his headphones and listened to some music as he looked out of the window.
Seungmin stood straight again, rubbing his eyes with his hands when he looked around again he saw Jisung was smiling at him. Jisung reached out to ruffle his hair and Seungmin tried to evade him but he couldn't move much in the car and ended up being a victim.
"You're cute." He thought he heard Jisung say but couldn't be sure because he was still sleepy and didn't want to believe it.
He had noticed it had become a normal occurrence now between members to compliment him when he thought he wasn't listening but he heard it a lot and if they really tried to hide it when they said something like that he didn't want to know how much they said it in reality.
They doted on him too much like he was the maknae next to Jeongin and which in a way it wasn't wrong as they were both the youngest but they didn't treat him like that before and now they did it a lot. Yet it didn't look forced but more like they had been wanting to do it for a long time but hadn't had the courage to do it. It was after his accident when they brought up that side of them more as if it had been the best excuse to spoil him more.
Seungmin knew he had come off before to the group as if he didn't like physical affection a lot but he had always thought of how it would be to be the one to receive all that affection but had never said it out loud. These past few weeks he had been the one initiating the contact and not them asking for affection, it felt as if a barrier was broken. Seungmin thought that maybe the problem before was that they didn't know his limits and they never knew if he was enjoying it.
Now, they knew he did in fact like affection and although he sometimes wanted moments to himself, to which they were very good at discerning when he needed them, he was basically now one of the most demanded members to cuddle because in their own words 'you give the best hugs'. He didn't know if it was true or if it was because they hadn't experienced them a lot before that they were claiming that.
But now more often than not he found himself in the middle of the cuddle pile they created after long suffering practices and had no energy to move. It was in moments like those that he realized what he was missing on when he didn't communicate with them, it was resolved for now and knew to talk with them if a problem arose or wanted something.
"We're there in 5 minutes." Jisung informed him. "So don't fall asleep again."
Seungmin nodded to let him know he had heard him before he rested his head again on Jisung's shoulder.
When they came to a stop, he looked out of the window and saw that there were already a lot of people waiting for them outside. Once they opened the door the shutter of cameras were loud and the flashes blinding.
They all got out of the van and posed for the cameras as the staff finished taking out their suitcases out of the van.
He knew they were ready to go into the airport when bodyguards surrounded them, creating a wall protecting them from the Stays which had come to see them.
They began walking to the entrance of the airport but the process was slow as there were a lot of fans waiting for them inside too. Some bodyguards were in front of them to make a path for them so they wouldn’t stop and have more risk of being touched by their fans.
Seungmin was in the middle next to Chan as they were going in pairs. At the very front was Hyunjin with Minho, behind them was Jisung and Felix, next was them and lastly Changbin and Jeongin.
Before going into the airport Seungmin had put on a mask, like most of them, and a cap. He could see in front of him how Jisung was wearing his headphones and under all the oversized clothes from him and Felix, Jisung was gripping Felix's hand tightly from the anxiety of being surrounded by so many people.
Seungmin adjusted the cap in his head so he wouldn’t be blinded by so many flashes of light from the camera, he took a deep breath to ground himself as he kept walking towards the direction they were guiding them.
Suddenly, the wall of bodyguards that were creating their paths broke and Stays came rushing toward their direction, making a beeline toward Minho and Hyunjin but before they could reach them the second line of bodyguards stopped them.
The eight of them stopped on their tracks so the bodyguards could handle it but Seungmin wasn’t stopping because of that.
Truth be told Seungmin wasn’t looking at the Stays, wasn’t looking if they were alright, wasn’t checking if they had broken the barrier. His stare was fixed in two figures in the middle of the sea of people, the only two persons who hadn’t moved when someone got past the bodyguards.
Their bodies were being pushed and pulled, people crashing into them without caring. Their gazes were locked with something - more like someone - they were staring intently at Seungmin, who was staring back at them.
Seungmin blinked once, then twice and even thrice to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. He thought that after putting a restraining order on his father would serve as a warning for the rest of his family and after what happened with Minseok and Doyoon too.
So what the fuck where his uncles doing here?
When the bodyguards regained their position and the situation was handled, Seungmin was nudged forward to continue moving by Chan.
Seungmin stayed one more second looking at them until both of them turned around.
Seungmin’s feet automatically kept him moving as his gaze stranded in the place where his uncles had disappeared. When he could no longer see them except if he looked back his gaze fell to the floor, his hands were shaking slightly, his mind was seconds away from telling him to run away, his core feeling numb.
He didn’t remember much after that, he didn’t know what was happening until he was dragged down to sit down.
Someone took his hands and gave them a light squeeze, Chan his mind registered.
Seungmin slowly looked up to meet Chan’s gaze who was looking at him worriedly, after all the one who didn’t do well in these situations was Jisung and not him.
“Minnie,” Chan said softly. “Is something the matter?”
“I-”
He should probably tell him, Chan would know what to do. After all it was them who told him he could rely on them so surely he wouldn’t be a burden if he told them what happened.
“I saw my uncles.” He whispered so low he was afraid he hadn’t heard and had to repeat himself once again.
Chan’s hands tightened slightly around his, hardly noticeable if you pay attention which he didn’t.
“Okay, okay.” Chan repeated as if to settle down his words.
Wordlessly, Seungmin slightly tilted his body towards Chan's direction seeking comfort from the leader, Chan was quick to wrap his arms around him and pulled him into one of his big, warm hugs. Seungmin let out a small sigh in content but Chan seemed to do the contrary as his arms tightened more.
“And what do you want to do about it?” Chan asked cautiously, more likely to be scared to say something that would bother Seungmin.
Seungmin knew what he wanted to do at the same time he didn’t. On one side he didn’t want to see them again and for this incident to happen again but on the other one it has only been one time, this time.
“I don’t know.” He broke the silence after what felt like an eternity.
“That's fine. You don’t have to know right away, we can figure it out later.” Chan had started to rub his back up and down.
They stayed like that for a while until the flight attendant came to them and told them to buckle their seatbelts so they had to separate.
After they strapped their seatbelts Chan’s hand came to rest upon Seungmin’s hand in comfort and Seungmin appreciated it.
Seungmin’s mind wandered elsewhere as they prepared for take off. Chan squeezed his hand lightly from time to time to tell him he was there for him if he needed him and soon Seungmin’s eyelids began to become more heavy as he succumbed to sleep.
Their stay at the hotel went well and the same with their concert.
Seungmin’s mind had relaxed more now that he knew he wasn’t in the same place as his relatives although sometimes in the back of his mind there was something nagging at him that he could not run away from them forever.
But lucky for him he had 7 caring members who would distract him from such thoughts for the majority of it except sometimes at night when he could stop the overflow of thoughts.
When they came back he was scared he was going to see them again at the airport and was tense no matter how many times the members tried to make him relax.
In the end, he didn’t see his uncles and his body finally calmed down when he hit his bed back at the dorm from the exhaustion from being on alert.
Time passed relatively quickly and sometimes Seungmin got the sensation he was being watched but when he looked around he didn’t see anyone and sometimes he thought he spotted his uncles through the crowd but when he squinted to see if it was them he didn’t see them so he just patched it up with him being paranoid. After all he didn't think that was an experience you could get over as if nothing.
This time they had decided to do a concert more in the outskirts of Seoul. They arrived at the hotel in the early morning by van and they still had time to rest and prepare themselves before going to the venue where they would get ready.
At first, Seungmin had to say he was impressed and no matter how many times in his life he went to hotels because of his job he would never be not amazed at how beautiful they can make them sometimes.
He hadn’t brought a suitcase, only a backpack because let’s be real, they were only going to stay one night. The rest of the members had done the same thing with the exception of Hyunjin and Felix, who always had too much to bring.
The moment they had arrived at the room he shared with Jisung he had flopped over the bed and snuggled against the bed sheets which smelled very clean in his opinion.
“Is it nice Min?” Seungmin could hear the smirk on his voice.
Even though Seungmin had been full of energy mere minutes ago he now felt tired, very tired, maybe the cause of it was all the traveling for concerts, meeting new fans and the jet lag, after all they had arrived not so long ago from their tour through Asia and were finishing in their city.
“Yeah.” Was all he could muster; no snarky remark, no playful banter.
“Get some sleep, puppy.” Jisung appeared in his line of vision. “We still have a few hours.”
As he closed his eyes the last thing he saw was Jisung’s heart-shaped smile.
He woke up to hushed murmurs and light shuffling. He took his time in getting accustomed to the light in the room and when he fully opened them he saw Jisung and Felix sitting on the other bed with their backs to him.
He got up in a sitting position and ruffled his hair to get it to a more acceptable manner. He stared at one point on the wall while his brain activated as he blinked once slowly.
“What’s the time?” He said, his voice a little deeper from sleep.
Felix and Jisung slowly turned their heads to him as they finished talking.
“Hi Minnie. We leave in…” Felix trailed as he looked at the time on his phone. “10 minutes.”
He nodded as he registered the time in his head.
“Did you have a good nap?” Jisung asked him as he turned around at the same time as Felix to properly look at him.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “It was good.”
Jisung hummed as he got up, Felix following seconds later. “C’mon, let’s go to the lobby, I think the rest are already there.”
Seungmin got up and lifted his arms in the air as he let out a yawn as he stretched. When he looked at them they were holding the door open but their attention was on him as they stared at him with affection.
Seungmin was quick to pass them walking by to hide the blush crawling up his neck but he saw it was no use when he heard their light chuckles, not that he minded. They walked down the long hallway towards the elevator that was at the other end of the hallway, he didn't know whose idea was to put their room so afar because he didn't feel like walking so much with the two of them teasing him.
When they got down they saw the rest waiting for them on some sofas. Seungmin was quick to make a beeline towards the biggest couch, which actually wasn’t that big, and sat down between Jeongin and Changbin.
In a moment, Changbin was already pressing himself against his side and Jeongin leaning on the other. “Did you sleep well hyung?”
“How did you know?” Seungmin asked instead of responding.
Jeongin only shrugged with a little smirk on his lips as he rested his head on his shoulder. “Well?”
“Yeah, it was fine.” He responded when he knew he wasn’t going to get a response from the younger one.
“That’s good then.” Changbin said as he scrolled on his phone.
Silence befalled over them as they waited for any indications that they would be moving for the venue. The indication came by the appearance of their manager.
Seungmin was the first one to see him because he was facing the busy hallway unlike the others and he didn’t have his eyes closed like Jeongin or was scrolling through his phone like Changbin.
Seungmin perked up when he saw him waving at them which Seungmin returned with a sealed smile.
“I didn’t expect you to all be here this early.” The manager spoke which caught all of their attention but when they saw it was their manager they went back to what they were doing.
“It’s not like we had anything more to do.” Chan responded.
“I can see that.” He said as he looked at all of them who were all or either with their phones or with their eyes closed. “But we have time until the van arrives, so they can still rest for a bit .”
“Yeah.” Chan agreed. “How are the preparations for the…”
Seungmin zoned out, it wasn’t as if it wasn’t important for him to know how their concert preparations are going, he was just still waking up from that long magnificent nap.
His eyes were strained in a point on the wall of the far end of the hallway that was until someone caught his attention. It was not the way he stepped down, the way he swung his arms when walking or how he was dressed.
It was the way he resembled someone who he had not seen in a long time and had wished, even prayed, he didn’t see him again but it looked like it was all futile attempts created by hope that he stayed far away.
It was a face he would never forget, one that was etched on his mind.
He knew that others had had it worse than him, that what he went through couldn’t and wouldn’t compare to the things that others had been put through but he could never fade the feeling of panic whenever he saw his face.
His eyes widened and his whole posture became tense, Jeongin who had been nicely resting against him suddenly being pushed off. Jeongin opened his mouth to start protesting but it quickly died down when he saw what state he was in.
He knew his breath had become shallow as the only thing he heard was the beating of his own heart and his eyes only followed his father’s steps. Seungmin’s eyes tracked every movement he did as he walked by, oblivious to whether he knew if he was there or not.
He knew the answer when his father was about to disappear through the door. His eyes flickered briefly towards him and a small smirk appeared on his face.
Seungmin felt the chills crawl up his spine as he curled a little upon himself subconsciously.
“...Seungmin.” Changbin asked wearily, which made Seungmin look at him after a few seconds.
A hand slithered on top of his, covering his closed fist, Seungmin released a shaky breath he didn't know he had been holding.
Seungmin took his time to calm down, ignoring the worried stares of his members or the concerned glances between Chan and the manager.
"I just- It's nothing." He fumbled with his words. "Just thought I saw something."
"You okay now?" Jeongin asked, still cautious as if one wrong word would make him start spiraling.
"Yeah, I'm fine." His throat suddenly felt parched but he licked his lips in response.
He forced himself to relax once again and the rest had no choice than to resume doing what they had been doing because if Seungmin didn't feel like talking about it then it was not their business to pry. Normally they would but they knew he had been more paranoid than what would be considered the normal. Ever since Seungmin said he saw his uncles at the airport his alertness went up more when they were nowhere near a place they knew.
Jeongin lounged back on Seungmin but this time instead of appearing as if it was for his own comfort it was as if he was trying to reassure him that everything was fine but Seungmin was sure of what he saw because he hadn't gotten any hallucinations and he didn't think they would start now. Changbin, by his side, put down his phone and opted to busy himself with playing with Seungmin's hand, the one he had covered when he became worried.
Time after, they were informed the van had already arrived and were ready to leave and as they made their way towards it Seungmin couldn't stop looking back at the direction his father had disappeared.
Light footsteps entered the bathroom where he was brushing his teeth. Soon after, Jisung appeared in his line of vision through the mirror.
Jisung already looked half asleep and it didn't surprise him at all after the concert. Truth be told, he wasn't as tired as the rest of them mostly because he never gave his full energy like the rest although this time he had seen how Jisung ran from one side of the stage to another so it was normal.
Jisung had finished brushing his teeth and doing his skincare routine long ago when Seungmin was just being lazy in bed. Now, he hadn't found other motivation to do it other than he didn't want to go to bed without the feeling of being clean.
He still had to shower to scrub the grime and sweat off his body after the concert but he just didn't want to go through all the process of washing so he settled with what he could and it wasn't as if he was going to sleep in that same bed more than today, it was their only day there.
Jisung had slipped into his pajamas while he was brushing his teeth, he didn't say anything as he approached Seungmin.
Jisung hugged him from behind, his arms wrapping around his waist as his head buried in his shoulder. He felt as Jisung's breath ghosted softly over his skin and he snuggled closer. Seungmin had nothing to say because his body also relaxed against Jisung.
It was a hug he didn't know he needed after such a tiring day.
They slowly started rocking back and forth while Seungmin finished brushing his teeth and when he did he they both stilled in the quietness as they relished the feeling. Seungmin tilted his head a little in Jisung's direction so he could rest his head over his and his fingers found the arms around his waist as he gripped them lightly.
They were both forced to separate when they heard a knock on the door. Jisung let his arms fall which made Seungmin drop his too. Jisung lingered a little, pressed against his back, as he found the will to separate.
Seungmin walked to open the door and Jisung let himself fall onto the bed with a huff. Seungmin looked through the peephole and when he saw it was Jeongin he opened the door.
"Hi hyungs!" He cheerfully greeted them to which Jisung answered with a grunt from where he was face planted and Seungmin didn't even bothered to say anything and busied himself with taking out his pajama from his backpack.
"I was going to get some snacks from the vending machine and I was wondering if one of you wanted to come." Jeongin told them as he sat down on Seungmin's bed. "The other hyungs didn't want to, said they were too tired but that I couldn't go alone."
"Soooooo..." Jeongin paused and looked at them suspiciously. "Could one of you come with me?"
Jisung let out a loud groan just at the thought of getting up from his bed. "Not me." Came the muffled voice of Jisung as he repositioned himself better on the bed to prove his point.
With a sigh Seungmin left his backpack on the floor and walked up to Jeongin. "I'll go with you but," he emphasized, "no distractions."
And just at the thought of going through the hall made him wince. That's why he told Jeongin no distractions so it would look longer than it already was.
"Okay hyung!" He responded happily as he jumped back to his feet.
Seungmin wanted to know where he got the energy from because they did not have the same energy level after a concert, he had the necessary energy to go through the choreographies for a concert and nothing else to spare.
Without Seungmin noticing, Jeongin was already tugging at his sleeve and out the door while waving at Jisung, who hadn't even bothered to look up as they disappeared from the room.
They walked down the hallway which was barren but looking at the hour it wasn't surprising. Everyone had already turned in for the night except for a few who were coming late at night from a company dinner or having fun with some friends.
Jeongin guided them towards the vending machines on the first floor, not letting go of his sleeve, and Seungmin could almost tell there was a small skip in his steps.
"Did you enjoy the concert that much?" Seungmin muttered under his breath.
"It was a good concert." He said as he came to a stop in front of the vending machine to look through the options he had to choose from as Seungmin leaned on the machine as he lazily looked at Jeongin, ready to go back to bed at any moment.
He hummed in agreement which slowly turned into a yawn, he hid it behind a hand as he watched Jeongin pay.
"Ready?" He asked Jeongin as he picked up the snacks.
"Yeah, let's go back." He confirmed , this time instead of taking his sleeve he took his hand, not that Seungmin cared.
Seungmin clung to his hand as they made their way back to their rooms. They went up in the elevator and down the hallway once again, slower this time because Seungmin was feeling heavier with sleep and if he moved closer to Jeongin's body heat he'd say he hadn't noticed.
Half way down the hall they heard the click of a door but they didn't bother to look back. It wasn't until he thought he heard a whisper that sounded very similar to his name did he look back.
What he saw made him freeze mid-step.
He had completely forgotten what he saw with all the preparations before the concert, the fun he had during it and the exhaustion that pushed him down and told him to rest and forget everything, which he did. Maybe his mind had labeled it as a fleeting thought he had or a hallucination from all the freaking out about him, or maybe it he thought he was safe from just having a restraining order. But he knew that the only thing they shared in common was the stubbornness to get what they wanted.
Seungmin had turned half his body towards him and Jeongin didn't notice who was behind them until he felt a pull from his hand from where Seungmin was rooted in his place. When he looked back he inhaled sharply, clearly recognizing him from that time at the dorm when he came knocking.
Seungmin's grip in Jeongin's hand had lessened and was trembling slightly as he stared back with fearful eyes. In contrast, Jeongin's grip never faltered, if more it tightened as he pulled Seungmin a little closer making him stumble back.
His father looked nothing like he remembered from this morning.
He looked more like that day on Christmas.
His hair was a mess and his face was red from the effects of alcohol. His body was slumped as if he couldn't support his weight well. His clothes were rumpled and wrinkled with stains of what looked like alcohol and food. His eyes looked hazed and distant but it was clear he had or one distinguished them or believed that some stranger was him but it didn't matter as it looked like they had become their target, although his head hung low looking at the floor. Dangling from one of his hands was a nearly drank bottle of soju as it swayed the contents as he oscillated from side to side.
Jeongin was guarded, ready to act if anything that would put them in danger occurred.
"You..." His father whispered as he slowly lifted his arm while he pointed at them.
Seungmin's heart jumped in his chest as he took a step back, his breathing picking up every waiting moment. With every step Seungmin took back, Jeongin was moved to the side to put himself between them. Seungmin wanted to do something but didn't want to take his eyes off him.
Jeongin's eyes were staring at his father in a manner he never thought he'd see on him, he squeezed his hand which helped both of them ground them a little in this situation.
They didn't want to do any brusque movement in risk of him doing something unpredictable, it was as if they were treating a wild animal because neither of them knew how he would act.
"It's your fault." He continued like he was talking to himself.
He took a step forward, lifting his head and gazing directly at his eyes.
"It's all your fault!" He screamed as he suddenly charged against them.
Seungmin didn't move from his place and he would have been a victim of his father's anger if Jeongin hadn't pulled his hand to begin running with him towards their room.
They were lucky he was drunk and did a zigzag as he tried catching up to them.
Jeongin didn't let go of his hand as they passed the doors quickly until they arrived in front of their door.
"Put in the password." Jeongin nearly yelled at him which was understandable when they had a man coming at them.
Sungmin let go of his hand as they became clammy with sweat as he tried to remember the pin. His mind was a mess and a jumble forgetting the pin in an important moment, he was panting trying to catch his breath after running. He risked glancing where his father was as Jeongin vibrated nervously besides him.
He had put himself between Seungmin and his father to intercept him in case they couldn't open the door.
Seungmin fumbled with his hands and his fingers swiped through the pad as he tried to put the correct pin.
The door beep and Seungmin hurriedly pushed the door open, Jeongin following immediately and closing the door and locking it.
Jisung, who had been half asleep on the bed already, looked up when they made too much noise. He made a confused sound when he saw the two of them breathing heavily trying to catch their breaths.
Seconds later, a thud pounded the door, very likely a fist, and then a smash, the sound of crystal breaking muffled through the door. Seungmin walked backwards until he found the wall on the other side of the door and slid down until he was sitting on the floor, he curled into himself as he hugged his knees.
Jisung was up in an instant, the first thing he did was take his phone in his hand and tug Jeongin away from the door. The hits continued to resound through making the door tremble with the sheer force.
Seungmin covered his ears with his hands trying to block out the noise. He hadn't known for a fact he started crying if it wasn't for the wetness rolling down his cheeks, the tears falling to his clothes. He had started hyperventilating a little when he saw his father but that sprint hadn't helped at all as he tried to gasp for air.
He thought he heard shouts of panic and bangs of anger but he couldn't concentrate on anything at all, it was all too loud. The hand on his ears slowly made their way towards his hair and subconsciously he pulled at the roots of his hair. It was also a way to make his fingers stop trembling although with him crying and his shoulders shaking it didn't make much of a difference.
But before he could spiral more out of control, a presence slipped in front of him. He took hold of his hands on his hair as he slowly separated them from his head and instead held them tight to his chest.
Seungmin lifted his head, only to stare at the blurry figure of Hyunjin.
He wanted to say something but the words were stuck at his throat, more like the air.
"We're here Min." He felt another pair of hands grab his face as he felt his rise with the deep breaths Hyunjin was taking in.
He followed the rise and fall of Hyunjin's chest or more like attempted for quite some time until he finally managed to calm down and when he did he sagged down, his head falling limp on the hands that were supporting his head.
When he looked to see who it was he saw Minho staring intently at him for any signs of discomfort, his eyes wandering all over his face.
That's when he tuned in on his surroundings. The door to their room was wide open and an unpleasant smell of alcohol was swifting through the air, the door had scratch marks from where the bottle had broken and blood from the pounding fists on the door. Felix, Jeongin and Jisung were on one of the beds cuddling together as Changbin and Chan were outside with the manager talking with security.
"You've done so good Minnie." Hyunjin told him as he shifted on the balls of his feet where he was crouching, catching his attention once again.
Then, his hands were released and left on his knees as Hyunjin got up but before Seungmin could protest he was leaving him behind, Hyunjin sat beside him and lifted him to settle him in his lap, Minho releasing his hands.
Seungmin's legs were on both sides of Hyunjin's legs and his arms went to wrap around his neck as he snuggled close, hiding his face on his neck. Hyunjin's arms were wrapped around his waist as he continued to whisper in Seungmin's ear praise.
And before he knew it he had fallen asleep.
Seungmin fidgeted nervously with the sleeve of his sweater.
He had always hated the conference rooms at JYPE, not because the only thing they did there was business but because it always meant they were there to talk about serious things which normally inclined towards bad news.
Chan put his hand over Seungmin to stop all the fiddling
"Mr.Kim." The police officer said in front of him. "As you already know your father has been arrested for violation of the restraining order and destroying private property of the hotel."
Seungmin nodded, of course he remembered that night.
"He'll be sent 2 years of jail for it or maybe more for indirect stalking, it will be decided at court. And-"
"What do you mean by indirect stalking?" Chan interrupted not so politely.
"There has been found evidence that Mr.Kim's uncles had been watching him and then reported this information to his father and there has been found several evidence also in his electronic devices that he has been searching for information about him or the whole group in general."
Seungmin didn't say anything as he pressed his lips together and looked down at the hands in his lap.
When the police officer noticed they weren't going to say anything more he continued.
"As I was saying and as for your uncles they will be forced to pay a fine and you could put a restraining order if it's of your liking too." he finished as he slid down a file to them with all the information he had just said out loud.
Chan let go of Seungmin's had to let him take the files into his own hands.
When he opened them it was all photos of the group at an event or the airport. He recognized it from all the people gathered together but they weren't the main focus. The main focus was his uncles who were caught on the peripherals of the cameras of a fan.
Seungmin didn't know what to say because there were a lot of them, there was also the evidence of the search history of his father where he was the main point.
Seungmin placed the file on the table once again with shaky hands as he took a deep breath, Chan offering him a small smile of support.
The officer took the file again and gathered his things. "That's all for now and we'll contact you if anything rises."
That's all he said before he got up from his seat and bowed in goodbye to the two of them and JYP. As the officer disappeared the room stayed in silence as they all processed the words.
"Seungmin," Chan caught his attention. "Could you wait outside with Felix for a moment while I finish talking?"
Seungmin nodded as he flickered his eyes to JYP, standing up and offering him a small bow.
He left the room and on the other side of the door, on the bench, Felix was waiting for them to get out.
He looked up the moment the door opened and was quick to be on his feet when he saw it was only Seungmin coming out after the police officer left.
As he stood up he grabbed him by the arm and pushed him down on the bench to sit down as he sat next to him. Felix placed his head on Seungmin's shoulder as he started playing with Seungmin's hand.
"What did they say?" He asked quietly although in the lonely hallway it sounded loud.
"He was going to jail." He resumed instead of repeating everything himself, he knew if he gave permission to Chan he would fill them in on everything instead of him.
"Mmh, and how do you feel?" Because as much as he liked to know what happened to him, he cared more for Seungmin’s well-being than his father even though he was happy to know they would at least get rid of him during the time he was in prison.
"Don't know." Seungmin mumbled, turning his palm up as he stared down at them. "Right now, numb."
"That's fine too." Felix said as he intertwined their fingers together, taking advantage of the position of his hands, giving him a light squeeze "You can think about it and say it later."
Silence reigned over them as they waited for Chan to finish his talk with JYP. Seungmin's fingers curled over Felix's hand, telling him that he was there with him
Minutes after, Chan came out of the room and watched them with careful eyes. He knew what he was looking for. He was looking for a sign of watery eyes, for discomfort if his lips twisted or anxiety if he bit the inside of his cheek.
"You okay pup?" He asked when he saw none of it and was met with a rather blank stare.
"He's fine, just a little numb." When Felix saw he wasn't going to say anything he did for him, a thing which he was thankful for. "Isn't that right Minnie?"
"Yeah." He whispered although it was heard well by both of them.
"C'mon." Felix said, suddenly getting up, smiling at him until his eyes crinkled, his hand slipping free from Seungmin's "I'm sure the others are waiting for us."
"He's right." Chan agreed with him as he extended his hand for him to take, to replace the warmth lost by Felix's hand. "They are waiting. Minho texted me not so long ago that if we were coming back soon or the food would get cold."
"C'mon, let's go home Seungmin." Felix said as he tilted his head to the side with an unwritten expression on his face.
Warmth ran through his body at the thought of what was waiting for him once they got back to the dorm.
He thought of Minho's cooking that was prepared with such it reminded him of his mother although neither Minho would admit he poured everything in them and Seungmin that it reminded him of home cooked meals of his mother. He thought of Changbin's care who did it without thinking, always subconsciously adjusting things around them until they were comfortable. He thought of Jeongin's cheekiness, of how he got away with almost everything and annoyed them so much it just turned into a form of appreciation, adoration towards them. He thought of Hyunjin who was too loud for him but anyways managed to make his way into his heart by always being by his side. He thought of Jisung who no matter what he's been through, during his ups and downs, kept a smile on his face which encouraged him to do the same thing.
And of course Chan and Felix, who were both there with him. He thought of how Felix was there to cheer him up with his chaotic energy and lifted his spirits and made him get out of bed when he just wanted to hide behind his covers. He thought of Chan who was an amazing leader and took matters into his own hands when someone else was in trouble without even thinking twice or asking if they needed help.
Seungmin sat there a second, as he came to the realization that even as things got difficult he would always had them by his side not because he wanted him there, which he did, but because they wanted to be there by their own will by his side, before slipping his hand onto his with a small smile as he got up.
"Yeah, let's go home." He mumbled back to make it feel real that he did have someone waiting for him and he wasn't a burden to them because they wanted to carry it alongside him on their shoulders.
He was glad he wasn't going through it all alone, he didn't know what he would do without them.