Chapter Text
Two dancers flew in one soul across the stage.
In a fluid movement of emotions, limbs moving as an extension of the heart, the dance rose and fell with the music, a duet of skill and emotion.
Hands clasped together, united.
And then one, spotlighted and shining, blazing alone in brilliance.
The stage was decorated beautifully. It was, truthfully, mainly digitized backgrounds, royal colors of gold and red, but it was still stunningly done. There were additional set pieces, like the walls of a palace, draped in heavy velvet curtains.
Between the colors and the lights, the dancers stood out like guiding flames, seared and blazing in the vision of the audience.
Each, one after another, from Wooyoung, to Karina, to Juyeon, to--
"Wah," Felix whispered, watching as Hyunjin came to the end of his solo performance, "Seriously amazing…"
"Hm," Chaeryeong hummed, eyes on the figure behind Hyunjin, who was waiting for her turn in the light, "They went above and beyond for the stage sets… but nothing outshines the members' hard work, seriously."
Yuna gasped as Hyunjin suddenly stood still, facing away, and Yeji pulled her head up, eyes fiercely on the camera, as she pushed his shoulder aside and came to the center of the stage.
"Ooh!" They all held their breath and gave little noises of glee, when Hyunjin mirrored Yeji's dancing from behind, when they clasped hands and Yeji spun, propelled around Hyunjin, when the lights went dark and the spotlight was on a fight-like dance between the two.
Their members flushed with pride at the excellence, Chan smiling, "So good. Only the best from them."
Due to a busy schedule, neither groups had actually been able to see the performance rehearsals till now. They'd known of it, caught glimpses, snippets they wanted feedback on, small steps they needed another set of eyes to look over.
But this rehearsal was the first time the whole performance of it all was taken in.
And it was breathtaking.
One around the other, two dolls on the suspended strings of weightlessness, with the passion and precision of experience capturing the attention of every soul and--
Chan's soul froze, "What's that sound?"
It happened in slow motion.
Yeji was behind Hyunjin, both of them facing towards the audience, as a horrible creaking echoed, the screen backdrops flickering in malfunction.
They kept going, like the professionals they were.
Until they heard the screams of their members, panicked and screeching, and Hyunjin turned--
" Wah--?"
Perhaps it was the shadow that overtook his senses, but he felt the weight of Yeji stumbling into him, both of them falling to the floor clumsily.
Hyunjin pushed her hair from his face, and only had a split moment to register the velvet curtains overshadowing them and the entire set that was following it down to the ground.
Coming, harrowing, to crush them.
There was no time to move.
A stray bar fell on top of them as Yeji tried to stand and scramble away, collapsing her back onto Hyunjin, "Ah!"
It happened too quickly.
Hyunjin pulled Yeji down onto him, and rolled, suspending himself off her the best he could as the set continued to fall.
" Hnng~ " the crash echoed over the screams, drowning them out, " Ah, ah--!"
Sudden heaviness overwhelmed him.
He couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't breathe.
Dead, dead, dead, dead-dead, dead-dead-dead, dead--
He felt nothing.
And then, a still quiet.
"Hng," the first thing he registered was a pounding at his head, "Ah, wha--?"
He couldn't think about anything except the shifting around him, untraceable sound, and he couldn't remember where he was.
When everything seemed to settle, there was a whining sound, pulsing, like the whimpering of a dog, and it took many moments for Hyunjin to realize--
Oh that's me.
He took a deep breath, and tried to open his eyes, everything still shadowed and dark.
The stage. I was on stage.
… Where's the stage?
He couldn't see.
So he focused on what he could feel.
Hard, metal and wood on top of me, heavy and hard, and beneath me--
A familiar perfume scent filled his senses. One he could place from trainee days, and beyond.
"Y-Yeji?"
He pulled himself up, and felt around, quickly coming in contact with something soft, with wispy hair beneath him.
"Yeji? H-hey, hey-hey--" his vision slowly came back, and through the cracks of light, he made out her face, turned to the side, emotionless below him, "Hey, w-wake-- Ye-- hey--"
"Hyunjin-ah? Hyun--"
"Yeji-ah! Can you hear us?"
Hyunjin felt a panic, Why wasn't Yeji responding?
"Yah, Yeji-ah," he sounded desperate, even to himself, "Yeji, wake up--"
"Hyunjin?!"
There was a sudden shift in the debris, and Hyunjin braced himself on top of Yeji, shielding her body from anything more that would collapse on them.
His only thought was, survive-survive-survive-- is she even alive?
He kept his eyes on her face, with scratches on her cheeks, before he pressed his ear down, listening for the sound of--
Heartbeat? Breathing?
Hyunjin let out a whimper.
He could hear nothing over the pulsing of blood in his ears, and his labored breath close around them.
Something shifted, more weight on top of him, and Hyunjin's arms shook. He was exhausted. He was in so much pain, he couldn't feel anything.
He was going to die.
"I'm sorry," he said, although he wasn't sure to whom, dropping his forehead to Yeji's as his muscles started to fail him, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
The light flickered in and out.
The weight increased, and decreased, only to increase again.
Hyunjin's head throbbed.
Goodbye.
It sounded like a good last thought.
I love you all.
Sounds jumbled, voices he might have imagined and wished for.
Goodbye.
In his hopelessness, Hyunjin felt himself sprouting wings, drifting to heaven, and he felt pulled off Yeji, floating--
Lighter.
Hyunjin's eyes flew open.
The weight on his back lightened.
And with it, he found he could see, see Yeji below him, she his bloody hands propped next to her, see the glass, the splintered wood, the velvet--
Shifting.
Saving me?
The debris kept shifting, more light building Hyunjin as the weight on his back lightened, "Hwang Hyunjin, if you can hear me, I need you to make a sound?"
"H-hyung?"
Someone swore.
It sounded beautiful, and it took all his effort to keep from sobbing in relief as the velvet curtain was pulled away, the beautiful world beyond the debris flickering into view.
"Oh thank God," Chan had tear-stains on his cheeks, and Hyunjin's lower lip wobbled shamelessly.
Changbin, Seungmin, and Chan all pulled up the debris that separated them from the two dancers, Jisung calling the others over quickly.
Hyunjin's heart was practically beating out of his chest.
"Hyung," he whimpered pathetically, words failing him, "Hyung, I--"
Chan was talking, yelling orders, and Hyunjin could only make out some of what he said.
Everything was so hard to understand.
"Hyu--" his head dropped, heavy, and fell to Yeji's shoulder, "Hng…"
His vision wobbled dangerously, and Chan cursed, "Hey, hey-hey, keep talking Hyunjin-ah, keep talking. Hyunjin? Hey, is Yeji alright? Yeji-ah? Yeji, are you alright?"
Why was he asking? Didn't he know?
There were more voices calling for her, shrill and squeaky.
She's important. She should answer them, before they worry.
"Yej…" He lifted his head lazily, and couldn't find the energy to lift his hand and tap her, "Hey, you hafta… you gotta…"
He couldn't move.
Maybe if he tapped her with his feet, she'd---
Oh.
Oh, right, oh God, oh–
"Hyunjin? Hey what's wrong, are you in pain? Hyunjin, I need you to answer me, what's--"
"Can't feel…" His words were slurring, his vocal coach would be mad , "She's not here… she's not…"
"Who's not here?" Seungmin's voice was calmer, angelic almost, and Hyunjin looked up to Seungmin close to his face, so close he could feel his breath on his cheek, "Yeji? She's right here is she--"
He watched as Seungmin's hand went to Yeji's nose.
Then let out a sigh of relief.
"Alive," he smiled, and then put a hand on Hyunjin's head, and then on something on his upper back, that was holding him down, "Hang on Hyune…"
He wanted to say something, but all he could manage was whimper.
Alive?
"Hey--" he scolded her weakly, "Hey, don't play games… hey…"
“On three,” Chan commanded, and there were many feet very close to Hyunjin, “One… two… three!”
The weight was lifted, like a heavy burden rolled off.
He could breathe, this was breathing, and he felt free, his arms finally giving up as he rolled to the side–
“Ah!” he couldn’t move his legs, he could barely feel them, but he was alive, and his muscles gave up and relaxed.
Free, he felt free.
Like he could finally rest….
“Hey, hey-hey-hey,” someone’s hands came on him, on his shoulders and hip, “Stay awake, keep your eyes open, c’mon Hyunjin-ah–”
“Don’t you dare close your eyes, Hwang Hyunjin,” someone swore, hands on his face, “Don’t you– open your eyes, baby, open your f—- ”
It was annoying, all the voices telling him something so hard, when it was so easy to close his eyes and…
“Hyunjin.”
Instinctually, Chan’s voice grabbed at his chest and pulled.
“Open your damn eyes, Hyunjin.”
It was like struggling against lead, struggling against a sticky glue pinning his eyes shut, but Chan’s voice was insistent, and he was their leader, and he was his hyung and–
“Good job,” Chan held Hyunjin’s shoulder tightly, and Hyunjin could make out his eyes, serious, strained, always heavy with responsibility but so strained, “Good job, baby, good job, we’re getting help, hold on–”
Jeongin was crying next to him, and Hyunjin tried to smile before him, swatting him away, because their maknae didn’t need to be here, he was getting too sad.
“S’okay, IN-ah,” he mumbled, and tried to turn, blinking to try and see better as more light poured in, “Don’t cry.”
He could feel his legs now, wiggling his toes and relaxing immediately.
He tried to turn because someone else was crying, but Minho’s hands were on his face.
“Stay still,” Minho scolded, and then rubbed his thumbs on his cheeks, soothingly, “Sh, stay still.”
He wanted to pout, and there was a short laugh from next to Minho, Jisung’s cheeks coming into view, “Still so pouty? Ah Hwang Hyunjin, at least we know your head isn’t too messed up!”
Changbin shadowed him, and Hyunjin could maybe hear him scold Jisung lightly, but his head was starting to hurt again.
Throbbing, pulsing…
Someone rubbed his leg, “Hang on, help’s coming…”
If he wasn’t confused before, he was confused now, because why? Chan and the others had helped, they were safe now, what help? Who needed–?
Panic gripped his heart, cold, like a shock to the soul, and his eyes darted around, trying to move against Minho’s firm hold.
“Aigoo, Hyunjin, you need to–”
“Yeji.”
Hyunjin’s eyes were wide, “Hyung, Yeji, is she–? Where is–? What’s–?”
“Sh-sh-sh-sh,” Minho’s fingers slowly moved against his cheeks again, calmly, grounding, “Calm down, we’ve got her, it’s alright…”
Minho was lying.
Hyunjin felt it. In the depths of his bones, he knew–
He tested his muscles, folding one leg up… and then the other.
Minho’s mouth rounded in surprise, “What’re you–?”
“Hyunjin,” Seungmin and Jisung tried to grab his legs, to push them back down, “What if you’re injured, you’ve got to–”
He’d stopped listening. He didn’t have the energy to think more than one thought at a time, and he only had one important thought pushed to the forefront of his mind. He tested his back, shaking side to side, testing what he could feel and what hurt.
There were slight twinges, but it didn’t flare too dangerously.
It didn't matter.
Hyunjin’s hands found Minho’s, “Hyung, let me go.”
Minho swallowed harshly, looking around, either for Chan or someone with more authority to stop him, “Hyunji–”
“Hyung, move, I–”
He was suddenly pushed down, Minho sitting up, hands on his shoulders, and pushing him down, “Don’t you dare. You could have a neck injury, don’t you–”
“I don’t, hyung.”
Hyunjin couldn’t explain why, but Minho didn’t have a very strong resolve. They’d seen how Hyunjin had been when they’d found him. A concussion? Absolutely, but…
There was someone sobbing.
It pulled Hyunjin to sit up.
There were hands to balance him, steady him, but the sobbing kept him upright.
“Hyunjin…” Changbin warned, “You’ll get more hurt, you need to–”
He wasn’t listening.
His mind was focused, zeroing in on the source of the crying, that terrible sobbing that was pained, and hurting, and–
Yeji.
Yeji-Yeji-Yeji.
She couldn’t think.
Ah, pain, hurt–
Pulsing, splitting, piercing–
Pain, pain, pain–
Yeji sobbed, and each sob brought more pain, overwhelmingly flooding everything, so that all she could do was writhe in pain, and bring more pain upon in flashes, blazes of burning fire that seared her senses and–
God, make it stop, please, please-please-please, it hurts, it hurts so much–
“I-it’s alright, alr-r-r-right, sh-sh-sh-sh, it’s o-okay unnie…”
Yeji heard the voice, but she didn’t truly hear it.
“Unnie, we’re right here, it’s alright…”
“ Oh God… ”
Someone was swearing, there was a lot of swearing, and it echoed in her mind, she screamed it in her mind over and over.
“Sh,” cold hands were on her head, one laid across her forehead, two on her cheeks, keeping her from moving, “Unnie, shh….”
Yeji tried. She tried, and she tried, with all her might, but it was like lightning, cold flames licking up her body, and she couldn’t feel, couldn’t tell her muscles to anything, overwhelmed with pain, pain, pain, pain—
She sobbed, screwing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth, but the sound she heard was an anguished cry, from somewhere within her.
“Unnie…” hearing Ryujin sound so pained made Yeji want to die, and she opened her eyes, just for her dongsaengs, and saw Ryujin’s hurt face, “Unnie, please… just stay still… hold on, alright, they’re coming…”
Yeji wanted to pat her hand, tell her something good, but the pain, the pain–
She bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly again.
“Oh the blood– oh, oh, she’s bleeding everywhere, oh…” Chaeryeong’s voice was shaky, lilted and far away, and Yeji opened her eyes just to find her, somewhere high, far away, being pulled away by someone she vaguely recognized…
“Chae…” it hurt to speak, and Ryujin petted her face.
“Don’t speak, unnie, just stay awake, stay with me.”
That was a hard task.
That’s hard, Ryujinnie.
There was shaky crying behind her, and she could hear Lia, somewhere, holding Yuna and telling her something in a calmed voice.
“Please…” she rasped, the pain overwhelming her again, “Please, please…”
“Unnie…” Ryujin’s voice was like water in the desert, and Yeji hung on to every word, “Unnie, please… you’re going to be fine, the medics are coming, Chan’s getting the medics, Chan-oppa and-and-and the managers will be right back…”
“Here,” someone came beside her, shaky, and Yeji recognized Felix’s voice, “Here, noona, here–”
His voice cracked, and he pressed something to her torso, shaking terribly.
She hissed.
“Sorry…” he mumbled, and quickly got up, Lia taking his place.
“We’re taking care of you,” Lia said, although it sounded like she was talking to herself, “You’ll be fine.”
Yeji wanted to say something sweet, something kind and grateful, but Lia put pressure on her, and she felt a new pain, numb and blunt, stopping her heart again.
“A- ah! ” she cried, “No-no, no-no-no, please–”
“You’re bleeding, Yeji, I have to–”
“ Hnng, ah! P-please, please– I’m sorry, sorry, sorry-sorry, please–”
It was too much.
Where were they? Why were they here?
She wanted to go away, she wanted to leave, and she wanted to leave now, and she wanted to go somewhere safe--
Yes, safe. And familiar and comforting--
"No, p-please, I--" it was hard to breathe, it was such a struggle to take in each breath, and her eyes found Ryujin's and she pleaded, "I can't, I can't , I-I-I--"
Ryujin started crying, and Yeji felt a pressing guilt, pushing down on her chest on top of the panic, heavy and overbearing.
Death, dying, dead---
She took gasping breaths, sobbing, and Ryujin looked away, someone coming around her shoulder, firm and steady as he sat beside them.
"Sh, easy, Yeji-ah," Chan's voice was trying to be soothing, but Yeji heard nothing but his unsettled panic, "Easy, breathe, you need to--"
She tried to pull away from him, twisting her neck suddenly and--
She screamed.
"Ahh!!"
Piercing, paralyzing pain, everywhere, everywhere --
"Oh my God, don't let her move, keep her steady--"
"Unnie, please, please Unnie, stay still--"
" Here! Please, please over here!"
Yeji wanted to die.
Why wasn't she dead, why didn't they just end it?
She sobbed, sobbed so hard she thought her heart would break, thought her soul would finally free itself, and she'd be free, free –
"The medics are coming, Yeji," Lia tried to say reassuringly, "You're going to be alright."
No, I'm not.
She couldn't feel anything. She didn't want to. She wanted to die, and she wanted to be done with this pain. It was too much, too much--
"Hey--"
That voice.
She pushed through the pain clouding her mind to latch onto that voice.
"Hey, Yeji-ah--"
She wanted to turn, but Ryunin wouldn't let her, hands firmly pointing her face to the ceiling.
But she needed it, this one anchor.
There were protests:
"Hyung, don't--"
"Wait, what're you--"
"Careful, you--"
"Hyunjin!"
Hyunjin.
She blindly put her hand out, grasping, reaching--
Warm. Comforting.
His hand in hers.
"Hey," his voice was raspy, but soft, and she blinked and suddenly he was hovering over her.
Hovering… like…
Her mind flashed back, to scenes she couldn't place, Hyunjin grabbing her, everything falling, crushing them, but Hyunjin holding it above her.
Protecting her.
It was a thought she'd put to a weak mind later, but for now, it was the strong tie she needed.
His fingers slipped between hers. Holding tightly.
Strong.
Warm.
She tried to smile. He tried to too.
It hurt.
"Hyunjin, your back is bleeding," Minho muttered, using someone's jacket to wrap him and coaxing him to the ground.
He left her field of vision.
Yeji ached.
The pain came back.
But everytime it did, she squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.
Her thoughts chanted something different, safe, safe, safe--
"Stay awa-- hey! Hey-hey, stay awake!"
Hyunjin squeezed Yeji's hand.
Yeji squeezed back.
Tethered, anchored.
The world blurred around them. The medics came, they went somewhere, somewhere cold and bleached, but where they were finally allowed to close their eyes.
And rest.