Forget-me-not

Seungmin

Spring was coming and everyone could feel it. The sun beamed brighter than usual. The milky gray skies had turned to bright blues. The thick low hanging winter clouds were replaced with puffier and brighter white clouds that looked like cotton balls.

The quiet winter mornings were slowly starting to fill with the familiar chirps and tweets of birds. Wildlife was coming back out of hiding and the grass was starting to look a little greener. All that slushy snow had finally melted. As temperatures crept above freezing, everyone was itching for that long forgotten warmth.

Heavy winter coats were being replaced with thick jackets. Scarves were being taken off and placed back into the spots for winter apparel. Life seemed to be a little happier for everyone and that included Seungmin.

On the way home from the studio, he had to stop himself from skipping home. Beneath his face mask, he was quietly mumbling to himself. Thanks to Hyunjin, Cynthia knew who he was. Sure, maybe she wasn't head over heels in love with him, but she knew him and that was enough for now.

She watched compilation videos of him and, after meeting with Hyunjin yesterday, Seungmin found out Cynthia thought he was hilarious. It took Cynthia a while to get used to his teasing and smart ass remarks when they first dated, but eventually she grew used to it. She found his quick wit and sarcasm amusing. If she found it funny now, that meant she wouldn't have to get used to it again when they met.

As of now, he was trying to figure out how to explain everything to her without overwhelming her. That was the one singular thing he was worried about. He had been spending time researching amnesia and how it worked. He didn't want to overwhelm her. She seemed to get along great with Hyunjin, so maybe if he was there, she'd cope better with the news.

His thoughts jumbled and twisted together. It'd be better if he was home and could put together a plan in one of his journals. It was easier to write everything out and look at it rather than juggle everything in his brain. He let out a sigh, pulled down his baseball cap, and continued back to the dorm.

As far as he knew, Felix and I.N should have already been home. They got to head back home after they finished recording their lines. He was still the last one to record his lines, so it made sense for him to be the last one home. He had no idea where Lee Know was. He was always usually doing something.

It was nice to meander down the streets of Seoul for once. Without the freezing air, he could get away with walking home without risking hypothermia or frostbite. It was a nice change of pace. Plus, he liked going on walks and clearing his mind.

He was considering stopping by a local coffee shop when his wrist was grabbed. Without warning, he was yanked into a side alley. Before he could get out any kind of response, a forearm was against his throat. Shoved into the side of the brick building, the back of his head slammed into the red brick.

He gritted his teeth and hissed in pain as he shut his eyes. When he reopened them, he met the fierce blue eyes of Flora. The sight of her red hair was a little too familiar. Her arm jerked tighter against his throat.

Finally coming to his senses, Seungmin shoved her off. She stumbled back a few steps and huffed. Her hands curled into fists at her side. Not one to waste time, she swung one of them up. Letting it fly through the air, Seungmin was quick to catch it. His fingers went pale around the ball of her fist.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He spat. "Hit me, I fucking dare you. Hit me and you'll earn yourself a one way ticket to jail for assaulting me."

Flora glared and jerked her fist from Seungmin's grasp. The pinked claw marks across her cheek, from the dog attack months ago, were red with irritation. She must have been scratching the spot with her nails. Somehow the reddened area seemed to add extra fuel to her fiery persona.

"What the hell did I tell you? I warned you to keep your band mates away from Cynthia. I told you to keep them away or else!"

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

Seungmin knew exactly what Flora meant. He knew Hyunjin had been in contact with Cynthia. He knew Hyunjin had seen her in real life a few times. He knew, but he wasn't going to spill that information to Flora. At least, not willingly.

"Keep Hyunjin away from Cynthia! He's been talking to her! How the fuck did she get his information?"

"It's not my fucking responsibility to keep Cynthia's friends away from her! Maybe if you just told her the truth, she wouldn't have to sneak around you!"

"I'm fucking warning you," Flora's voice came out deadly. "I'm giving you one last warning. Don't fuck with me, Seungmin. I've played enough of your games. You have no idea who you're messing with."

"A goddamn psychopath!"

"And who has your girlfriend?" An unsettling grin began to stretch across Flora's face. "Who is the one making sure she's safe?" Flora let out a laugh and shook her head. "You have no idea what I could do. You're lucky that I didn't hurt her yet. I could, you know. I could always hurt her just to hurt you."

Seungmin's tongue couldn't move. He was too shocked by the words to get anything out. His lips moved, but no words came out. It took a few moments before he could finally speak. "What kind of monster threatens to hurt their best friend?"

"What kind of boyfriend lets his psychopathic fans attack his girlfriend to the point where she nearly dies?"

It was a low blow, but it did its job. Pain flashed through Seungmin's eyes. A knife had been stabbed into his heart and then twisted. He struggled to take a breath. That was one thought he had pushed far, far, far away and bringing it back up was like reopening a scabbed wound.

"This is your last and final warning. Keep your band away from Cynthia or else. If you want to keep her safe, tell your little buddies to stay away from her and that includes you."

"You wouldn't dare," Seungmin whispered, "you wouldn't dare hurt her."

"Do you really want to test that theory?"

"Don't you fucking dare."

"Then stay away."

Tears were beginning to build up in Seungmin's eyes. When Flora realized it, she let out a chuckle. She studied him for a few moments until she spun around and left the abandoned side alley like nothing had ever happened. Seungmin was left alone reeling from the shock.

All he knew was that he had to figure out which apartment Cynthia lived in and he had to get her out of there as soon as possible.