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The ground shakes. The walls crack and fall. Debris flies everywhere. Bodies are launched a few feet away from where they were standing. The building crumbles on top of and around everyone.
All within a split second.
Most of the staff present was in a pre-show meeting in a room that was a much safer distance from the blast than the dressing room area, where ATEEZ and a few stylists, makeup artists, and managers were.
They were practically right on top of the deadly explosive.
There was a lull in the often loud conversation when the manager heard a strange beeping sound. It sounded like it was only a couple of feet away and in the floor. As he got closer to the sound, pressing his ear to the ground, the beeping grew rapid. As loud as possible, he yelled, “Everybody get out, now! Run!”
But it was no use. Even if everyone in the area heard him and did exactly as he said, they wouldn’t have made it out in time.
Wooyoung’s ears are ringing. He is able to grab onto something nearby and carefully pull himself up. He’s shaking and has unbearable pain throughout his whole body, but he pulls his phone out of his pocket. Praying it didn’t get too damaged.
He dials the three numbers as fast as possible.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“… Bomb.” Speaking felt like his chest was being ripped apart, and his brain was already racing so fast that he was impressed he could remember a single word of English to be able to make this call.
It had to be while they were on tour in America, didn’t it? It couldn’t have been in Korea… at least then Wooyoung wouldn’t be struggling as much with this call.
“A bomb? Sir, what is your name and where are you located?”
Wooyoung tries to be perfectly clear saying both his and the venue’s names.
“Okay, stay calm. I have emergency services on the way. Is everybody okay?”
For the first time, Wooyoung realizes he should assess his surroundings. His friends. What he sees breaks him to the core of his soul.
Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and Jongho seem lifeless. Not breathing, covered in blood.
Yeosang is breathing, but extremely slowly and shallowly. Barely hanging on. He’s knocked out. To Wooyoung's eye, Yunho seems to match Yeosang, but he’s conscious still.
San is groaning and trying to push a beam off of his stomach, unsuccessfully. If Wooyoung thought he could walk without falling to the floor and being unable to get up again, he would go help.
Wooyoung is thanking every god possible that Mingi felt sick this morning, so he’s safe in the hotel.
“Three… dead. Three… alive, a little. Others… I don’t- I don’t-”
“Okay, okay, that’s okay. How about you, sir, are you okay? Can you walk? Does it hurt to breathe?”
“Can’t walk, breathing… hard…” It becomes too much. Wooyoung collapses, hitting the floor hard. He feels a sudden new dull pain in his torso, where his lungs and heart are. The 911 operator asks him if he’s okay and what happened and if he’s still there.
Wooyoung’s cough is strained. Wet. He can feel it, both in his body and his mind. He doesn’t have long.
He breathes slowly through his coughs, and as he turns his head to the side, he spits a bit of blood onto the floor. He goes into a coughing fit, but this time his throat and mouth fill with blood and he practically vomits it out.
It’s silent except for the growing sound of sirens. As life leaves his body, Wooyoung feels… alone.
The paramedics arrive a few minutes later and check his pulse. Nothing. Not even slow, it’s just gone. Still, they try a couple of things to get him back before the paramedics look at each other sadly… and pronounce him DOA.
Dead on arrival.
It’s hazy for the two most conscious members: Yunho and San.
They can’t move to see anything, but they listen in horror.
Hongjoong: DOA.
Seonghwa: DOA.
Jongho: DOA.
Yeosang… DOA.
Five out of the eight members of ATEEZ are gone. Never to perform again. Never to see fans again. Never to smile again.
Firefighters had been pulling debris off of people, and once they reach San they called the paramedics over. San had landed on some sharp metal that was loosened out of place. He didn’t realize it because it punctured him just right where he couldn’t feel the pain (besides the beam that landed on top of him, which only pressed him further into the sharp metal). And usually, if you can't feel the deadly-looking injury, that's a very bad sign.
Yunho’s been given something to help his breathing and a paramedic told him to sit up against the wall while she checks his vitals. San is only a few feet away. Yunho can see everything happening with a perfect view.
He listens carefully as the paramedics discuss any possible way to save San’s life. Any way to get him off of this metal without him bleeding out.
Yunho’s heart sinks when he realizes that they’ve determined there’s no way. They’re gonna try, but he’s almost certain to bleed out before he reaches the hospital.
Yunho’s vitals are somehow okay, and his breathing is returning to normal. He’s going to get a more thorough check at the hospital.
The following week was a busy one. It was a week of six funerals. Yunho sat in the back with Mingi at each one. And at each one, Yunho’s mind forced him to relive the explosion and relive watching his friends die. At each one, Mingi wished he had been at the venue more and more.
At each one, the survivor’s guilt plaguing both of them grew stronger. It was so hard to look the families in the eyes.
The rest of the tour was, of course, canceled. Tickets were refunded.
Security around Yunho and Mingi was intensely heightened. The timing and location of that bomb was not a coincidence. ATEEZ were likely being targeted, and the two survivors could still be on the bomber’s list.
When Yunho finally decided to open SNS after the statement came out alerting fans of what happened, he cried the whole day.
He cried seeing how hurt fans were by the tragedy too.
He cried seeing the support they were showing to the last remaining members.
He cried seeing ATINY comfort each other, as well as people from other KPOP fandoms comforting ATINY. Truly, it warmed his heart a surprising amount to see so many, “I’m not an ATINY, but my heart goes out to all of you. I’m so sorry.” Yunho was happy to see their fans getting so much support.
But, he also cried seeing some ATINY sending hateful messages to Yunho and Mingi for being alive when their bias had to die.
Mingi watched Yunho on that day and decided it would probably be better if he didn’t follow suit and just removed the apps from his phone instead. However, the boys both used Yunho’s phone to tweet that they were sorry the tour was canceled and that they wish they could see ATINY in this hard time.
The dorm was eerie. It was so silent. Yunho and Mingi found it almost impossible to sleep, even after they decided to sleep in the same room. What used to be a home rocking with the chaos of eight 20-something men of vastly different personalities living together was now a grim reminder of the fact that it will never be that again. It will never house those people again. It will only, and always, hold a piece of their spirits.
Yunho and Mingi have been tortured with meetings at KQ about how to proceed. KQ staff was hurting as well from the deaths of their artists, but not near the same as Yunho and Mingi were. Thus, much of the higher KQ staff was able to move on faster and quickly get to the question of what happens to ATEEZ now.
The team that the eight once made is no longer.
ATEEZ is no longer, but Yunho and Mingi are still under contract. One specific meeting consisted of an especially insensitive higher-up manager complaining that the company is losing money having no ATEEZ-related content coming out. Mingi felt satisfied leaving the meeting, having told that manager off.
“Our members just died in a bomb explosion less than a month ago, and you expect me and Yunho to pick up and move on instantly? Do what? Post on SNS by weekly quota? VLIVE? Come out with music? Oh, what, are you gonna find unfinished tracks in Hongjoong’s files too? Do we get any chance to mourn and honor the memory of our friends? Are you gonna treat this like when an idol is kicked out of a company? Do we have to pretend like none of them ever existed? Not to mention, me and Yunho being alive after that attack leaves us with massive targets on our backs. Don’t be stupid. We aren’t doing anything until WE are ready. You didn’t lose the majority of your closest family in that blast. We did.”
That manager was reprimanded officially, but Mingi’s emotional questioning made more of an impact.
Yunho and Mingi have never been closer, if that was even possible. They cling to each other in a way they didn’t before. They both know that if they isolate themselves, they’ll spiral. As much as being together reminded them of the people they lost, they need to be together to stay mentally healthy through the mourning process.
They both lost six friends, six brothers, in one day. Yunho watched some of them die with his own eyes.
All they have now is each other.