Four:Project Shining Diamond (FINAL CHAPTER)
// what was originally supposed to be a scenario turned into this instead? inspired and based off this video HERE. all credits for the video go to @hoon-seok
// warnings: fighting everywhere, murder, kind of cursing?, just lots of fighting and angst pls help
// sneak peek: “I love you so much, Coups. I love you and Gyu, and Minghao, and Hannie, and Seokmin, and Jun, and Josh, and Hansol, and Seungkwan, and Wonwoo, and Chan, and Soonyoung, and Jihoon.” You breathe a laugh, choking back a sob as you wipe your face with the back of your hand before licking your lips. “I’m not gonna hurt myself, Cheol.” You shake your head, leap forward again to cling to his shirt, burying your face against his chest once more. “I’m not gonna hurt myself, Seungcheol. You’re gonna hurt me.”
// poly!svt x reader
// word count: 3037
// PROLOGUE | ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR (FINAL) |
It feels like it’s been years—like it’s been an entire century since he’s felt your touch, since he’s felt your love. Looking around now at the twelve other boys he’s devoted his entire life to, he knows this is it. This is what it’s all come down to. And though there’s a tremble somewhere between his chest and stomach that warns him today is not the day, he can’t help himself. Even if he pulled back his orders, the others wouldn't follow. Because this is all everything’s led up to. It’s all led up to this—you.
The car ride’s been long and tedious, but Seungcheol opts to keeping silently to himself as he tries to hold his sanity. Today, all thirteen boys are travelling in the same bus; normally, they’d split between two or even three different vans, but with the poem he’s memorized by heart in mind, he’s trying his best to keep his team together and safe.
“S.Coups,” Cheol looks up at the voice, sees Mingyu peering at him from the driver’s seat. “We’re here.” The leader puffs a breath through his lips before standing; it seems as if all the noise has fallen still, his members’ eyes on him.
“Be… cautious today.” Seungcheol speaks aloud. His voice is piercing the air like a dagger at his very heart. “We’re here today for Y/N, and that’s the only objective. Get Y/N, and get out. Understand?” The twelve boys solemnly nod. “Put your hearts into it. Today, just like every other day, she’s all that matters.” And then, as if they’re playing some kind of cheesy storyline, Hansol rises from his seat as well and shouts,
“For Y/N!” The boys one by one rise after that, shouting the same words, and the whole bus is shaking with their excitement at getting back what is rightfully theirs—getting you back. The atmosphere is lively with shouts and cheers, and Seungcheol is laughing along, looking around at his family when he meets the eyes of Jihoon. He feels a lump rise in his throat.
The sky is gray and chilly when Seungcheol steps out of the bus, followed soon by his members, one by one, until they’re huddled together before the entrance of an old, creaking carnival. Everything is so gray and suspicious that Cheol doesn’t have a chance to voice his opinions before Jihoon speaks.
“This… is a little alarming, don’t you think, S.Coups?”
“We’ve been through worse,” Seokmin replies instead. “And if it means saving Y/N, then it’s worth it! Right, S.Coups?”
“Right,” He murmurs, and his breath billows out before him in white, ghostly swirls. “Keep on the lookout, boys.” Slowly, they all depart into separate groups, entering the creepy carnival and looking around for any sight that their treasure has been there. Seungcheol takes to leaning against an old booth that seems to have once promoted throwing baseballs at glass bottles. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, begins going through his notes for something important he’d written down before leaving.
“Looking for the number Y/N called you from?” It’s Jeonghan who’s approached Seungcheol so suddenly, leaning against the same booth so their shoulders are brushing. “News spreads fast in Seventeen. You know that, S.Coups.” He doesn’t quite know how to respond, so Seungcheol takes to chewing his lower lip instead, finding the number he’d traced back from your voice last night. He decides to call back.
Jeonghan is staring at him the entire time, waiting, just as the leader is, for a familiar, loving voice. But the line rings, and rings, and rings before going silent. He curses under his breath.
“No answer.” He mutters. Jeonghan is about to respond when the sudden sound of a loud gunshot rings in the dead silent carnival air, almost giving the place an even creepier vibe. All the members stop still at the sound, first staring at each other, and then at Seungcheol. “Head out!” He orders after a pause, leading the way to where the shot was heard from.
His heart is beating in his chest and the quietness from his members is putting him on edge. Nevertheless, Cheol keeps following a noise that is steadily growing louder as he keeps walking, something like movement… like shouting… like fighting.
And then there it is.
There’s a large field, expanding miles and miles from where the carnival originally sits on, and there, to all of Seventeen’s surprise, is absolute chaos.
“Is… is that Rap Monster? From Bangtan Boys?” Dino’s voice is barely audible even though he’s shouting over all the noise, and Seungcheol gulps, nodding.
“And there’s JinJin of Astro, too.” Joshua elaborates, not even the smallest of smirks on his face.
“And GOT7, and BLACKPINK, and Red Velvet, and AKMU, and VIXX, and NCT…” Vernon mumbles, and Seungcheol can’t find anything to say because everyone’s there, all of them.
It’s a giant crowd of people from different gangs all fighting each other in this empty lot, the gray sky overhead almost egging them on. There’s shouting and screaming and guns and knives and blood and… and there, in the middle of the crowd, is you.
It’s as if everyone’s been under put under a magic spell; either nobody has seen you yet or they’re choosing to ignore you, but there you’re standing there, tears streaming down your face. He hears another gunshot, flinches as he sees somebody drop dead out of the corner of his eyes.
“Try to stop them!” S.Coups loudly orders over the noise of the fighting. “Figure out what’s going on and stop them! Say the name!”
“Seventeen!” The boys shout before splitting off once more into groups. Seungcheol, however, has given himself a more important order. He walks straight through the fighting crowd to the only person who matters right now, the only person who’s worth saving—you.
“Y/N!” He loudly calls out, quickening his walk so now he’s sprinting towards you at full speed. “Y/N, it’s—” And he abruptly stops some feet from you, because there’s a gun in your hand.
“Coups?” Your voice is raw and vulnerable, so extremely different from the rough and tough atmosphere that it’s breaking his heart. “Coups, is that you?” He licks his full lips, nods as he approaches ever slowly, all too aware of the gun being gripped by your fingers. “Coups, you’re-you’re here!” You hiccup, and why does his heart hurt so much? “Where’s the rest of them? Where’s the rest of my boys?”
“They’re… out there.” He responds, now so close, he can see the tear stains all over your face, eyes wild and glazed. “They’re trying to stop this. Y/N… what’s going on? Why do you have a gun?” You bite your lower lip, squeezing your eyes shut as you begin to wave around the gun.
“I can’t tell you, Seungcheol! I want to tell you, but I can’t! They told me not to!” He’s furrowing his brows, trying to avoid the wild waving of your gun in case you accidentally pull the trigger.
“Who did? Who told you, Y/N? Was it someone here? What’s going—” You suddenly burst into tears, sobbing relentlessly now, and Seungcheol’s so taken aback, he’s starting to worry for your own sanity.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Seungcheol! I’m so happy you guys came for me!” You suddenly leap forward and throw your arms around his neck, overwhelmed by all your emotions that you suddenly feel a pumping love in your chest for the thirteen boys who have travelled so far just for you. S.Coups, surprised, takes a moment before wrapping an arm around your waist, savoring the feeling of your hug as you sob into his chest, but it doesn’t take long before he’s reaching to take the gun from your hand.
You feel the weapon being wriggled from your grasp and immediately jump back, and there’s something so much like fury in your wild eyes that Seungcheol, for once, is kind of scared.
“Were you trying to take this from me?” You screech, pointing at the gun. “Cheol, why would you do that to me? How could you betray me like that?”
“That’s not what I meant, Y/N,” He immediately defends. “I just don’t want you to be holding something so dangerous; I don’t want you to hurt yourself!” You laugh, tears still streaming down your face as you back away, gun still wildly swinging.
“I love you so much, Coups. I love you and Gyu, and Minghao, and Hannie, and Seokmin, and Jun, and Josh, and Hansol, and Seungkwan, and Wonwoo, and Chan, and Soonyoung, and Jihoon.” You breathe a laugh, choking back a sob as you wipe your face with the back of your hand before licking your lips. “I’m not gonna hurt myself, Cheol.” You shake your head, leap forward again to cling to his shirt, burying your face against his chest once more. “I’m not gonna hurt myself, Seungcheol. You’re gonna hurt me.” Everything's happening so fast Seungcheol’s not sure what you mean, and he’s about to reply when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Mingyu standing there, stony faced and panting with smears of blood all over his face and clothes.
“S.Coups, we need to move out now. Things are getting to be too much. If we don’t leave now, we’re gonna die.” His eyes find yours, and a whole new wave of tears flood your eyes as you move forward to grab Mingyu’s hand.
“Gyu, you’re here!” You gasp out, and his eyes glaze over as he stares at you with the first sign of emotion in months—love.
“Y/N…” He whispers, moving closer. “Y/N, you’re safe.” You nod, tears streaming down your face, but before you can say anything else, Mingyu’s face scrunches into something of pain as a stain of bright red blossoms over his white shirt. He falls over onto the ground before you or Seungcheol can do anything about it, and there, standing some feet away, is Wendy of Red Velvet.
Dino suddenly tackles her to the ground but you can’t pay much more attention, because Mingyu is there on the ground, dead. You fall to your knees before him, flip him over so you can hold his cold face in your hands.
“Oh, Mingyu,” You sob over his body. His eyes stare back up at you, lifeless. “Mingyu, you were first. I didn’t think it’d be you, baby.” You lean forward, cry against his face as you press useless kisses against the golden skin you loved so much. Your lips find his, but they don’t move—Mingyu is dead.
Seungcheol doesn’t know what to do; his hands are trembling at his sides as he’s staring down at the both of you: the only person he loves with his entire heart and soul and his best friend, his family, dead and bleeding on the ground. Realizing that Mingyu is actually dead and not coming back, Seungcheol runs both hands over his face before burying them in his hair, slightly tugging with the anxiety of not know what to do.
“S.Coups!” He turns on his heel at the voice, finds Jun waving at him from across the crowd to gain his attention. “We need to move out, now!” He’s about to say more when he’s suddenly stabbed by someone from Astro, Seungcheol can’t be too sure. His eyes go lifeless, like Cheol himself has caused so many times before, but his heart pangs this time.
“Jun!” Minghao shouts, and he’s running across to his friend before suddenly falling lifeless at the sound of a gunshot.
“Cheol!” You suddenly cry out, no longer on Mingyu, but you’ve got his blood all over you hands and clothes. You fling yourself against his body, grip his shirt as you try to capture his whole attention. “Seungcheol, please, please listen to me: Cheol, you have to kill me.”
“S.Coups, Joshua’s dead!” Jeonghan’s yelling at him from some yards away, desperation and sadness in his voice. “S.Coups, we have to end this!” There’s another gunshot and when he turns to focus on Jeonghan, he’s bleeding on the floor.
“You have to kill me, Coups!” You shout again, gripping his shirt even tighter. “You have to shoot me and kill me!” He looks back out at the field, finds that there are only ⅓ of the original people who were there are still alive. There’s bodies on the floor, so many bodies, it’s made an entirely new ground. He feels that he’s quickly panicking, and there’s so much happening that he doesn’t know who to pay attention to—what to do. “Seungcheol, kill me!” You shriek. He turns to you, sees the tears streaming down your face, the lunatic glaze in your eyes.
“Why… why would I kill you?” He murmurs, but you don’t explain any further, just hold the gun against your chest and take his hand to hold the handle. S.Coups looks over his shoulder, tries to find someone, anybody, to help him take care of the situation—to help him save you.
But out there, in the time span of just a few minutes, only three remain standing, the ground a battlefield of dead people. He’s in too much of a daze to recognize who it is that still stands, but Seungcheol thinks he can recognize Jihoon’s face in the tiny group.
“Seungcheol, please,” You murmur, capturing his attention once more, and Cheol turns to stare at you, your eyes glazed and wild. “Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please,” Your lips are moving quickly with your repeated words, and there’s suddenly the sound of somebody gurgling before two loud shots. He checks back over his shoulder, and nobody is standing anymore. They’re all gone.
“Everyone’s already dead,” You whisper to him, and you press the gun ever more firmly against your chest, your grip on Cheol’s hand tightening as you shove it against the handle, begging him to take it. “They’re all gone, Coups. There’s only one choice left. Just do it, Seungcheol. Pull that stupid trigger, and make sure the bullet pierces my heart just like you and twelve other boys did so long ago. Everyone else is dead, anyway. So, just do it. Do it. Kill me!” You’re shrieking at him again, shoving the barrel against your chest, and Cheol can’t take it anymore—there’s too much on his mind.
He pulls the trigger.
It’s the sound of the loud shot that finally clears his mind of all thoughts, and it’s like life is suddenly playing in slow motion as he watches the life drain from your eyes, watches as you tip back and fall to the ground. The echo of the gunshot seems to ring from all places as if humiliating Seungcheol, and he feels the tears come as he collapses to his knees, falling before you as the blood begins to blossom on your shirt, pools into a small puddle on your chest.
“No,” He whispers helplessly. “No, what have I… Y/N, no!” He grabs the hem of his shirt, rips it off in one swift movement before wadding it up and pressing it against your chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, trying to save your life. But it’s too late. He knows it’s too late, but he doesn’t quite want to believe it. Your breathing has already stopped, your eyes are an empty void, and there’s nothing he can do to stop the stupid bleeding.
“Y/N, please,” He’s begging, crying, and his tears are falling onto your face. “Dammit, Y/N please!” Suddenly, there’s a loud ringing, and Cheol looks up at the old rusty speakers he had previously thought no longer worked. They ring once, twice, three times to signal an announcement. And there’s your voice.
“A tale of boys that began as thirteen Will undoubtedly fall when another one comes A tale of boys and a girl as fourteen A prophecy in death and pain it sums”
It’s the exact same voice recording that was on the USB he’d burned on his desk, and the memory of listening to it with Jihoon only makes his heart pang ever more. As the poem continues, he silently whispers it to himself, already knowing it like a daily mantra.
“In the month of October blood will be spilled A revolution so carefully planned will burn All but one will not be killed A battle of love he will refuse to learn
“A tale of lovers who were once fourteen Will crumble apart when only one is seen”
Your voice echoes across the empty carnival, ringing in Seungcheol’s ears like white noise. He bursts into tears, feels his entire body rack with each sob that tears his voice raw. Nothing is left for him… he buries his face into the crook of your neck and smooths back your hair like he remembers you liked so much.
“Y/N, please,” He desperately murmurs, voice cracking and choking back sobs. “Please, Y/N, tell me what’s going on… please, what’s… what’s happening?” And then the speakers respond, ringing three times once more before suddenly echoing your voice except, this time, it’s steadier. This time, you sound serious.
“This concludes Project Shining Diamond.” Immediately, he rises to his feet, spins to face the speakers.
“What?” He shouts, voice louder than it’s ever been. “What does that mean? What’s going on?” He feels a sudden bubbling anger in his chest. And then, without thinking, he takes the gun he’s shot you with and begins shooting at the speakers, the metal sounds pinging in the gray sky. “Tell me what that means! Bring them back! Bring them all back! I want my family back, and Y/N too! Tell me what’s going on!” His voice is raw from shouting so passionately, but all that meets him is absolute silence.
Seungcheol breaks a sob, falls to his knees as he buries his face in his hands. Why does it hurt so much?
“Please… somebody… anybody tell me… what’s going on? Don’t abandon me. Just… please. Help me.”
This time, nobody responds.
//admin miely//
