17 Days - SVT

006

As the boys woke up, one by one, the rain only got worse. It got to the point where they were scared to go outside.

"These two are sick now." sighed Jeonghan, placing his hands on Mingyu's and Dokyeom's foreheads. "Why didn't you come back in? The shelter would have at least protected you from the rain."

"Jeonghan, relax. It's just a cold." said Seungcheol, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "How long do you think we can survive this?"

Jeonghan snorted. "A day, at most." he said quietly, careful not to let the younger ones hear.

"Ay, don't be like that. Are you hungry?"

"I'm not letting you go out there!"

"I can risk getting a cold! I don't want you to starve yourself!"

"Stop fighting." said Minghao, pointing to Chan, who was curled in the corner with his hands over his ears.

"I'm so sorry, Channie." said Jeonghan instantly, lowering his tone. "How's Junhui doing?"

"I told him he could take the leaf off, but he has to be careful. After all, we don't know if the wound is infected or not. Soonyoung-hyung's with him right now."

"You trust him with Junhui-hyung?" asked Mingyu skeptically.

"He may be quite energetic, but that doesn't mean he isn't trustworthy." said Seungcheol. "He seems to care genuinely for us. Last night, he had Jihoon trapped in a hug. I don't think Jihoon would have been very happy if he woke up in the middle of the night to that."

"What's his problem, anyway?" asked Minghao.

"He doesn't have a problem." said Jeonghan. "Some people are just more aggressive than others. And Jihoon... well, let's just say he may be small, but don't judge a book by its cover."

"I heard that." said Jihoon, ducking into the shelter. "I'm not that small, really. Call me small again and I will not hesitate to-"

"Don't finish that sentence." warned Jeonghan.

Seungcheol found himself admiring Jeonghan yet again, this time for his personality. He seemed like such a motherly figure to the group. He reminded him of his own mother.

"What are you doing in here? I thought you were staying with the other '96 liners?" asked Dokyeom.

"I was." said Jihoon. "But then Soonyoung called me cute, so I left."

"He called you cute?" asked Jeonghan, interested. "Like, romantically?"

"Probably not." said Jihoon. "We were talking, and he suddenly whispered 'You're so cute.' How am I supposed to respond to that? I'm not cute, I'm manly."

Minghao looked Jihoon up and down and scoffed, luckily unnoticed by Jihoon.

"Whatever that was about, come inside, you're soaked." said Jeonghan, running his hands up and down Jihoon's arms. The younger shivered, but not from the cold.

"We shouldn't be switching shelters so much." said Mingyu. "We should wait until the rain calms. Why is it so rainy here, anyway?"

"We're in the middle of the ocean. The water is heavier here." said Seungcheol, picking a bunch of sticks off the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked Minghao.

"I'm going to make a signal." said Seungcheol. "You know, the classic SOS? Someone could see it from above and find us."

"But this isn't a movie, hyung." said Chan quietly. "These things don't work in real life. We're stuck here."

"Channie, no." said Jeonghan, wrapping his arms around the maknae. "Don't think like that. Someone has to notice us. They know the boat was overturned. Hopefully when they come to investigate that, probably tomorrow, they see us and save us."

He hoped. But he doubted it.

***

The rain didn't let up for another five hours. Once it finally did, the boys finally went out, breathing in the fresh air.

"You don't think the island would be flooded, do you?" asked Joshua.

Wonwoo shook his head. "I doubt it. We can't be that unlucky."

"Well, let's start a fire. The more signals we have, the better." said Jeonghan.

They all looked over at Seungcheol, carefully placing sticks in the shape of a rescue message. Junhui sighed.

"I don't think anyone will see us."

"What about tomorrow?" asked Minghao.

Junhui shook his head. "The visibility is supposed to be really low. They won't be able to see us. And they're much too far away to hear us."

Mingyu turned around and punched a tree.

"Let's not hurt ourselves." said Jeonghan, examining Mingyu's now bloody and splintered fist. "I know this isn't the best situation, but we have to stay positive."

"Stay positive?" cried Dokyeom. "Hyung, we're going to die here!"

"And whose fault is that?" asked Seungkwan, stepping next to Dokyeom.

"Wha- how is it my fault?"

"Someone's got to take the blame!"

"So you're saying it should be me?"

"Yes!"

"Guys, let's not-" said Seungcheol, but his voice faltered when Dokyeom slapped Seungkwan across the face.

"Why don't you consider yourself? Why can't you take the blame?"

Joshua and Vernon stepped forward, pulling Dokyeom and Seungkwan respectively away from each other. "We shouldn't be fighting." said Vernon.

Dokyeom was shaking. "I'm... I'm sorry! I don't know what happened to me! I just got angry!"

Mingyu frowned. "That's not like you, Dokyeom."

"Mingyu, every human feels emotions." said Minghao. "Seungkwan, are you alright?"

"Do you want to be a doctor when you grow up or something?" asked Seungkwan.

Minghao giggled. "I actually want to be an idol. If I make it out of here, that is."

"Wait, really? I do too!" said Chan, looking up.

"No way... so do I." said Soonyoung, his jaw dropping.

The others nodded in agreement. They looked at each other in amazement.

"It's strange that thirteen people from the same school with the same passion survived the same strange ordeal, isn't it?" asked Soonyoung.

Minghao sighed from beside him. "Fate. I believe everything happens for a reason. The gods have decided to unite us in a time of tragedy. And that's why we need to stick together. Something must come out of this."

Junhui looked at him in surprise. "When did you get so wise?"

"I've been this way. Just ask Mingyu and Dokyeom." said Minghao.

All attention went to Mingyu and Dokyeom, and that's when they noticed.

"Dokyeom, are you crying?" asked Joshua worriedly. 

Dokyeom stood with his head low, sniffling quietly. He looked up at the others, tear stains on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't hold it in..."

Seungkwan came closer. "Hyung, I'm not mad at you."

"But I'm not who I used to be." sniffed Dokyeom. "I've changed completely. People tell me I remind them of the sunshine. But now... I'm not that person anymore. And it's scary."

They all stood there as Joshua silently comforted Dokyeom, rubbing his back gently. None of them knew what to do. Out of all the people on the island, Dokyeom was the last one they expected to break down like this.

"I'm sorry." said Dokyeom yet again, choking out words between sobs. "I can't hold it in..."

And in that moment, the boys knew they would always remember this day as the day Dokyeom lost his sunshine.