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DOWNTOWN. chapter thirty | off the list.
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I briefly groaned, feeling the bumpiness of a backseat. I reached for my hair, feeling it: still wet, but only at the roots. I sniffled, head pounding. "Jiayi," A distant voice called for me, frantic. I could only hum in response, unable to move. I think I have a fever. "Jiayi, hold on for me. I'm taking you home. Don't sleep!"
I couldn't respond, paralyzed by the sickness overcoming me. My eyes were slowly going down again, forced by the desire to sleep, even as the same voice called me. Closing my eyes once more, I'm sucked into darkness, until I'm violently shaken into waking up.
"Jiayi," I shot up, looking around. Finally, I faced the perpetrator, furrowing my eyebrows. "Yeah. I know you're surprised. You're sweating though, come here."
I looked around as he, or more specifically, Soobin, patted a damp towel on my forehead, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. This wasn't Busan. This wasn't anywhere close to that. I was back in Seoul, in my house, in a place so familiar it became foreign. "Why am I here?" I questioned him, unable to let Soobin reply before I continued. I shifted, making him sigh in annoyance. "Why are we in Seoul? Why are you here with me?"
"You got sick. Do you really not remember anything?" I shook my head. Soobin groaned. "Well, you went back to wherever you Neos were staying, drenched in rain. Then, you passed out, and Chaewon told everyone you were too sick. So, by request, Chaewon drove you back here and asked me to take care of you since I was too busy with my own problems in Seoul. So, here we are."
That's why I vaguely remember waking up in a car. However, something isn't adding up. The voice was too low, too masculine to be Chaewon... but I can't question it if he's the one telling me. "How long has it been?"
Soobin checked the time on his phone. "It's currently noon. You got down here at around four."
"Good," I pushed the duvet off me, fixing my hair. "I have enough time to get back down to Busan."
"No. You can't go," Soobin stopped me by placing an arm over me, hand on the duvet. I glared up at him, but he didn't falter. "Everyone knows you're back in Seoul. You're in too bad of a condition for me to let you go. Your team would kill me if I let you go back there."
