Fan Service [Chan]

Chapter 13

There was a tense silence.

"Fine." Chan stormed off.

I wasn't surprised that Chan cared more about his image than me. In fact, I'd expected it. Hearing what Hyunjin said had me nervous though. What had he packed for me to wear? I grimaced at the idea of wearing super revealing things and seeming like his plaything rather than a person. He'd probably picked things based solely on how uncomfortable they'd make me.

"Ella?" Felix whispered as he tapped the curtain.

I opened it and sat up on the bed.

"When we stop next I'm going to take you to see one of our medical staff, so they can take a look at your bruise."

I knew I needed to be checked over but the idea of someone else seeing me topless had my chest aching.

"She helped me when I hurt my back, and I think you'll like her," he smiled. Of course, he'd chosen a female employee for me.

"Thank you," I told him, and he gave me a soft smile before heading back to the seated area.

Hyunjin was sitting on his bunk diagonal from me. He was eating an apple and reading a book intently.

"Hyunjin?" I whispered.

He looked up, seemingly surprised that I'd spoken to him.

"What did Chan pack for me to wear?"

"You heard that?" he asked. I nodded. He looked down at Chan to see if he was paying attention to us. He was.

"I'm not supposed to tell you. Sorry." He went back to reading.

"Does it show off my sides? Is that why he changed his mind when you brought it up?"

Hyunjin looked up at me and nodded ever so slightly before returning to his book.

I cursed under my breath. The goal was for me to be seen as a sweet girlfriend and Chan was going to parade me around half nude. I didn't want anyone to see that much of me or to have access to touch me in those places.

I was about to confront him and demand to be allowed to dress myself when the bus came to a stop. Felix returned and let me know that we hadn't made it to DC yet but we're stopping for gas and snacks.

He wanted to walk me over to the staff bus while we had the chance. I agreed and followed him. The staff bus was more or less just a regular bus with 1980s printed fabric on the seats.

Felix walked up the aisle until he found who he was looking for. She smiled brightly when she saw him. Despite the way Chan seemed to treat everyone, I was glad that Felix was beloved among the other members and staff alike. He was obviously a genuine and good person.

He spoke with her in whispers, and she glanced at me while he spoke. Eventually, she nodded and made her way to me with a smile. She had long black hair and was barely 5 feet tall. She was wearing casual jeans and a t-shirt which made me more relaxed than if she had been decked out in medical wear.

"Ella? I'm Dr. Kolbe. It's nice to meet you," she held her hand out, and I shook it. "Felix informed me that you had some bruising that you needed looking at?"

I nodded, "I got kicked a few times by some fans last night."

"I saw the videos this morning. I'm so sorry that they did that to you," she spoke kindly. I could see why Felix liked her.

"Thank you."

"Let's head over to your bus where the bathroom is a bit bigger," she gestured towards the door and Felix led the way.

All of the boys but Chan waved at her as we walked by. He ignored her and pouted, clearly not happy that I was being examined.

She and I went into the bathroom, and I pulled off my shirt for her to take a look.

"Can you breathe in for me?" she asked. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Again?" she asked, placing her hand on my side this time.

I winced under her touch but repeated my inhale and exhale.

"Okay. You can put that back on," she pointed towards my shirt and I redressed while she spoke.

"Luckily, I don't think it's broken since you can breathe easily. Just bruised. The area will be sensitive for a few weeks but will heal on its own, and then you'll be back to normal!"

I sighed in relief.

"The bruising and swelling can be reduced with ice, so, whenever you're here on the bus, make sure you're icing it as much as possible."

"Thank you," I grinned.

"Of course! And Felix knows where to find me, but could I give you my number? That way if you have any questions, you can reach me."

"Yes, thank you." I handed her my phone and she inputted her contact info.

"It was very nice to meet you, Ella," she said as she opened the door.

"You, too, Dr. Kolbe."

She smiled kindly and headed off of the bus and back to her own. Felix was waiting for me and came over the moment she left.

"Well?"

"It's just a bruise," I told him and he seemed relieved, too. "She said I should ice it though. Do we have any?"

Felix nodded and led me to the benches. Underneath were apparently dozens of disguised mini fridges I hadn't even noticed. He opened one that housed pre-made ice packs for some reason.

"Lee Know uses them for migraines but you can use these too," he handed me one.

"Thanks."

I headed back to the bunk and held the ice pack on the side with the bruised rib. I had the curtain closed so that nobody would see my side.

"Here," someone said and handed me a roll of medical tape. "Tape it so you don't have to hold it the whole time."

I took the ice pack off and opened the curtain. It was Lee Know. "Thank you."

He nodded and went back to his bunk quietly.

I taped the ice pack to myself and rejoined the others on the bench. I stared out the window for a while watching the signs indicating that we were nearing Baltimore pass by. Only an hour or so left until we hit DC.

Every so often Chan would look my way as if my presence alone were bothering him. Finally, he stood up and went to a closet near the bathroom. He returned with a towel and tossed it towards me.

"You're dripping all over the seat," he complained.

I looked at the puddle that had leaked from my ice pack and wiped it up. "Sorry."

It seemed like no matter what I did, it pissed him off.

I placed the towel over where the puddle had been to soak up any more leakage and returned to staring out the window. It was going to be a long couple of months.