"Are you okay, y/n? You don't look right," Jennie said as she knelt on the floor in front of the sofa, where you were laying down.
You're backstage, supposed to be getting ready for tonight's show.
But you haven't even started getting ready. You can hardly move. Getting up from the sofa seems to be impossible.
While the girls laughed and sang and joked around as they finished their hair and makeup, Jennie was focused solely on you.
She could tell something was seriously wrong with you.
You haven't been acting or looking like yourself today. Your enthusiasm and excitement for performing weren't even there today.
You've been sleeping a lot, whenever you had the chance, while the girls were too excited to sleep.
You looked flushed and exhausted, completely wiped of all of your energy.
She put her hand on your forehead and frowned.
"You feel warm. Are you feeling sick?"
"No, Jen, I'm okay." You said and took a deep breath before trying to sit up.
It was harder than it seemed.
You felt so much better when you were laying down. Moving around made your muscles ache even more than they already were and the room spun every time you moved.
"You're not okay." She sighed. "You look like you're feeling so awful."
She meant for the conversation to be private, just between the two of you. She didn't want to bring the girls into it when you didn't seem to even want to talk to her about feeling unwell.
But the girls were ready to go on stage. The show was starting soon, only moments away, and they were all worried when they saw that neither of you was ready.
"Uh, what's going on?" Rosé asked as she saw you. "Are you okay, y/n?"
"I'm fine." You said weakly and she, Jisoo, and Lisa all looked from you and to Jennie.
She shook her head at them, wordlessly telling them that you most definitely weren't fine.
"We've got to be on stage in ten minutes." Jisoo sighed. "Y/N, if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't perform."
She was only looking out for you, putting her hand on your shoulder in comfort.
But you quickly protested, arguing that you felt just fine.
"I'm fine! I'll be able to perform. I'm just tired, that's all."
None of them were buying it. But they couldn't argue any further and just nodded.
"Okay," Lisa said. "If you say so. Just remember that you're not letting us down if you can't perform. We love you. We've got your back."
Jennie stayed with you because she had to get ready as well.
You struggled to get up and once you were standing, you almost fell right back onto the sofa because you were so dizzy.
"Y/N," Jennie sighed and put her hand on your knee. "If you don't feel good, please tell me. Be honest."
You took a shaky breath before looking her in the eyes and said, "I don't feel good."
"Then don't perform. You're only going to feel worse. With the choreography and how much we move around, you won't feel any better."
"Jennie, it's not that easy. People are counting on me! They count on all of us. The fans, the staff, the company - I can't let anyone down."
She wanted to argue with you. She wanted you to lay down and rest. She wanted the staff to wait on you hand and foot until the girls were done performing and could be by your side, so you wouldn't have to move.
But she sadly knew how you felt. She understood completely. She feels the same way. Every idol does.
It's hard to argue when she and the girls push themselves just as hard and feel the same pressure.
After all, BLACKPINK is five. You go through everything together and you have from the very beginning.
"Okay." She sighed. "C'mon. We'll get ready together."
You nodded and, with her help, you both got ready just in time.
You headed down the hall, the staff leading you to the other girls, and you got ready to go on stage.
You shared a quick hug and then went on stage, ready to give the fans in attendance the show of a lifetime.
But you didn't feel right.
You felt so much worse than before, right as you got on stage and started to perform.
You knew the fans noticed that you weren't yourself, even though you were giving it your all and pushing through how terrible you felt.
It just wasn't enough.
You could barely keep up with the girls the moment the first song started. But you managed to get through a few of them, although you struggled a lot.
But once you reached the fourth song, which was playing with fire, you started to reach your limit.
You felt flushed and unsteady on your feet and suddenly, everything started to spin again.
You heard the gasps falling from the fans in the crowd and felt a pair of arms wrap around you.
Just before you lost consciousness, you saw that it was Jennie as you were laid down on the stage.
Rosé, in a panic, yelled out for help from the staff who quickly rushed into the stage and carried you backstage.
"Jennie is going to take a quick break," Lisa announced to the fans as she and Jennie locked eyes.
Jisoo and Rosé also agreed for her to go backstage to you and she was quick to join your side.
She saw you laying down on the sofa with some medical staff around you. They were still looking you over and having you drink some water as other staff members worked on trying to cool you down.
"Is she okay?" Jennie asked in concern as she knelt on the floor beside you, her hand running along your arm.
"She's going to be okay. But she's definitely sick. She's running a fever, her muscles are aching, and she says she feels sick to her stomach. She needs to take a few days off to feel better."
"Oh, she will, don't worry. We won't let her back on stage until she's better."
"Jennie-" you whined but she quickly shook her head.
"No, y/n. Don't try to argue with me on this. The girls will agree and the company is just going to have to suck it up and understand. You're sick and you're pushing yourself too hard. We can't let this be an everyday thing."
You knew she was right, so you just agreed.
"The girls aren't upset?"
"No! They're worried. They wouldn't be upset with you. None of us are. We just want you to get better, which you will soon because you're going to be resting and we'll all take care of you when we can, especially me." She said and watched you smile tiredly at her before you closed your heavy eyes.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. From now on, when you don't feel well, just sit things out. Please don't push yourself like this again."
"I won't, Jennie. I promise." You said and she nodded before taking your hand into hers, squeezing it a few times in comfort.
"Sleep tight." She whispered as you started to drift off to sleep, needing a good rest after everything.
She hated leaving your side, but she knew you were in safe hands with the staff around to look after you.
But she couldn't wait for the show to end because she just wanted to be with you and keep an eye on you, just like the girls did.