"How are you?" Na-rae asked, sighing, as the boy next to her groggily awoke.
"Terrible. I feel like I've got no food left in my body," he groaned, shifting to face her.
"Same here. I think we ate something bad after practice yesterday. I'm never going back to that café," he nodded in agreement, without needing to say more.
A loud knock on the door forced the two to exchange quick glances. "Quick, cover up. You look awful," she told him, hastily pulling the blanket over herself. "Kook, Nana, we're leaving in thirty minutes. Get up, or we're taking off without you!" Jimin's voice came from behind the door, luckily not Hobi's.
"We're coming," she replied. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she cringed at how raspy her voice sounded, as if she had smoked a pack of cigarettes the night before.
"You'll need more time than I do, so go ahead," Jungkook said. She didn't take it personally, considering that she had seen herself in the mirror just a few hours ago. A quick cold shower and some makeup to conceal the bags under her eyes had already worked wonders. She might look tired, but it wasn't the first time. Jungkook and she had spent countless sleepless nights, whether they were playing games, talking, or doing homework. They rarely found time to rest before practice.
After putting on her sports bra and shorts, she walked out of the bathroom, signaling Jungkook with a thumbs-up to indicate it was his turn. After some contemplation, she decided to swap her usual trainers for jeans. Wearing trainers at this event would only earn her skeptical looks, and that was the last thing she wanted. So she squeezed herself into a pair of jeans with a gaping hole at the knee and paired them with a cropped t-shirt. Her hair hung freely above her shoulders and grabbed a cap to shield her eyes.
Jungkook was quicker, as he always was, and after she adjusted her cap, he was already making himself ready. His style was quite similar, although he went for a black T-shirt. "I just want to crawl back into bed," he said, heading straight for the mattress.
"No, we can't. Let's go," she said, pulling him out of the room.
°°°
The boys weren't even paying attention to the two makneas, which made it easier for them to deal with their problems.
"I think Noona knows," Jungkook approached her after finishing his makeup. "She was giving me suspicious looks, and I saw her eyeing you too. Did she say anything when you did your makeup earlier?" Shrugging her shoulders, she nodded.
"Yes, she did, but I told her not to worry, so please do the same," Na-Rae told the boy to calm down.
"What if she tells Sejin-nim? What if he sends us home? What if-"
"Kook-ah, what did I just say? Don't worry. Here." she opened her hand and showed him the painkillers she found back home.
"What are these?" he asked.
"What do you think, smart head?" Shaking her head, she handed him one of the pills.
"I know what they are, that's not what I meant, but where did you find these?" he shifted his body so he was covering both of them so that the elders not could see what they were doing.
"They're regular painkillers. I found them at home. Remember when Yoongi-oppa was sick?" he nodded, which meant she didn't need to explain further. "They just relieve the headaches and lower fever for a few hours."
Still hesitating, she rolled her eyes. "I thought they might help. If you don't want to take them, that's fine. I will." She took a sip of water and swallowed the medicine. Taking the water bottle out of her hand, she saw him do the same, he wasn't up for an "I told you so" speech later.
"What are you two doing in here?" Jin's voice came out of nowhere.
Jungkook nearly choked on his water when Na-rae's eyes widened. "Nothing, Oppa!" she almost yelled out, making Jin look suspicious but before Jin could say anything. He was interrupted by Taehyung who told them that Young-jin was calling for Na-Rae
"Kook-ah, help me, please," she said, ignoring Jin, dragging the boy with her.
Her outfit was similar to what she was already wearing; the only difference was her hair. Luckily, the makeup did wonders. It was very natural, but knowing the process of it was more than enough to hide every little detail of sickness, tiredness, or anything else. Waiting for Sejin, the two just chilled on one of the seats. Never leaving each other's side, when one moved, the other moved. On other days, the boys wouldn't say anything because it was very common, but today something seemed off.
"Are you two going to talk now?" Jin said, crossing his arms over his chest and standing between Hobi and Namjoon.
"You know if there is something wrong, we will help," Hobi said concerned
"We, we... Nara." If she could facepalm her face right now, she would. Rolling her eyes, she gave the three men standing in front of her a smile.
"There is nothing wrong. I don't know why you think there is something wrong. You know us, we just stayed up late and need to pay for it now, but we promise. We won't disappoint ARMY."
They weren't buying what she said, which made her shift in her seat. "Boys, Na-Rae. It's time. Let's go." Seijin-nim arrived just in time, but before they could make their way out, Jin grabbed her arm. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's going on?" she nodded, and he let go of her arm, but he knew she was lying.
Catching up with ARMY was great, so great that the maknaes started to forget they were sick. But reality always hits harder afterward. At the end of the meeting, Jungkook and her exchanged eye contact. Yoongi, who was sitting between them, felt the awkwardness all along but didn't mind really, the two would come up with a story if he asked what was wrong, he better let go of it, then ask what was going on. Jimin, who sat next to her, checked up on the girl multiple times. He offered his water glass a few times because hers was always empty, the fever was coming back, which made the girl thirsty.
All of them stood up after meeting the last ARMY in the row. They stood in front of their fans, answering a few more questions and joking around. Only two members were counting off the seconds to leave. They couldn't hold it any longer, and they were relieved when they were the first to say goodbye. Running off the stage, they didn't even have enough time to search for a bathroom. The first trashcan became Jungkook's property, and a few steps away, the female member threw up on the floor. Soon, she felt her hair being gathered, and someone's hand on her back, making circular motions. Once she thought her stomach was empty again, she straightened her back and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath.
Another wave of nausea took over her body, but shouts of Jungkook's name from Jimin and Taehyung on the other side made her turn her head. There, she saw her friend lying on the ground. Jin turned his body away from her and ran toward the youngest male member. "What's happening here? Get more people here," he shouted, but Sejin-nim tried to calm the boys while walking over to the female member with some staff members and medical help.
"Koo-" she felt tears brimming in her eyes, but black dots clouded her vision, and before she knew it, everything went dark.
°°°
She awoke with a groan, blinking her eyes to clear the blurriness. A harsh, clear blue light filled her vision, and her head throbbed constantly. As she reached to soothe the pain in her hand, she felt a wire and tape attached to her skin. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks; she had an IV in her hand. Panic surged as she tried to piece together the last thing she remembered - throwing up, Jungkook collapsing. In a frenzy, she bolted upright, her heart racing, and her eyes darting around in frantic desperation. "Jungkook!"
The eldest's voice emerged from nowhere, hearing the tone of his voice the two knew they were up to nothing good. "Both of you woke up at the same time, huh?" Jin said with a heavy sigh. "You two certainly know how to keep things interesting."
They turned their heads to find Namjoon, Jin, and Manager Sejin standing in the center of the room. The girl couldn't help but focus her attention on Jungkook, who lay in a bed next to her. His groans and the way he covered his face with his hands indicated he was battling the same intense headache she was experiencing. She felt a wave of relief wash over her, knowing he was awake and (hopefully) not worse off than she was.
"Does anyone want to speak first?" Jin's voice filled the room again.
"Hyung, it's okay. Let them-" Namjoon began.
"No Namjoon-ah, I don't think we need to give them more time," Jin said, standing with his arms crossed and an irritated expression. Their sudden illness had clearly unnerved him, and he was not amused by the situation they'd caused, they scared him, and couldn't help to find peace with it, not without a clarification. "They're awake and seem fit to answer my questions, you two didn't lose your tongue, right?"
"Seokjin, that's enough," Manager Sejin interrupted him. "Nara, Jungkook, how are you feeling?" He approached, placing his hand on both their foreheads. "Your fever is subsiding; that's good. Maybe it's good to call a doctor to check up."
She pulled herself up a bit, her gaze shifting to Jungkook, who was still lying down. Facing all three of them was something she wasn't mentally prepared for, but Manager Sejin's expression appeared more concerned than angry. He looked like a worried parent, just wanting to know what happened and why they didn't say anything about how they felt.
"Sorry for not telling you how we felt," Na-Rae began, her voice filled with regret, as she shifted in her bed. She hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether to share what had happened. Finally, she made up her mind to reveal some of the truth. "We just wanted to spend time with ARMY, so we took some medication to mask our sickness-"
"Medication? When? Namjoon, those two-" Jin erupted, his arms flailing with frustration, clearly losing control of his temper.
"Seokjin-ah, if you don't calm down, you need to step outside and let them explain," Manager Sejin gently insisted, his voice steady and reassuring, calming down the boy. He gave a reassuring nod to Nara, silently encouraging her to continue.
Avoiding the gaze of the two members, she looked up at their manager. "Yesterday after practice, we didn't go straight home. I was hungry and craving 'naengmyeon,' even though Jungkook didn't want to eat because he was on a diet. But I convinced him. The place we chose seemed a bit off, but I was too hungry to search further, so we sat down and ate. Later that night, we both started feeling sick. Before we knew it, we were taking turns throwing up. We stayed up the whole night, feeling terrible, vomiting, cleaning the bathroom, and supporting each other. It was awful, but we pushed through it to meet ARMY, and we were planning to tell you how we felt but only after the meeting."
"Where did you find the medication you mentioned earlier?" Namjoon asked, his voice calm and showing his leadership skills as he refrained from scolding the younger ones.
"They were from Yoongi-oppa, they lay in the medicine drawer," she replied in a whisper that was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
Jin's calm attitude was unsettling, making the girl feel uneasy. She could sense Jungkook was blaming himself too much already. While Jin held back his anger. Namjoon instead just shook his head, clearly disappointed and not knowing what to say.
"Okay, I think we've got the picture," Jin said with a tone of deep disappointment. "I hope you both realize how let down I am by your actions. Even though I have a feeling that Na-Rae took the lead in this, Jungkook-ah, you're older than her, so you should've known better." Na-Rae quickly interrupted Jin, confessing that she had encouraged Jungkook to take the pills, and she apologized.
"No it is okay Nana, I promise to take more responsibility next time," he said making the girl upset about how easily he took the blame for all of this.
"Let's hope there won't be a next time," Jin said. "With that said, it's best to see the doctor now. Maybe he has some extra advice, what can help those two?" He looked at Sejin, who nodded in agreement. With that, the older members left the room.
A heavy silence hung in the air, and the two young ones avoided making eye contact, both afraid of the other's reaction. But the silence became unbearable for Na-Rae. "Kook-ah, I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this. It wasn't my intention at all. I'm sorry you had to take the blame, and Jin oppa was wrong to speak to you like that. Why did you let him say those things?"
Jungkook shook his head. "It's both our fault that we got scolded today but my desire to meet ARMY today made me selfish. I could have said no to everything you suggested, but I wanted it too. I just don't like it when they talk to us like that. We may still be young, but we can decide what we can do and what we can't, right?"
Na-Rae chuckled, shaking her head. A sulking Jungkook was somewhat cute at times. Keeping her feet on one side of the bed, she carefully stood up. She wasn't entirely sure about her stability, but she carefully grabbed the IV stand where her IV was hanging on.
"Give me some room, you," she said with a playful tone, which brought a smile to his face as he shuffled in his bed. "You know, let's make the most of these five days. I know we want to recover and practice, but Sejin-nim didn't mention anything about practicing at home or blocking Wi-Fi. We can even sleep in and just relax. We'll enjoy these days to the fullest, alright?"
Agreeing with a nod, he said, "Let's start with practicing that last part; sleeping in sounds amazing." Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he ensured her stability so that she wouldn't slip off the bed. Her head nestled on his shoulder as she snuggled closer to his warmth. It didn't take long before they drifted off to another world.
°°°
A little while later, Namjoon, Jin, and Manager Sejin entered the room to find the maknaes lying next to each other, seemingly unburdened by the recent events. "These two brats are going to be the death of me," Jin remarked with a chuckle, earning laughter from the others.
"Maybe someday, hyung," Namjoon remarked, wearing a warm smile as he gazed at the two teenagers who clung to each other on the bed. "They didn't make the best or wisest choices today but on the other side, we know they have each other's backs. In fact, we all do, but those two need each other more than anyone else. They were so young when this journey began, and they still are. They need to share their feelings, even amid their bickering. They share their feelings... that's what siblings do, right? Being there for each other in times of need."
"You're right, Joon, but it wouldn't hurt if they also shared their thoughts and feelings with us," Jin responded.
Namjoon nodded and added, "They do, Hyung. They will eventually, but we are like their older siblings. They treat us differently, still with respect but different. Their connection is so strong, you see the same with Jimin and Taehyung," he said with another smile as he looked at the youngsters resting in each other's arms.
______________________
A/N: Hey you all, another note of the author here! In this chapter, I wanted to show how Jin can be a bit overprotective of Na-Rae, maybe he was a bit harsh I know but look it was my imagination that did the work. (Of course, everything in this book is a product of my imagination, remember that! It's fictional).
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving it a like and sharing your thoughts in the comments (Tell me about how you think Jin or the other boys would react if something like this were to happen.)
Thank You! Lots of love Charlie xx