It only takes a second to save someone's life.
And tonight was the perfect example of that.
Within the pitch black fancams that already began spreading online like wildfire, the number one thing that caught people's attention was a sonic-like Québécois gentleman running full speed towards the stage.
Hopping over the barricade and extending out his hands a second before the Parisian's head hit the ground, Alice would have had a major blow in the most complex human organ: her brain.
But thankfully that wasn't the case.
And Remi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief once Alice safely landed in his palm. However, it wasn't long before his relief quickly turned into anxiety once he realize that he was doing the very thing he wanted to avoid: wasting time. "Shit"
Running backstage, the young lad couldn't help but be thank god that that girl's assigned dressing room was the one closest to stage.
Kicking the door open with force, Remi dashed over to the couch and placed the girl down on the soft fabrics. His heart beating every step of the way, almost if it would've popped out right this instant.
"What's wro-" Ha-Joon dropped the object he held in his hand onto the floor and ran over. "Wh-"
It didn't take long before silence consumed the room.
They were all too stunned to say anything so instead, they stared. Stared at how pale-like Alice was. At how redden her nose and cheeks became. At how drenched her forehead was and how soaked her blouse became from the patches of blood on them.
She looked dead.
It was the most excruciating sight.
"Alice?" The manager desperately shook her shoulders, hoping that she'll wake and say that it was all a joke. But he knew Alice wouldn't go as far as this for a simple joke. "A-Alice?" He swallowed back the lump that formed in the back of his throat and called out once more.
But yet again there was no respond.
Blocking out the crowd's cry, Ha-Joon placed his index and middle finger in the idol's waist to feel for a pulse. His breath hitched when he didn't feel anything. He moved his fingers over to her neck and exhaled out a sigh of breath. Thankfully there was a pulse. Faint but still audible.
Soon after he placed his left palm on her forehead while his right fingers resigned underneath her chin as he raised it to listen in for breathing. He placed his ear next to her mouth and made sure he counted the repetition for at least ten before proceeding on to the next step.
"Oppa?" A voice called out among the crowd that formed by the door. "I can't find Alice. And I'm really worried because she didn't look too well when she went on stage" Hana shimmed her way through the crowd unaware of what she was about to face. "What the heck? Why is the door locked? Ha-Joon? Remi? Yeon-?"
It wasn't long before the door swung open and someone pulled her in before shutting it back once again. The swift action took the PA off-guard but upon entering, the dreary silence was what worried her the most. "Unnie?" Seeing one of her co-workers frozen-like posture, Hana couldn't help but become fret."Why is everyone standing just standing there? Wha....What's goin-"
Once she took a few more steps inside, that was when she saw it: the reason for the suffocating silence and instantly tears started slipping down Hana's face.
Unable to form words nor was she able to move, she couldn't help but think she was hallucinating. Is she just seeing things?
But sadly she wasn't dreaming. It felt more like a vividly nightmare, finally understanding why others tend to describe reality in such ways. "....a-al" Unable to utter out her name, the PA couldn't help but scan the lifeless body on the ground, as still as she has ever been, as if someone has cut off her oxygen supply. Was she even breathing?
She was brought back to reality when
Yeonha entered the room, out of breath.
"How is she?" She asked, her voice breaking in the process. She made her way closer and caressed the idol's forehead with ease. "Is her brea--" A small smile fell on her face upon seeing the swelling decreasing and hearing Alice's breathing back to normal rhythm.
"Turning her to the side did the trick...." Ha-Joon praised but deep down his anxiety grew, hopefully the epi-pen did the trick. "Remi went to get the car"
"....Hana go help him clear a path"
"....but"
"Go Hana" The eldest commended in a stern yet gentle volume. With a simple nod, the PA complied by wiping away her tears on the way out. In doing so, only whimpers could be heard throughout the room, all mentally praying and waiting for the girl to open up her eyes again.
And just like Yeonha predicted, it wasn't long before Alice regained consciousness. But it wasn't the sight no one had in mind.
Instead of an highly anticipated sluggish yet sarcastic comment, Alice's body jerked up in panic a second before she turned her head to the side and coughed up the rest of the blood that was clogged up in her throat. "--bg...." She wheezed, her lungs getting stinged once again from the inhale of oxygen.
"....Eun-ah"
" Désolée, j'ai vraiment essayé de le tenir" The duo looked back at her with nothing but tearful eyes. I mean, the girl just apologized for not withstanding the type of pain no one should ever experience. "Mais...." The Parisian gasped for air while fighting the urge to break down. "....i'm scared"
As if the room weren't already frightened enough that one statement sure did the trick since the Parisian was never the type to say such vulnerable thing. "I don't know why" Her once bright grey eyes was has now completely darken, not a glint or spark seen in them: almost dead.
"Fu- what's taking Remi so long?"
Freaking out does more harm than good, Yeonha knew so she stepped in. "Hi Alice. Hi, my love. I know you don't feel so good but how's the pain? Is it still there?"
"....Comme de la merde [I feel like shit]" Now really wasn't the time to make jokes but after sensing the mood of the room, the idol couldn't help herself.
Upon hearing her slur, Yeonha gave her a small forced grin before pushing back her hair gently. "Listen babe, I need you to do me a favor....keep your eyes open ok?" It was clear for the elder to see that the maknae was on the verge of drifting off again. "You have to stay with us. You can do that right?"
"Mothaeyo [못해요 / I cant]" Alice mumbled honestly just as her eye-lids grew denser. "I'm tired"
"I know my love but you have to try"
"I'm ju- Just a few minutes" Alice tried to compromised. "I'll clos- close them for just d-deux minutes"
"No Allie, stay with us"
"Ju-just for a litt-" Mumbling out her last word for the night, she drifted off to pitch-darkness once again.
"Fuck" Yeonha tossed the fan to the side before ramaging through the emergency duffel bag. She grabbed a respirator and placed it on top of the Parisian nasal cannula. "W-we need to go" Change in vitals and dilated pupils were definitely not a good sign. "NOW Ha-Joon!"
Although most couldn't see it, Yeonha's hands trembled as worst case scenarios came storming in her mind. "We'll meet Remi halfway" Hopefully it isn't going to be too late.
••••••••••••••••••
"HANA!" The PA's head jerked towards the direction of the voice. "Snap out of it"
"Y-Yeah. I'm-I'm ok"
All Remi could do at this point was nod. It's understandable for everyone to be freaked out over the event that just occurred - especially since it happened to 'health-fanatic' like Alice - but now wasn't the time to fuss about it.
They have a job to do and have to disarm any possible rumors that might surface because of this. "Do you need a minute?"
"No. No. I'm fine" Hana cleared her throat before turning to face the others. "I'm sorry but would you mind repeating what you just said, I couldn't catch that"
"U-uhm. Before going on stage with Red Velvet, she hit her head" Grace replied, feeling a bit scrutinized by various piercing eyes. She was just a fill-in makeup artist - more of a floater - who worked with newbies. Who knew she would get sucked into some sort of investigation.
"She smashed into the metal railing ....yeah that one...." She points before flickering her gaze back on the duo. "And she slammed it really hard."
It seemed a bit fishy that's for sure. No one could help but wonder how a temporary staff knew of such incident and others didn't. "Did you notify someone?" Hana bit down her lips in frustration. She was so close to losing it but she also knew now wasn't the time to do so.
"I-I didn't think I needed to be-because I saw her tell someone" Grace croaks her neck in discomfort.
Everyone's head flipped around in sync. "She told someone? Who?"
"I don't know. I didn't see his face" The makeup artist panicked. Was she in trouble? "I-I thought it was her manager o-or a staff she knew"
"Ok, so let me get this straight" Hana simpers. "Alice bumped...wait no I'm sorry...slammed her head on a railing and the only people that knew of this are you and this mysterious manager person" What kind of conspiracy shit is going on?
"Great, this is just great" The PA let's out a sarcastic laugh before massaging her temples. "We have a dead end Chico. A dead end"
However, Grace's eyes lit up when she suddenly recalled what happened earlier. "She ca-call the guy 'Manager-Nim'" Although she doubts that those words word mean anything, she still prayed that it would. "She knew the person, that's for sure"
And this definitely proves that it wasn't Ha-Joon since Alice has never called him by that phrase. From day one, Alice has called her partner-in-crime none other than 'BG' or 'mon tigre'. These were names that has been branded to Ha-Joon and it never once changed.
So who was the person?
Grace hesitatedly put her hand up when she recalled another thing. Not sure if it would make a difference but it was up to the rest to find it beneficial or not. "Uhm....I-I think sh-she was given juice or something by the manager"
"Kessé?" Remi's head immediately jerked to the lady. "She drank something? But isn't her tastebuds numb?"
"Yeah, all day" Hana nods in response before turning to the hairstylist for more clarification on the new information. "Do you know what brand it was? Color? Anything?"
"I don't know but the guy re-read the label like ten times before giving it to her". Grace's mind skimmed through her memories. "....it was a bit suspicious since he was hesitant but it wasn't because of the beverage, it was more like he was calculating or trying to recall something. But in the end, he just shrugged it off and gave it to her"
Sound conceded once more. "It was the type of juice that looked like water from afar. Uhm, it's hard to ex-explain but he took it from one of the YOLO boxes of drinks"
Grace walked over to the table and vended down to grab the package underneath. "It should be here somewhere" She mumbled, scanning through the cartons but no luck. She rampaged through another box and then another until she hit jackpot. "Bingo, it's this one"
The pair didn't waste time before hovering over the makeup artist, trying their best to catch a glimpse of the packaging. "See....one of the bottle is missing" Usually these drinks are gone by nights ends so the employees makes sure to stash away a few boxes for themselves at the end hence why it's labeled YOLO.
She skimmed through the rows of different flavors until she came into contact with the exact one the Parisian drank earlier. "I seen many idols drink it and they usually really likes it but Alice didn't seem to enjoy it as much since she only took a sip and gagged" She handed the beverage over to the closest one next to her. "But in the end she gulped down the rest"
As his gaze ran down the somewhat short list of ingredients intensively, Remi's eye stopped on a familiar ingredient before he cussed once more. "....Merde"
The Québécois ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "PUTAIN DE MERDE!" If only he ran faster-no. If only he turned down the so-called tasked he was assigned to and stayed by Alice's side then all of this could have been avoided.
Hana glanced over at the ingredients before mumbling out in trepidation. "Nem fodendo"
••••••••••••••••••
"Why is she still out? Shouldn't she be awake by now?"
"Calm down," Yeonha mutters, keeping her eyes closed through the PA's mental breakdown. "She's stable and just resting"
"She doesn't look like she's even breathing" Hana mumbles, placing her hands onto of the idols's folded ones to radiate some of her heat. "Is it normal that she's this cold? Like a fucking ice block or some shit"
"Stop cursing" Ha-Joon spoke out just as he enter the room, each hand holding a few bags and trays. Remi was the first to run over and assist since the manager look like he was next to collapse. "Eat something. I brought coffee, who wants coffee"
"How many did you drink?" Yeonha asked concerned. "You shouldn't have too much caffeine"
"Yeah well who cares" BG dropped the tray of drinks onto the counter before scanning the room. He has never been a big fan of hospitals. Heck, he used to bawl out every-time his parents announced a dentist trip. "It's not like I've don-"
"Don't finish that sentence" Yeonha warns, already sensing where the conversation was leading to. "This...." Her hands circle the room. "....is no one's fault"
Remi nods, popping the bag of chips open and scuffing down a few. "She wouldn't have wanted us to blame ourselves"
However the team leader didn't reply. Instead, he just continued to stare at the lifeless idol that laid on the mattress with an IV poked in her arm. Her chest rising ever so slightly as a sign to show that she was still very much alive.
Shit, how could they let her get this bad?
Having been too preoccupied with other tasks, they have failed to see the very person they have been trying so hard to protect was far beyond her limit. "I'm going for a walk"
"Me too" The vibe of the room was getting way to disheartening for them to bear. "Open the curtain or something, it's way too depressing in here"
Just as the two guys were about to depart, Yeonha calls out. "Who has a working phone?"
"Mines out of juice"
"Dead"
"Zero"
"There's a phone booth in the first floor" Ha-Joon suggest "And a charging station too"
After adjusting her shoes back on, Yeonha was met with nothing but four different phones being held in her face. "Lazy asses" She yanked them before stomping off with a grin. "We'll be back" She informed the PA to be lookout before the trio left with ease.
Bird chirps were heard out the window while Hana adjusted her seat, trying to get comfortable in the chair. But she couldn't sleep, none of them can. "Yah Alice...." She pokes the youngster and unsurprisingly nothing. "Will you wake up now, it's been almost two hours"
Waiting is always the most difficult part. "Please don't tell me you need the 10-hour recharging thing"
Ah, the magical 10-Hour bench mark. That's how long it takes for Alice to get better from the common cold. And even though it wasn't the same case, each member of A-Team are holding she doesn't exceed that amount this time around either. "I swear even if it's a second after ten hours, I'll wake you up myself"
Trying to lift up the mood of a somber room wasn't easy, no matter how many people are inside. "I'll g-get you donuts if you open your eyes right now" Sadly, that didn't do the trick either.
"Macarons? Choco-Pie? Pepero? Tteokbokki?" Sweets has always been Alice's weakness and to use such a stunt seems low on Hana's behalf but it's the only thing she can think of right now. "What about Madeleines? I've seen you eat those a couple of times"
She paused until a long time favorite snack came to mind. "...Heck, I'll even get you that disgustingly sweet candy thing" She mutters, flickering her gaze to the ground as she tries her best to recall the treat or brand. "Y'know, the one with the caramel block inside. The one from England"
"A heath bar?"
"Yes, the Heath thing" Hana hums before grining. "I don't really understand why you like that thing so mu-wait....?"
Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing a voice behind her. "Holy shit, this is the part where I get mysterious k-" Turning around slowly, she brought her hands up ready to attack despite having zero experience at any defense moves.
However, when she turned around her hands automatically dropped to the side just as her mouth hanged open. "Holy mother of pearls...."
"Annyeonghaseyo" The stranger in black greets from the doorway while he awaited for permission to enter the room.
A gasp escaped from Hana just as her hand went on to cover her mouth, eyes bulged out. ".....holy fucks"