Jeonghan finally returned home a little before noon and noticed Seungcheol was gone judging by how his car was missing from the usual parking spot. He wondered where he went off to but quickly turned his attention back to his current task, checking on his beloved girlfriend. He yawned before entering his room, he had already started to get tired and he was only gone for about two hours! When he made it to his bed, he could see Soo Min sound asleep. He worried if she couldn’t sleep after he left, so he was glad she did manage to sleep in the end, well that’s what he thought.

 

Unlike him, she didn’t hog up the whole bed and he was able to crawl over and lie next to her. He set an alarm on his phone for an hour from now and proceeded to take a nap next to her. He was able to fall asleep quickly but he woke up just as quick when he felt the bed move from Soo Min sitting up too fast. He could hear her breathing heavy and he also sat up quickly to check on her. “What’s wrong?!”

 

“I had a bad dream again.” She answered with a sigh and rested her hand over her forehead. Her headache from before hadn’t gone away completely yet.

 

“It’s okay. It was just a dream.” He assured her and gently rubbed her back to comfort her. He knew it had to be from stress and he was sure there wasn’t much he could to do help with that. It was difficult for her to relax half the time. There was silence between them until she scooted CLOSER to cuddle up to him. He figured she wanted to sleep some more in the safety of her boyfriend’s arms, maybe he could keep the bad dreams away. He really hoped he could do that for her, he hated to see her not get any sleep because of those. Once they were comfortable, they both were able to fall back to sleep moments later.

 

It was amazing how time flies, it seemed like he only closed his eyes for a few seconds since he was already being woken up by his alarm again. That was such a short nap, or could it even be considered a nap if he didn’t even feel like he took one?! At least he didn’t feel as tired as before, that was good. He reached over to silence his alarm and gave his attention to Soo Min who was groaning from his annoying alarm in his arms.

 

“It’s noon.” He muttered after her hair a few times to greet her. “Are you going to sleep more?” He nudged her and she groaned again. He understood maybe she didn’t sleep well, but he was also concerned since she usually sleeps more when illness strikes, she did feel a bit warm but it wasn’t anything too concerning. The seasons were changing, it was the perfect time for it.

 

“Just five more minutes.” She said while curling up on her side under the blanket.

 

“You can have more than five minutes.” He said with a few gentle to her arm before he moved her off of his chest onto the bed and pillows and then he got up. He wasn’t going to take another nap, even if he felt like he should. “I’ll be in the living room.” He added and headed out of his room to let her rest.

 

He took his phone with him and checked a few things on his social media before he got a text from Seungcheol about lunch. He figured it would be better this way, and he felt like Soo Min would wake up when she smells the food. That thought made him chuckle. He grabbed a snack from the kitchen and took a seat on the couch to watch some TV to pass time, but he’d soon find out that was a mistake, because a few minutes later his bedroom door opened and out came his girlfriend wrapped up with his blankets. It almost made him laugh when he saw this short bundle of fabric waddle it’s way over to him on the couch and proceeded to cuddle up next to him. Well, he might as well make them comfortable.

 

He had her get up and he took the blanket off of her before he lied on the couch and gestured for her to join him. When she was cuddled up to him again he wrapped them both in the blanket to keep warm. At least he could watch the TV while she sleeps. But she never went back to sleep.

 

“What is it?” He asked softly with his eyes still watching the TV. He could sense she was bothered by something by the way she was fiddling with the collar of his shirt. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“I had a bad dream after you left earlier.” She said quietly before feeling him pull her CLOSER against his chest for a hug. He apologized and she assured him that it wasn’t his fault. “I called Jihoon since you weren’t home yet. I feel better after talking to him.”

“That’s good.” He rubbed her back in circular motions for a moment. “When do you plan on going home?” He asked and could tell she didn’t like that he asked that.

 

“Soon.” She muttered.

 

“How soon?”

 

“Soon.” She sighed, she really hoped he wasn’t going to pester her about it, but he did. “Maybe the evening, I don’t know!” She snapped. She paused when she saw his slight surprised expression and groaned before hiding her face with her hands. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.” He assured her.

 

“I planned on making kimchi jjigae for dinner later… and I wanted to either invite Ren to my place or go to his place to eat it, because my cousin said it’s one of his favorite foods. I thought it would be nice.”

 

“You should do it.”

 

“I know, but I just can’t seem to find the will to leave right now.” This time she leaned into him and he held her CLOSER.

 

“Should I carry you over there?” He teased and she whimpered and nudged him a bit. “Relax, just breathe. You don’t have to do anything so quickly. Take it easy.” He was right. “Distract yourself for a bit.”

 

“I wish it was that easy.” She sighed again and pulled back a bit to look up at the ceiling.

 

Jeonghan figured it was probably pointless to tell her to at least try, because he knows she tries. Telling her to relax wasn’t going to help either, it just made her do the complete opposite. He was running out of things to say and he was starting to feel a bit useless until he decided maybe just being quiet would be okay. Being by her side would help. Letting her know he was there for her would make it better somehow. Then his phone buzzed on the couch armrest to his left. It was Seungcheol letting him know they were on their way with the food.

 

“Are you hungry?” He asked after replying a thumbs up to his friend.

 

“A little.” She nodded. “I know we planned to eat lunch together today, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” He assured her. “Cheol and Jihoon are on their way with some food, that’s why I asked.”

 

“Oh, they are?” She was a little surprised and a smile started to form on her lips. Seeing one of her best friends would probably help her a lot. Jeonghan knew this. She sat up and separated herself from him so she could get dressed since he suggested it. Not like their friends would care, but there was a chance Jihoon would take her home after they eat, so he thought it would be better to prepare ahead of time! When she returned, she was wearing the long sleeve striped shirt she left behind on his birthday. Thinking about that day suddenly had him blushing and a little hot and bothered, he had to snicker at himself for getting worked up like that. “What is it?” She asked when she noticed his expression.

 

“Nothing, nothing.” He quickly answered and looked away. They could hear the front door opening and he was kind of relieved for once. In came Seungcheol and Jihoon with food and drinks.

 

“You’re still here.” Seungcheol smiled when he saw Soo Min standing there waving at them. He wasn’t sure why he thought she would have left before they got there, but he was glad because he could see the warm smile Jihoon gave her and it was so sweet. Then he noticed Jeonghan who seemed a little flustered and that made him wonder if they interrupted something between the couple? “Jeonghan, can you help me plate the food?” He asked and gestured to the kitchen.

 

“Right!” Jeonghan was already up and running towards the kitchen, surprising everyone.

 

“What’s gotten into him?” Jihoon asked after passing off the drinks to Seungcheol, who proved he was stronger than him. He snickered at that in a funny way.

 

“I don’t know.” Soo Min shrugged in reply and she saw Jihoon give her a look. “We weren’t doing anything before you walked in if that’s what you’re thinking?” She chuckled.

 

“Huh, strange.” Jihoon looked towards the kitchen before looking back to her. He suddenly held his arms open and she stared at him in confusion this time. “C’mon.” He gestured with his hands for her to come forward. Thirty seconds later she stepped forward and accepted the hug he was offering with teary eyes. It was unusual for him to initiate hugs, which was why she was confused at first, but she was glad that he was improving on his comforting skills. She really felt CLOSER to him now. They remained in that embrace for a moment before they parted and Jihoon rubbed her arms while she wiped one of the tears that managed to fall.

 

“THANKS.” She managed to say in a calm voice and gave him a warm smile. “I needed that.”

 

“You’re welcome.” He returned that smile before leading her over to sit on the couch so they could sit together. “What do you want to do after we eat?”

 

“Oh…” she thought about it. Now that he was here and comforted her, she felt a lot better now. Maybe she could actually go home this time? “Well, maybe a little grocery shopping for the stew? I’ll go home after that.”

 

“Alright, sounds like a plan.” Jihoon was pleased to hear that. He could tell she wasn’t as nervous or worried about it either. “I feel like I should tell you… that I saw Ren before coming here.” He explained and saw her expression change a bit, but it was hard to tell if it was a positive or negative reaction. “He seemed tired and didn’t look too well. You both seem to have that in common.” He said and pinched her cheek. She pouted in response to that. “He wants you to take your time. No rush.”

 

“Okay.” She nodded quietly.

 

“Relax and take it easy. Don’t get sick again.” He reached over and closed his hand around the top of hers and squeezed it.

 

“I’ll try.” She gave a sheepish smile.

 

“Try harder.” He chuckled when he realized he had said the same thing to Ren. Seungcheol and Jeonghan returned from the kitchen a moment later with their food on two trays. They let the pair of best friends eat together on the floor since they insisted while the other pair of best friends ate together on the couch.

 

Seungcheol really thought he would be eating with Jihoon, and he technically still is, but he understood why it was like this. At least he was eating with his own best friend who was barely touching his food. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing.” Jeonghan snapped out of it and quickly shoved a fry into his mouth to eat it. Seungcheol looked at him a bit weird before continuing with his food. It wasn’t long before they were all done eating and that’s when Soo Min said she’d be leaving with Jihoon.

 

Seungcheol offered them a ride but they told him they’d be fine. They could use the walk and fresh air, besides, they weren’t going to be buying a lot of ingredients, the groceries wouldn’t be that heavy for them. Seungcheol accepted defeat but he was happy she was in better moods with Jihoon by her side. He’ll live.

 

Soo Min gave Jeonghan a hug and a peck to his lips before saying goodbye and he managed to act normal this time instead of being flustered like earlier. When the younger two were out of the apartment and down the hallway, Seungcheol shut the door and faced Jeonghan who was suddenly confused at his best friend’s stare. “What?”

 

“I don’t know, you were acting a little weird earlier.” Seungcheol answered.

 

“Weird like?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“... nevermind.” Seungcheol felt like maybe it was best not to pry into that. He figured maybe the two did fun things while he was away from the apartment and honestly he didn’t feel like he wanted to confirm that either. “I’m tired. I think I’ll take a nap.” He changed the topic.

 

“Me too.” Jeonghan yawned and was about to lie down on the couch until Seungcheol stopped him and guided him to his bedroom. “THANKS.” He said in a sleepy tone.

 

“Of course.” Seungcheol said softly and covered his friend with the blanket. Jeonghan was fast asleep within seconds and the older chuckled. He wished he was able to do that, too. He stood there and watched his friend for a moment before his eyes panned to Jeonghan’s night stand once again, particularly the bottom drawer. How soon does he plan to pop the question now that he bought that ring? He wondered.

 

He headed to his room shortly after that thought and plopped down onto his bed face first. Surprisingly it was a comfortable position and it had him knocked out in no time at all.

 

…

 

Once the fried chicken arrived at the gag trio plus gyu’s household, everyone got comfortable on the couch and watched a movie that was showing on TV at the moment. Mingyu was more busy trying to plate everyone’s food perfectly and then plated his own, so he already missed at least twenty minutes of the movie so far and was a little lost on the storyline. He didn’t bother to ask his friends for help since he wasn’t really into the movie anyway. Instead, he focused on eating until he got a text from Won Woo.

 

Won Woo: Hey, I’m at the hospital-

 

Mingyu nearly choked on the chicken he was eating before he could read the rest of the text and his friends were startled and quickly tried to help him calm down and gave him his drink. “What happened?!” Soonyoung exclaimed.

 

“I got a text from Won Woo.” Mingyu tried to say in a scratchy voice. “He said he’s at the hospital.”

 

“What?!” Seungkwan exclaimed and picked up Mingyu’s phone to read the text.

 

Won Woo: Hey, I’m at the hospital with Ren.

He was really dehydrated so they hooked him up to an IV drip.

They said he’ll be here for a while and I’m going to stay with him.

Just thought to let you know since you mentioned about coming over again later.

 

“He said Ren was dehydrated and they have him on an IV drip at the hospital.” Seungkwan explained calmly and showed it to Seokmin and Soonyoung to read it for themselves. “That sounds scary.” He pouted.

 

“He’ll be okay.” Mingyu assured them. “It’s good that Won Woo took him there or things could have been worse.”

 

“What should we do? Should we go visit?” Soonyoung pointed out.

 

“We can’t unless he’s in his own room.” Mingyu explained before reaching for his phone. “I’ll get him a room.” That was a fast decision.

 

“Good, then we’ll get him flowers and balloons!” Seungkwan stated and Soonyoung was all for that idea. Mingyu looked to Seokmin who just gave a sheepish smile, their friends were so sweet and adorable sometimes!

 

“How about a cake?” Seokmin suggested and they all looked at him. “Too much? Okay, I got it.”

 

“No, what kind of cake, be more specific, babe!” Soonyoung laughed.

 

“You three are too much.” Mingyu shook his head and contacted his father to pull a few strings for him. He only mentioned about Ren since he wasn’t sure how Won Woo would feel about him telling his father who he is just yet. There was a chance Won Woo would be nervous being in the presence of Mingyu’s father without Mingyu around, imagine a doctor you just met greeting you with “I heard you’re friends with my son?” Especially when you’re that doctor’s son’s new boyfriend?

 

When Mingyu got the word that his father would pull those strings for him, his friends were all ready to leave to fetch the balloons, flowers, and the cake. Mingyu knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop them once they had their minds set on something and he supposed it would be harmless… Ren would feel even more loved and accepted, wouldn’t he? He thought with a small smile.

 

…

 

“Will it hurt more if I watch or don’t watch?” Ren asked the nurse who was about to poke him with a needle.

 

“It hurts regardless.” Won Woo blurted out and Ren pouted at him, making the nurse laugh.

 

“Do you want me to count down?” She asked after cleaning the crook of his arm with a small alcohol wipe.

 

“Yes please.” Ren whimpered and Won Woo held back his chuckle. Don’t get him wrong, he felt bad for his poor brother, but he just couldn’t help but be amused at how similar he and Soo Min act in the hospital.

 

“Here.” Won Woo said and reached out to hold his brother’s right hand. “It’s okay. It’ll be quick. Just look at me.” He said before giving the nurse a look that signaled for her to go through with inserting the needle for the IV drip. Ren barely reacted much other than a small hiss, but he was totally fine a second later. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

 

“I hate you.” Ren pouted. Though it helped, he really wanted that count down!

 

“You two are just adorable!” The nurse gushed. “Are you brothers?”

 

The two paused for a second and Won Woo smiled. “Yes, we are.” He answered.

 

“Are you the oldest?” She asked to Won Woo and Ren scowled.

 

“I am!” He corrected. “I’m the patient here, pay attention to me!”

 

“Sorry!” The nurse chuckled before she set up the IV drip. “We’ll let this run for a bit and check your stats after that, okay? Just relax for now.” She said sweetly and cleaned up the small mess from the needle packaging and the alcohol wipe before leaving. Now it was just the two brothers in the room.

 

Ren let out a deep sigh and looked at the IV in his arm. He couldn’t believe how he got himself into this situation. He supposed he didn’t do such a great job on taking care of himself and he figured maybe it was because he was alone most of the time. No one was there to notice and tell him to drink more water. They have apps for that, right? Maybe he needed to look into getting one after this, because he sure as hell didn’t want to go through this a second time or ever. Now that he was looking at it, he thought IVs were supposed to go into the back of your hand? “I thought they put this on your hand?” He blurted out his thought and caught Won Woo’s attention.

 

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so dehydrated, they would have put it there.” Won Woo explained with a small snicker. “They only put it here to get the fluids into you faster.”

 

“You say that like you know a lot about it?” Ren pouted again.

 

“Because I do.” Won Woo said with a somewhat sad smile.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because of Soo Min.” He answered. “She got sick like this before. Many other times as well. I’m surprised she just didn’t live in a hospital with how often she got sick growing up. I used to hate the hospital when I was little. I used to hate the doctors and nurses because they scared me… but when Soo Min was admitted so many times, I got over it. I got used to it. I had to or else she would be alone like that first time. Now I’m not even phased by it anymore.”  

 

“I had no idea.” Ren’s expression faltered, he felt bad, he felt horrible. He really missed a lot. “I’m glad you were there for her. THANKS for being here for me too.” He managed a smile with teary eyes.

 

“No problem. Don’t cry or they’re going to give you more fluids and we’ll be here all day.” Won Woo chuckled when Ren pouted once again. They were getting along so well! Honestly, sibling goals, right?

 

AWWWWWWWWH…

Mingyu: Yah, don’t be mean to your sick brother.

Won Woo: Who said I was being mean?

Ren: ……… WHATEVER. FORGET IT.

 

“Hey…” Won Woo spoke up a few moments later and broke the silence between them. Ren looked at him with a faint nod. “Be honest with me, okay?” Ren nodded again. “Have you been eating okay? It’s clear you haven’t been drinking enough water, but there’s also water in the foods we eat, so have you been eating enough?”

 

Ren was quiet for a few seconds before he decided to answer. “It’s not like I was restricting myself too much. A lot’s been going on lately and I’ve just been distracted. My appetite hasn’t been good because of the stress… so yeah, I haven’t been eating well for certain reasons.”

 

“So, you’re not really on a diet, right?” Won Woo was met with more silence. “Ren.”

 

“I was.” Ren admitted. “I was on a diet earlier this week…”

 

“Why?”

 

“Really?” Ren snickered at that. “I’m a model… of course I’d go on diets here and there when I have events or photos I need to do.”

 

“So, when is your next gig then?” Won Woo asked with a scolding look. “Right before your midterms? During your midterms? Fall break? Your birthday? Christmas? New Years?”

 

“Okay, I get it…” Ren sighed and averted his eyes elsewhere. “I don’t have any gigs planned yet. I just wanted to be ready if something came up last minute.”

 

“You’re perfectly fine as you are, you don’t need to be on diets, okay? If people don’t like you because of your weight, they’re not for you. And if you have to suffer like this just for work, it’s not for you either.” Won Woo was lecturing his brother now and it felt interesting, given he’s the younger one. Ren seemed amused as well when he did a light snicker, but it wasn’t as negative as the one before. “Please, take better care of yourself. Okay?”

 

“I will.” Ren nodded with a soft smile. “It might be difficult at first because I already have this routine I follow, it’s not easy to break that so easily. I live alone on top of that.” He pointed out and Won Woo started to think about that.

 

“You said you wanted to visit Soo Min and I more… right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I said we’d visit you more often, too, right?”

 

“Where is this going?” Ren was slightly confused yet anxious about what Won Woo was going to say next.

 

“You can relax. Soo Min and I are going to make sure you take care of yourself after this, so don’t even worry about making any huge changes right away. We’ll help you. Jihoon, too. He’s definitely going to make sure you eat, even though he doesn’t do that for himself.”

 

“He doesn’t?” Ren frowned.

 

“Sometimes he really gets in the zone with his music. If it weren’t for us checking on him every now and then he’d be skin and bones.” Won Woo said with a sad snicker. “You two really need to take better care of yourselves. It could get dangerous.”

 

“I know.” Ren agreed. “Remember to take care of yourself, too.”

 

“I will.” Won Woo gave a more genuine smile this time. It was like they were sharing a moment, a brother bonding moment until the nurse returned to the room.

 

“Hi, sorry to bother you so soon, but it’s been requested that we move you to your own room.” The nurse explained while disconnecting the IV machine so Ren could walk with it.

 

“My own room?” Ren asked and looked to Won Woo who was just as confused.

 

“You’ll be here for a while, and Dr. Kim thought you should be comfortable.” She explained and gestured them to follow her. Won Woo helped Ren by pushing the IV drip close behind him so Ren could walk freely.

 

“Dr. Kim?” Won Woo muttered quietly before it dawned on him. He had texted Mingyu a short while ago and he had told him that he brought Ren to the hospital. Mingyu’s father? When they reached one of the recovery rooms, there was a doctor inside waiting for them, Dr. Kim.

 

“Hello Mr. Choi.” The doctor greeted. “I’m sorry to hear you aren’t feeling so well today, but I assure you that you will be feeling better once you’re done with your treatment. Please, just relax for now.” He gestured Ren to lie on the bed.

 

“Uh, thank you.” Ren said politely and did as he was told. Won Woo helped him and Dr. Kim questioned who he was. “He’s my brother.”

 

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a brother.” Dr. Kim said slightly surprised.

 

“I take it that you’re a fan?” Ren said with a small chuckle.

 

“More than just a fan, I’m friends with your mother! And you’re friends with my son Mingyu, correct?” Won Woo stilled when he heard the doctor say that. , he really is Mingyu’s father?! Luckily, they didn’t notice Won Woo’s sudden change in behavior. A few more words were exchanged between Ren and doctor Kim before he left.

 

“Huh, I never knew my mom was friends with a doctor?” Ren muttered out loud to himself. Being friends with Mingyu, he already knew that but he didn’t really know Mingyu’s father was a doctor and he frowned. He supposed he hadn’t taken the time to get to know Mingyu that much yet. He only knew Mingyu’s mother was friends with his own mother because they have the same area of work. “So, I take it you haven’t meet Mingyu’s dad yet, have you?”

 

“No!” Won Woo blurted out. “We just started dating the other day, of course I haven’t met his parents yet!” He whispered this time. He was feeling pretty nervous now and wondered if Mingyu told his parents about their relationship yet? Surely his boyfriend knew not to rush things like that, right?

 

“Oh, right, sorry.” Ren gave a sheepish laugh. “If you’re uncomfortable being here after that, you can go. I’ll be fine.”

 

“No, I’ll stay.” Won Woo shook his head. “I was just a little shocked is all. I didn’t expect to be meeting his father without him.” He added on. “I’ll probably be meeting his mother without him, too. Damn, it’s not supposed to be like that, right?”

 

“No.” Ren chuckled. “Relax. Life is strange sometimes.”

 

“Earlier... I texted Mingyu and I told him we were here. I’m not wondering if he told his father and this is why we’re here now?”

 

“Maybe.” Ren pouted. “Now I’m nervous, what if Dr. Kim told my mom?” He was hoping he didn’t, because he didn’t want to worry his mother too much if she was busy today.

 

“Speaking of telling people, shouldn’t you tell your boyfriend? Did you want me to tell Jihoon? They said you’d be here for a while, maybe we should let them know in case they’ve been trying to get a hold of you, right?”

 

“You’re right.” Ren sighed. “Let’s throw a party now that I got my own room.” He suddenly grinned and Won Woo gave him a scolding look. “What? It would be a party if everyone started to pile in!”

 

“You need to rest, we’re just telling them you’re here, that’s all.” Won Woo said before looking down at his phone to compose a text to Jihoon. He could hear Ren pouting about that but he could also hear the fatigue as well. “You can sleep.” Won Woo pointed out after looking at how full the bag of fluids were. It would still be awhile until it was finished, he could tell.

 

“Can I do that?” Ren asked with a hint of worry.

 

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on you, don’t worry.” Won Woo assured him. “I’ll make sure you don’t move your arm in your sleep.”

 

“Alright, then I’ll take a small nap then.” Ren gave a soft smile and closed his eyes. He wiggled in his spot to get comfortable and Won Woo let out a small chuckle at that. He could see Ren was feeling a little better at least. After a few moments, he returned to his task of contacting Jihoon about the situation. He sent something similar to the text he sent to Mingyu earlier and waited for a reply, he didn’t expect to get anything right away and put his phone away with a small sigh. He didn’t have Minhyun’s number yet and he didn’t think he should try to grab Ren’s phone out of his skinny jean pocket and wake him up either. He supposed it would just have to wait until Ren’s nap was over.

 

Some time had passed by already and Won Woo wasn’t exactly tired, but he felt a little drained after everything so far. He supposed he’d sleep early tonight when this was all over, and that started to make him think about what would be happening later? If Soo Min was really going to come home tonight? He really hoped she would, but he also had a feeling she wouldn’t. He sighed at that thought and Ren suddenly woke up. “Sorry, did I wake you?” Won Woo frowned.

 

“No.” He slowly sat up while shaking his head. “I need to pee.”

 

“Oh, right.” Won Woo chuckled and got up to help his brother to the bathroom a few feet away. He was glad Ren got his own room now since it would have taken longer to walk down to the other bathrooms down the hallways. Luckily, Ren didn’t need much help using the bathroom and was already done and heading back to the bed. He managed to fall asleep once he was comfortable on the bed again and Won Woo watched over him like he promised.

 

…

 

Lunch with Chan Mei Yi and Yeo LiNa was nice and peaceful for Xu Minghao. They did most of the talking and he would nod or give short answers when they asked him anything, he was glad they took the hint that he wasn’t very social at the moment, Mei Yi pointed out the obvious, asking if it was because his Korean isn’t that great yet. He answered that with an embarrassed nod. That’s when they surprised him by speaking to him in short sentences in his mother tongue, Mandarin. Honestly, he was touched that they were trying so hard and they explained they’ve been learning since high school. LiNa had gotten interested in the culture and language and naturally Mei Yi got interested as well. Now Minghao felt like he didn’t make such a bad decision on leaving by himself, or tagging along with these girls for lunch. At least he got to eat!

 

At some point, the buzzing of his phone became annoying and the girls asked about it a few times. He mentioned that it was nothing important and put it in silent mode to put a stop to it. He hid the snicker that wanted to come out when he saw the last text from Junhui.

 

Junhui: Minghao where are you, seriously?!

I’m getting worried now.

 

He was still angry from before, but at the same time, he also felt a bit guilty. To be purposely causing this worry to his roommate when Junhui didn’t do anything on purpose to him. He was feeling a bit conflicted and LiNa noticed this after Mei Yi excused herself to get a refill on her drink.

 

“Are you okay?” She asked and he looked up at her and accidentally let out a sigh. “Is it about your roommate?”

 

“Yeah.” He nodded. “He’s been texting me ever since I left. Says he’s worried about me.”

 

“You didn’t tell him you left with us?”

 

“No. He’s always leaving and never telling me anything, just thought to return the favor.”

 

“You shouldn't do that.” LiNa frowned and looked disappointed. “I know you’re upset with him, but you shouldn’t do the same thing. You said you were still new to the city, right? He’s not.” Minghao didn’t really like that he was getting lectured by a girl he just met, but she had good points and he even agreed. He appreciated it, too.

 

“THANKS.” He said softly with a small smile. “I’ll text him back… later.”

 

“Do it now!” She protested and he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Seriously, do it now!”

 

“Okay!” He obeyed this time and pulled out his phone to make a reply.

 

Minghao: I’ll be home later.

 

“Done.” He said before putting his phone back into his pocket. “What?” He asked when he noticed her eyeing him suspiciously.

 

“You really replied to him?”

 

“I did.”

 

“I’ll just have to trust you on that…” she said and her expression didn’t changing at all.

 

“Okay, I actually sent it to my other roommate, the NICE one.” He said with a sheepish chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. Her stare got to him.

 

“At least you told one of them. That’s good.” Her stare softened. “I don’t mean to be annoying but you really should talk to the other roommate when you get back, let him know how you feel so something like this doesn’t happen again.”

 

“Right… or I can just keep tagging along with you and your friend to lunch?” He gave an innocent smile and LiNa nearly spit out her water. “Are you okay?!” He asked and quickly handed her one of the napkins on the table.

 

“What’d I miss? What’d I miss?!” Mei Yi almost shouted while running up to their table. In her rush, the lid popped off her fountain drink and started to spill, causing a bigger mess and the two girls frantically tried to fix it while Minghao slid down in his seat and covered his face with his hoodie because everyone was staring at them now! Maybe he wouldn’t tag along with them again after all.

 

…

 

“Does kimchi jjigae really call for three boxes of Choco Pies?” Jihoon asked after Soo Min dumped the boxes of treats into their shopping basket.

 

“Maybe.” She chuckled at his question.

 

“Did you finally eat all of the ones Won Woo bought you last month?” He asked and noticed her expression falter just a bit. He could tell mentioning Won Woo’s name affected her.

 

“Almost.” She answered with a soft smile and started to push the cart down the rest of the aisle.

 

“Then why are you buying more?!” He called after her and sprinted to catch up to her.

 

“There’s no such thing as too many Choco Pies!” She pouted before suddenly she bumped into something with the cart and someone yelped in shock. She quickly looked to see a familiar blonde dramatically fall to the floor with and wailed in agony.

 

“What are you doing?!” They heard a familiar voice scold and come into view. “Sorry-wait, Soo Min, is that you?” Seungkwan asked and walked over to properly greet her.

 

“I’ve been wounded-” Soonyoung was saying on the floor but Seungkwan cut him off and said he was fine.

 

“Oh my goodness, what happened to you, my love?!” Seokmin was rushing to his boyfriend sprawled out on the floor and they could hear Mingyu snickering nearby. He and Seokmin had split up to find the flowers while Soonyoung and Seungkwan looked for appropriate balloons until the unfortunate accident of a bright star colliding with a shopping cart.

 

“I’m sorry!” Soo Min apologized.

 

“Ah, it’s fine, he’s fine. Don’t even worry about it! He should have been paying attention to where he was going!” Seungkwan assured her with a small laugh. Mingyu rushed over when he heard the sound of Soo Min’s voice and stepped over his fallen friend who flinched, thinking his giant friend would accidentally step on him.

 

Unfortunately, that tripped him and he came tumbling down next to the fallen star. His friends tried to keep in their laughter while Soo Min rushed over in panic and knelt down next to him asking if he was okay. Jihoon remained in his spot and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. These are Won Woo’s boyfriend’s friends? What a loud mess…

 

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Soo Min was still concerned for both the fallen star and the eiffel tower.

 

“I’m fine.” Mingyu assured her but gave a death glare to his friend who laughed nervously and also said he was fine, he knew Soonyoung would have been extra and said his spleen hurt or something and it would make Soo Min feel even worse.

 

“It’s so nice to bump into you two, quite literally, are you shopping?” Seokmin asked with a bright smile and a laugh at the genius pun he made.

 

“Yes. For ingredients for Choco Pie Kimchi Jjigae.” Jihoon answered and Soo Min sighed in defeat.

 

“Choco Pies?” Mingyu chuckled. “Don’t you still have the ones Won-” he was saying until he saw Jihoon making a gesture for him not to mention Won Woo. “I mean, there’s no such thing as too many Choco Pies!”

 

“Exactly, you understand it!” Soo Min’s expression lit up and she turned to Jihoon and stuck her tongue out at him like she won against him. Jihoon playfully rolled his eyes before facing Mingyu and his friends who were staring at them and taking in their similar heights, if they didn't know any better they would have thought they ran into middle schoolers. Soo Min felt a bit of deja vu from the way Mingyu's friends were looking at her and Jihoon with a look of awe, it's happened before but instead with Won Woo.

 

“What?” Jihoon asked.

 

“Nothing!” Soonyoung blurted out and smiled. “It’s just, you two are so adorable!” He grinned from ear to ear along with his friends, minus Mingyu who only smiled warmly and not like a maniac.

 

“We’re done here.” Jihoon grabbed the cart and started to push it forward with his target on the annoying star. Soo Min was quick to stop her friend from literally running over Soonyoung this time and the star hid behind his Sunshine in fear.

 

“Sorry.” Mingyu apologized to the SooJi duo for his friend’s behavior. “We’ll get back to what we came here to do.” He added on.

 

“Which is?” Soo Min asked curiously, they had told Mingyu and his friends why they were here but they had yet to tell the duo why they were here.

 

“Searching for the perfect cake.” Seungkwan blurted out. He figured they shouldn’t be the ones to tell her the bad news and he could tell Mingyu appreciated his efforts

 

“Oooh, cake.” Soo Min got excited but Jihoon stopped her by nudging her. “I guess we should also finish up our shopping, that Choco Pie Kimchi Jjigae isn’t going to cook itself.”

 

“Let us know how that turns out!” Mingyu said with a warm smile. “We’ll get going now~! Have a safe one!” He added and herded his friends away so they could get back on track.

 

“A safe one, what?” Soo Min asked quietly while watching them leave.

 

“It’s an expression.” Jihoon explained and grabbed her hand to lead her down the next aisle while pushing the cart with his other hand. She quickly snapped out of it and helped him push the cart side by side and she smiled when she noticed they were walking down the candy aisle. “No.” He said before she could even speak and she giggled at that.

 

“I’ve been thinking about texting Ren.” Soo Min blurted out halfway down the aisle and Jihoon stopped the cart from going any further. “You think that would be wrong if I texted him first?”

 

“How would it be wrong?” He asked in reply.

 

“I don’t know, I just felt like we should be face to face the next time we talk. It’d be kind of lame if I just texted him, right? After how I left yesterday and all…”

 

“You’re thinking about this way too much. I don’t think it matters how you talk to him from this point, as long as you’re talking to him, I think it will be fine. It’s a start at least, right?”

 

“Right.” She nodded. “I mean, I was only going to ask if he was free and if he was okay with me bringing him the kimchi jjigae to his house later…”

 

“Do it.” He nodded and gestured for her to pull out her phone. “Do it now. Text Won Woo while you’re at it, too!”

 

“I don’t kno-” she was saying until he pointed up at something behind her and she turned to see he was pointing at the biggest chocolate bar she’s ever seen in her life. It was that 5lb Hershey chocolate bar.

 

“Do it and I’ll buy you that.” He knew he shouldn’t have to bribe her with chocolate, but if it would help in someway, so be it.

 

“Okay, but how do we get it down from there?” She chuckled at his lost expression suddenly.

 

“Need some help?” They suddenly heard Mingyu’s voice coming down the hallway. He had seen Jihoon pointing up at something on the top shelf, he figured there was something they wanted but couldn’t reach it. When he got CLOSER and saw what Jihoon’s was pointing at and he pouted. “Why would they put something this heavy up here?” He muttered while reaching for it. It was like an accident waiting to happen.

 

“Wait!” Jihoon blurted out and startled him.

 

“What? What? What?” Mingyu asked and turned to face him.

 

“Not until she texts Ren and Won Woo.” Jihoon explained and looked to Soo Min who was clearly nervous and conflicted about the topic. Mingyu felt like saying something, like saying she didn’t need to rush it, but he figured he shouldn’t baby her about this situation or else it would get worse. He trusted Jihoon knew what he was doing… though he was questioning bribing her with a huge chocolate bar. It’s nearly have their size… he was just exaggerating! Maybe.

 

A moment of silence passed and Soo Min finally pulled out her phone to compose those text messages.

 

To Ren

Soo Min: Hey. Are you busy later?

I’m making kimchi jjigae and wanted

to bring some to you…

we can talk after that?

 

To Won Woo

Soo Min: I’ll be home in a bit.

We’ll talk soon.

 

She showed Jihoon the proof of sending each text and he was pleased and gave her pat on the head, to which she smacked his hand away out of embarrassment when she remembered Mingyu was standing nearby watching them. “I don’t need the chocolate.” She said with a small  sheepish smile to Mingyu.

 

“Are you sure?” He asked and looked to Jihoon.

 

“I’m still buying it.” Jihoon nodded. “I’ve never seen one like that before.”

 

“Don’t look at me that way. You amaze me. He ate my heart, he a-a-ate my heart (You little monster). He ate my hear-” Soo Min was singing to a Lady GaGa song until Jihoon nudged her with a judging look.

 

“You’re Lady GaGa trash.” He snickered while Mingyu laughed at their antics. “Ren will be proud.” Mingyu’s laughter died down when he heard that and he was worried about the reaction Soo Min would have, but he was glad it was a positive one.

 

“I hope so.” She was smiling.

 

“He will be, don’t worry.” Mingyu assured her and the two turned toward him and saw he had grabbed the chocolate off the top shelf already. “Here’s your reward-AH!” He was saying until he yelped in shock and slight pain. He had handed the giant chocolate bar off to them, but they dropped it on his foot when it was too heavy for them to hold. It’s only 5lbs though…

 

Jihoon & Soo Min: And? Your point is?

Soo Min: It’s in a box, too.

 

“Is it broken?!” Soo Min exclaimed and knelt down next to Mingyu who was holding onto his foot. The boxed chocolate managed to turn while falling and landed on its side right across the top of his foot.

 

“No, I don’t think so-” he saw her looking down at the chocolate bar and not his foot. “Yeah, it’s definitely broken.” He laughed it off. There was no way the chocolate inside survived that fall.

 

“Sorry, are you really okay?” Jihoon apologized and extended his hand out to help the giant stand. Might have been a mistake when Jihoon nearly fell forward, he wasn’t strong enough to do it on his own. “Soo Min, a little help here! Forget about the chocolate bar for a second!”

 

With teamwork, they were able to help their tall giant friend stand once again. “I’m okay, don’t worry.” Mingyu assured them, though it was hard to mask the pain he was feeling… it still hurt whether or not it was that heavy. A blunt object just fell on his foot from at least 4ft, of course it was going to hurt a lot. Of all the things to fall on his foot though, a giant chocolate bar. His friends are going to laugh at him for sure. His father too! Oh my god, even Won Woo. He was very excited to visit the hospital now, not.

 

“What about the chocolate bar?” Soo Min asked and they all looked down at it.

 

“We’ll come back for it later with more help.” Jihoon pointed out and it made Mingyu laugh. It was probably going to take a village to carry that chocolate bar to the checkout if the truth is known.

 

“I’ll get going… again.” Mingyu said and pointed down the aisle. “Careful, don’t drop anything else, please.”

 

“We won’t!” Soo Min gave a sheepish laugh and Jihoon pouted. Because he remembered he almost dropped the tray of drinks earlier too! Maybe Seungcheol should have came with them! None of this would be happening! “See you around! Later~!” She called after him. They could see him limp a little right before he disappeared and she frowned. “I hope he’s really okay.”

 

“It’s probably just sore, don’t worry.” Jihoon assured her. “Let’s get going now. The stew takes a while to cook, right? Time is ticking.”

 

“Right.” She nodded and they headed to the checkout shortly after. Then they were on their way to her shared apartment. When they were getting CLOSER she started to get nervous again but it wasn’t as intense as before, probably because she missed Won Woo and wanted to see him more than ever now. She started to think of what to say to him, if she should explain what she’s said to Jihoon or Jeonghan. She didn’t really want to repeat herself, but she’d have to.

 

When they arrived, the apartment was empty and Soo Min couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. “He must’ve gone out or something.” Jihoon muttered while shutting the front door. “Maybe he’ll be back real soon?”

 

“Maybe.” She nodded.

 

“Did he text you back earlier at the store?” He asked and pulled out his phone to check for any missed calls or texts. Maybe Won Woo left him a text or something.

 

“I’ll check.” She pulled out her phone and saw he did reply to her, she just didn’t know because her phone was on silent mode.

 

Won Woo: I’m not home right now, I’m with Ren.
We’re at the hospital-

 

Just like Mingyu, Soo Min only read part of the message before she started to get upset and panicked. “It looks like he’s at the hospital with Ren.” Jihoon said while reading the text he received earlier while they were at the store, possibly during their run in with Mingyu and his friends. “Ren got sick and is being treated. Sounds like it’ll be awhile.” He looked up to see Soo Min struggling not to cry and he gave a sad smile. He knew she was worried. “It’s okay. We can still make the stew. Maybe they’ll be home by dinner?”

 

“You think so?” She asked with a crack in her voice.

 

“Yeah, so let’s get to it so they can eat on time!” He gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen. But she didn’t follow. He let out a small sigh when he turned and noticed, since he also felt like he could cry as well, because he hated to see her cry too. After hearing Ren was in the hospital when he specifically told him not to get sick was difficult. He wanted to hurry over there and make sure Ren was okay, but he can’t leave Soo Min behind and he wasn’t sure if she would want to tag along? What should I do? He thought to himself.

 

“Jihoon.” He heard her call out to him from the living room and he walked over to answer her with a small yeah. “Let’s go.”

 

“Go where?”

 

“Let’s go to the hospital.” She said and wiped a single tear that managed to fall last second. “Let’s go see Ren… and Won Woo.” He was slightly surprised but happy that she decided on it.

 

This could only mean she was making the effort, making her move. He was proud, honestly. He supposed he really didn’t need to bribe her with chocolate after all. “Okay. Let’s go.” He joined her at the front door to put their shoes back on and coats. “Wait, we have to put the groceries away first or they’ll spoil.”

 

“Right.” She pouted and followed after him. They put everything away as quickly as possible and they were back at the door getting ready a second time. “Wait.”

 

“What?” He asked and watched her hurry off to her room, what else did they need to do? “Seriously?” He snickered when he saw her returning to the door with a choco pie box, one from the pile Won Woo bought her since it was already opened.

 

“I’m ready.” She said after she was done putting her shoes and coat on. “We can be strong, we can be strong out on this lonely road-” She started to sing and Jihoon groaned loudly.

 

“Not another Lady GaGa song!”

 

“Follow that unicorn on the road to love~!” Jihoon was guaranteed a headache after this, but a good headache, if that makes sense. Too bad he didn’t bring his recorder nor had enough space on his phone to record either. He just really loved it when his best friend sang and likes to cherish that.

---

Chapter forty-five~!

 

We can be strong, We can be strong out on this lonely road it’s on the road to love~!

We can be strong, We can be strong follow that unicorn on the road to love~!

Jihoon: I’m her biggest fan, whatever. Don’t judge me.

Won Woo: They’re being cute without me there. This isn’t fair.

Jeonghan: How do you think I feel?!

Ren: Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just sick and in the hospital hooked up to an IV and peeing every two seconds. Nothing cute about that, nothing to see here, as you were.

LOL

Happy Belated Birthday to Carats~!

Two years already, wow.

Speaking of anniversaries, Feb 16 marks a year since I hurt my knee.

Warning, large chunk of personal text coming up, feel free to skip it lol

I feel weird about it… it’s clearly affected me a lot and there was a time where the stress was so much I really felt like I was going to quit a lot of things like writing and seclude myself. It was hard. I don’t know why I felt like that but I did in a way. Life is scary sometimes. Ever since June last year there was talk of surgery and I really don’t want that. I suppose every time I had a setback I kept stressing about seeing the doctor and thinking things like “He’s going to say I need it but it’s not fair since I didn’t get a proper chance” but I suppose this time I did get my proper chance and I’m just worried the doctor will still say I need it even though I can walk without support tape now. I still don’t feel confident without the tape which really hits me hard sometimes cuz I hate it but I need it. I get stressed and paranoid and moody and all sorts of negative feelings and It seems to all stem from my injury a lot… I wish it wasn’t like that tho, cuz I feel like it affects my writing. Like I’m too stressed to get in the mood to write. I can’t focus. It . I guess it’s just taking a lot of time for me to really get back into the swing of things. I’m trying to be more positive about it all, hopefully it will get better, but if anything, that will explain my lack of updates obviously. So just to fill you in on that aha.

Sorry, just felt like I needed to say that and be honest in case I go missing again for a long time. I do have a lot planned for CLOSER and the new plot, so I hope it will help me stay away from the dark side lol cuz I’m scared of the dark XD

SVT really have helped during those dark times. I’m glad they’re there to make me laugh when I need it. And their music…”Healing” “Lean On Me” “TRAUMA” “THANKS” I feel bad for not staying up to date on them, there’s a lot of stuff I still haven’t watched like One Fine Day In Japan, all I ever watched from that were the small clips everyone talked about. I didn’t watch Weekly Idol either, last year and this year, only clips. But it’s okay. I’ll binge watch everything soon aha

Speaking of binge watching. Don’t do that. I did that last week and binge watched season one of “One day at a time” XD I had the WORST HEADACHE. Then I did it again for season two the next night and got another headache cuz I cried so much OTL

I’ll cry at anything at this rate, like Mingyu hugging Seungkwan. Just… give me a moment…

Happy Early Birthday to Seokmin and Hansol again cuz I know I won’t be updating on their birthday. *Ends up updating somehow lol fingers crossed~!*

Also, I wanted to say… I saw an author do something cute a while ago where they had a Q&A for their story’s characters and I thought it was so cute and fun… I mean, I don’t know if anyone would be interested with that for this fic or not lol. It would just prove how crazy I really am!

AH-Definitely not implying this other author was crazy AHA

They’re more sane than me and better at updating than me~!

You should go check them out.

“Don’t Kiss Me I’m Scared” by Wooyaboya

Free promo, you’re welcome jk XD

So yeah… I’ll leave a poll to vote on this. If 5 people vote yes then make sure you ask all the characters a questions so no one gets upset. LOL

Seungwkan: I know she’s talking about me LOLOLOLOLOL

Mingyu: Wow you’re really ugly right now

Seungkwan: WHATEVER, KIM MINGYU!

My boo doesn’t think I’m ugly, right?

Seungkwan: *through his smile* Say something.

Hansol: My Boo is BOOTIFUL.

Seungkwan: I want to marry this man…

LOL

I don’t think these guys even need a Q&A…

Until next time~!