Chapter 6: Sickness

Eventually one month passed and the restuarant closed down. But it wasn't long before she got another job at a nearby market, working for a fishmonger. Every day, she would wake up as early as 4am to work, helping her new boss set up the fish shop and do several chores. This would mean that she wouldn't be able to make breakfast for her sisters anymore. Winter had arrived and it meant one of the worst months for the sisters. Their home didn't have a heater installed so it was always cold as if they were living in a freezer. No one kept secrets anymore, ever since that incident the sisters told anything and everything that troubled them. This brought them closer than ever.

It was holiday season thus the five girls simply stayed at home, cuddling each other for warmth while listening to the radio. It was far too cold to do anything outside and they were just happy with the comfort of their siblings. But, it didn't feel complete as Chorong was missing.

"I wish Chorong-unnie would come home early." said Hayoung as she hugged Naeun tightly for warmth.

"I hope she doesn't get sick. It's -5 celsius out there." said Bomi worriedly as she looked out the window where snow started to fall.

"What time is it now?" asked Eunji.

"4pm." answered Namjoo.

"I'll go fetch Chorong-unnie from the market. She would definately be freezing out there." said Eunji as she stood up and took a large coat with her.

"I'll follow. The three of you stay here alright?" said Bomi as she began to change her clothes to something warmer.

~X~

"It's so cold!" said Eunji as she rubbed her shoulders. The twins only wore two layers of clothing because it was all they could afford. The two hugged each other while walking towards the market, it wasn't far from their home. The streets were empty as the news advised everyone to stay home today.

They reached the market where there was less shops open than usual due to the weather. It wasn't long before they spotted their sister, Chorong squatting in a corner cleaning out fish guts. She was so tiny, like a hardworking puppy who only focused on her work. 

"Unnie! That's so disgusting!" said Bomi as she playfully pulled Chorong's hands away from the fish guts.

"What are you guys doing here?" said Chorong in surprise. Her nose was as red as a tomato.

"You end work 15 minutes later right? Let's go home together." smiled Eunji as she gave her the large coat.

"Thanks guys. Just wait a little more." smiled Chorong lightly as she continued to pull out the fish guts.

Bomi and Eunji looked at her sister worriedly, observing her work.

"Oh? Are you here to buy some fish? Caught it fresh this morning!" said a tall man coming out of the shop. It was the owner, and Chorong's boss.

"No, we're Chorong-unnie's sisters." replied Bomi as the two of them greeted with a bow.

"Ah, I've heard a lot about you. Since you're here, Chorong-ah, you can leave early today!" said the owner with a smile.

"But sir, I still have to finish this!" 

"No, I'll do it. You're always so hardworking that it hurts my heart. Go home and take a good rest alright?" 

"Thank you sir." bowed Chorong as she removed her gloves and stood up. But as soon as she stood, she suddenly felt dizzy and felt her body falling only to be caught by her two sisters.

"Are you okay unnie?" said the twins as they looked on, worriedly.

"I'm fine. Let's go home." said Chorong with a reassuring smile.

~X~

It was evening and the girls returned home. Naeun, Namjoo and Hayoung fell asleep waiting for them as they wrapped themselves in the blanket, cuddling each other. They forgot to turn off the radio and were too lazy to move to the bedroom, it was amazing how they didn't feel uncomfortable sleeping on the hard, cold wooden floor.

"Wake up girls, we bought carp bread on our way back." said Chorong as she pulled the blanket.

"It's cold unnie!" shouted Hayoung as she immediately pulled back the blanket. There wasn't enough winter clothes at home thus the three of them were wearing summer clothes instead.

"Eat it before they turn cold." said Eunji as she fed each child with a steaming, hot carp bread.

"Do we have anymore blankets?" asked Bomi as she checked the cupboards and took every scrap of clothing they could find to make her own blanket.

They managed to create their own blanket for the unnie-line as they cuddled together and ate.

"Unnie, your hands are like ice!" said Bomi with worry as she held her hands.

"It's nothing, worry about yourself." answered softly Chorong. Her face was flushed. Eunji who noticed her sister's unusual behaviour immediately shifted her hand on her forehead.

"Unnie, you're having a fever!" said Eunji in surprise as she immediately went to the kitchen, soaked a cloth in cold water and returned, placing it on Chorong's forehead. 

"We should take her to the hospital." said Naeun as the other three woke up, hearing about Chorong's condition.

"But it's five kilometers away from here, all the buses stopped working today due to the weather." said Namjoo worriedly.

"What do we do?" asked Hayoung.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get some rest." said Chorong as she felt dizzy again.

"As if! You are burning!" said Eunji as she carried Chorong into the bedroom which was slightly warmer than outside. She took the two blankets and covered Chorong, but this left the five other girls shivering in cold.

"We need to call an adult. Do we have grandmother Sunny's phone number?" asked Eunji

"She told me that she went to visit the uncles this morning." answered Hayoung.

"Shall we call this guy?" asked Bomi as she found a piece of paper in Chorong's bag which had the name "Choi Jin Ho".

"Yah! Don't just go through unnie's stuff!" yelled Eunji as she hit Bomi's back.

"Oh? Is that possibly, Chorong unnie's boyfriend?" smiled Namjoo excitedly.

"No way...." said Hayoung in disbelief. The younger sisters snickered at the thought.

"Quiet guys." said Naeun.

"Whatever, let's just call this number." said Eunji as she typed in the number.

~X~

Chorong's POV

I don't know when I passed out. I opened my eyes as I heard laughter from the other room, wondering what could it be. That's right, I was foolish enough to think that I could fight my own sickness but yet here I am, lying on the bed. How stupid I must be. I turned my head to the side, to see medication bottles and a thermometer lying on the floor. If i recalled, we don't even own these as we couldn't afford it. Don't tell me the girls actually wasted their money buying these for me?

I sighed as I stared at the ceiling.

"You're awake?" I hear a familiar voice. It was my former boss, Choi Jin Ho.

"What are you doing here sir?" I asked with confusion.

"You don't have to say sir anymore. Just call me oppa. Your sisters called me that you were sick so here I am." Jin Ho said with a smile.

"Sorry for causing trouble Jin Ho....oppa..." I said as I felt indebted to him.

"You're always so apologetic Chorong-ah. Don't be like that, learn to accept help from others. It's alright to show your weak side. Now, time for you to eat your medication." said Jin Ho as he helped me to sit up and provided me the pills.

"Omo look at them....." said Bomi cheekily watching from the side with her hands covering her eyes.

"They look cute together" said Namjoo.

"No way, Jin Ho ahjussi is like 15 years older than Chorong-unnie!" said Hayoung in rejection.

"You sure they're not dating?" asked Naeun quietly as my five sisters watched me. I felt embarassed, I wasn't used to being taken care of. Let alone, a man.

"Guys! Leave them alone!" smirked Eunji as she pulled the sisters away from the room.

"Chorong-ah, your sisters are really something." smiled Jin Ho.

"Did you know that each one of them possess talents in singing, dancing and acting?" asked Jin Ho as he looked at me.

"Naeun, Namjoo and Hayoung too?" I asked.

"Yup, after making sure you were okay, I had a little chat with them. I asked them to show their own talents and boy, they sure surprised me. They also told me about you wanting to audition for JYP." asnwered Jin Ho.

"That audition was just a dream from the past. I..don't need that anymore. My sisters are enough for me." I answered.

"Remember when I told you about my dream? I found it." said Jin Ho.

"That's great, Jin Ho oppa."

"That's why, I want to help you. Chorong-ah, I'm part of an entertainment company called Cube and I will soon be part of their subsidary branch called Acube and they're looking for stars. I want to audition all five of your sisters, including you."

Chorong froze at Jin-Ho's statement. She thought he was crazy, it was an absurd idea that came out from a story.

"Wait.....what?" I asked again to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"I want to audition you and your sisters for Acube Entertainment." replied Choi Jin Ho.

~End of Chapter 6~

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There's no way I'm shipping Chorong with Choi Jin Ho lol, don't worry :P So, will this mark a big change for the girls? Will Chorong accept the offer? Stay tuned, hope you enjoyed reading! Thank you ^^