The next few days were awkward, very awkward, but they were filled with Jongin trying to act softer around me.

On the way to the mall for our event, he offered his food but I shook my head politely. He offered me my phone he was borrowing, and I shook my head. He shrugged and played on his own.

Kyungsoo hyung then offered his cinnamon rolls. I took it because it was cinnamon roll. Jongin glared at me and I said my reason.

We got off the van and started the event. The fans were so unique. Some of them were those kind of student girls, grouping with their friends and covering their faces shyly. Some were so open, asking things directly. Some gave me little gifts.

We stood up and bowed our goodbye. Chanyeol hyung, being always sugar high, would open the window and wave around. I really wanted to take Luhan hyung with me buying bubble tea, but I realized that he was somewhere over the rainbow. I wonder what he’s doing right now.

I was silently sitting at the back corner beside Baekhyun hyung, but Baekhyun hyung then brought up a topic about starring in commercial reels, one of his biggest obsessions along with SNSD, smoked beef, and Need For Speed.

The hyungs started to mention brands they wanted to sign for, from clothing brands to Etude House.

“But really, I want to be in a health juice ad,” Jongin said, his voice rather stale today. “And then I would drink ever so ily and look at the camera with cool eyes and run so fast and that would be awesome.”

“Or maybe that would fit for a cigarette ad,” he added.

Seungwon hyung cleared his throat, a bit too loud.

“We can go for Baskin Robbins. They may have a new alieny flavor line in the future for us to introduce,” Chanyeol hyung said happily.

“We should really endorse Anabel’s, they’re one of our national food and biggest sponsors in our trainee days,” Joonmyun hyung said.

“Why not something classic? Like the chili paste for kimchi?” Kyungsoo hyung added. He sipped his fat bottle of Strawberry Milk. It gave Baekhyun hyung an idea.

“No! Later on when we sign for Banana Milk, I can totally imagine what’s going to happen!”

He acted his idea of the commercial. He drunk his fat bottle of Banana Milk enthusiastically and said, “Ah! So good! Wagawagawaaa!!” He flaunted his ridiculously cute eyesmile. “Come on, you have to drink it too!” Baekhyun hyung said to the air camera.

The whole van laughed. “You try, Sehun!”

“Oh?” I blinked. I thought of something to join the fun. “Okay. Someone sing the background song for me.”

Baekhyun hyung applauded and covered my face. “One, two, three!”

I looked at the Strawberry Milk bottle I took from a bag one of the fans gave, and held it up to the sun. I curiously punched it with my straw and sipped, then, with aegyo, said, “Waa! This tastes awesome!” I looked to the air camera. “Strawberry milk: the best bottled milk.”

The whole van laughed again. Was I good or terribly bad? I could only laugh along.

“I can’t wait to see their sales rise tenfold!” Baekhyun hyung exclaimed.

“That won’t happen,” Jongin said in his valley-deep voice, then he rubbed his chin trying to be y.

“No it will!” Chanyeol hyung added with his canyon-deep voice. He grinned and gave thumbs up.

“Nooo!! The point is, we HAVE to sign with Banana Milk and Rexona Men.” Baekhyun hyung concluded.

Everyone turned to him and the van became silent.

“O—okay, not a deodorant brand. y… y…” he tried so hard to think of something cool and came up with another idea. “No… No, not the yellow towel…” He thought, again, frowning.

Aha!

“…what about an underwear brand?”

…whatever...

The van remained silent and it was driving Baekhyun hyung crazy to find a cool, approvable idea for his imaginary commercial.

After fighting over Baekhyun hyung’s obsession of being in a commercial, not to mention being in one with SNSD, we got out of the van and took the elevator to go to Studio Three. We were going to have a photoshoot for a real ad! It was a fashion line though.

Baekhyun hyung was the one walking the fastest and the most sugar-high this time.

“Hello.” We bowed to the whole crew as soon as we got to the set. This place is enormous, almost as large as our video sets.

“Hello, EXO-K,” the stylist greeted. “Come, we have two whole wardrobes for you.” Everyone came to a ‘wuooh!’ upon hearing the news. The stylist nuna led us to the dressing room and opened the wardrobe. She took a set of outfit, then called out, “Who’s the biggest of you all?”

We pointed easily at Chanyeol hyung, and Chanyeol hyung pointed his nose. He came over to Stylist Nuna and led the outfit to his body.

We took turns fitting and changing, and then we were sat at the makeup table. Baekhyun hyung was frantic. He kept asking things like “Do I look good?” or “Is Nuna going to make my hair like Chanyeol ssi?” or “I’m handsome enough to be in the photoshoot aren’t I?”

And then came his questions about using eyeliner because he was going to pose as a cute guy.

“Chanyeol! Chanyeol!” He called, jumping around in his ‘handsome’ attire. Their faces grew as blinding as the lighting under the photo umbrellas. ”One, two, three!”

They wagawagawaaa-ed together.

The photographer introduced us to the set, and we called for Chanyeol hyung because he was not there when the shoot was about to start. Chanyeol hyung came running like Flat Stanley. “I’m here!” he raised a hand.

He took his position at the rightmost as usual, and we started posing. Being his bipolar self, Chanyeol hyung became mindblowingly cool with the camera snapping any second. Like I mean, c-o-o-l.

“Okay! Lovely!” the photographer exclaimed. “Please change. We’ll have the next session in 20 minutes.”

After I was done changing and having retouch, I sat idly on the couch. Jongin came to me and slumped himself on the couch. He leaned on my shoulder as if it was the last thing he could do. “Hey, what’s happening?” I asked, with truckloads of concern. “You alright?”

Jongin shrugged meekly and snuggled to me. I really wanted to pat his head but Stylist Nuna would definitely be mad at me. So I circled an arm around him instead. He took my other hand and I realized that it was warmer, no, too warm. I pressed the back of my hand to his powdered forehead and it confirmed my suspicions. Jongin was sick.

“Is Jonginnie alright?” Joonmyun hyung came to us and crouched in front of the couch. He took Jongin’s hand then touched his forehead, and mumbled while looking down. He looked at me. “We’ll just have him rest.”

Joonmyun hyung sprang and ran out the door. “Hyung! Seungwon hyung!”

Leader hyung calling out Manager hyung in such manner mean nothing but emergency. I patted Jongin, afraid of doing anything more than that. The rest of the hyungs came around us and Kyungsoo hyung brought a glass of water. No matter how ruined Jongin is, he typically would never, never, ever mess anything, let alone a schedule like this.

Leader and Manager hyung came to rescue, examining Jongin quickly and made him sit up. “No, I’m alright, really,” he mumbled weakly and stood up. “Come on, let’s continue the shoot,” he said, trying to act healthy.

“Go on with the shoot. Apologize to Kyuro ssi and everyone.” Seungwon hyung commanded. “Come on,” he tried to assist Jongin, but Jongin softly retaliated. “Kim Jongin!” he yelled, then turned his face. Seungwon hyung said to us. “What are you guys waiting for?! Go!”

We appeared on the set with our photographer Kyuro ssi a bit upset for his wasted three minutes. We bowed so deep and apologized for being late and not having Jongin with us. With a rather cold atmosphere, we continued the photoshoot.

Not long after, from the corner of my eye, I could see Seungwon hyung jogging in and whispering something to Kyuro ssi’s assistant. She nodded, and Seungwon hyung turned to the set.

“Sehun,” he called. I pointed at my nose and he nodded. I looked to the hyungs for permission and they nodded, then I bowed to Kyuro ssi before I go.

“Jongin wanted company.” Seungwon hyung explained before I could even ask. As I came to the dressing room couch, Jongin immediately reached to me and hugged my arm dragging me down. It was making me uneasy. “Jongin, I know that you’re having a fever but… but I don’t need that.” It felt more like him using me that he came to me so easily when he needed me.

He woke up slowly to look at me. “But I do. Please?”

Seungwon hyung sat there close to the water dispenser.

I sighed. “You’ve been silent for a while,” I said. He snuggled into my shoulder, making my eyes close on its own. I sat there silently, savoring the moment. Jongin wrapped a hot hand around mine. My eyes shot open to the boiling feel.

“You better go to sleep,” I whispered. “Have you taken your medicine? Did you eat?” I his bistre hair. No answers.

Jongin’s no-answer always means a no.

I tried to stand up, asking, “You want me to take—“

“Shut up,” he mumbled, nuzzling into my neck again.  

“Sehunnie, Jonginnie, come on, wake up, wake up. You haven’t changed,” Joonmyun hyung sang softly and ruffled my hair, already with no makeup and wearing casual attire.

“…hm…” I struggled to open my eyes, and I saw Jongin’s head on my shoulder, still sleeping. Right, we were still wearing the outfits Nuna gave us.

“Jongin, wake up,” Joonmyun hyung said, very softly, slightly shaking Jongin by the shoulder. He tapped Jongin’s cheek slowly and felt the base of Jongin’s neck, but it was comparably cold because Jongin had cold-sweated wildly as he slept.

Seungwon hyung made us stand up and head to the makeup table. I apologized so, so deeply to Stylist Nuna for making her wait. The powder and color on my face started to wash and melt as she wiped it away for me, bit by bit. The fresh feeling of cold cleanser on my face, it never failed to convey the good news that the day was over.

I also apologized for making the clothes ruined. Jongin’s fever sweat was all over the right shoulder of my shirt. Seungwon hyung handed me the clothes I came here with. It was cool for not contacting human warmth for a few hours.

I changed and joined the hyungs. We bowed, ever so deeply, thanking and apologizing to the crew for today. We bid goodbye and got into the van. Everyone was exhausted, and the van was silent because everyone was asleep.

Again, Jongin leaned to me and closed his eyes. With hesitation, I rested my head on his head, and went to sleep.