Chapter 38

Kim Jongin

From: My Beautiful Black Pearl

Msg: I'm sorry love, I don't feel well today >_< I'll get better soon so we can see each other! For now, I don't want you getting sick ;-; I miss and love you so much! XOXO ;)

That was a week ago, and Kai still hadn't heard from Aisha. The boys could almost see the anxiousness and concern coming from the poor boy as they practiced the choreography for the umpteenth time with the teacher. SangJun entered the room moments later as they were finishing up.

"Alright! I believe that's enough for the day." He said, passing out water bottles. "Get yourselves back to the dorm; it's getting late and I know you all are hungry." Kai got a water bottle and drank until it was gone, then followed the rest of the boys back to the dorm.

He enjoyed hearing about the trip that the M boys took, especially the bit about Aisha embarrassing Luhan, but it did make him a bit jealous of the boys that got to spend time with her. He just wished he had been there to experience the shenanigans rather than the show that the K members had been on that day. The show was fun and went well even though he was playfully teased about Aisha (which didn't help that he missed her). Once they were back at the dorm the shower schedule commenced and he swapped chit-chat with Luhan and Sehun until his phone buzzed in his pocket.

From: Minji

Msg: Aisha's sick...seriously sick. We don't know what's wrong and she's being stubborn and not going to the doctor. Come over; maybe you can talk some sense into her. She keeps protesting that she doesn't want to get you sick, but just come.

"Yah, Kai, what's wrong?" Sehun asked, seeing the worry that crossed Kai's face after reading the message.

"I need to see Aisha." He said urgently. "She's still sick."

"Hasn't it been a week?" Luhan asked. Kai nodded.

"And she still hadn't been to the doctor?"

He nodded again, standing up and began to head out the door.

"Wait, Kai! You need to shower first!" Luhan stopped him.

He arrived at the girls' dorm as quickly as he could, bringing whatever he thought he needed based on what Minji texted to him about her current state. She had a fever, chills, and couldn't keep much food down. Her voice was gone as well. His main goal was to just break her fever. He knocked quickly and he heard footsteps coming closer. Minji opened it.

"Ah, thank God you're here!" She said, ushering him in and shutting the door. SunJung and HeeYoung were still awake, trying to talk some sense into Aisha.

"So help me, Aisha! We will take you to the hospital if you don't......argh! Why are you so stubborn?!?" He heard SunJung complain.

"Kai's on his way and...oh, see! There he is!" HeeYoung saw Kai enter the room. His eyes widened at how pale and skinny Aisha looked, her pinkish blotch a lot more noticable. She, in a nutshell, looked like death. Her eyes grew big when she saw him and ducked under the covers.

"She's being unreasonable." SunJung said tartly. Aisha's face peeked up from the covers and he could see her shooting daggers at SunJung. He saw her pull out a familiar looking journal and wrote something down. She held it up.

I told you not to bring him! Now he's going to get sick!

"Oh please. We've been in the same dorm with you for the past week and we haven't gotten sick." SunJung said after reading it.

You girls could still get sick.

"Aisha, we'll be fine." HeeYoung said. She noticed all the stuff Kai was carrying and quickly helped him set it all down on SunJung's bed. "How'd you know how to get all this stuff?" She asked him.

"I texted Minji and grabbed what I could find around our dorm. I guess since we have more people in our group we're more likely to get sick." Kai said, trying to find something in the pile that would break her fever.

"Here it is." He said more or less to himself, pulling out a cloth that maintained its coolness even when placed in hot weather (or in this case, hot foreheads.) He went to the sink and wet it before coming back to the sick room. Aisha stared at him, somewhat shivering.

"Lie still." He told her quietly, and she did what he told her. He tucked the blankets up around her and placed the wet cloth on her forehead. Her skin was hot to the touch, surprising him a little bit. "Sometimes I just don't understand why you do the things you do."

She smiled a little bit before coughing. To him it looked like a bad case of the stomach bug, but then again he wasn't a doctor. He went back over to his supplies and found the soup he'd picked up. "I'll be right back." He said to Aisha. She nodded and he went to the kitchen to heat it up.

Minji observed him cooking in the kitchen from the couch which struck her funny. She didn't remember him cooking ever when they were on tour the months back. It was mostly Lay, D.O, SunJung, and HeeYoung that did those sort of things. She looked over at HeeYoung who was trying to consontrate on an anime while twisting her hair around on her fingers. She knew HeeYoung was worried out of her mind for Aisha. Who knows what Sage was thinking about this entire situation.

Sage had been bringing notes from Aisha's classes to her and would feed her this strange looking broth that would actually perk up Aisha's mood for a moment but then it would go away shortly. She must've been worried too, especially over the fact that it was her best friend and she had gotten sick when they were out trying new foods. It wasn't easy for her to cope because she wasn't able to be there for her either.

Kai finished heating up the soup and felt his phone vibrate as he took it off the burner.

From: Sage

Msg: Minji texted me. Said you were at the dorm. I'm pretty sure she has food poisoning. We ate a lot of unfamiliar foods last week and I've been looking up food poisoning symptoms. Make sure she drinks stuff. Ideally water. Because she won't drink anything unless absolutely necessary, stubborn girl...

Kai replied back that he'd do his best and scooped up the soup into a bowl. "Where's the utinsels?" He asked.

HeeYoung jumped up to show him. "Right drawer by the fridge." Kai looked at her strangly from her sudden movement and she blushed. "I'm sorry...I just want to help."

"It's okay." He said, patting her head. "I understand." He picked up a spoon from the drawer and headed off to the sickroom again. He found Aisha dozing off. Her eyes fluttered open when she heard his footsteps and she smiled when she saw him.

He pulled out Aisha's desk chair and situated it to where he could sit properly beside her. She sat up carefully so he could have better access to her. Slowly he began to feed tiny spoonfuls into , being careful not to burn her lips or tongue. SunJung came in a few minutes later with a large bottle of water and set it on the nightstand.

"Sage told me her theory about Aisha having food poisoning." She said to Kai. Aisha's eyes widened and she scrambled for her notebook she'd been writing in. The two looked at her curiously as she wrote quickly down what she needed to say.

I did have something that contained something raw in it. I think it was either fish or egg.

"Well...Sage must be right then." SunJung said. Aisha nodded. SunJung touched her forehead and it was still very hot. "She said that you need to drink a lot, whether you like it or not. I think you may be getting better though, it isn't as hot as it used to be."

"It used to be hotter?" Kai asked, eyes widening. 

"Yes. She was at 38.8 degrees Celsius. Which is...102 degrees Fahrenheit?" SunJung said, looking at Aisha for help. She nodded.

"Aisha...why won't you go to the doctor?" He sighed. She shook her head and wrote something down.

I don't like the doctors. Last time I was there was to get my vocal chords checked out. I just feel uncomfortable there. I visited it one too many times as a kid.

"I understand." Kai said. She had been in two car accidents after all. Anyone wouldn't like to go to the doctors after that. "But you need to get better."

I will eventually.

"You really are stubborn." He pouted. She smiled weakly and shivered.

The two were left alone again and he got her to drink a little bit of water before she broke out into cold sweat. Naturally Kai panicked, thinking he did something wrong, and ran to go get the thermometer. Unfortunately he didn't have a clue where the device was so Minji helped him look.

"If she's broken out into a cold sweat then it means typically that her fever's broken." Minji stated as she tossed him the thermometer. "We've been trying to break it all week. I guess you have the healing power instead of Lay."

He chuckled and checked her temperature. As Minji predicted, it had gone down to a more normal level and Aisha didn't look as pale anymore. Kai sighed with relief. "Does Minha Noona know about Aisha being sick?"

Minji shook her head. "We've made the excuse that she needed a break because she was feeling weak and slightly falling behind in college. Not a lie, but not the truth either. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Appa YG told Minha to tell Aisha to get her grades up because he expects nothing less than high marks." Kai grinned and Aisha laughed weakly. She slowly sat up straighter and reached for Kai's arm.

Could you hand me my books on my desk? I still haven't finished the assignments from yesterday and I need to start on today's.

He did what he was asked and she thanked him with what little voice she had. She began to work on her studies, pausing every once in a while to drink the water SunJung had gotten her. After a while Minji announced that she was going to bed and left the two alone. At first Kai was a bit bored but he began to occupy himself by fiddling with Aisha's camera, figuring out by trial and error what each function did. Every so often she would look over at him and laugh, finding his puzzled expressions adorable.

After somewhat figuring out the camera, he rested his head on her bed, turning in a way that he could see her. Kai began to watch his Black Pearl study with interest, picking up and discovering things he hadn't really noticed before about her. She too would bite at her lips like he occasionally did out of habit. Her longish hair cascaded down her shoulders, looking a bit like a waterfall even though it was slightly tangled. Her tired emerald eyes glided along the textbook pages, processing the information in her head. She'd pick at her nail polish occasionally and sometimes write her notes in english. When she was stumped she'd scrunch up her nose in frusteration. Why hadn't he noticed these things about her when they've been together for almost a year? (Not counting the troublesome month in which they fought in.)

Aisha noticed him watching her intently and she asked ever so quietly, "What are you thinking about?"

"You." He answered truthfully. "And all the things I hadn't noticed about you."

"Oh?" She questioned, raising her brows. She reached over and pet his head, causing him to relax and feel a bit sleepy. "Like what?"

"The way you consontrate and when you get a bit frusterated...You're beautiful..." He answered, gazing up at her shyly now.

He saw a hint of a blush appear on her cheeks. "I'm almost done, and then once I'm finished I think I'll be going to bed." Aisha said, also looking shy. "You can go back to your dorm if you want to."

Kai shook his head. "I like it better over here. It's a lot quieter here than back at my dorm."

"I think that's because everyone has gone to bed now." She said, her voice was getting stronger now after drinking so much water. He agreed and she finished writing her last sentences. "Okay, I'm finished now. I'm not making you stay here, you know."

"I want to make sure you're okay." He confirmed. Aisha smiled.

"You're sweet, Jongin." She cooed, and carefully stood up from the bed. She gathered up her belongings for the shower and cautiously made her way towards the washroom.

Once he saw that she was there he checked to see where the other girls were. He found SunJung and HeeYoung asleep on the couch together, the tv still on, making little sleeping noises. He saw that one of the rooms was closed so he assumed Minji was in there sleeping as well. He turned off the tv. He could stay...he wanted to stay with her...would he get in trouble? Probably. Aisha seemed significantly better after her fever broke, maybe it would be okay if he did stay. Food poisoning, to his knowledge, wasn't contagious...

"Jongin?"

He turned to see that Aisha was done in the washroom and looked very sleepy. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to know where the others were." Kai said. He followed Aisha back to her room and asked, "May I stay with you?"

She thought for a moment and then slowly nodded. "I feel much better than I have been. But if you get sick it's your fault...and you don't have pajamas..."

He laughed lightly. "Sweatpants and t-shirts are acceptable pajamas for you, why can't they be for me?" She just noticed that they matched. Aisha looked away, slightly embarrassed, and slipped into bed again. He crawled in beside her and positioned himself to where he would be near the wall.

The two could recall each time they had actually been together through the night. The first was when he asked to be her boyfriend and the second was when Aisha had gotten surgery done on her stain. They didn't count naps. This would be their third time together, which made the two extremely happy even though one was recovering from being sick.

Aisha was lying on her back, looking over at Kai who was on his side and had himself propped up with his arm. "Thank you, for coming and helping me feel better."

He smiled, brushing the hair away from her face. "I'm just glad you're okay. I've been very worried."

"I didn't mean to worry you." She confessed, taking his hand into hers and playing with his fingers. "You've been busy and I didn't want to be a burden."

"You're never a burden." He said, kissing her temple lightly. It was still a bit warm, but almost normal. Aisha smiled.

"I'm glad I have you." She said gently, snuggling close to him. "Saranghae."

He wrapped his arms around her, saying softly, "Na-do, saranghae." He kissed the tip of her nose and they fell asleep peacefully.

Background Music

With the help of Kai, Aisha finally got back on her feet a few days later. Of course, Minha found out that Aisha just recovered from food poisoning and scolded all of Jewelz for not telling her about it. A few days after that, Exo found out and teased the girls about getting in trouble. Thankfully the information stayed within the two groups and didn't reach the public eye.

The two groups discovered a policy they weren't familiar with: the YG comebacks take a lot of time. Everything had to be chosen carefully, including but not limited to: concepts, techniques, sounds, and overall music video effects. It was tedious, but worth it. It was estimated that the two groups would be ready to present themselves under the new label in the springtime. It was currently about to become the cold winter months again.

"Yah! Kai! Get up!" D.O nudged him for the fifth time. "Nap time is over!"

He groaned. "So we're here?" He asked, rubbing at his eyes. D.O came into focus. D.O nodded.

Today Exo K was off to a show of some sort. Personally Kai couldn't remember what kind of show it was, probably another varity show. Exo M went to sort out promotion issues and rumors in China for a few days. It had been quieter than usual with them gone. Kai wouldn't ever admit out loud that he actually missed the other boys. It wasn't too much fun sorting out rumors and assuring people that YG was treating them better. What was even more interesting was the fact that all the MCs thought that Exo knew about the dramatic changes that were occurring under SM. Truthfully, they didn't have a clue.

He climbed out of the car with the rest of the members and made his way into the building. He was mentally preparing himself for the typical questions that the MCs asked him, such as, "How are you and your girlfriend, Miss Aisha?" Which he didn't particulary enjoy. It was his personal life. Another most asked question would be "When is Exo debuting under YG?" Again, they didn't have a clue.

"Oh." Was all the K members could say when they entered the studio.

It wasn't an annoying questions-and-answers type of show. It was full of random toys and bouncy balls that someone could easily have a race with. There were games like foosball and Air hockey in the room. Cameras were set up randomly all over the large room, able to capture what they were supposed to be doing. There was what seemed like a giant indoor jungle gym halfway across the room. What was this place?

SangJun and the new K manager laughed at their expressions. "Unscripted show. I thought you'd enjoy the down time." SangJun said. "You have four tasks. You have to take off your shoes."

The boys looked at each other, completely dumbfounded. What kind of show was this? They removed their shoes and saw that there were heels and flats near the entrance of the building. Just then they heard squeals coming from the jungle gym and they all ran up towards it out of curiousity. Out tumbled Minji from the giant green slide, laughing extremely hard. HeeYoung's ginger ponytail poked out from a tunnel, then her face appeared a few seconds later.

"Ohayō Exo K!" She said with a grin. She said something else in Japanese while doing an aegyo wave and SunJung popped up beside her.

"She said good morning and to join us!" She translated for them. They disappeared into the contraption and Minji stood up.

"We can finally get started with the show." She said, running a