Exhausted

WENDY.  I’ll be a little late tonight. I’m sorry...just make yourself comfortable, okay? Only Irene unnie will be there.

            JONGDAE.  Okay baby :^} I’m just getting off work now

            He drove to the Red Velvet dorm, doing everything in his power to stay awake; obnoxiously singing along with the radio, tapping and gripping the steering wheel, blinking away the fogginess.  It got dark so early during this time of the year and the cold, wet, dark atmosphere of Seoul with its mesmerizing lights and monotonous city sounds, combined with Chen’s utter exhaustion, made it nearly impossible for him to keep his eyes open.  He was a good driver (not a single accident on his record) despite being well accustomed to driving tired--it became like second nature to him--he could almost go into an autopilot mode.

            Finally, he arrived at his destination.  He parked the car around the back.  The moment he pulled the key from the ignition and all went dark and silent, he had to fight the urge to rest his forehead on the steering wheel and take a nap.  He knew that it if he fell asleep now, he would not wake up until morning.

            He swung himself out of the car (which he regretted after; it made him so dizzy that he almost lost his balance), locked it up, and staggered to the front door of the dorm, using his phone as a flashlight.

            Irene answered just a moment after he knocked.  Wendy had told her that he would be coming.

            She greeted him with her angelic smile.  “Annyeong, dongsaeng.”

            “Annyeong, noona.” he answered, with a sloppy grin.

            “You look exhausted.”  she observed as he entered the house.

            “Yeah, I’m pretty tired... We’ve just finished all the necessary preparations for the comeback.” he explained, putting his phone into his back pocket,” We had dance practice that seemed to last three hours, two rehearsals, and several meetings... It’s been a long day, and promotions haven’t even started yet.”

            “That sounds awful; I’m sorry, Jongdae.” said Irene; she was genuinely concerned.  Chen shrugged, with a ‘what can you do?’ sort of expression.  He sheepishly followed her into the kitchen.  “Can I get you anything?  Tea, maybe?  Your voice must be tired from rehearsing and being out in the cold.  I’ll make you some lemon tea with fresh ginger and honey.”

            “Kamsaha, noona.” he said, gratefully.  His throat felt raw from the day’s activities.  He sat on the bar stool at the island countertop and watched, in a trance of sorts, as Irene got out a small pot to make the tea.

            “...What is Junmyeon up to tonight?”  she asked, out of nowhere.

            Chen perked up a little and grinned.  “...Why do you want to know, noona?”

            “Just curious.”

            “Have you finally admitted to yourselves that you’re dating, even though you’ve been technically dating for a few months now?”

            She added slices of fresh ginger to the steeping tea and stirred gently. “...Maybe?”

            “Has hyung showed you his--“

            “--Aha, not too tired to joke around, I see.”  she said, eyeing him sideways. 

            “Wae?”  he said, with his signature look of disbelief.  “Noona!  What did you think I was going to say?”  He laughed loudly until he caught Irene’s serious expression.  He sighed and laughed slightly, suddenly remembering how tired he was. 

            “...Unfortunately, he’s still at work.”  he said, answering her initial question.  He rubbed his eyes.  “As leader, he had some other things to tend to--but you know.  I don’t have to tell you about that.”

            “Mm.” The kitchen fell silent save the sound of Irene’s plastic whisk tracing figure eights against the inside of the pot.  Chen checked his phone.

            WENDY.  Yeah...I’m going to be later than I thought.  So sorry. :(( I’ll get out of here as soon as I can!

            JONGDAE.  No worries

            A few minutes had passed and the tea was done.  Irene poured it into a large red mug with an illustration of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer flying through a snowy landscape.  Carefully, she carried it to Chen and placed it in front of him.

            “It’s really hot; don’t burn yourself.”  she cautioned.  She went to the cupboard and returned with honey to sweeten the tea.  She put in a teaspoon.  “Is that enough?”

            He brought the mug to his lips, blew on the tea, and gingerly (no pun intended) took a sip.  The burning hot liquid hit his throat in a painful yet oddl