Baro’s POV

It had been about two days since our Music Bank performance before our manager informed us that we’d be performing on Music Core on the coming Wednesday, with the same routine. Naturally, this news was met with groans; it gave us only three more days to practice for the performance, and we’d barely recovered from the last one.

So, with no choice, we were all holed up in the practice studio again, holding empty mineral water bottles as pretend mikes, as we tried to get our dance steps in perfect synchrony once more.

When Jin Young finally told us we could have a break, I sprawled out flat on the floor in front of the air-conditioner, trying to soak up all the coldness. Sandeul was next to me, doing the same thing in a sitting position, and Jin Young was in the centre, helping Gong Chan sharpen some of his movements.

This left our eldest hyung leaning against the mirror in the corner, resting with his eyes closed, a half-finished water bottle in his slackened fingers.

I didn’t think much of it as I squabbled over air-conditioning priority with Sandeul, and when Leader called for us to gather again, I was forced to drag myself up and join them in the centre.

“Right, there’s this part in the dance-…” Jin Young looked like he was about to demonstrate, when he stopped and frowned. “Where’s Shin Woo-hyung?”

I looked into the corner where he still sat, eyes closed, bewildered. Didn’t he hear Jin Young?

“Oi, hyung,” I walked up to him to give his arm a jab. He didn’t react.

His chest rose and fell steadily, and his head was resting against the wall. I frowned. He couldn’t be…

“Uhm…” I scratched the back of my neck. “…I think he’s asleep.”

Why would he fall asleep now? We hadn’t been practicing long…surely he wasn’t that tired? Heh…maybe hyung really was getting old.

“Well then, wake him up,” Jin Young looked annoyed, but also slightly puzzled.

“Shin Woo-hyung!” I pulled open one of his eyelids. Sandeul started to laugh.

“Neh, you’re not doing it right, Baro-hyung,” Gong Chan slapped my hand away, before shaking our hyung’s shoulder vigorously. “Shin Woo hyung! Wake up!”

His reaction shocked the living daylights out of both of us.

Shin Woo gasped, rearing backwards and clutching his abdomen, wincing again.

“Y-yah!” I said, stumbling back. “Hyung!”

“Owch,” Shin Woo turned to glare at me. “Don’t poke me in the stomach, it hurts.”

“I…didn’t,” I was really confused right now. Nobody had even touched him there.

“Then…Chanshik?” Shin Woo turned to our maknae disbelievingly, who shook his head.

“No, hyung. None of us poked you there. Baro just poked your arm, and I shook your shoulder,” he said, sounding as puzzled as I was.

“Oh, sorry then,” He said, averting our gaze as he stood up, leaning heavily on the mirrored wall for support.

“You sure you’re feeling okay, hyung?” Jin Young said, starting to look worried. “You can go back to the dorms to take a break if you’re not feeling well.”

“’M fine,” Shin Woo mumbled, moving to the centre, and I couldn’t help but notice the slight limp he walked with. “Let’s just get started.”

“Okay then,” Jin Young said with a slight frown, before continuing to tell us whatever he wanted to say about our dance. I nodded in time, my eyes on the video screen he showed us, but my mind on our eldest hyung.

He definitely wasn’t fine, that was for sure.

But I didn’t understand what kind of an illness it was. I didn’t even know if it was an illness or an injury. What kind of ailment gives you pain in the stomach? There had to be over a thousand to choose from.

But would he be able to perform on Wednesday? What if we have to pull out?

But after a few seconds’ contemplation, I chose to push it into the back of my mind. I was worrying for nothing. Shin Woo-hyung was the eldest and the strongest out of all of us- he’d be the last person to let injuries or sicknesses get the better of him. All of us trusted him not to let the B1A4 down.

But sometimes there just comes a situation where trust can’t keep everything together.

*

Jin Young’s POV

The sun was shining brightly through the window, appearing as a faint red glow through my eyelids. I moaned, rolling over in my bed. My fingers connected with a something hard, and I looked up blearily to see that I had sent an entire line of “l”s across my laptop screen.

Aish. I had fallen asleep in the middle of composing again.

Dragging myself out of bed, I glanced at the clock to see that it was already nine. The room was empty except for me- Sandeul was probably going to make some grandpa joke about me waking up the latest again.

After splashing some cold water on my face and brushing my teeth, I shuffled out into the living room, raking my fingers absently through my brown hair.  

“Well, look who’s back with the living,” Baro chuckled, plonking a handful of cutlery down on the table. “Good morning, halbae.”

“Oh, the grandfather’s finally awake!” Sandeul called cheekily from the kitchen, where he was making breakfast. “Do you need any help to walk, halbae?”

My two dongsaengs exchanged raucous laughter as I shot them an exasperated glare, before taking a seat at the table, where Gong Chan was nodding off.

“Morning, Channie,” I greeted, sorting out the cutlery.

“Mm?” Chanshik said, opening his eyes a fraction and yawning. “Hello, hyung.”

There was silence for a few more minutes, other than the clinking of the silverware, the sound of Baro shelling out lame jokes to Sandeul in the kitchen, and Sandeul’s airy laughter. I looked around the rest of the empty dorm, my eyes half-opened, as I went through today’s activities in my head again. Dance practice, vocal practice…what was it that nagged away at the edge of my conscience? Right, hyung wasn’t feeling too well yesterday…

...wait a minute.

“Where’s Shin Woo hyung?” I frowned, looking around. He couldn’t be in the toilet, I just came from there. And he wasn’t in our room either.

“I don’t know, but he left us a note,” Chanshik shrugged sleepily, sliding a piece of paper across the table to me. “I haven’t read it yet.”

Glancing uneasily at the maknae, I picked it up to read.

Gone to the doctor. Will meet you guys at the practice studio as soon as possible.

-Shin Dong Woo

“He went to the doctor?” I said it loud enough for the two in the kitchen to hear. Baro and Sandeul paused in their interaction to poke their heads out.

“That’s good,” Sandeul said, looking slightly relieved. “He was looking really pale when we came back to the dorm yesterday evening.”

“Yeah…I could hear him late last night, after we all went to bed,” Baro said uncertainly. “He sounded like he was really in pain…”

“Well, at least the doctor can fix it now,” Gong Chan said confidently. I looked at the note again, wishing I could be as sure as Channie was. Doctors can’t do everything…and I should know that.

“Why didn’t anyone follow him?” I raised another question, and my three dongsaengs exchanged inquiring glances.

“Well…” Baro scratched the back of his neck. “When I woke up, the rest of you guys were asleep, and he was already gone.”

My brow creased slightly yet again. The idea of someone going to see the doctor alone…it just seemed…wrong, to me. Normally people would have a friend or family member accompany them, to listen to the doctor’s advice, to comfort the person…but our eldest hyung had gone alone. 

“He’ll be alright, hyung,” Sandeul said cheerfully, noting my worried expression. “Like I said that day, lighten up a bit. It’s probably just a flu or something.”

Yeah, I thought, trying to work up a smile. We’re talking about Shin Woo-hyung here. He’s the strongest out of all of us. There’s no way he’d be beaten by an injury or sickness, right?

Sandeul went back to the kitchen, to tend to the burning pancakes, Baro went back to preparing the drinks, Gong Chan went back to stoning sleepily, and I went back to absently re-sorting the cutlery. There was only one difference now- the dorm was devoid of the energetic voices it had previously been filled with. And I knew all of us were thinking the same thing.

Would Shin Woo-hyung really be alright?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note:

Hello again!

First up, the next chapter will not be what you think it will be. I'll just leave it at that.

This story will have lots of unexpected turns and it will get confusing, but that's reality. Especially with the human anatomy. This story will be longer than DIaries and Dreams...and it'll be as real as I can make it. So I hope you guys will be patient :) 

To my subscribers, you guys are the best ^^ It means a lot to me, to see that people like reading what I write :) Thank you so much, and Happy New Year! :D A thank you to the awesome people who commented as well :) I was really encouraged, especially by the comments about my technique :D *bows* Thank you all so much!

Sincerely
WhiteWings19

P.S. Channie and Deullie's new hairstyles...W.O.W. Do go check out their 31 Dec and 29 Dec performances if you haven't seen them yet :D

Deullie, one word. SMOKINGHOT. But I still like Baro more. Kekeke.

WIth the baseball cap and outfit, plus the new hairstyle, Channie seriously looks like Jonghyun, especially from his "Jojo" days. This just knocks him up my bias list. Taeil's top spot is wavering dangerously.

And Jin Young's eyeliner looked really fierce in one performance...can't remember which. Aigooo they're all so grown up now...sniff...