“Okay girls, take 20! And then we can work on perfecting it.” their dance instructor told them as the girls finished dancing to their new song, `Russian Roulette’. It was exhausting but somehow, they managed to make do and completed dancing from the start to the end. For the first time, after weeks of practicing. No one could blame them for their lack of enthusiasm; Sooyoung was still in the hospital, still as unresponsive as the first day. Today marked her 15th day of being unconscious. Everyone was getting worried; not just the girls. Most of their sunbaes and hoobaes—who were free at the time—helped the girls by staying by Sooyoung’s side, whenever they were too busy to visit her. The most frequent visitor was Chanyeol. The Park Chanyeol, Sooyoung’s closest guy friend.

The girls instantly started winding down, to rest their aching muscles from the intense practice. Irene and Seulgi went to grab their bottle water to drink, throwing Wendy’s and Yeri’s to their respective owners. The two girls managed to catch it with grace before taking a chug from it. Irene wiped away the sweats that were on her face with her towel, joking with Seulgi. Yeri was busying herself by listening to songs on her phone, earphones once again in her ear. Wendy took out her phone from her bag; messaging Chanyeol to ask about Sooyoung’s condition. Not even a minute passed by, she received his reply. Instantly, she dropped her bottle on the floor, spilling all its contents.

“Wendy unnie!” the youngest shrieked as she tried wiping off the water that got on her. Seulgi looked at her friend, concerned of her actions.

“Wendy-ah, what’s wrong?” she was scared of the look that the girl in question had. Straight away, the girls knew something was wrong. Irene moved to her, holding her shoulder softly. The younger girl looked at her in the eye, eyes filled with tears.

“Joy’s awake…” and she choked back her tears. With that, the others let out a surprised gasp before they all rushed out of the room, to their Joy. They didn’t care if they bumped into the staffs or their labelmates along the way; as long as they get to be there for her. Their manager was already outside when they got out of the building. She ushered them all into the van quickly before ordering the driver to go.

*****

That was the second time she woke up that day, she thought dryly. Joy groaned when she tried to move herself into a sitting position; her muscles were aching so badly. She decided against it seeing as she was in no position to do so. Her hands were aching like crazy, no doubt about it. And her head, it was throbbing like mad–as though someone had hit it numerous times with a baseball bat–as she tried to pierce things together. She wasn’t at home or dorm, that was the first thing she realised the minute she awoken from her slumber. And that, there was a needle inside her arm that she wanted to tear off so badly. She wanted to vomit–which she did a little before swallowing it back–at the thought of a needle having been inside her body, regardless of the fact that the IV drip was providing her with all the nutrients she had been needing from the lack of food. She hates needles.

“Oh god, oh god…” she was beginning to hyperventilate as time passes by, as the thought of it in her skin began swarming in her head. She wanted to scratch it, she needed t scratch it off. She wanted to tear it, just to pull it out of her. Her hand unconsciously went to the arm that had the IV, trying to peel off the tape that was securing it with her aching hand and drowsy mind. She could feel the sides slowly peeling off but before she could tear it off and possibly harming herself, a hand stopped her. A man’s hand.

“Sooyoung. Don’t,” her eyes locked eyes with his and he was looking at her sternly. The crease on his forehead as he frowned at her actions disturbed her greatly. She decided that it wasn’t a good look on someone who was always so cheerful; always with a derpy smile.

“Oppa…you know how much I hate needles right?” she asked sadly, looking away from him and from the damned thing that was in her arm. “I-I just, really–really, gosh, really–need to get it out before I start freaking out and y-you know how I am when I’m freaked out, right? Right?” she was rambling, she knew that but she just need to get it from her body. It was beginning to hurt her head as she somehow–in her mind–could feel imaginary insects crawling under her skin where the IV was. Oh God, she wanted to puke at the sensation–she could feel the bile at the back of –and her hand moved to grasp his arm as she sat up.

“Oppa, please–God, oppa, please–I need it–I need it out!” she shrieked as tears fell from her eyes, clearly freaking out. Chanyeol was a bit scared of how she was acting; his hand instinctively went to the button to call for the nurse. “And–and where am I? No, don’t answer that because I know where I am b-but–“ her eyes roamed around the room, clearly looking for someone. “–where’s everyone? Where are the unnies and Yeri? Oppa–! Where are they?! Why aren’t they here, why–?!” she was thrashing, something she didn’t even realised she was doing as she demanded from him answers. The door of the room was open as two nurses rushed to her, trying to calm her down as they pushed her down to the bed. Joy was a fighter; she struggled under the nurses’ hold,