Chapter 11

Recommended song: I'm not the only one (by Sam Smith)

Yunhyeong awoke to a strange sight- Hanbin and June, who were notorious for oversleeping, both in his room, early in the morning, telling him to wash up and get dressed. When had roles changed between them?

'Yunhyeongie, we have to go in ten minutes since your appointment is at ten sharp,' said Hanbin, while helping Yunhyeong get out of bed.

'Yunhyeong hyung, are you feeling better?' asked June, with a concerned expression.

'June yah, it's weird to see you this early in the morning. Don't you worry about me. I'll get better soon,' teased Yunhyeong, with a playful smirk spread across his face.

'Umm...Hanbinnie, I can manage on my own in the bathroom. You don't have to come with me,' said Yunhyeong.

'Okay, if you insist so,' replied Hanbin, giving Yunhyeong a playful wink afterwards.

Yunhyeong would definitely miss this  carefree playful Hanbin.

Once Yunhyeong entered the bathroom, he immediately cast away his happy facade, which was replaced with a tired and dejected expression. He was obviously not feeling well at all; he was lethargic without reason and could feel his head spinning in full circles. Today, he had to do what he dreaded most as well, which was to hurt the person  he loved and loved him. After washing up, getting dressed, and putting some basic makeup on, Yunhyeong mentally prepared himself and went out to meet Hanbin and June, who were by the front door, waiting for him.

'Yunhyeongie, I got you something to eat as breakfast. You can eat it on the car,' said Hanbin, while tying Yunhyeong's shoelaces for him.

'Hanbinnie, I'm sure I can tie my own shoelaces,' commented Yunhyeong, baffled by Hanbin's actions.

Seeing the couple teasing each other as per usual, June felt like the good old times were back and hoped that they would go on forever.

As they settled themselves in the car, Hanbin pulled out a sandwich from his satchel bag, handing it to Yunhyeong. The sandwich was a ham and cheese sandwich, which was his favourite, yet the sight of it made Yunhyeong's stomach turn. Yunhyeong had not eaten for almost a day, but he did not seem to be able to register hunger.

'Yunhyeongie, do you not like it? Do you want something else?' asked Hanbin, after seeing Yunhyeong space out.

'I'm not feeling very well now...I feel like puking,' answered Yunhyeong apologetically.

'It's fine. I can have it. But, Yunhyeong hyung, are you sure you're okay? You look very pale,' said June, with his hand reaching for the sandwich.

Yunhyeong gave June a small nod and closed his eyes to alleviate the burning sensation in his throat, which was caused by heartburn.

After a short ride, they arrived at the hospital and Yunhyeong was soon brought to the examination room on his own as he requested Hanbin and June to stay back. He knew clearly what was wrong with him and did not want the two, who cared about him the most, to worry about him.

'Yunhyeong-ssi, I've seen your record. I have to say that it's looking good. You have lost 12kg in the span of four weeks and your BMI has dropped pretty significantly. Last time you came, I told you to try to eat more, but obviously things have not worked out. Can you tell me how you feel about eating?' asked the doctor, after Yunhyeong had been weighed.

'I can feel my stomach turn whenever I see or smell food. Sometimes, I could skip a meal or two or even not eat for days. Eating seems to be for survival now, but it's just getting harder and harder for me to put food into my mouth,' answered Yunhyeong.

'You know that your BMI is way out of the normal range. Let me put it this way, it's within the anorexic range. Things need to be done at this stage. It's getting serious as your eating habits have now taken a toll on your health,' said the doctor.

'What do I have to do?' inquired Yunhyeong.

'Yunhyeong-ssi, I know that you're a celebrity and have a hectic schedule. And, this kind of lifestyle would not do your condition any good. I suggest that you take a break from work, go home, and come in for check-ups weekly. There are also medication and therapy sessions that could mprove your condition. Yunhyeong-ssi, please consider my suggestions,' replied the doctor with a determined expression.

'Okay, I'll take that into consideration. Thankyou very much, Dr.Lee,' said Yunhyeong, while leaving the room.

As expected, June and Hanbin were standing outside the room, looking anxiously at him.

'So what did the doctor say? You're not serious ill, are you?' asked June.

'No, I'm not. I just have an upset digestive system and that's it. There's nothing to worry about,' answered Yunhyeong.

'Have you told the doctor that you've recently lost a lot of weight?' asked Hanbin, as if he did not believe what Yunhyeong had just said.

'Yes, I did and she told me that it was the diarrhoea that caused the weight loss,' replied Yunhyeong, avoiding Hanbin's questioning gaze.

'Yunhyeongie, do you want to go get a second opinion? It does strike me as very unusual that you have suddenly lost your appetite and tons of weight,' asked Hanbin, still suspicious of what Yunhyeong had said.

'I trust Dr. Lee's judgement and I don't think there's anything serious with my condition,' retorted Yunhyeong.

'I'm just worried. If things worsen, tell me and we'll work them out together, okay?' said Hanbin with a worried expression.

As they got into the car, Yunhyeong asked the manager to drop him off at YG’s main building on their way back to their dorm as he had scheduled a meeting with Mr Yang.

‘Yunhyeong hyung, do you want us to come along with you?’ asked June.

‘Aniya, Mr Yang wants to have a one-on-one talk with me about my prospects as an actor,’ answered Yunhyeong.

‘Yunhyeongie, I'll go with you and wait for you at the lobby. We have things to discuss,’ chirped in Hanbin.

‘Okay, I'll meet you at the lobby after I'm done. And, June, I'll see you later at home,’ replied Yunhyeong, getting out of the car while waving at June.

Yunhyeong was very nervous about his meeting with Mr Yang as he did not only have to ask for permission to go on hiatus due to his worsening health issues- he also had to persuade Mr Yang to revoke Hanbin’s slave contract. He had no idea how it could be done, but he was willing to try with all possible methods or whatever appealed to Mr Yang. While waiting for Mr Yang outside his office, Yunhyeong rehearsed what he had to say when he saw Mr Yang. It had to perfect, if not, he might get Hanbin into deeper trouble, as Mr Yang was not one to fool with.

‘Yunhyeong, here you are! Come into my office and we can talk about what you wish to discuss with me,’ said Mr Yang, opening the door while beckoning Yunhyeong to enter his office.

‘Good morning, Mr Yang,’ greeted Yunhyeong as he entered his office.

‘So what's so urgent about the thing you wanted to tell me in person?’ asked Mr Yang, with genuine curiosity.

‘Mr Yang, I have two things to inform you of. The first thing is related to my health issues. Recently, I've experienced difficulties in eating, so I went to the hospital to get help, and just now, this morning, they diagnosed me with anorexia. I think it's quite obvious that I'm kind of anorexic, judging how bony I am now. They suggested that I should go on hiatus and take a break as it would probably facilitate my recovery. I'm here to ask you for permission to go on a hiatus,’ answered Yunhyeong deferentially.

‘Have you told your members about it? What do they think about it?’ asked Mr Yang.

‘I haven't told them yet as I don't want them to worry about me since they're all rigorously preparing for a comeback. I don't want to divert their attention or burden them with my problems, so I'd hope that you could keep this away from them,’ replied Yunhyeong sincerely.

‘Yunhyeong, you’re a sensible kid. You know what I appreciate most- discretion. So what's the other thing you wanted to tell me about?’ inquired Mr Yang, with a sly grin.

‘Mr Yang, you might have guessed that I would talk to you about this. It's about Hanbin. I know that he did some exchanges with you to preserve our relationship. I know clearly what this entails. Is it possible for you to revoke the deals you made with Hanbin? I'm willing to do anything for that to happen,’ answered Yunhyeong with a determined and firm expression.

‘To your first question, my permission is granted. We'll just tell the press that you're withdrawing from group promotions due to family reasons and would stay inactive until things change for the better. In this way, the members would not worry about you too much and would be able to focus on their activities. You know I only made those deals with Hanbin to keep him on track with work as he had been distracted since you two started dating. If you break up with him, I'll cancel those deals with Hanbin. I do know that you guys are in love with each other, but you two, especially Hanbin, should be concentrating on work instead of love affairs now. If you guys were to get together again, you guys could do it after you've hit it big in Korea and Japan. But now Hanbin really has no time for dating and ought to spend more time on creating songs,’ explained Mr Yang.

‘As if Hanbin has not been working his off for you,’ thought Yunhyeong, mentally dissing Mr Yang.

‘I'll break things off with Hanbin today and could you please announce my hiatus tomorrow? I'll pack my bags tonight and inform my parents that I'm coming home today,’ asked Yunhyeong politely.

‘I'll take care of the press, but you have to remember to tell your members tonight that your parents are ill and need you to be around,’ answered Mr Yang nonchalantly.

‘Mr Yang, thankyou very much for your time. I'll see myself out,’ said Yunhyeong before heading out of Mr Yang’s office.

Now, everything was down on him. He knew that the moment he dreaded most was bound to come when he saw Hanbin walking towards him from the entrance of the building. On his face was the coy smile Yunhyeong loved most- he was definitely going to miss that.

‘How was the talk with Yang?’ asked Hanbin.

‘Let's go up to your studio to talk about that,’ answered Yunhyeong, eyes avoiding Hanbin's.

During the lift ride, he could feel Hanbin's questioning gaze on him, unfaltering and intense. It was going to be difficult for Yunhyeong to lie to Hanbin since Yunhyeong was not one to deceive and Hanbin was quick at catching on details.

‘I've cleared up the mess. I hope it looks less revolting this time,’ said Hanbin, trying to relieve the tense atmosphere.

‘It looks much nicer now, but you've got to keep it up. Hanbinnie, I have something big to tell you and the members. I've talked to Mr Yang and he has given me permission to go on hiatus-’ said Yunhyeong, plopping himself down on the sofa.

‘What hiatus? You've never mentioned it to us!’  exclaimed Hanbin, obviously shocked by the sudden turn of events.

‘My dad's sort of ill these days and Mr Yang and I think that it'd be better if I take leave and go home to be around him more,’ answered Yunhyeong, still looking away from Hanbin.

‘Bull, it's not about your parents. It's about you, ain't it? Yunhyeongie, I know that you're sick. You're anorexic, aren't you? I knew that from the start since you kept rejecting food and skipped meals with weird excuses, but I didn't want to scare you earlier on. I know you don't want us to worry about you, but they deserve to know as well- they're your brothers. Yunhyeongie, listen up, we'll go through this with you. We'll wait for you,’ retorted Hanbin, with his tone softening at the end.

‘Please don't postpone the comeback for me! You guys have worked so hard for it. You know what it is like if you postpone it. It might never come again,’ pleaded Yunhyeong.

‘We will only go as seven, definitely not without you, and that's final,’ stated Hanbin, in the assertive tone he used in the practice room.

‘Talk to the others and see what they think about it,’ replied Yunhyeong weakly.

‘You know what the answer will be, but I'll still ask for you,’ said Hanbin, with silence ensuing.

Seeing how Hanbin had reacted to the first piece of news he broke, Yunhyeong did not have the heart to break the second. He thought and thought and thought, yet nothing viable came up.

‘You have to break up with me now, don't you? I can see that from your painted expression. I guess Mr Yang or Jinhwan hyung told you about the contract,’said Hanbin weakly, breaking the silence.

‘No...I overheard your conversation with Jinhwan hyung and June yesterday afternoon… Hanbin, it pains me to do so, but I have to,’ replied Yunhyeong, with tears threatening to spill.

‘Yunhyeongie, I love you and that's all that matters. It was my choice to accept Yang’s deals. You don't have to take responsibility for that. Please let me stick around until you get better. After that, if you decide that you don't love me anymore, I'll go and leave you in peace,’said Hanbin, looking into Yunhyeong's teary eyes.

‘Hanbinnie, nado saranghae,’ uttered Yunhyeong.

‘Let's get you home and something to eat,’ said Hanbin, giving Yunhyeong a wry smile.

‘Sure, let's go,’ replied Yunhyeong.

These were not the only lies Yunhyeong had to tell; more empty promises were bound to be made and more people were to get hurt.