Seulgi hadn’t quite gotten over the sight of yet another piece of salacious underwear. She spent the next couple of hours being unable to function, listlessly cleaning equipment and packing camera gear.

“Yeri-ah,” she moaned. “What do I do? It’s like I’m broken. Whenever I'm around her I just I act so stupid.”

The younger girl rolled her eyes. “It was pathetic. You looked like a mannequin, or my dongsaeng’s toy robot.”

“Ugh, I know,” Seulgi sighed, “everything is so awkward.”

“Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb,” Yeri scolded, wagging her pointer finger at her boss.

Just like that, all the progress Seulgi had made was wiped clean. She had been able to hold herself together, even be comfortable, as she talked to the gorgeous doctor, and all it took was the glimpse of a tiny piece of fabric for Seulgi to become undone.

Seulgi managed to avoid running into the other woman for the rest of the afternoon, but as the sun set, she realized she didn’t have a choice, not unless she was planning to starve. Heavy feet trudged into the mess tent. 

To her dismay, it was significantly smaller than the mess tent at the main compound, which meant avoiding someone would be impossible. There were only two tables in the tent.

“Yo, KkangSeul!” 

Yeri was waving at her, seated next to a blonde woman she recognized as Dr. Son. She smiled politely as she sat down to eat. Yeri introduced them.

“Slowgi, this is Wendy. Wendy, this is Slowgi.”

The duo responded at the same time.

“I thought your name was Seungwan?” 

“I thought your name was Seulgi?”

The doctor spoke up first. “I went to school in Canada; Wendy is my English name.”

Yeri spoke up on Seulgi’s behalf. “Her name really is Seulgi, I just call her Slowgi because she is one.”

“Hey!”

When Wendy looked between the two other girls perpelexed, Yeri spoke up again.

“You guys would really get along, Wendy-unnie,” she said. “You guys are reeeeeeally alike.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Wendy asked seriously.

“I’m sure it is,” Seulgi said reassuringly.

“I rest my case,” Yeri said with folded arms.

Irene walked in at that moment and Wendy waved her over.

Crap. 

Seulgi’s eyes darted around, trying to figure out what to do with themselves. She gulped down the burger she had in , the food going down thickly as she tried to swallow her nervousness as well. She caught a glimpse of Yeri, still sitting there with her arms crossed and a -eating grin.

Seulgi was very thankful in that moment that Joy was not there as well.

“I see you’ve made some friends, Seungwan-ah,” Irene said, the term of endearment and light touch to her shoulder not going unnoticed by Seulgi.

“Hi, Joohyunnie,” Wendy nodded, “I’ve been talking to Yeri and Seulgi here, but I’m sure you already know them.”

Joohyunnie? 

Seulgi had never heard anyone call Irene that before, but she was not about to question it now, not when Yeri was right across from her.

Irene gave both of them polite nods as she sat down.

“I hope I’m not interrupting a terribly important conversation, but I need to go over some details for tomorrow.”

The other three women gave the senior doctor their attention.

“Tomorrow we’ll be going to the village of Zimzalabim, about a kilometer north of here.”

“Zimjalabim?” Wendy asked.

“Zimzalabim,” Irene corrected.

Yeri tried. “Jimjalabim?”

“What?” Irene frowned, glaring at all of them.

“Zimzalabim,” she repeated with finality, and the next time any of them tried so say it, it would be in private, well away from Irene.

“Right,” Irene said, continuing on, “the case is, as of yet, unconfirmed. However, it’s been approximately fourteen hours since symptom onset. We can’t confirm until twenty-four hours have passed--”

Irene gave Wendy a questioning look, who nodded in approval,

“--so until we get confirmation, we’re going to proceed with level 4 precautions.”

“What does that mean?” Yeri asked.

This time Wendy spoke.

“It pretty much means we’re going to go in in double layered hazmat suits, all of us.”

“All of us?” Seulgi asked, confused.

“Yes,” Irene nodded, “from what we’ve seen, patients are contagious in the first twelve to thirty-six hours. Unfortunately, that’s also the window for confirmation and if treatment is initiated, the time frame with the highest recovery rate.”

Seulgi and Yeri both nodded. Irene reached out and placed a hand over the one Seulgi had on the table, unknowingly sending a shock of terror up the other woman’s arm.

“I’m sorry,” Irene said apologetically, “Minho and I both agreed it would’ve been better for you both to remain behind, but Suho quoted something in the contract details that require you to accompany us.”

Seulgi nodded again, the gravity of the situation finally coming to settle on her shoulders. She also wondered if Irene was aware of the tiny circles she was rubbing into the back of Seulgi’s hand.

“Do you need both of us? Or is one person sufficient?” she asked instead.

“KkangSeul!” Yeri objected.

Seulgi ignored her and looked to Irene and Wendy. Irene nodded her head and smiled.

“I supposed that’s up to you, after all, you are the art director here.”

Seulgi smiled back, sensing that they had come to an understanding.

The next morning, Yeri was staging a protest.

“Seulgi-unnie, you can’t leave me here!” Yeri stamped her feet.

Seulgi had to smile. The younger woman only used proper honorifics when she was particularly upset or worried.

“Yerim-ah,” Seulgi said, getting serious for a second. “Please, just listen to me and stay here.”

“But--”

“I know you want to come, but you heard the doctors. It’s a Level 4 situation. Do you know what this means?”

Yeri shook her head.

“The BSL Level 4 is the highest level there is. It’s reserved only for microbes that are the worst of the worst. If they think it’s that bad here, I don’t want you anywhere near it.”

“But what about you?” Yeri asked worriedly.

“Better me than you,” Seulgi said with a laugh, “I wouldn't want you haunting me for the rest of my life. You're annoying enough as it is.”

Seulgi shouldered her backpack. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back this evening. Everything will be fine.”

Seulgi should’ve known better than to open her big fat mouth. They were currently running from the village back to the campsite. Minho and Jaehyun were panting with effort, each of them carrying another person. Jaehyun was carrying a middle-aged man on his back, while Minho was shouldering Taeyong. Masks were practically discarded, hanging haphazardly from the faces of the team in an effort to breathe.

The sky was turning gray above, bringing the low rumblings of an impending thunderstorm. 

Irene radioed ahead, telling Kai and Henry to get a helicopter prepared. 

“Come on, come on!” she urged everyone. “We need to go!”

Strangely, Seulgi didn’t seem to register the panic everyone was experiencing. She calmly ran, her camera snapping photos of whatever she thought would be the most interesting at the moment. She supposed it was her experience with outdoor emergencies.

“What the hell happened?” Mark yelled, running out of the gate to meet them. His eyes darted between Minho and the unconscious Taeyong on his back.

“Later,” Minho grunted, “we need to get them on a chopper.” 

Up in the landing zone, Kai and Henry sat in the pilot seats, prepping the winged machine for takeoff. They put Taeyong and the man on the seats and buckled them in. Mark noticed the big red stain on Taeyong’s side.

“Hyung!”

“Stay here Mark!” Minho yanked the boy back by the collar. “Dr. Bae!” 

Irene wasted no time slipping a needle into Taeyong’s elbow. She connected it to a bag of plasma suspended from the ceiling and called for Wendy. Tiny droplets began to fall from the sky.

“Seungwan!” Irene shouted. Wendy ran over.

“Unnie?”

“Get on the chopper, I need you to go with them.”

Wendy’s eyebrows shot up.

“You’re the best at trauma management,” Irene explained as she handed her the bag of vials, “and you can get a head start on testing the samples. Don’t worry, we’ll follow you in a day.” 

“I’ll see you, Joohyunnie,” Wendy smiled back. It had started to rain in earnest now, and she pushed her wet bangs out of her face. Irene clasped both of the other doctor’s hands in her own, before pleading, “Be careful!”

Wendy climbed into the helicopter and waved. Seulgi watched it all from the side. It seemed intimate, even for colleagues, or friends, and Seulgi wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It was so...dramatic.

Like kdrama dramatic.

Or was this gay drama dramatic?

The chopper rose into the sky, scattering debri everywhere. It climbed and climbed, heading towards the mountain line behind them, which it would cross on its way back to the main island. It was a thousand feet up now, just about to cross the ridgeline.

Suddenly, as if to cement the notion that they were indeed trapped in a Korean soap opera, a bolt of lighting stuck the hillside, less than a hundred feet away from the rising chopper. It came with a deafening roar of thunder, and in her peripherals, Irene crouched and covered her ears. Seulgi couldn’t tear her gaze away from the flying machine though.

“Oh ,” Seulgi uttered. The rain was coming down harder now, and droplets were running into her eyes. 

“How bad is it, unnie ?” Yeri appeared beside her. “You never say .”

Seulgi bit her lip, unwilling to voice any negative thoughts aloud. She knew that standing here in an active lightning storm was insanely dangerous. She knew that she was the tallest thing within three hundred feet, and should another bolt of lightning come raining down, it would most likely strike her. She couldn’t move though, she was rooted to the ground, just watching.

“Come on,” she urged, “get out of here.”

Maybe, she thought, if she stood there the lightning would strike her and allow the helicopter to escape. It was a fool’s notion, though, for the chopper was thousands of feet closer to the clouds than she was. Then, to prove her wish futile, another bright flash of lightning blinded them, and by the time her eyes adjusted, she saw the helicopter in a spin heading towards the earth.

“NO!” Irene screamed. Her hands clutched at her collar, pulling down on the biohazard suit. She started to rush forward, running towards the chopper, which was still in a spiral, somehow managing to not hit the ground yet. 

Seulgi wrapped her arms around her and held her back. Irene was crying now. Seulgi couldn’t tell through the rain if there were tears but her eyes were red and she was hysterical.

“Let me go, Seulgi!” She thrashed in the other girl’s arms. 

“No!” the photographer grunted. “You can’t go up there! What are you going to do? They’re two thousand feet up the ridgeline, it’ll take us hours to hike up there in this weather.”

“I don’t care!” she yelled. “I have to get to Seungwan!” She struggled again.

Seulgi grimaced. The doctor had elbowed her but she managed to maintain her hold. 

Between the newly sprouting tears and the rain, Seulgi couldn’t quite see clearly, but she saw Minho running past her, a helmet in his hand.

“Where are you going?” she shouted at him.

“Taking the other chopper up!” he yelled back, not even bothering to look at her.

Sensing she wasn’t going to be freed, Irene crumpled to the ground, crying.

“Seungwan,” she sobbed. “My Seungwan. It’s all my fault.” 

Six hours earlier.

“We’ll gear up here, then enter the village. We don’t know how many people are infected, so we're going to be extra cautious,” Minho announced.

“Please make sure all the seams of your suit are properly taped and sealed,” Irene added. “We don’t have the benefit of an airlock, so we must check each other extra carefully. Remember, pair up and inspect each other well.”

Seulgi looked nervously at the suit. They’d put it on before in training, but only once, and she wasn’t quite sure if she remembered everything.

“Need some help?” Wendy asked from beside her, head cocked and wearing a gentle smile.

Seulgi spotted Dr. Bae, who was looking at her with concern and a step in her direction. Not wanting to embarrass herself any further in front of Irene, she gratefully accepted Wendy’s assistance.

“Probably?” Seulgi answered sheepishly. “I really have no idea what I’m doing.” 

“I got you,” Wendy said confidently with a wink. 

Actually, the duo were a terrible combination. Seulgi supposed it’s because they’re too similar: clumsy and easy going, and as a result, the suit assembly is quite the show. 

“Whoa!” Wendy yelped as she almost fell over trying to put on her pants. Seulgi reached out and caught her arm, keeping her from toppling completely. Wendy laughed as she practically folded in half, still clutching Seulgi.

Irene was looking at them with a frown. Seulgi averted her eyes and continued donning her suit; they were probably making too much of a ruckus.

“Take off your hoodie,” the blonde told her.

“Should I?” Seulgi asked. “It’s still pretty cold.”

“Trust me,” Wendy nodded confidently. “The suits don’t release a lot of heat so we’ll be sweating in no time.”

Nodding, Seulgi lifted the sweater over her head.

“Omo!” Wendy exclaimed. 

Seulgi peeked out from between her arms, her hoodie caught above her head.

“What?”

Wendy pointed to her midsection, exposed under her rising undershirt. “Abs!” She stuck a hand out to feel Seulgi’s stomach.

“Seulabs!” Wendy shouted.

Seulgi brought her arms down from above her head, shooing Wendy’s hands away. It wasn’t the first time she’d been complimented on her midsection, but it was the first time she’d been complimented on it in front of Irene. She chanced a look at the woman, knowing that the noise she and Wendy had been making must have drawn a few looks.

Sure enough, Irene was frowning at them again, but it had deepened into a large glower. 

Yikes. 

She quickly pulled the rest of the suit over her head. Getting Dr. Bae pissed off early in the morning would really dampen their day.

“Seulgi?” Wendy called out. “I think my hood is caught on something.”

Seulgi tiptoed to look at the top of Wendy’s suit. She saw what it was. The suit jacket had snagged a part of the hood. She fiddled to untangle it, her chin almost resting on the shorter woman’s head, Wendy's breath tickling her sternum. Beyond her, Seulgi spotted Irene, staring at them again, wearing an unreadable expression.

Seulgi quickly untangled Wendy’s suit and finished getting ready. They were obviously too slow and it wouldn’t be much longer before Irene came over to reprimand them, or worse, glare.

In the moment, Seulgi had just assumed that Irene was upset at the chaos they were causing. But now it all made sense.

My Seungwan. 

It explained why Irene was upset. Seulgi’s chest tightened uncomfortably.

She looked at the woman in her arms, her heart crumbling, the words stabbing a dagger into her chest. Seulgi really was too nice and stupid for her own good.

“Yeri!” she called her coworker, who was still watching the chopper. It had come to rest on the hillside, but thankfully, it was not in flames. “Stay with Dr. Bae,” she ordered.

“Where are you going?”

“To help.”

And Seulgi took off after Minho. 

“Yah, Kkangsuel!” Yeri yelled after her. “If you die--”

“Yeah, I know,” Seulgi waved a hand carelessly over her shoulder, “you’ll kill me.”

“No, can I have your air fryer?”

It was probably for the best that the chopper blades were already spinning, since the choice words she had for Yeri weren’t exactly tasteful. She grabbed a headset and began rummaging through one of the floor compartments.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Minho yelled from the other chopper door.

“Looking for a harness!” she yelled back. “I’m coming with you!”

“You’re not qualified!” 

“Like hell I’m not! I worked SAR in Mount Ranier for two years!”

“Search and Rescue?” Minho repeated.

“Hyung, let’s go!” Mark yelled from the pilot’s seat.

“Look, we don’t have time!” Seulgi reasoned. “You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

Minho seemed conflicted for a moment, but he relented. “Harnesses are in the left compartment. Let’s go!”

The chopper rose off the ground, fighting against the rain and wind. Seulgi looked until she spotted them, Yeri huddled with Irene on the ground, gazing up at them.

Seulgi shook her head and sighed as she buckled her helmet. Of all the stupid romantic gestures--actually, cancel that. Seulgi didn’t do romantic, not in the overly theatrical sense. She didn’t climb up ferris wheels, or stand outside someone’s window with a boombox, or proclaim her love in front of an entire crowd. Throwing herself out of a chopper onto a mountain in the middle of a thunderstorm for a girl would probably qualify, but because since the girl didn't even like her, and Seulgi didn’t do romantic, this was all just plain stupid. 

A stupid, stupid act of heroism for a stupid, stupid girl. Joy and Yeri were going to laugh so much at her funeral.

“You ready?” Minho called back to her. She nodded. He turned to his co-pilot. “Okay Mark, you’ve gotta keep it steady alright? Seulgi and I are going to lower to the other chopper. When we’re ready, we’ll signal you to come as close as you can and we’ll load everyone up.”

It wasn’t going to be easy, Seulgi could already tell. Though not a steep incline, the lack of a flat area meant they couldn’t set the helicopter down. When it was time, Mark would have to hover close enough for them to put everyone on, yet not so close that the blade of the chopper hit the mountainside.

For now though, Seulgi just needed to make sure they were all alive. She loaded herself into the rappel device. Leaning out, she could see the wreck, but there was no movement. 

“Go!” Minho signaled her, and she jumped off the chopper into the abyss. The rope slid through her hand smoothly, arresting her dance with gravity. Her feet touched down, slipping slightly on the muddy ground. Seulgi waited for Minho to come down as well before they made their way over. 

When they approached the remnants of the chopper, Seulgi was immediately relieved. It was nearly intact, and that meant that its occupants had a much higher rate of survival. It had come to rest on its right side, the blades broken off and scattered. 

Together, she and Minho wrenched open a door. Henry and Kai were both unconscious. Minho reached out to both of them, sighing with relief. “They’re both alive. Let’s get them out of here. I think that clearing is our best shot.” He pointed to a spot above them. Seulgi nodded and they worked the men out of their seats.

She put Kai on her back and took him to the clearing. 

“You’re strong,” Minho commented, nodding impressively as they went back for the others.

“I carry my own weight,” Seulgi shrugged.

The rest of the cabin was not quite as easy. The trio in the back hadn’t been properly buckled in and Taeyong and Wendy had fallen to the bottom of the cabin. Seulgi slid in.

“I’ll lift them up to you?”

Minho nodded. 

The virus patient was still miraculously strapped in. He hung from the safety belt, head lolling to the side. Seulgi really hoped he wasn’t infected, but there was nothing they could do about it now. She pushed the man up to Minho. Taeyong was next. Seulgi gently reconnected the IV bag of blood. His face was a bit paler, having lost some of it to the wound on his abdomen. His pulse was strong though, and Seulgi wasn’t worried about him. She was, however, worried for Wendy.

The small woman was crushed under the weight of Taeyong. Some of her fingers were pointing in the wrong direction and there was a large welt forming on her head. Seulgi pressed two fingers into her neck, letting out a breath when she felt a pulse.

“She’s got a pulse, but I think she might have a neck injury. I definitely see a contusion on her head.”

“Got it, just pass her up slowly. We’ll try to support her head as much as we can.” 

Seulgi wrapped her jacket around Wendy’s mangled hand, cushioning it as gently as she could. She would have to get to a hospital soon, otherwise the lack of blood flow might lead to amputation.

They spent much more time moving Wendy, taking extra caution as they maneuvered her body through the metal bird. Moving an unconscious body is much more difficult than a conscious person, and shifting Wendy was like moving a floppy mattress. Everything was dead weight.

Minho gently placed Wendy on Seulgi’s back, positioning her neck on her carrier's shoulders, before picking up Taeyong and marching upslope. 

Seulgi grunted with effort. Wendy wasn’t particularly heavy, but the rain had turned the dirt into slippery mud, and each step she took slid back a few inches. The unconscious woman wasn’t supporting herself either, and Seulgi had to regrip a few times before she slid off.

“Uggh,” Wendy suddenly groaned next to her ear. “Wow, everything hurts.”

“Just hang on to me, we’re gonna get you out of here.”

“My hand hurts like a mofo,” Wendy hissed.

“Uh yeah, wouldn’t recommend you looking at it. I’d leave it for the doctors.”

“I am a doctor.”

“I still wouldn’t look at it.”

“Oh man, Joohyun’s gonna be a wreck.”

“Yeah,” Seulgi muttered, not knowing what to say.

“Can you do me a favor?” Wendy asked. Seulgi nodded without hesitation.

“Tell her it’s not her fault.” Wendy let her chin rest on her carrier’s shoulder with a sigh. “Yeah, she’s gonna be cutting herself up about this. Tell her it’s not her fault and I still love her.”

Seulgi’s arms got weak, but she held on, grunting an agreement to Wendy.

Minho had already radioed Mark in. The helicopter was just about close enough for everyone to be loaded. Seulgi gently set Wendy down to help Minho with the others. Finally, Wendy climbed in, and Seulgi made sure to buckle her into a safety seat this time. 

Minho took the second pilot seat and Seulgi clipped her harness into the helicopter. They gave the signal to Mark for lift off, but the bird wouldn’t rise. It wobbled a little, but only strained louder as it tried to climb. 

“It’s too heavy!” Seulgi said in realization. “We’re not gonna make it!”

“No!” Minho angrily clenched a fist. “We have to.”

Seulgi realized then what she had to do. She looked over the edge: it was about fifty feet to the ground. She could rappel down, and walk back to the camp. It wouldn't be fun, but she'd make it.

“I’ll go!” she told the men. “I’ll be fine. You’ve got to get them to a hospital!” She pointed at all the bodies around them. Wendy was starting to fall unconscious again.

“I’ll go too!” he said.

She shook her head. “You can’t! You guys have to fly! You have to make it.

"I’ll be fine,” she reiterated.

Seulgi and Minho shared a moment of grim understanding, and he gave her the slightest nod. She started to lower down.

Rappelling is the easiest part of the rock climbing sport there is. Unlike actual climbing, it takes zero skill to descend. However, a large overwhelming percentage of deaths happen on the descent. There are various reasons: a rush to get down, lack of awareness, incorrect judgement, and sometimes, just plain carelessness. 

Seulgi thought of all these things in the half second between losing the rope and contacting the ground. She had underestimated the length needed, careening to the earth for ten feet, thankfully landing in a meadow of grass but unfortunately also falling sideways onto a log. 

She curled into herself in the fetal position, gasping for breath that wouldn’t come. The log had been right under her rib cage, knocking the wind out of her. 

The pain was….painful. So painful that in the moment she couldn’t think of any words that would be able to fully encompass the stabbing in her side and being unable to use her lungs. After many agonizing seconds, she finally got a hold of her breathing, and though it hurt to even take in a breath, she kept doing so. She knew the chopper above was waiting for her, so she looked up and a thumbs up into the air. Thankfully, the chopper rose and made it over the ridgeline. 

The rain hadn’t let up at all, and now Seulgi was soaked to the core. She turned towards the lights of the camp. She had to get there soon, otherwise the hypothermia would begin to set in. 

“,” she spat. Each breath was a knife in her lungs; she must’ve broken a rib or two. She lined her body up with the campsite and took her first steps to the safety of civilization. 

Three hours earlier.

Little vials of blood clinked as Wendy set them safely in a carrier. They would be tested, alongside the saliva swabs they had gathered earlier. Having examined the man, she and Irene felt he was suffering from contaminated drinking water instead of Reveluviridae, but better safe than sorry.

“Pack these in a cooler, and make sure it’s cushioned well,” she instructed Jaehyun.

Nearby, Dr. Bae was recording notes in the patient's chart. Seulgi was roaming around them, taking pictures of whatever caught her fancy. 

“Thankfully the village isolated him as soon as he started getting sick. It’s unlikely it has spread, but he needs to come with us,” Irene said.

“Why?” Jaehyun asked.

“Because if he is infected, we can’t allow him to contaminate whoever comes to care for him. So we’ll hold him until we know it’s not Reveluv, and then he can come back home.”

Within the hour, the team had packed and began walking back to camp, already making plans for an afternoon nap.

Amongst the chatter, a loud rumble began to rise. Then came sharp, piercing sounds and Seulgi looked up just in time to see a fifty foot tree beginning to topple. Instinctively, she rolled, looking for Irene. 

The doctor was pulling Wendy with her, eyeing the fall path. It sounded like gunfire, as the last remaining pieces of wood holding it upright began to snap. Everyone had moved out of the way, except for the patient, whose illness was hindering his stamina. Taeyong rushed forward, pushing the man roughly out of the way, but sacrificing himself.

He managed to get clear of the most of the tree, but the larger side branches smothered him, rendering him unconscious.

Minho slashed his way to Taeyong, pulling the limp body out. It was then Seulgi saw them beyond the tree: men with chainsaws and tools.

Illegal poachers. They were cutting the tree down for the precious wood it contained and it would be sold off and made into planks for the floors of billionaire’s houses. She wanted to yell, but instead she brought her camera up and snapped away. That set off the poachers, because when they spotted the lens, they immediately began raising their tools. 

. 

Everyone else seemed to have the same thought, because Irene said, “.”

Minho looked up from where he was helping Taeyong and said, “.”

They quickly put the two unconscious men on the strongest people available and started running. 

Seulgi stole a glance back and saw the men were coming closer, machetes swinging. She turned back around and ran in earnest this time. 

Besider her, Wendy was sprinting, huffing under her breath, “ !”

When they reached the top of the next ridge, Seulgi chanced another look back. The men had stopped pursuing them, returning to turning the tree into household flooring. She let out a deep breath.

“.”

Some four (or five?) hours after leaving the chopper, Seulgi stumbled into camp. The descent was miserable. Not only was she unable to breathe easily, but climbing down the muddy rocks and slopes made the hike a million times worse. Normally, a hike like that would take Seulgi an hour at most, but she had to stop every few feet to let the pain subside and regain her bearings.

“Unnie!” Yeri rushed up to her. The young woman had been keeping a vigil for her under the makeshift entrance tent. She quickly pulled Seulgi into a hug, not caring that the photographer’s wet clothes were soaking her.

“Sorry, you can’t have my air fryer,” Seulgi managed to laugh on Yeri’s shoulder.

“Oh my god, shut up, I really thought you had died this time,” Yeri practically cried into her shoulder. “It’s after midnight!” 

“Ow ow,” Seulgi winced. “Not too hard, I think I might’ve broken something.”

“Uh, duh, Slowgi,” Yeri chastised. “Dr. Bae’s heart. She’s been so worried tonight. Been in her tent alone, and I could hear her sniffling.”

Seulgi was too exhausted to explain the inner workings of Irene’s emotional turmoil, instead choosing to say, “Wasn’t me. Just help me to my tent.”

“No way unnie, you look like .”

“So?”

“So there’s a doctor and a nurse here and you should probably get looked at to make sure your brain is still intact?”

“I just need to sleep, Yeri.”

The youngest refused the answer. “No way, I’m taking you to Dr. Bae so you can get checked out.”

Then she realized what she had said and chuckled, “Hah, Dr. Bae is gonna check you out.”

If Seulgi hadn’t been unable to breathe, or soaking wet, or completely exhausted or just over the entire goddamned day, she might’ve put Yeri in a headlock, but instead, she just leaned more into the girl for support and followed.

When they entered Irene’s tent, the woman’s eyes grew wide and she was next to Seulgi in an instant. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?!”

“Helicopter….too heavy,” Seulgi wheezed out. Breathing was getting immensely more difficult by the second. 

“Yes, I know,” Irene said, as she helped Seulgi to the nearby bed. “Minho called me on his satellite phone when they landed at the hospital. We’ve been waiting for you all night.”

“Sorry,” Seulgi rasped.

“Don’t ever be sorry,” Irene said seriously. “You saved everyone. Now lie down, I’m going to give you the once over.”

Yeri spoke up from the door. “I’m going to head out if you don’t need me? Looks like Kkangseul is in good hands.”

Irene was already starting to examine Seulgi, and so she couldn’t see the waggling eyebrows aimed at her boss.

“Of course, Yerim-ah,” Irene said without looking up. “Thank you so much for your help today.”

“Not a problem, Irene-unnie.” 

Seulgi didn’t miss the wink Yeri threw at her and she made a mental note to flick her ear later.

Irene began palpating different parts of Seulgi’s body and if she thought she couldn’t breathe earlier, she was definitely suffocating now. Irene’s hands were all over her body, touching and pressing everywhere, and Seulgi’s face was surely a tomato, or maybe a blueberry, since she hadn’t actually taken a breath since Irene started her examination.

So when Irene pressed upon her ribcage, she overreacted a bit. She let out a yell, wincing in pain as breaths spasmed in and out of her. Irene calmed her by placing a warm hand on her forehead, whispering, “Shhh,” as Seulgi gasped beside her.

“Well that’s good,” Irene said with a smile, “you might’ve fractured a rib, but you’re otherwise alright. I’ll give you some painkillers and we have to get you into some warm clothes. You’re on the verge of hypothermia.

On cue, Seulgi’s body shivered, her teeth chattering. Irene pulled out sweatpants and a hoodie, putting them in front of Seulgi.

“While I get the medicine, you change into these okay?” 

Seulgi nodded, and the other woman left. Seulgi soon realized that she was in trouble. She couldn’t get her shirt off, not with her ribs being unable to twist. She managed to get it above her chest before it got stuck on her bra. After a couple of minutes of frustration, she realized that Irene would be back soon, and she had to hurry the hell up.  

Because if she couldn’t put her clothes on herself, Irene would have to help her. Yeri was asleep, not that the little gremlin would help her. She'd just let her suffer with Irene. It would be extremely awkward to ask Jaehyun for help, but at the moment, Seulgi thought that might be the best option. 

Then it was decided for her.

“Oh my,” Irene chuckled from behind her. “I guess I should help you.”

“N-no, I got it,” Seulgi stammered out. “I can do it!” Her cheeks were flushed crimson.

“Yes yes, I know,” Irene rolled her eyes, “but this will be faster.”

She gently pulled Seulgi’s shirt, allowing room for the other girl to work her arm free. She repeated the process for the other arm. As Irene pulled the hoodie onto Seulgi, the photographer felt aflame from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Irene looked her directly in the eyes as she asked if everything was okay, and Seulgi could only manage a small nod. 

With anyone else, and any other time, Seulgi might’ve felt embarrassed as someone undressed her. Instead, she felt something. Ten minutes ago she was exhausted and on the brink of death but now she felt….alive.

What is this feeling? 

She contemplated it as Irene slowly peelied her wet pants off, allowing Seulgi to step out of her trousers. 

“Mmm,” Irene hummed in approval, earning a questioning look from Seulgi.

“Oh it’s nothing,” Irene laughed as she pulled the sweatpants up. “I just like your pink underwear. You and I are wearing the same color today.”

OH.

That’s a thing. 

Seulgi was so glad Irene didn’t question her lack of verbal response and chalked it up to her broken rib, because what do you say to that? 

Can you show me? 

Like is it the same pink or are we different color pinks? 

Is it a thong? 

She ended up coughing as a reply, which thankfully reminded Irene about the pain medicine.

“Here take this,” she gave Seulgi a small white pill. “It’ll kill the pain, but it might make you sleepy. It’s probably for the best, since you definitely need some rest.” 

She led the photographer back to the bed. 

Seulgi never took medication if she could help it; she toughed out her wisdom teeth removal and sprained ankles with ibuprofen and a lot of ice, so the pain killer Irene gave her started to work almost instantly.

Her eyelids were growing heavy, both from the medication and the soothing motions Irene was drawing on her. The doctor was rubbing little circles into her wrist while the other was on her head, fingers gently caressing her scalp.

Seulgi was ready to fall asleep when she remembered. 

“How is Wendy?” she asked. “Is she okay now? She was okay when I saw her but I was worried.”

Seulgi looked up at Irene, and maybe it was because the medication was making her vision hazy, but it wasn't concern on her face. There was something stormy in her eyes and her face was unreadable.

And though she didn’t want to, Seulgi had agreed to deliver the message. It was worth a shot if it might bring a brighten Irene's mood.

“Wendy said that it’s not your fault and that she still loves you.”

“Thank you, Seulgi,” Irene sighed, The tinest of pulls at Irene's lips told Seulgi it worked. “Wendy is fine. She’s in good spirits and they’re working on her hand now.”

“Good,” Seulgi said. Breathing was getting easier now that the pain was subsiding. The room was starting to spin a little.

“Why did you do that?” Irene whispered softly.

Seulgi smiled sadly as she remembered. “Because she’s your Seungwan,” she said simply.

Irene looked shocked for a moment, then her face fell into that familiar warm smile Seulgi had become accustomed to over the past few days.

“You pabo, yah,” Irene chastised lightly. Then she repeated, “Why would you do that?" It was less of a question and more of a statement, something the doctor didn't expect an answer to. "You almost died.”

The pain killers were working in earnest now, effectively making Seulgi sleepy drunk on the bed.

“Sometimes, you gotta be bold,” she said, words slurring a little, eyes curving into half moon crescents, “just rock the world.” 

Then she bopped Irene lightly on the nose and said, “Booyah!” 

Irene’s surprise wore off after a second, and she began running a hand over Seulgi’s hair again. 

“You pabo,” she chuckled softly, “are you happy?”

Seulgi’s eyes were closed, her brain on the verge of sleep, but she still managed to give a last response.

“Uh huh, I’m your pabo,” she smiled.

A/N: All the kdrama tropes/plot devices yes?

Medical emergency where someone almost dies? Check.
Unforeseen impending weather of doom? Check.
No umbrellas? Check.
Dramatic crying?
Self sacrificing protagonist?
Bad decision making? (REALLY BAD DECISION MAKING)
Misunderstanding between the lovers?
Confession while under the influence of something?

Check. Check. Check. Check. Check.

I think the only one I couldn’t squeeze in was amnesia, but not for lack of trying. Or maybe it was. ;) Also, 10 points to Slytherin if you know RV lyrics.