CHAPTER THIRTY:Shower

 

 

Being Infinite's manager is difficult, Geonam knows best. Even if he receives help from too many people, including the other managers, things never get easy for him. He has to look at their every move, to know what's coming next, to expect the unexpected. Yet he had never imagined, not even in his most bizarre thoughts, that the idols would bring SungYeol outside of the safety of their dorm to be eaten by the public eye. There had been no time to make the tall member go back to the dorm, people that had been waiting to catch a glimpse of Infinite swamped to them the moment they caught sight of the inactive member. A bit of panic crawled onto him as he tried to help the young men get inside the van. SungYeol included. 

 

"SungYeol, no offence but what the actual  are you doing here?" Geonam's voice carried venom. He was trying so hard to concentrate on driving and not turning to strangle the young males. From the rearview mirror the uncomfortable expression flashing on the idol's orbs could be seen. It wasn't him who answered but HoWon. There was a trace of displease in his sentence. 

 

"MyungSoo brought him." 

 

Geonam snarled turning to the idol seating next to him. "SungGyu, mind explaining."

 

"It was my idea," MyungSoo spoke moving forward in an attempt to break the severe look his leader was getting. He was willing to accept whatever his actions brought but the manager paid no attention to the visual.

 

"Kim SungGyu."

 

"He just came to give us support before we take the flight," SungGyu took his time to answer. "I don't believe this will do any harm."

 

"Are you really that ingenuous?"

 

Nothing came after the rhetorical question. There was no need to state the obvious or to make things a lot more stressing that they already were. It was too early to argue or think so the awkwardness engulfed the SUV. Each mind letting their worries either eat them or numb them. There wasn't even eye contact between the members. The only time someone said something - or rather make a guttural noise - was when Hoya nudged, a bit too harsh, his mobile to MyungSoo's arm. In no time the pictures of SungYeol being with Infinite had entered to the Internet. In less than fifteen minutes the whole country knew their inactive member was riding the same van as the other members. MyungSoo thought it was something that was bounded to happen. Something to overlook. After all, they were idols. 

 

 

"I can take a taxi and go back to the dorms, Hyung."

 

The moment they reached the salon, SungYeol offered this to his manager. The crowd receiving them was rather big compared to the usual ones they had and he didn't want to cause a commotion. He shouldn't have listened to the group's visual. 

 

"That's not gonna work now. Just get inside with the others. I'll call someone to pick you up," Geonam turned to look at the seven members. A thunder of nostalgy him before he left the van. His door closed loudly and on cue the people started to get closer to the doors.

 

"Don't stop. Just get inside the salon, got it?" SungGyu placed his dark sunglasses on the bridge of his nose before a firm line formed on his lips. "Let's go."

 

The people surrounding them were the usual ones. Young girls and some not so young, reporters and people that was crossing by. Even if the years had passed they weren't still used to it. The closeness and the noise. The uncertain and the hidden fear. What they were way too used to was the way it went and how the had to act. This time it was rather special, taking care of SungYeol became Geonam's priority and the group completely understood. It was obvious everyone was going to try and reach for the idol in trouble. To get him to answer some indiscreet questions or to just get a hold of him. SungYeol was well aware of it and he wasn't that happy with the attention he was getting. 

 

The salon's entrance wasn't that far from where they parked, the problem was that the people surrounding them made their walk slower. SungGyu was about to reach the crystal doors when some loud cries were heard from the crowd. Unconsciously, he turned to see the cause of the commotion but he just caught sight of a paled faced WooHyun with more confused expressions. Something flew in front of SungGyu's gaze. In less than a second the crowd got tighter. 

 

"SungYeol?!" 

 

From all the loud disturbed voices, he heard MyungSoo's voice calling for the other member. What was going on? His eyes started to search for his dongsaengs. Where were they? Were they safe? More shouts were heard.

 

"Killer!"

 

It might have been just a word, a particular word that made him cringe, but it was enough to give sense to all this mess. The crowd, the cries, the confusion, MyungSoo's worried voice. SungYeol wasn't safe. Killer, had been directed to their tallest member. Why were people calling him that? Who gave them the right? 

 

He had to help the members reach the salon, whatever people was doing to reach for SungYeol was obviously not right. The others could get hurt in the process. He had to keep s safe, but the moment he tried to go back someone took a firm grip on his arm. SungGyu was being pulled inside. 

 

"Wait! The others!" SungGyu voiced his worries but they just got ignored. 

 

He didn't turn to look who was pulling him, instead, he kept searching for s with his eyes but the situation and his preoccupied self didn't let him see straight. In an instant, the noise and crowd got blurred from his senses. He had been finally dragged inside the tranquil salon. More hands reached for him and it took him a moment to realize it was one of the staff of his company in search for something in him. Something out of the normal. Behind her, JungRyul was standing. 

 

"Did something happen to you?" His voice cracked at the end. 

 

"No, but the others—?"

 

As if he had invoked them, a furious MyungSoo entered right away with quick steps, his grip tight to SungYeol's wrist. Something was off with the taller's hair. Was that egg shell? Faintly, SungGyu heard JungRyul's advice to stay there. He was too occupied looking at the arrived members. What was MyungSoo trying to do pulling the older member to the hair wash chair? And why wasn't SungYeol reacting to this? In all, his expression seemed blank. It wasn't until he saw the visual pull the shower head that he hurried to where the youngers were.

 

"Yah!"  

 

The moment the water made contact with SungYeol's hair, he raised his hand to push the object away from his head and stood up. 

 

"The hell do you think you're doing, MyungSoo?!" SungYeol shouted running a hand thru his wet fringe. The water quickly followed gravity leaving traces on his skin. The neck of his shirt got wet in the process. "It's freaking cold. Aish!"

 

"Just let me wash your hair!" It wasn't until SungGyu heard MyungSoo's voice that he understood the young male's expression.

 

MyungSoo was feeling desperate.

 

"No. Stop it!" SungYeol tried to push the younger away, but MyungSoo insisted - like the stubborn person he was - on reaching for him and his hair. Right, SungGyu had seen correctly. There was egg on not only SungYeol's hair buy MyungSoo's clothes. Someone had thrown them at SungYeol.  Rotten eggs.

 

"Guys calm down," SungGyu heard DongWoo's voice as SungJong entered to his range of view. 

 

"SungYeol!" MyungSoo insisted only to get pushed away.

 

"No! You washing my hair is gonna fix nothing!" SungYeol said loudly finally getting a grip on the younger's hands. "It happened. People threw eggs at me. People called me names. I. Am. Hated! So stop trying to erase the fact!"

 

There was an uncomfortable silence in the salon - the noise from the crowd could be barely heard. The salon's staff was silent feeling like intruders in SungYeol's opening. SungGyu couldn't stop from looking at s. Everyone was inside now. SungYeol's words had been strong and they not only hurt him but the others. MyungSoo's façade was finally broken. He had his mouth half open, trying to find something to say.

 

Nothing came out from him.  

 

"I can't be kept hidden and I'm so done with acting in a passive way. Feeling guilty next to you, guys, even when I'm not. I listen to you all and try not to bother you. I've tried, but—" Suddenly SungYeol cut his own train of thoughts. His eyes finally noticing they weren't the only ones in the room. There were too many viewers. "Is... is there a room where we could talk?"

 

"There's no time for this, SungYeol," Geonam didn't let the salon's staff answer. "You guys are running late already and we need to find another way to get out from here. Specially you." 

 

The manager's words were taken by the salon's staff as the cue to start their work. Women went in search for the assigned members to direct them to their working area. None of them had a relaxed expression. MyungSoo wasn't that cooperative with his assigned staff. He wasn't moving, at least until he felt JungRyul's kind hand on his back.

 

"Someone please wash SungYeol's hair," he demanded before looking at the visual. The stains of egg way too noticeable in his pale shirt. "And change this boy's clothes. Who else got dirty?"

 

 

 

♫

 

 

 

It didn't go as planned. Planned? Did he even have a plan? Sure he had wanted to take some action bringing SungYeol with them to the salon. He had wanted to make him feel like before, part of the group. What he had never planned was to get this kind of reaction from the outsiders. People had actually taken their time to harass SungYeol. To call him names and throw him rotten eggs. Yet it wasn't the people's reaction that made him feel this uncomfortable. It was what SungYeol said. How his gaze torned his insides apart. It was the fact that SungYeol was right. MyungSoo had been desperate to wash SungYeol's hair, and with it, wash away everyone's words and actions. He had felt so helpless and idiotic trying to get the older male away from everyone's grasp.

 

Geonam had been right all along. MyungSoo had been such an ingenuous little kid.

 

What he had expected to be a good memory turned into a nightmare he wished to erase. But now there was nothing he could do about it. He was more than two thousand miles away from him.

 

 

"Tch, just my luck."

 

The murmur made its way clearly thru the silent bedroom. MyungSoo, who was sitting unmovingly on one of the beds' corner, turned his gaze to the entrance. Hoya was standing there, his dark purple suitcase by his side, and an unpleased look pasted on his face.

 

The younger didn't blink, he just stared for some moments. "This is my bed," was the only thing he said before he returned his attention to the pale gray wall in front of him. He heard a snort before the sound of the suitcase's wheels appeared yet he paid no attention to it. 

 

This peculiar way of choosing bedrooms was at times really inconvenient, mostly when there were some members on bad terms. For instance, MyungSoo and Hoya who hadn't shared a word after they arrived to the salon back in Korea.

 

Infinite's escapade from the salon had been quite extenuating. Somehow the media and people increased in number as the time passed. Having to call securities guards wasn't a first for them but they surely weren't pleased with the commotion. This shouldn't have happened. SungYeol had managed to escape the place with the help of their staff and Hyoan's personal car.   

 

It was no surprise that the members barely goofed around in the airport even less in their flight. If they did, it was all a front to the never ending cameras. MyungSoo had wanted to disappear completely from there. He wasn't in the mood to be recorded. Not then.  

 

"You know?" This time, Hoya's words were intended to be heard, still he got no reaction from the younger, "for someone that cares about SungYeol, you're doing a ty job protecting him." With this statement, Hoya pulled the trigger to get MyungSoo's severe gaze on him.

 

"Mind your own business," he dissed the dancer who was kneeling in front of the mini bar. 

 

"If you haven't noticed, this are my business, too," Hoya pointed out before he drank some water. "Everything that has to do with Infinite is my business."

 

"So now SungYeol does form part of the group, huh! Interesting," the sarcasm was obvious.

 

Hoya only frowned pulling his face closer to L's to snarl. "I've never thought differently." 

 

"Really? Then why do you keep treating SungYeol that way? Pushing him aside," MyungSoo crossed his arms, a frown forming on his forehead. He could remember perfectly all those times that HoWon had made a remark or said something making SungYeol's gaze look confused. Sometimes hurt. It was as if he disapproved everything the tallest member did. "You just have this attitude that—" 

 

"I'm just trying to draw the line," Hoya's voice came strangely strong, even if his features got softened. "I just want him to understand and to make things easier for you."

 

His words took MyungSoo by surprise. "What do you mean by—?" Then he stopped. His face turning paler as his head tied the loose ends together and HoWon took this as a cue to set free his set of questions. Questions he hadn't found the time to ask, until now. 

 

"Haven't you talk with him?" It was interesting how his voice suddenly went into a careful whisper. As if there could be someone listening to their conversation. "Haven't you made things clear already?"

 

Even if he opened his mouth, no sound came from it. MyungSoo could feel the confusion flashing thru his face and suddenly he felt Hoya too close to him. His expression was an unpleasant one. 

 

"I begged you." His voice slighlty trembled. "I begged you to do it before this gets out of control—before this grows."

 

"B-but I am his friend," the excuse came almost naturally. 

 

"And that's why you have to stop it now," Hoya pressed further. "If not he'll hurt more."

 

At that MyungSoo snorted. "SungYeol or the group?"

 

"It's the same!" the exasperation was present in Hoya's voice, who now pulled away just to walk by the small space between both queen sized beds. 

 

"Then what about me?" The visual whispered his question. 

 

"Well it's the—" Hoya never ended his answer. 

 

Was the sound of the air conditioner that strong before? MyungSoo didn't know, but the absence of HoWon's voice was somehow scary. When he set his eyes on the older, L noticed the lack of colour on his face, while his eyes... 

 

Was that fear?

 

 "...MyungSoo?"

 

Before he could even answer a knock came to their door followed by Geonam's voice. They were already late for soundcheck. 

 

 

 

♫

 

 

 

Something was bothering him. He wasn't sure what it was and he really didn't want to know. He was trying his best to ignore it and get some rest, since tomorrow they had recording at an ungodly hour in the morning. That's what they get for being well known in Asia. Not that he complained about the attention given. He was thankful but for receiving you need to give. He was an expert in that specific natural law. 

 

There. Again, that thing that kept making a vexatious sound inside his ears. With difficulty, he managed to open his eyes meeting darkness. It was still too early. And unlike moments ago, no sound went to his ears. Maybe he had been imagining things... until SungJong heard a dry coughing.  

 

He wasn't that awake to understand, but he wasn't too asleep to imagine sounds.

 

"H-hyung?"

 

Like a reflex, this was the first word SungJong managed to murmur before turning his face to the right side where the other bed was set. 

 

Squinting his eyes, the maknae noticed there was no one on the messy white bed, yet the sound was clear, from where was it coming from? And where was SungGyu? Before he reached for the bedlamp SungJong heard the coughing for another time. It was as painful as he first recognized it. 

 

"H-hyung?"

 

This time his voice went a bit higher. With a sleepy clumsiness, he crawled out of the bed and crossed to his leader's bed yet he wasn't there. The coughs were stronger and something inside SungJong squashed.

 

"Hyung?" He repeated, and it was then that he heard it. Someone had started the shower. What was SungGyu doing in the room's bathroom? Was he really planning on taking a shower at such an early hour? This just didn't seem right. He knew his leader had some weird habits but this one wasn't surely one of them. Something was off. 

 

Tripping with the covers, SungJong reached for the bathroom's door. It wasn't closed, just barely matched so it was easy for him to take a look inside yet it was impossible for him. The light wasn't on. This just didn't make any sense. Behind the sound from the water falling a non-equilibrated breathing could be perfectly heard. It was sharp and short. 

 

"Hyung, you okay?" The maknae asked carefully not really daring to push the door open. There was no response but more coughing. "...SungGyu-hyung?" Slowly, he pushed open the door before reaching for the light switch on the wall. "SungGyu-hyung!"  

 

Having to share the same space with his older members for many years thaught SungJong some peculiar things about his hyungs. For instance Hoya, who every now and then, after having some drinks on him, he would end up sleeping on the bathroom's floor. Or WooHyun who tended to study his scripts while lying on the kitchen's table. Yet he had never seen his leader, fully dressed, sitting all curled up on the cold tiles of the hotel's shower. He wasn't even completely inside and part of his body received directly the falling water. One of his hands was pressed to his neck while the other tried to support his upper body. In no time SungJong found himself receiving the water spray on his back.

 

It was burning hot. 

 

"Hyung, what's wrong? What happened?" SungJong asked frantically as he pulled the older to the front just to catch a glimpse of his eyes, but SungGyu had them pressed tightly. His mouth was half opened letting him notice how painful his breathing sounded. Whatever was happening, SungJong felt really uneasy with the situation. 

 

How come his leader ended up like this? He seemed in severe pain and SungJong had no clue whatsoever. Was he still sick?

 

"Why did you turn on the shower, huh? You're all wet, Hyung," He tried to talk in a calmer way but his nervousity was evident. Worry was written on his orbs and this time he didn't hesitate to take SungGyu's face with his hands, carefully trying to make him look at him. Had he noticed his presence at all?

 

A whine followed by a sharp respiration startled SungJong who almost let go of his leader's cheeks but soon his eyes met SungGyu's. There was mixture of supplication, fear and pain evident in the older's gaze but quickly the eyes got closed again as he exhaled. SungGyu didn't stop from trembling. 

 

"God, Hyung, what's wrong? You have to be okay," SungJong murmured in despair as another round of coughs came. The pain reflected perfectly on the leader's scrunched face.  "Let me. No. I—I'll go get some help, Hyung. Okay?"

 

What SungJong didn't expect was to feel his leader's hand catching his arm. What was supposed to be strong came as a feeble grip. Even if SungGyu wasn't able to say a word, he kept shaking his head as he tried to keep their eye contact. The message was clear but SungJong didn't feel like listening to his leader. Not when he was like this. 

 

"At least let me get you out of here. The water—please, Hyung!" SungJong whined as SungGyu shook his head again. "It's your throat, right? What's wrong with it? Yah, Hyung? You can't do this. Let me look for help."

 

Why was he begging when it was SungGyu the one that seemed in agony? This wasn't making sense and his back already hurt because of the water's extreme tempreature.

 

"Should I call WooHyun-hyung?" He carefully suggested moments after he noticed his leader's respiration had started to even. SungJong was now supporting himself with the shower's wall as he tried to keep the older in a seating position. He kept noticing how SungGyu never moved his hand away from his neck.  

 

"No..." SungGyu exhaled after some moments.

 

The effort it took him to answer made SungJong question himself if it was right to force his leader to talk. "What should I do?" He murmured to himself. Should he search in his leader's stuff for some medicine or should he try make his leader some tea? Maybe sneak to his manager's bedroom.

 

"Nothing..." for a second time SungGyu managed to breathe the answer.

 

"Hyung."

 

Why was their leader so stubborn? He was obviously not okay and he kept insisting to not get any sort of help. It even seemed he wasn't comfortable with SungJong being there with him.

 

"I'll be fine..." SungGyu breathed, this time softer and SungJong could almost bet the older was trying hard to smile at him in a reassuring way. The gesture only made it ten times harder for SungJong. "The vapour..."

 

"It's freaking hot. It's burning my skin. Are you okay with it?" A short nod came from SungGyu.

The maknae couldn't help it but snort at the situation. It was ridiculous. No more than himself who could do nothing but keep an eye on his leader who's breathing had started to soften. Little by little but it had started. Was this the first time SungGyu had shut himself inside the bathroom to ease the pain away?

 

It didn't seem like it. 

 

 

 

 

Ranting Zone,

Hey, guys, it's been a while, huh? I've got no excuse other than new dramas and my career for that.. 

Just so you know, I didn't proof read this, I just managed to finish it and decided to post it right away (It you see some typos or mistakes, tell me so I can fix them!). Somehow I feel this chapter got rather rushed but sometimes life goes that way.. ain't that true? And yep, finally someone noticed SungGyu's condition. Yay for Jongbie! ..and is Hoya fearing for MyungSoo's feelings? He had never thought he would get that question, huh? But what did L meant with that? And then we have SungYeol and the rotten eggs. Yep, not everything is pink and not everyone is happy and okay with him. People are like that. 

Geh, I can't believe we reached 30 chapters! This is pretty long, huh? Let me tell you, I believe this won't even reach 40 chapters. I give it, what? Five more chapters?  Either way, thank you for all your upvotes, comments and subscriptions! I'm really amazed how people keep adding to this adventure of us! 

Thank you, thank you, and thank you again.