Daehyun didn’t know how to react when their manager suddenly pulled him to a corner halfway through dance practice. The other members shot him confused glances as well but they continued moving the music blasting out of the speakers. He cocked an eyebrow when the man gripping onto his arm handed him a letter, eyebrows furrowed and frown on his lips. 

“What’s wrong?” Daehyun mumbled, his voice rough and strained. “Just read the letter.” the man mumbled, looking down at his feet awkwardly. Daehyun could hear his heart pounding furiously as he unfolded letter. It was a regular hospital letter, those you got with appointment dates and the like printed in columns. He scanned the paper, becoming more confused as he read the dates. “I know you don’t like hospitals but you really need to go Daehyun.” His manager said exasperatedly. 

He shook his head but he knew that his manager’s words were final. He had to get himself checked even if he really didn’t want to. His throat had been bothering him for awhile. It started itching when they ended their Japan tour. He didn’t want to tell any of the other members in fear of making them worry for no reason whatsoever but they found out eventually. 

It started with the troubled glances when he couldn’t hit his high notes like he usually could during vocal practice. It slowly escalated into the members not letting him speak for more than an hour and Himchan constantly making tea and other inedible remedies for him to consume every hour of the day. The worst had to be Junhong & Jongup’s constant worried looks. They were constantly looking at him like he was some terminally ill patient. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for making them worried too. They were so young, they didn’t need such trivial things bothering them. 

His throat had only gotten worse with the preparations for the end-of-year shows. He couldn’t even eat properly nowadays. He always felt like he had something lodged in his throat and he really wanted it gone. He tried to avoid the hospital as much as possible because to be honest with himself, he was terrified of hearing the diagnosis. He really didn’t need to hear he had some weird condition. He was stressed enough with their comeback preparations and he really didn’t want to add his throat to the list of problems he was carrying.

He hesitantly arranged a new schedule for himself with his manager. He sighed as he looked at the scribbles on his notebook. He was going to miss so much practice thanks to the hospital appointments. He bid his manager farewell and chucked the letter into his rucksack, pushing the conversation he’d just had to the back of his mind. He spun on his heel and smiled at the other members.

“What was that about?” Yongguk muttered, breaking the awkward silence first. Daehyun pouted when he caught the pained looks the others were giving him. “Manager hyung was just telling me that I have a couple hospital checkups to attend. It’s no biggie, really.”. Even if he tried to hide it by smiling, Daehyun knew the others would see past it. It was no secret that he was terrified of hospitals. “Do you want one of us to follow? I’m sure manager hyung would be fine with one of us skipping practice to accompany.” Himchan spoke next.

He had a small smile on his lips. Daehyun knew that he was trying to ease the tension but it didn’t make him feel any better. “No, it’s fine. I don’t want to be a bother.” Daehyun chirped. He cursed at himself for raising his voice because then he had a coughing fit, worrying the members even more. He chuckled and shook his head when the two youngest members insisted that they followed him, much to their displeasure. 

“Alright then. Good luck on your results.” Yongguk said, guilt lacing his words. Daehyun knew that Yongguk blamed himself before anything else. He didn’t do anything to cause it but he always felt at fault when something was wrong in the group. All of them got back into their positions at Yongguk’s command. All of them slowly swayed to the beat of the music as it started but Daehyun couldn’t take his eyes off of Youngjae. Out of everyone in the group, he was behaving the weirdest. 

He was behaving normally.

-

Daehyun pushed his quilt off of his body as he slowly slipped out of his bed, careful not to wake the other members up. He tiptoed across the room, grabbing his clothes as he did so. He chuckled when he heard Junhong mumbling in his sleep about how Yongguk hyung was a big fat meanie. He made a mental note to tell Yongguk that when he came back. He shut the door quietly as the shuffled across the dorm to the bathroom. 

He cringed at the sight of his own reflection. His cheeks were more sunken in that usual and the black bags under his eyes were becoming bigger. He ran his hands under cold tap water and splashed it onto his face, washing away the sleep. He quickly got himself showered and dressed in his winter wear, making sure to grab an extra coat in case the weather decided to become even colder. He left a note for the members, informing them where he’d be if he still wasn’t home when they woke up.

He carefully moved through the narrow hallways to get to the kitchen in hopes of getting something light to eat before the trip to the hospital. He jumped when he saw another figure standing by the stove, stirring something in a pot. 

“Youngjae? What are you doing up so early?” Daehyun spluttered. holding a hand to his rapidly beating heart. He inched further into the kitchen and stood right next to the boy, pressing his side against Youngjae’s. Youngjae didn’t give him a reply and continued humming, carefully adding ingredients into the pot.

Daehyun peered over the boy’s shoulder and cocked an eyebrow when he saw a clear soup boiling in the pot. “Were you hungry?” Daehyun asked, resting his chin on the boy’s shoulder. He sighed when he got ignored again. Youngjae was always like this and he found it pretty unnerving. He watched as the boy turned the fire off and ladled out the soup into a bowl. The rice cooker beeped right at that moment and Daehyun snickered at the way Youngjae’s face lit up.

Youngjae carefully scooped the rice into a bowl before carrying it and placing it next to the soup. He turned around and grinned at Daehyun, handing him a spoon and chopsticks. “Eat up. You shouldn’t go to an appointment on an empty stomach.” Youngjae said softly, pushing Daehyun down onto a chair. Daehyun stayed silent and watched as Youngjae grabbed an apple, settling down opposite Daehyun.

“You should probably start eating because the food will turn cold and manager hyung will be here soon.” Youngjae nagged. Daehyun stayed still. His eyes widened when Youngjae grabbed a spoonful of rice and shoved it into his mouth. “I’m not going to repeat myself Jung Daehyun.”.

Daehyun smiled at the boy sitting in front of him and thanked him for the meal. He really didn’t know how he would live if Youngjae wasn’t by his side 24/7, he didn’t even want to think about it.

He wolfed down the food and thanked Youngjae once more before rushing off to meet their manager, the happiness he was feeling before completely gone from his system. 

-

Daehyun played with the hem of his sweater as the doctor looked over the results from his scope. He felt miserable. His eyes were all watery, his nose was running and he felt terribly cold. He nuzzled his face into the soft material of his scarf, sniffling when the lose threads tickled his nose. He observed as the doctor hummed and mumbled to himself. From the tone of his voice, it didn’t sound too good. 

“Is there something wrong with my doctor?”

“Oh there definitely is. Or else you wouldn’t even be here.” He joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He quietened down when he saw the scowl on Daehyun’s face. “Well Mr Jung, your case is especially confusing. There’s just so many things going on in your body and they’re putting pressure on your throat. First and foremost, you have a cold that’s been left untreated for more than a week now. After looking at the results from the other tests, it seems like you have chronic laryngitis. It’s most likely caused by the fact that you’ve been overusing your voice and your cold is just making it worse.” 

Daehyun stared at the doctor’s face. His mind was all messed up. He didn’t even know whether his condition was serious. “Is it bad?” Daehyun rasped. “Laryngitis is common but your’s is chronic laryngitis and that’s harder to treat. After looking at your x-rays, you may need surgery but I’m trying to find another solution to this, one that won’t put your voice at risk.”. Daehyun felt like bursting into tears. This definitely wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “S-surgery? Are you sure?” Daehyun murmured.

He flinched when his manager grabbed his hand, cupping between his own hands. “Calm down Dae. It’s going to be okay.” He muttered. “As I said Mr Jung, I’m trying to find other options. Even if it’s surgery, I’ll make sure you’re fine.”

-

The drive back to the dorm was painfully awkward. His manager had tried to ease the situation but he was too frazzled to even care. His mind was a mess and nothing was making sense right now. His voice was his life. He stared at his hands as he tried to come up with something to tell the other members. They didn’t need to know that all their efforts were in vain. Himchan didn’t need to be told that all those hours he’d spent on brewing remedies were a waste. 

His body convulsed when his manager cleared his throat. “We’re here. The other members should be at practice so you’ll have a few hours to yourself to calm down and let the news settle. Get some rest.” His manager said, petting his head as he did so. He shuffled out of the car, waiting for his manager to drive off before he rushed into the building behind him. 

He rushed up the stairs and through the corridor, practically bursting into their dorm. He kicked off his shoes and threw his coat onto the floor. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he tried to make his way through the dorm. All he wanted to do was sleep so he could wake up and this would all just be a nightmare. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of feet shuffling against the tiled floor in the kitchen. 

His eyes widened when he saw the last person he wanted to see standing by the fridge. He stumbled into the kitchen, still staring at the boy who was wiping the interior of the fridge. He stayed rooted to his spot. His head jerked up when he heard Youngjae yelp. His eyes looked at the boy in worry as the boy rubbed a spot on his forehead.

“Geez you could have at least given me a warning.” Youngjae whined and he playfully glared at Daehyun. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here. I was having a terrible headache so manager hyung let me go early.”. 

Daehyun cowered under Youngjae’s gaze as the boy stared into his eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong? Did the checkup go badly or something? Are you dying?!” Youngjae spluttered. Daehyun narrowed his eyes at the boy. “I guess not. So what’s wrong?” Youngjae asked, his voice laced with anxiety. 

Daehyun snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Youngjae. What was he supposed to say? He chewed on his lower lip as he tried to come up with the right words. He’d thought about lying about his condition but that wouldn’t have done him any good. 

“I have chronic laryngitis. The doctor says I might need surgery.”

Daehyun observed as a flurry of emotions passed his face and soon morphed into a small smile. “You’ll be okay Dae. Don’t sweat it.” Youngjae murmured and pulled Daehyun into a hug. Daehyun sighed and leaned into Youngjae’s embrace. 

-

Daehyun and Youngjae both stared at their managers in shock as they relayed the news to them. 

“Daehyun, we’ve decided that you won’t promote with the boys until you’ve fully recovered. It is for the best so I hope that you won’t question our decision anymore. Youngjae, you’ll be in charge of his lines. We’ll split your current lines between Himchan and Jongup and you’ll get all of Daehyun’s. You are expected to attend vocal practice everyday at six in the evening. It’s going to be tough on you but we hope that you’ll be able to do this. Your practice starts from today.”

Youngjae gaped at their managers. “You want m-me to do h-his lines?” Youngjae stuttered. He couldn’t believe this. Did they actually think he could pull off Daehyun’s high notes? “Yes, Youngjae. We understand that it’ll be hard but that’s why you need to attend vocal practice everyday. You need to be able to do his parts.”.

Youngjae was at a loss for words. The managers were really expecting too much from him. He wanted to say something but he didn’t know what to say. He watched as their managers bid them farewell and walked out of the practice room. Youngjae sighed and looked up at Daehyun. “Are you okay?” Youngjae asked out of worry. He didn’t want his best friend to think that he was stealing his spot or anything. “Yeah.” Daehyun whispered and stood up, walking to join the rest to go over one of their dances again. 

Youngjae groaned and checked his watch. It was a quarter to six. He packed his belongings into his backpack and left the practice room with one last glance at Daehyun. He dragged his feet down the empty hallways as he made his way to their regular vocal practice room. He reluctantly pushed the door open and greeted their teacher. 

“Youngjae, are you okay? You don’t look too happy to see me.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that I’m not really sure about this. I don’t think I can do Daehyun’s lines justice.”

He played with his fingers as their vocal instructor sighed and handed him a lyric sheet. “Let’s just try for now.”

-

Daehyun stared off into space once more as the tv buzzed in the background. He’d resorted to watching a random talk show while he waited for dinner to be ready. Jongup was seated next to him, scrolling through twitter and reading fantweets. Yongguk and Junhong were busy helping Himchan with their dinner. Daehyun kept glancing at the door to their dorm. Youngjae wasn’t back from vocal practice yet. To say that Daehyun was worried was an understatement. Youngjae had been coming home later than everyone else for more than two weeks due to extra vocal practice and everyone seemed to notice how he was beginning to look sickly and miserable.

He turned back to the tv and watched as one of the idols demonstrated their dance. He perked up when he heard the lock click and the door swung open. His face fell when he saw Youngjae’s slumped body. He greeted everyone with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He watched as the boy dragged his entire body to their bedroom. Daehyun shot up from the sofa, shocking Jongup in the process, and hurried towards the closing door. 

He slipped his foot in front of the door before it could close and pushed it open, pushing Youngjae in the process. “Daehyun, leave me alone, please.” Youngjae begged. His arms were pushing against Daehyun’s chest as the other boy barged into the room. Daehyun locked the door behind them and pushed Youngjae onto the bed. “Talk to me.” Daehyun whispered, dropping down onto the space next to Youngjae. 

Daehyun tried to read Youngjae’s as the boy sighed. “I can’t do this Daehyun. I can’t do your parts and you know it, everyone does. I sounded terrible during vocal practice.” Youngjae huffed, falling back onto the bed. He buried his face into the sheets and groaned. “Hey I wasn’t amazing right off the bat. This is just vocal practice, you’ll be fine. I’m the one going for surgery y’know.”

Daehyun’s eyebrows furrowed when Youngjae rolled his eyes and scoffed. “You just don’t get it now do you? Of course you won’t. Everyone in this group, our managers, our staff, all of them are worrying about you. All of them are constantly sending you medication and get well soon texts. All of them are constantly telling you to rest while I’m dragging myself to vocal practice everyday, singing for more than two hours nonstop. I don’t even get a single message from the members unless they want me to grab milk when I’m on the way back.” Youngjae spat, his chest rising in a fit of anger. 

“I didn’t ask for this Youngjae. Do you think I want this...this...this thing in me? I don’t want surgery Youngjae.”

“Of course you didn’t ask for it but I said you’d be okay because look at the amount of people supporting you, even if the surgery went badly, everyone would still have your back. If I fail, Daehyun, everyone will just look at me in a disappointment, annoyed that I couldn’t do what you were always good at.”.

Daehyun softened up when he heard Youngjae’s voice crack. The boy had tears pooling in his eyes, threatening to pour out at any moment. His words had struck him. While he was busy running his own pity party, Youngjae was toiling day and night just to patch up the hole he’d torn open. Daehyun kept quiet and watched as Youngjae visibly calmed down. His breathing became even once more and he was no longer red in the face.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that. You’re the one with your voice at stake.” Youngjae apologised, his voice hoarse.

Daehyun stepped forward and enveloped Youngjae in his arms. “Youngjae, I just want you to know that I’m not saying this for the sake of saying it but you’re Yoo Youngjae. You may not be able to hit high notes very well but you’re Yoo Youngjae and soon, you’ll be able to.”

Daehyun beamed when Youngjae nuzzled into his sweater.

“You wanna know why they picked you?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re Yoo Youngjae, my second voice.”

word count: 3,145

a/n: fell short towards the end. Not too proud of this but I hope you guys like it ^_^