Fever
"ACHOOOO!!"
Five heads turned towards the source of the sneeze. Eunhyuk looked up from blowing his nose to see five pairs of eyes looking at him.
"Hyukjae, gwenchanayo?" Leader-ssi inquired. "Are you sick?"
Hankyung, who was sitting to Eunhyuk's right, edged closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, peering intently at him.
"Did you catch a cold?"
"Ah, gwenchana, gwenchana," Eunhyuk brushed off the concern. "It's probably just allergies."
Leeteuk and Hankyung didn't look convinced, but let the matter drop for the moment and returned to their Jjol-myeon and kimchi soup.
Enthusiastic chatter resumed as the six members discussed their day, the upcoming concert, and whatever else came to mind. Concealed beneath the talk and laughter were muffled sniffles.
Dinner came and went, and the tired members settled into their beds for the night. On each of their minds were the missing members who were in a different city fulfilling their schedules.
As Eunhyuk laid down, he felt a small tingling at the back of his throat and his nose began to get stuffy. Slightly anxious, he shifted his position and closed his eyes. It wasn't until a full hour later, after much tossing and turning, sniffling, and occasional sneezing, did he drift into an uneasy sleep.
A brilliant Saturday morning sun rose over the already bustling city.
Inside the apartment, the Suju members slowly awoke after a much needed good night's sleep. Leeteuk was up first, followed by Hankyung, who joined the leader in the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Donghae and Heechul appeared in the doorwar, ruffling their messy hair as they watched the other two toil away.
"Yah, you two! Don't just stand there gawping! Help us out!" Teukie called over his shoulder as he prepared the eggs for making Gaeran tost-u (sweet egg sandwich). Hankyung smiled as he poured korean pancake batter into a pan, watching the two trudge over and begin taking plates and bowls out from the cabinet overhead. Kangin joined them later, looking as if he wished he were back in bed.
"Heechul-ah, do you have a schedule today?" Hankyung asked.
"Unfortunately." Heechul yawned, looking slightly glum. He'd much rather stay home with Hankyung.
"I have an interview and a drama to film."
Hankyung nodded. "When will you be back?"
"Sometime in the evening, I think."
"I'll miss youu~" Hankyung pouted.
"I'll miss you tooo~," Heechul answered in a cute whiny voice and enveloped Hankyung in an over-dramatic hug.
Leeteuk rolled his eyes sarcastically and complained, "Yah, yah! Not this early please -__-"
Laughing, Heechul winked at Hankyung and went to help set the table.
"Hey, where's Eunhyukie?" Donghae suddenly observed.
The apartment had seemed oddly quiet and peaceful because, Donghae realized, his partner in mischief was missing. Kangin looked around.
"Guess he's still sleeping…"
He then glanced at the clock, which read 10:30.
"Hm…he's usually up by now…"
"I'll go check on him," Teukie volunteered, and left the kitchen.
The blinds in Eunhyuk's room were still closed, a muffled glow gently lighting the still-dim room. Teukie could see the dark form of Eunhyuk still in bed. But as he walked closer, he saw something was wrong. Eunhyuk's face was glistening with sweat. His eyebrows were creased and was huddled into a ball beneath the blankets as if cold.
"Hyukjae!" Leeteuk rushed over and grabbed his shoulder. His eyes widened. Eunhyuk was shivering.
"GUYS! Come here! Hurry!"
Upon hearing Leeteuk's distressed shout, the other four instantly dropped what they were holding and sprinted at full speed over to Eunhyuk's room.
"What's wrong?!!" they shouted simultaneously.
"Hyukjae's sick! He's shivering andandand his forehead's BURNING!" The leader was getting frantic.
Hankyung rushed over and felt Eunhyuk's forehead.
"Omo! I KNEW it wasn't allergies! He's got a really high fever!"
Donghae shook Eunhyuk.
"Eunhyukie! … Eunhyuk-ah!! … Lee Hyukjae!!!"
Eunhyuk remained oblivious.
"Call manager-hyung!" Leeteuk shouted.
Kangin instinctively whipped out his cell phone from his pocket and called their manager. After two rings, the manager picked up.
"Hyung! It's Kangin. Hyukjae has a really high fever and is unconscious!"
Even though the members were standing several feet from Kangin, they all hear a loud "MWO?!" from the other end. And "Aiiish jinja, what has that punk been doing! ... I'll contact a doctor, but for now, do whatever you can to help until we arrive!"
"Got it." Kangin closed his phone and turned to the others.
"Alright. You hear him."
"I'll get cold water and a towel!" Donghae immediately shouted and zoomed out of the room.
"Okay, I'll go meet manager-hyung in the lobby" Kangin quickly strode out the door.
Heechul sat down at Eunhyuk's desk beside his bed, crossing his arms and legs, looking blank and staring straight ahead into space. Leeteuk and Hankyung sat on either side of Eunhyuk's bed, neither of them saying anything. Quick footsteps approached as Donghae entered the room clutching with both hands a sapphire-pearl-blue basin of cold water and a white towel. Setting the basin down on the desk, he immersed the towel in water, squeezed it dry, folded it into a neat rectangle, and turned to Eunhyuk. Hankyung stood up and stood next to Heechul as Donghae sat in his place and began to gently dab at the beads of sweat on Eunhyuk's face. He bit his lips, his eyes full of worry.
"You have an interview to go to, don't you?" Hankyung asked Heechul quietly.
"When the doctor gets here," he replied, continuing to stare at nothing.
In the silence, the four heard urgent, muffled talking outside their apartment door. Kangin entered the room followed by the doctor and the manager.
"This is Dr. Kim. Give him some room! Go wait outside," the manager urged the boys, ushering them out of the bedroom. "Hyukjae'll be okay" he assured them as he shut the door.
As the door closed behind them, the five members stepped out into the living room. Kangin sat down on the couch and heaved a heavy sigh. "Aiiish." Hankyung and Leeteuk stood nearby with arms crossed looking down at the red wood floor. The only movement came from Donghae, who was pacing around, his hands in his pockets, eyes darting around the room, occasionally stealing a glance at the bedroom door. Heechul, after changing, stepped out from his room. He wore a red sweater over a white tshirt along with his trademark tight red plaid pants. A black and white striped scarf was wrapped around his neck. In his hands he carried a small pink backpack. He walked over to Hankyung.
"I'm leaving. Call me as soon as there's news, 'kay?
"Arraseo. Have a safe trip."
Shouldering his backpack, Heechul patted Hankyung on the shoulder, waved to the others, and walked out the door. A tense silence filled the apartment once again, disrupted only by Donghae's agitated footsteps.
Thirty long minutes later, Eunhyuk's bedroom door finally opened as Dr. Kim and the manager emerged. The four members ran over, anxious for news, with Donghae in the lead.
"How is he? How is he??"
"Ah, relax. Hyukjae-ssi will be okay," the doctor said calmly. "I gave him all the necessary shots and antibiotics. He's still asleep. He should be reasonably well-recovered in a few days. Check his temperature every few hours. His fever's receding, but we want to make sure it doesn't come back."
The boys heaved a huge sigh of relief, and smiles lit their gloomy, troubled faces. They clasped the doctor's hand in turn.
"Kamsahamnida, doctor!"
"What would we do without you!"
"Kamsahamnida!!"
"How can we thank you!"
"Would you like to stay for lunch?"
"Can I hug you? :D"
The doctor could only nod at the onslaught of thanks, managing to insert a few "Ani, ani it's alright!," "Ah, it's nothing!," and "No, thank you!"
Finally, the manager cleared his voice and said in a resonating voice, "Okay boys! Dr. Kim is busy and has to go now!"
At once they settled down and, grinning, watched as the manager shook hands with the slightly disoriented doctor, offering him yet another heartfelt "Thank you so much, Dr. Kim!" The doctor bowed courteously and the manager returned the gesture. The boys also bowed eagerly.
"If anything else comes up, contact me right away."
With a last nod, Dr. Kim exited the apartment.
"Anyeong! Kamsahamnida!" the boys shouted.
As soon as the door closed, Donghae turned and raced into Eunhyuk's room to see how he was. Eunhyuk was sleeping peacefully, his form slowly rising and falling. Donghae smiled his signature open-mouthed smile and sat down on the edge of the bed. Reaching over, he carefully brushed Eunhyuk's bangs out of his eyes. The other three filed into the room after seeing off manager-hyung. Teukie placed his hand on Eunhyuk's forehead, then on his own.
"The fever's definitely subsiding."
"Thank god," mumbled Kangin. "I'm gonna kill him when he wakes up for scaring us like that."
They all chuckled light-heartedly. Hankyung quietly left the room to call Heechul and tell him the good news. After making sure everything was in order, Kangin and Leeteuk stepped out to do their individual work. Donghae remained, sitting at the desk, his eyes never leaving Eunhyuk.
It was almost 8pm when Heechul returned. After looking in on Eunhyuk and verifying that he was okay, he went into his room to change, then sat down to their dinner of Hankyung's famous Beijing Fried Rice.
"Donghae-ah! Dinner!" Teukie shouted.
-Silence-
"Fishy!"
"……"
"What's Fishy doing in there??"
"He was just sitting there when I went in :x" Heechul offered.
Grumbling, Kangin walked over to the bedroom. Inside, on the desk, surrounded by more than thirty scattered assortment of hats, Donghae had fallen asleep with his beanie-clad head resting on his arms. Kangin couldn't help chuckling to himself. Aish, that pabo. Him and hats. Irrefutably the strongest of the 13 members, he picked up Donghae with ease and carried him off to his room. After settling him in bed, Kangin returned to the dinner table.
Leader-ssi sighed, "Poor Fishy. He's had a long day. Did you see how anxious he was the entire time? He was practically on pins and needles. I felt nervous just looking at him!"
Heechul laughed, putting his arm around Hankyung's shoulders.
"Well you can't blame him. We all know how close Donghae is to Eunhyukie, right Hankyung?"
Hankyung smiled and innocently gazed into Heechul's eyes. After sitting through five seconds of their intense staring, Leeteuk and Kangin could stand no more.
"Please take this to the bedroom, you guys," Teukie joked.
Kangin gave Heechul a smart tap on the head and broke their gaze.
"Stoppit, ya hear!"
"Last time I checked, you and Teukie-hyung were an 'item' too :P" Heechul challenged, sticking out his tongue.
Kangin turned slightly red and fired back, "Watch what you're saying, punk!"
Dinner passed amidst playful bickering and teasing.
After washing up, Hankyung announced, "You guys go to bed. I'll watch over Eunhyuk for the night."
"Are you crazy?!" Heechul protested. "You can't stay up ALL night on your own!"
"Why don't we take turns?" Teukie offered.
"Right. Hankyung can go first, then Heechul, then Teukie, and I'll finish up the night," Kangin suggested.
And so the shifts began~
Throughout the night, Eunhyuk dreamt of Donghae and his fish scales [see for reference: .net/s/5784685/1/Scales], except in his dream, the scales were real, not "large iridescent sequins, cut to resemble fish scales."
The first rays of sunlight crept across the dark night sky, bathing the city in a glow of pink, purple, and sapphire blue. Eunhyuk slowly opened his eyes. Is it morning? Evening? My body feels weak…What happened? How long have I been out? Taking a deep breath, he tried to push himself into an upright sitting position. Only then did he notice Kangin nodding off by his bedside.
"OMO! o__o"
Eunhyuk's shout startled Kangin out of his light slumber. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, but realized mid-yawn who had just shouted. Immediately, he was alert.
"Eunhyukie!!" He exclaimed in surprise. "You're awake!!"
The other members heard Kangin from their rooms and stumbled in, the last traces of sleepiness still lingering. Taking in the scene, the boys suddenly snapped to attention and the room instantly exploded in shouts of excitement, relief, and happiness.
"EUNHYUKIE!!"
"YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"THANK GOD!"
"HOW DO YOU FEEL?!"
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF?!"
Stunned, Eunhyuk could only stare dumbfounded at his beloved members, whom all had dark circles under their eyes. They obviously had not slept well all night. Tears welled up in his eyes as he fought to keep his emotions in check.
"You guys…" His voice quavered.
Kangin came to his rescue.
"PABO! How did you get yourself so sick?!!"
The tears disappeared in an instant.
"Uh…I…I…hm…"
As he struggled to figure out the reason, he saw his precious, once well-organized hats laying all over his desk and floor.
"Oh my god, MY HATS!"
-pause-
"Who did this?!"
-Silence-
The boys looked at each other. Suddenly…
"EUNHYUKIEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Eunhyuk was knocked back down in his bed by a blue blur.
"FISHY!"
"Eunhyukie, you're okay! DoyouknowhowworriedIwasdon'tscaremelikethatagain!!!" Donghae babbled.
Apparently, Donghae had woken up later than the rest.
"Haha, thanks Fishy 3 … By the way…my hats…you wouldn't know who did that, would you?"
Donghae stared at the mess for a moment, then turned back to Eunhyuk.
"…Eunhyukieeee, you know I love you right? 8D"
"……"
The answer dawned upon him.
"DONGHAE YOU—"
He was interrupted as Fishy pounced on him again, laughing happily.
"D'awww I was bored so I was trying them onnn~ :D"
Eunhyuk couldn't stay angry. Donghae's laughter got to him and he laughed too.
Meanwhile, Heechul slowly turned to Kangin.
"You know, for such a big 'tough guy,' you are actually such a BIG softie. :3"
Kangin's head snapped around to face Heechul.
"YAH you wanna die?!"
As laughter filled the room, the sun cast its morning light over the city. It was going to be a beautiful day.