Danger. A Closed Forest | Stray Kids

55. BANISHED

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Minho opened his eyes with a tired growl. His body showed that he had woken up much earlier than usual due to the numbness of his limbs. He looked around the room in consternation, hearing strange, incomprehensible sounds. He glanced down at Yeosang's empty bed with sheets disheveled around, and then he sighed helplessly. The scent of honeysuckle was much more intense than before, and despite how delicate and overwhelmingly pleasant it was normally, Minho now had to cover his nose, feeling dizzy with the overwhelming amount of restless pheromones.

He swung his legs off the soft mattress onto the cool floor and reluctantly rose to his feet.

The door to their shared bathroom was wide open, as if the younger one didn't care if he heard it. Slowly, he walked over to them and peered uncertainly inside.

- Yeo? - Lee, brows furrowed, absorbed the sight of the elder leaning heavily against the shell and returning his stomach's contents with an unpleasant grunt. His knuckles were white with the force with which he gripped the pottery.

Minho squatted next to him, brushing the stuck hair from his sweaty forehead and gave him a bewildered look when he finally looked up at him with exhausted eyes and wiped his face with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, falling on his buttocks down onto the cool tiles.

He looked as if he hadn't slept for a week or so. Dark bags under the eyes and a distant gaze, pink wisps standing in every direction of the world, and dry lips. To say the beta was worried is a big understatement.

- Let's go to Seonghwa, it's already the third day.

- I'm fine, I had to eat something bad. Let's just go - Yeosang stood frantically and didn't even give Minho time to respond as he hurriedly disappeared through the door, leaving him alone with his distressed thoughts.

All the way to the cafeteria, Minho walked a few steps behind the restless omega, giving enough personal space that he clearly needed and only wondering what was wrong with his health and demeanour.

He wasn't himself, and the stress that emanated from him was overwhelming and distressing.

Yeosang had been vomiting for three days and was complaining of abdominal pain. He woke up in a sweat and didn't want to get out of bed.

Lee kept his eye on him as long as his duties permitted him, to make sure he didn't pass out or get a seizure at some point. It could be something serious, and he didn't want to lose a friend who hadn't even sat down at the table with him, which only made him more nervous.

He needed to find out what influenced Kang so much and make sure it had nothing to do with his rejection this one flawed day.

However, he did not expect the answer to come by itself a few seconds later. During breakfast with the whole pack.

Ahmin returned to the pack after a long absence, presumably spending some time with her partner and second son at Yecheon, and accompanied them over the meal.

The hubbub filled a large hall to the brim, bringing with it laughter, whispered gossip, and in some places even happy screams. Hongjoong was feeding Sinbit on Seonghwa's lap while twisting his face in strange grimaces, making unnatural noises to force her to open her mouth so that he could press at least a few smaller vegetables into her mouth.