anodyne

chapter 8

jihoon was on the way to the car which was waiting for him in front of the building. the script was remade, at last, their lines given equally, jihoon had as many of them as sungchan and vice versa so that there is no disagreement or injustice. the mcs were contented with the work done in the early morning, and they were glad it was ready on tuesday so that they have just the right time to memorize the script.

jihoon is currently reading his first lines, willing to practice before sunday when his phone buzzes in his back pocket. he can feel it, and promise to check out the notification in a second. however, he gets so immersed into his mc duty, that soon the thoughts are gone and wiped off with the inkigayo special greetings.

he gets into the car, chats with the driver a little since they are familiar with each other, and then reads the sentences he has already memorized several times to make sure they are already engraved in his head. as he takes a break, he looks out of the car pane and he catches a glimpse of the convenience store.

"hyung! can we stop by for a minute? I want to buy something." he asks the driver and gets permission.

once they find a place to park the car in the vicinity, jihoon puts on his mask and a bucket hat to disguise himself properly and goes to the shop. he immediately rushes to the counter with jellies, takes one pack, then changes his direction and after spotting a watermelon he takes one. one last time he stands, gazing around himself, thinking.

"maybe doyoung wants something else? jellies are fine though, he recently said he misses eating them..." he shrugs and comes back to the counter with sweets, securing two more packs. "it's for him, so I shall take more."

then he turns to the cashier, and after the payment, he goes out more cheerful than he went in. the thought that he is going to see his favorite boy soon made him giddy. and at this moment a sudden thought, the one that had been pushed back by all the other matters important to him at that moment, emerged. the notification.

he takes all the groceries to one hand, pulling out his phone with the other. he unlocks it and clicks on the message. he sees that the one who sent it was mashiho.

once he reads the brief, yet so significant and urgent information, he halts. the plastic bag is dropped from his hand, the jellies are crushed by the watermelon and it's the only hint of luck at this moment cause it prevents the fruit from busting. jihoon's breath quickens, all of his muscles tense and the pulse is way out of normal.

"doyoung got sick and keeps asking about you. where are you?"

everything that happens afterward seems so hazy and unrealistic. he doesn't know when he reached the car, nervously stuttered to the manager to "drive as quickly as possible" and how he managed to still remember to pick his shopping bag from the ground and carry it safely to the vehicle. his hands are trembling as he types a short "I am coming" and sends it to mashiho. he bit his lower lip until it bled a little. as he can do nothing at the right moment but think and fidget on the backseat with anticipation and nervousness, he starts recalling what has happened as he had woken up beside his loved one.

at first, he didn't notice anything unusual. after receiving unexpected information about his presence urgently needed, he caressed doyoung on the back as he was turned to him this way, then got up, freshened, and before going out of the room, he kissed the other on the cheek. this should be the cue. his skin was so warm, he wasn't sweating at that time but probably the fever was soon about to start or get more severe. he ignored it, he dismissively let it be.

jihoon groans with a heavy heart and hides his head in his hands. how could he leave like that? how could he place his duties, his work over the one so valuable to him? he felt guilty, he should be the one with doyoung now, not mashiho. who is mashiho? yes, he is doyoung's close friend, almost like a brother but jihoon is his boyfriend for God's sake. this time a groan that escaped his mouth was muffled.

they were almost at the destination when jihoon pulled the tips of his hair out of worry. from now on he will be doyoung's boyfriend. he will finally act like one, he will ditch jihoon an mc, jihoon the second leader of treasure, jihoon the most active member, jihoon vocalist, jihoon face of the group, jihoon dancer.

he will be doyoung's jihoon for as long as it's possible. he will make sure doyoung feels loved and appreciated because he is worth it.

// ✧ //