The third ballad (Kingdom's Louis Fanficiton)

11 - Pinky promise

I barely was able to open my eyes the next day. My head was killing me. I groaned and rubbed my sleeves. "You're so stupid for being meticulously", I scolded myself half-loudly. I knew that I was the one to make breakfast because the guys liked to sleep as long as possible. And I knew that I would have a hard time to get up, so I decided to set my alarm a bit earlier to comprehend where or who I was. I yawned. Typical morning problems, ain't they? Anyway. I rolled to the edge of the couch, almost not catching myself in time before possibly falling onto the floor. What did I do wrong yesterday to make my whole body hurt? Sighing, I somehow managed to stand on my own two feet and scoffed towards the kitchen.

I was rather surprised to see Seungjun standing there, humming while preparing breakfast. I blinked confused and scratched my head. "I must still be dreaming", I mumbled and the other one flinched. "Gosh, you scared me!", he complained as he turned around. Then a smile spread across his face. "No, you're not dreaming, I decided to get up earlier today after hearing you coming home late tonight", he shrugged. Before I could thank him however, he tilted his head and inspected me so closely that I was getting uncomfortable with it. "You look like crap", he then announced and walked over, forcing me to sit down. "Are you feeling sick?", he investigated. I nodded shyly. Seungjun shook his head sighing. But before he could start to scold me, Sungho walked in. "Are you happy now, you little brat?", he complained towards his friend right away. I raised an eyebrow. "Yoosung successfully woke Jihun and me up just because I have to help you with the breakfast." "Yeah, he's doing great even though I only needed you to stand up", Seungjun shrugged and then pointed at me, "Can you believe that she was stupid enough to get sick because of the rain yesterday?" "Hey", I complained, "I feel a bit out of it, no need to be mean to me!" "She indeed does look... not too well", the other guy agreed cautiously. "You two are mean", I pouted. "Alright, get up, Katy", Sungho ignored me and helped me to stand up, "We're gonna get you back to bed." "But –", I began. "No, you're staying in bed for now", he interrupted me. "I had been so proud to make it out of there in the first place", I sulked and he chuckled while dragging me to the living room. Then he made me sit down and tugged me in. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him pouty. "Don't give me that look, young lady, you know I am right", he scolded me with a grin. I grimaced which made him laugh. "I'll get you something healthy", he promised and walked out again.

Instead of Sungho however, Jihun entered the room a couple of minutes later, balancing a tray in his hands. I curiously looked at it as he placed it in front of me. "They were right, you do look sick", he mumbled. "Can you guys stop telling me that I look like crap?", I commanded and he shrugged his shoulders, stating that he would only say the truth. "Yeah, whatever. What did you bring me?", I changed topic. "Tea, fruit and a hot soup that they made for you. Yoosung also just went to buy some medicine in the store around the corner", he explained. I raised an eyebrow. "That early?", I asked. "It's a 24/7 store", Jihun answered. Well, that made sense. Then he picked up the food and placed it on the table. "Enjoy your meal", he said. "Thanks", I smiled. "Don't mention it. I'm sorry for leaving again, but the others probably won't leave food for me if I don't go back now." I chuckled and nodded. "All good, leave already. I don't want to be responsible for you being hungry", I smiled and picked up the tea and a slice of apple. Jihun put the tray next to the table before leaving again.

Just a second later however, Yoosung rushed in and looked at me worried. "How are you feeling?", he asked instantly. "Weird", I answered honestly and patted the space next to me to signal him to sit down. After he did so, he handed me over some medicine and I thanked him. I decided to take it right away and grimaced after swallowing. "Urgh, I hate the taste", I complained before taking a big sip of the tea. "Likewise", Yoosung shrugged, "But at least it helps. I always take that medicine and it's really good." "Again, thanks for getting it", I smiled at him. "Anything for you", he smiled back innocently. "You're really cute", I said and ruffled his hair. "You're really sick?", I suddenly heard Seungbo's voice behind us and turned around. He stumbled a few steps back and theatrically placed a hand over his heart. "No need to answer, I can see it", he then stated and I rolled my eyes. "You're stupid", I said and turned my back to him. "Don't overdo it, she still looks good", Yoosung tried to cheer me up and I smiled at him thankfully. "You can learn a thing or two from your friend", I mumbled towards my cousin and took another sip of the tea. "What's that gathering and why was I not invited to it?", I then heard the next one of them. "She's sick", Seungbo briefed him and the other one gasped. They were such dorks. "Morning Yunho", I greeted him, "I won't turn around because I already almost gave my cousin a heart attack with my sick look." "Your look is always sick, but in a good way", he answered. I raised an eyebrow. "Yunho", I said and shook my head, "You can do better." "That's true", he agreed and walked over to look at my face. "Hey, it ain't that bad", he assured me and I sent him a short smile alongside a mumbled "Thanks". "And now", I continued, "All of you should go to eat breakfast. You have a long day ahead. Out you go!" They trotted out one after the other, obediently. Only Yoosung hesitated until I reassured him that I was fine on my own. "And make sure to get Dongsik out of his bed", I shouted after him, already digging into my food again. Sick? Yes. But hungry nonetheless.

"He already did earlier", I heard a soft voice behind me and flinched. As I turned around, I saw Dongsik's worried face. He walked over and sat down next to me, placing his hand on my forehead. I blushed which made him grin. Luckily, he didn't comment on it. "At least you don't seem to have a fever. Only a slightly higher body temperature", he then said. "Yeah, I am hot", I shrugged before even realizing what I just had said. He chuckled while I was trying to sink into the couch fully. When I dared to look at him again, he smiled playfully. "Told you that you would get sick", he shrugged. "Yeah, even your jacket didn't prevent it", I retreated. "It's a hoodie", he complained. "Wanna bet on it?", I asked casually. "Sure. I'll ask Charlie today", he promised. "No way. How do I know if you tell the truth then?", I replied. He tilted his head. "True", he confessed, "But don't you trust me?" "Do you trust me?", I gave back challengingly. He grimaced. "That had to be, hadn't it?", he asked. "Absolutely", I nodded. "Okay, I deserve it. But now I do trust you. Kind of. I try to", he explained. "I'll let that count", I grinned and ate one of the grapes on my plate with a victorious grin. He rolled his eyes and snatched one as well. "Hey!", I protested, "I am sick, you should be nice to me!" He just chuckled. "Dongsik, stop flirting and come to eat your own food", we suddenly heard Seungjun. He leaned in the doorframe and smirked at us. I blushed and immediately turned away. Dongsik however seemed to be completely unfazed as he got up. "See you later", he then said, "Rest well." "Will do", I mumbled, staring at the floor concentrated.

Bored, I tried to throw the grape I had dropped earlier into my already empty cup for the fifth time now. I sighed as I failed again. "This will be a loooooong day", I mumbled to myself. I didn't want to sleep while the guys weren't handed over to the manager safely. Now thinking about the day that lay ahead of me, I made a decision. I cautiously got up to wander over to the bathroom, got dressed properly and tried to make myself look at least somewhat okay. Afterwards, I gracefully walked into the kitchen. As soon as the guys got aware of me, all their attention was directed to me. I smirked. "I will come with you today", I announced and held up a finger as they were about to talk back. "Think about it", I started to explain, "The medicine slowly starts to work and I don't want to be alone the whole day. Isn't it better if I come along, so that you guys can watch over me whenever you want to? I mean – does it really matter where I rest? I promise I won't work at all, just sitting there and trying to get well again." The guys exchanged glances, eventually fixing their eyes on Seungbo. This one sighed. "Do I have a chance to discuss it?", he asked me. "Nope", I answered and sat down on the last free chair. "Go ahead then", he gave in. "Thanks, you're the best", I grinned and gave him a quick side-hug. The others looked at us unsure until Dongsik suddenly spoke up: "That's settled then. Meaning we can ask Charlie about our question together." I nodded, silently taking notice of how he now really tried to trust my own judgement. "Which question?", Yunho asked confused. "Not important, forget about it", Dongsik winked at me and I grinned back conspiratorially. "I knew you two together would be a handful", Seungbo sighed. We ignored him.

When Mr. Park came to pick us up, he looked at me suspiciously at first as well. But instead of anything else, he simply stated: "You look tired." I nodded and told him that I haven't slept a full hour. Therefore, I would also skip working, but I still wanted to come along to gather experience. He contemplated for a few seconds but finally agreed to the plan. I entered the van triumphantly and sat down next to Dongsik. "By the way", I whispered to him, "How in the world are looking so..." Fine? Good? No, I didn't want to choose those words even though they were very true. "So normal?", I asked instead. He chuckled. "Believe it or not, but I also know how to hide exhaustion", he then answered. I tilted my head, thinking. "Can we make a promise?", I continued. He looked at me curiously. "Can we promise to be honest to each other when talking about the current stress level?", I asked. He started to smile softly and nodded. "Pinky promise", he said and held out his pinky. "Pinky promise", I repeated before linking fingers. "Everyone there?", Seungbo asked loudly and we snapped out of our little bubble. I heard him do a headcount before he nodded satisfied. "Let's go", he said and the manager started the engine.