Happy Endings ⁘ Chenle

28 ⁘ Radio

⁘ 28 ⁘

Da-eun just needed a second to breathe to ease her heart. Just a bit of cold water to cool down her skin. 

So she made her way to the closest bathroom the minute she had left the exam room. 

It was finally over. The nightmare that was Finance had finally come to an end and Da-eun was more than ready to leave it all behind. 

Pushing the door open, she stepped into the empty bathroom. 

There it was - her second to breathe. 

She tied her hair up loosely before leaning over the sink to splash some water onto her face. It made her feel better. Way better. 

She reached to grab herself some paper towels, gently tapping her skin dry. And as she was doing so, she received a call. 

When she checked her phone, Da-eun smiled. She answered the call right away.  

"Hi there." 

"Hey, is the exam over?" Chenle asked right away. 

Da-eun hummed. It was sweet that he remembered. 

"It ended a few minutes ago." 

Chenle was quiet for a moment. "You sound kinda..." he began hesitantly, unsure what word to choose. So he decided to start again by asking, "Are you alright?" 

Da-eun hummed, unsure. She pressed her palm onto the edge of the sink as she looked at her reflection, looked at her rather pale lips, at her bloodshot eyes.

She pushed herself away from it, then gently placed the back of her hand against her forehead. 

"Hm..." she let out faintly as she wondered. "I think I'm sick."

"What, really?" he asked urgently, hoping she would clarify. 

"I guess I have a fever," she added. 

"You guess?" Chenle repeated, dumbfounded at the lack of certainty yet he was way too worried to linger on it. "Are you still at uni?" 

"Yeah." 

"Go home." 

"That's what I was planning on doing," she said as she pulled the bathroom door open and stepped outside. It was warm. Sunny. Da-eun felt a little cold. 

"Get someone to pick you up?" Chenle suggested. "And be careful."

"I'll just walk, it's close."

"Eun..."

"None of my friends has a car," she noted before adding, "And the bus station is so far away I might as well walk."

Sighing deeply, Chenle shook his head. He knew she wasn't trying to but it was a bit frustrating to listen to her. Still, Chenle was unhappy about it, so he found a solution that he hoped she would be okay with. 

"I called you an uber. It will be at the entrance in a couple of minutes."

"But-"

"I know, I know but it's the best option. You will be home faster. Plus, I am paying. You have no reason to decline." 

"...are you sure?"

"More than sure," he reassured. "So now get your ass down to the entrance. I will stay on the phone until you are home."

"Okay, dad," she joked, laughing. "You know? Given that you are paying, I might as well call you my sug--"

"Are you really about to say that out loud in the middle of campus?" Chenle interrupted her.