Down the hallway, Jaehyun moved like a storm, weaving past the scattered blankets and pillows the younger boys had left behind from movie night preparations. Each step was fueled by an urgent need to see his sister, to make sure she was safe, to erase the guilt that clawed at him for not being there when she needed him.
"Jaehyun, what are you doing here? I told you, you shou—"
"How is she, hyung? Please! I just have to know!" Jaehyun cut him off, his voice trembling with worry, nearly breaking.
His hands were shaking. His chest felt tight, like something was clawing at his ribs from the inside. He hadn’t even realized he was out of breath until the words tore out of him. The cold fluorescent lights of the corridor made his skin look pale, sweat gathering at his temples from the sprint through the hospital.
The oldest looked at him, confused and exhausted. He needed a moment to process what he was seeing—because he had never seen Jaehyun like this before: broken, terrified, and utterly overwhelmed.
Jaehyun usually carried his emotions like armor — controlled, polished, concealed behind his polite smile. But now every shield had shattered. His eyes were red-rimmed, unfocused, almost glassy. The oldest felt his own breath hitch at the sight.
It wasn’t that he had never seen Jaehyun worried or upset — he had, especially when members were injured or when Jaehyun blamed himself for not doing enough. But this… this was different. This was deeper. And the oldest felt his expression soften immediately.
This wasn’t the concern of a teammate. It wasn’t the guilt of a friend.
This was fear born from family — raw, instinctive, consuming.
"She’s stable. She wasn’t bleeding heavily, so it’s not as bad as it looked. But she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. All we can do is wait for her to wake up." He placed a steady hand on the younger one’s shoulder.
“We’ve checked for intracranial pressure, abnormal pupil reactions, and breathing irregularities. Everything looks stable so far. That’s a good sign.”
He spoke calmly, trying to slow the storm brewing in Jaehyun’s chest.
"Hyung, you don’t understand. When she hits her head like that, it could be bad. She could lose her memories completely."
His voice cracked.
“You know her condition… if the impact triggered another dissociative episode or affected the areas where her memory is already fragile—she might wake up and not know who we are. She might not know herself.”
He swallowed hard, chest rising unevenly.
"Jaehyun, I understand why you’re worried. I really do. But I promise you—she’ll be fine. We all believe that. The injury itself wasn’t severe, but we’ll know more once she wakes up," he answered gently.
Jaehyun exhaled shakily. “Can I go to her?”
“I think she should rest. It would be bett—”
“Taeyong hyung said I should be with her! Next to her! It was an order!” Jaehyun’s eyes pleaded desperately.
Hearing Taeyong’s name made the oldest pause.
Taeyong never gave emotional orders. Ever.
If even he insisted Jaehyun stay beside her… then this wasn’t just worry.
The oldest sighed. “Fine… but call me the moment she wakes up. I need to check her neurological responses immediately,” he said seriously.
The younger one managed a small, relieved smile. “Thanks, hyung.”
Before the older man could react, Jaehyun pulled him into a tight hug. He hadn’t expected it, but he wrapped his arms around the younger boy, returning the gesture with a soft smile.
