The Retreat | Enha multi ship

[Chapter 25]

The first thing Jungwon noticed when he woke up, was the pounding sensation at the back of his head. He gently touches that sore spot, wincing at the pain, as he sits himself up and looks around. From the medical supplies littering the shelves, to the literal hospital style bed he was sitting on, this had to be the retreats infirmary. But how did he get here? The last thing he remembered was his canoe flipping over.

"Oh you're awake!"

Darting his gaze to the door, he see's Gaeul rushing in with a tray of food in her hands.

"How are you feeling?" The girl asks, dropping her tray on the side table. She perches at the edge of his bed with worried eyes. 

"My head kinda hurts..." He mutters, shuffling to sit more comfortably, he moves his pillow to lay upright, so he could lean against it. "What actually happened to me?"

"When your canoe flipped, you hit your head and passed out." Gaeul explains.

Passed out? So that's why his head hurt. "Wait- so like the staff had to jump in and save me?" Jungwon asks, scrunching his face in embarrassment. 

There was a second of hesitation to Gaeul's answer. "Uh not exactly."

"No way." Jungwon thought he knew what Gaeul was implying. "Did Junhyuck save me?" He really didn't want that to be the case, because that would only cause more drama with Jay.

"No- well I was at the other end of the river, so I don't know the full story, but from what Heeseung told me, Junhyuck actually panicked. I don't think he's ever had to save anyone before."

It was a little disheartening to hear that Junhyuck didn't immediately jump in to save him. It was his job after all, and they were friends now, so Jungwon couldn't help but feel annoyed. Still, this only made him wonder more, who actually saved him.

"It was Jay who rescued you."

"Huh?" Jungwon blurts out. "Are you serious? Great, now he has something else to use against me. He'll be the good guy once again." 

"Oh my God Jungwon! Do you hear yourself?! Jay jumped in to save you and you're making it a negative thing!" Gaeul speaks in frustration, taking a second to breath in and calm herself down. She was just so shocked at Jungwon's reaction. "You know, before Junhyuck even had a chance to panic, Jay was already in the water. He broke the rules with no hesitation, all because you were in danger." 

Jungwon drops his head, mumbling, "He would have done that for anyone." A loud groan escapes Gaeul, followed by her harshly grabbing his head and shaking it. "Ow that hurts!" He squeals, and she finally stops.

"Sorry but I need to knock some sense into you." She states firmly, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Do you seriously think you're not special to him?"

That was such a simple question, yet, it affected Jungwon greatly. His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach, and he found his mouth dry, eyes becoming glossy and teary. Gaeul's expression becomes worried once again. "Honestly? No I don't think I'm special to him."

"Aww Jungwon," Gaeul says sympathetically. She scoots closer to her friend, resting her hands over his. "Everyone can see how much he loves you-"

"So why don't I?" Jungwon whimpers, a single tear trickling down his face. "I know he cares about me, but sometimes I feel like I'm a burden to him. Like his life would be easier without me." As he continues, he feels his hands squeezed gently by Gaeul, which comforts him enough to keep going. "And after what happened with Yujin, I realized that he could very easily leave me behind."

Suddenly he finds himself pulled forward; Gaeul's arm's wrapping around him tightly. He relaxes into the hug, and actually starts to cry more, snuggling his face into the crook of Gaeul's neck as she softly brushes her hand through his hair. "This has gone too far now Jungwon. You guys need to talk everything out, even if it's stuff that's hard to say. You shouldn't have to feel like this."  

"But what if it makes everything worse?" He asks, tears still streaming down his face. He pulls back from the hug, allowing Gaeul to wipe away his tears with her sleeve.

"You'll never know unless you talk about it." Gaeul chuckles, gently running her thumb over Jungwon's rosy cheeks. "You're so cute when you cry."

He lets out a small laugh, playfully slapping her hand away. "Should we just date then? You've gotta admit we'd make a hot couple."

"Well I think you forget we're both very gay, but I can agree with the part about us being hot." They both laugh, which lightens the very heavy mood of before. With all the tears done, Gaeul remembers the food she had brought with her. She jumps up from the bed, and retrieves the tray. "Ooh I got this for you, but it's probably cold now."

Jungwon lightly taps the chicken. "Yep, but thanks anyway." It didn't really matter, because he hadn't eaten since breakfast. All that rowing, mixed with a head injury, built up quite the appetite. "So, what's happening with the rest of today?" He makes conversation, while taking his first bite.

"They're all heading to the next activity now. Fishing or cycling, how exciting?" She giggles in sarcasm. "We better not join them, the nurse is still unsure of how to stop your brain bleed."

"What?!"

"Kidding!" Gaeul squeals, happily clapping at the reaction she got from Jungwon. "For real though, you gotta stay here. The nurse wants to monitor you."

Jungwon hums. "That's fine- oh wait, is Wonyoung okay?" 

"Yes and no."

From Gaeul's casual response, Jungwon could figure out exactly what she meant. "She's mad she got her hair wet, right?"

"You know her too well." 

____

I really didn't intend for this story to be so long, but we're like only half way through lol Hope you're all enjoying it enough to stick around. Thanks for the support, I really love reading all your comments :)

Another question for fun: What was the last album you bought/received? I picked up 2 baddies by NCT 127 today. 

Also when I went shopping today, this random drinks stall was playing P1Harmony both times I passed. I rarely hear K-pop out and about so it made me happy lol