Placebo || 3Racha ✔️

12

The soup isn't settling well in my stomach. I thought I was faking, but maybe stress does make you sick. It does, obviously. I don't know. My arm is over my forehead. I'm breathing. Deep breaths. It doesn't help that my thoughts are on a roll.

I sit up suddenly, making Jisung jump.

"What?"

I get up, crashing over the couch and stumble to the bathroom. I barely make it, some stomach acid landing on the floor before exploding into the toilet. I cough, retching some more.

"Oh, baby," he sighs in pity, kneeling next to me. "Get it all out. You poor thing. You're okay. I'm going to grab some water for you."

Before he can stand, I grab his wrist. "Don't leave," I beg, almost on the brink of whimpering. I need him here. He gets back down, rubbing my back.

"Okay, Bin. I'll stay until you're ready."

The lies are killing me. The lies are killing me. I can't take this anymore. I need to tell them something so they worry less, and I feel better.

"Jisung, um," I start, nausea still stirring. "I lied. Work is stressing me out, so I left early. I got a ticket for speeding. Stress is what's making me sick. My boss is on my ass, and it's all going really wrong."

"Baby... thank you for telling me this. I really don't like that you lied, but it's okay. We'll figure out the ticket later with Channie. I know I can't help much with work, but maybe you can relieve your stress another way? Maybe going to the gym would help?"

"Yeah, probably. It's just a lot. I feel like I don't have time to do anything. I'm always working late because of deadlines. I barely have time for you two. I hate it."

"Hey, we're a team. If you need your own time without us, that's okay. Take care of yourself first. We'll always support you."

I nod, flushing the toilet. He helps me stand, letting me wash up while he gets some water.

He's right. I need to do something to take the stress out. The gym used to always be my go-to. I don't know why I stopped. Just got busy. Maybe I can build up my confidence while I'm there. I can look and be more threatening. I can actually protect my family. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.