Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

15

Throughout the day, I watched everyone suspiciously, Juhee because of her fever and the others to see if there was anything to indicate that they would fall into a coma. But there had been no sign of Yunho either. He was fine, he went to sleep and just didn't wake up.

The forecasts in the news were devastating, as there were more and more cases of coma and scientists suspected that it would affect around one in two people. Every hour, a banner ran across the screen announcing which idols were now all in a coma and Yunho's name was also listed. Doctor Park had probably passed on the information, whether to the CEO or to the press, remains to be seen.

Juhee worried me more and more as I saw her strength dwindling and she was still refusing to lie down. Hongjoong had tried to persuade her several times, but she wouldn't listen, but Jongho solved it in a more subtle way, complaining that he needed his noona to cuddle up with, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep. This softened her soft side for the maknae so much that she lay down with him. Less than two minutes later, she had fallen asleep and we all realized that she would probably not get up again, as she already looked very ill.

The clinical thermometer then showed what we already suspected, she had long since passed 40 and it couldn't be long before she fell into a feverish delirium. Nevertheless, we tried to give her almost the same treatment as we had given Jongho before, except for the ice water, because that wouldn't make any sense as we wouldn't be able to keep her alive for three weeks. I gave her a pain-relieving antipyretic and Hongjoong kept cooling her forehead with a damp washcloth.

Yeosang came with an ice cube, which he kept rubbing over her lips so that she would drink some liquid. Mingi sat at the foot of the bed and wept silent tears, while Jongho held her in his arms the whole time. San and Wooyoung sat on the floor next to the bed and held each other comfortingly. I lay down on the other side next to Juhee and brushed her sweaty hair out of her face, looking at her sadly the whole time. Seonghwa sat down next to me on the edge of the bed and gently stroked my back again and again.

We all knew it... these were our last hours with her and no one wanted to leave her side. No one talked, everyone was lost in thought or quietly tried to make her remaining time as pleasant as possible. What could you say in a situation like this? There wasn't much point in begging her not to give up, although I suspected that Hongjoong would have liked to beg for her life on his knees, the way he looked. You could see it on his face that his heart was breaking. He had been in love with Juhee since she first stepped into our studio, it had been so obvious, everyone knew it... Except Juhee. Maybe she did know, but our contracts stated that any romantic relationship with any of the boys was strictly forbidden. Well... we could safely disregard these contracts.

One by one, everyone had fallen asleep, only Hongjoong and I were still awake when Juhee opened her eyes, moaning in pain. She tried weakly to smile at us.

"Joongie, be a dear and open the vial for me," she said quietly, holding out the ampoule that Doctor Park had given her. I shook my head in horror and reached for her hand.

"Unnie, no... Don't do that." I said on the verge of tears and Hongjoong looked confused at the vial in his hand.

"What exactly is in there?" he wanted to know suspiciously.

"It will let me fall asleep in peace, without pain. I don't want to suffer any more, I'm burning up inside... please let me go." she pleaded powerlessly and I saw pure horror flash in Hongjoong's eyes. Neither of us wanted it to be true, but it was her decision, not ours. I bit my lips hard as I tried to fight the tears away, to be strong for my best friend, but it was damn hard.

Her eyes were now firmly fixed on Hongjoong and she took his other hand in hers.

"I wanted to tell you so many things, but now... I can't, but I want you to know one thing... I have always returned your feelings. Can you kiss me just once?" she asked him with sadness in her voice and his eyes grew wide. But he quickly regained his composure, gave her the best smile he could muster in this situation and then gently placed his lips on hers. I looked away, embarrassed, wanting to give them their privacy. My eyes fell on Wooyoung, which automatically made me think of our kiss again. Would I soon have to say goodbye to him in the same way? However, I couldn't talk about my feelings like Juhee, so sure of what they meant, because my feelings were pure chaos.

After a few minutes, the two broke away from each other and Hongjoong tearfully opened the vial, which he then handed to Juhee.

"I love you." she breathed before drinking the contents.

"I love you too." Hongjoong replied with desperation in his voice and carefully pulled her into his arms.

Then her eyes fell on me and she lifted the corners of her mouth slightly.

"I love you, little one. Please take good care of our boys and..." she looked at the sleeping Seonghwa "give him a chance, he's loved you for so long..." then she closed her eyes with a sigh of relief, one last time.

Hongjoong's loud crying as he hugged her tightly, the pain it caused, was something I would never forget. But it was almost exactly the same pain as I was feeling right now, the pain of a broken heart because the most important person had gone...

------------------------------

i'm crying T.T