Worth it? || Jeongchan

Apple.

Written: March 24th 2024
Published: April 5th 2024

The practice room buzzed with energy as Stray Kids prepared for their upcoming performance. Chan, Hyunjin, Changbin, Jisung, Felix, Seungmin, and Minho gathered around, ready to perfect their choreography. Jeongin stood among them, his heart racing with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

As the music filled the room, Jeongin struggled to keep up with the complex dance moves. He stumbled over his feet, his movements clumsy and disjointed. Minho, ever the perfectionist, watched him closely, his brow furrowing with each mistake.

"Jeongin, you're off again," Minho's voice cut through the air, tinged with frustration. "You need to focus."

Jeongin nodded, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. He tried to concentrate, to push aside the nagging doubts that clouded his mind, but his thoughts kept drifting back to his own inadequacies.

As the hours passed, Jeongin's energy waned, his movements growing slower and more sluggish. He felt as though a heavy weight pressed down on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He stole glances at Chan, who watched him with a mixture of concern and understanding.

But even Chan's reassuring presence couldn't chase away the shadows that lingered in Jeongin's mind. His stomach twisted with hunger, a constant reminder of his dwindling appetite. He had barely eaten all day, surviving on nothing more than a solitary apple.

As the practice drew to a close, Jeongin's vision began to blur, black spots dancing at the edges of his sight. He stumbled, his legs giving out beneath him, and the world went dark.

As Jeongin slowly regained consciousness, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed, the soft sheets enveloping him like a warm embrace. Confusion clouded his mind as he sat up, his head spinning with dizziness.

Shaking off the remnants of sleep, Jeongin pushed himself to his feet, his heart pounding with uncertainty. He glanced around the room, his eyes falling on familiar surroundings that slowly began to register in his mind.

This wasn't an unfamiliar place. In fact, he recognized it all too well. He was in Chan's dorm, in Chan's room.

Questions swirled in Jeongin's mind as he tried to piece together the events that had led him here. How had he ended up in Chan's room? And why?

As he made his way downstairs, the sound of the TV drifted up to greet him, the soft glow of the screen casting shadows across the room. And there, seated on the couch, was Chan, his eyes fixed on the screen as if lost in thought.

"Hyung?" Jeongin's voice broke the silence, and Chan turned to look at him, his expression softening with relief.

"Jeongin-ah, you're awake," Chan's voice was filled with genuine concern as he rose from his seat, crossing the room to stand before Jeongin.

Jeongin felt a wave of gratitude wash over him at the sight of Chan's familiar face, his heart swelling with emotion. "Hyung, what happened? How did I end up here?"

Chan's gaze softened, his hand reaching out to gently cup Jeongin's cheek. "You fainted during practice. I brought you back here to rest."

Jeongin's breath caught in his throat at the realization, his mind reeling with the implications of his actions. "I'm sorry, Hyung. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

Chan shook his head, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You don't need to apologize, Jeongin-ah. We were all worried about you. Your health comes first."

As Jeongin stood there, enveloped in Chan's comforting embrace, he felt a sense of warmth and security wash over him, his cheeks start to get pink because of how close Chan was to him. And in that moment, he knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, he would always have Chan by his side.

Lots of love

~Minso