since our eyes first met - Minsung

챕터silent worries

The mood was heavy as we gathered in the kitchen again. Felix silently put the teapot away, while Hyunjin drummed his fingers nervously on the table. No one spoke much, but the worry about Jeongin hung over us like an invisible cloud.

Minho finally broke the silence. »He should sleep. That will hopefully help him until Chan and Changbin get back.«

I nodded, even though I knew we were all uneasy. Jeongin was the youngest in the group, but he was also someone who rarely complained. The fact that he had stayed so quiet despite feeling this bad made us even more worried. What if it was worse than we thought?

Felix sat down next to me, resting his head on his hand. »What if we should call a doctor? I mean, what if it's more than just a cold?« His voice was calm, but I could hear the fear underneath.

Minho shook his head. »Let's wait until Chan is back. If it gets worse, we can still call someone. I don't want to alarm him unnecessarily if it's nothing serious.«

Seungmin came in just then, carrying several bags from the pharmacy. He set them on the kitchen table and took a deep breath. »I got everything we need—fever reducers, cough syrup, even those throat lozenges he likes.«

Hyunjin stood up and went to the bags. »Good. We'll give him some as soon as he wakes up.«

»I hope he recovers quickly,« Seungmin murmured, sinking into a chair. His eyes were clouded with fatigue, and I remembered how he'd said Jeongin had been coughing all night. He had probably barely slept himself.

We sat in silence for a while, each lost in our thoughts. I could feel the minutes ticking by, but I couldn't make myself relax. One thought kept gnawing at me—what if we missed something? What if he suddenly got worse and we weren't ready?

»I'm going to check on him again,« I said, standing up abruptly. The others looked up, but no one objected.

In the hallway, I could hear the muted sound of rain tapping against the windows. It was cool, and as I opened the door to Jeongin's room, the heavy atmosphere seemed to thicken. He was still curled up under the blanket, his face shiny with sweat, and his breathing sounded heavier than before.

I quietly stepped to his bedside and knelt next to him. »Jeongin?« I whispered, not wanting to startle him.

His eyelids flickered, and he turned slightly toward me. »I'm... so hot,« he muttered weakly.

My heart skipped a beat. His condition seemed to be worsening. I carefully reached for his hand, which felt hot—too hot.

»Wait here, I'll get Minho,« I said, standing up, but his hand weakly held me back.

»Please... don't... I don't want them to worry...« he whispered, closing his eyes again.

I swallowed hard, feeling a tightness in my chest. »It's okay, Jeongin. They're only worried because they care about you. We're going to help you.«

He didn't respond, just turned back to his side, as if too tired to keep talking. I stayed with him for another moment, then quietly left the room and returned to the kitchen.

»He's getting hotter,« I said when I reached the others. »I think we really should call a doctor before it gets worse.«

Minho looked at me, concern etched on his face, and slowly nodded. »You're right. We shouldn't take any chances.«

Hyunjin immediately reached for his phone while Seungmin stood to check on Jeongin again. The rest of us waited tensely. It felt like time was dragging, each of us caught in a state of silent worry.

One thing was certain: whatever happened, we would stick together.

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