Holiday Romance

France - The Sun Strikes

//Jongdae//

I lie in bed in the tent for a good hour or so waiting to see if Minseok would really come and wake me up. I tossed and turned, sweaty under the sheets, waiting for him to burst through the tent flap.
But he didn't.

In the end I just got up. Knowing him, he'd probably still be asleep. I tried not to be upset, but I couldn't help but pout as I got in the shower.
My stomach growls as I get dressed, and so I go to find my parents, holding a towel to slowly dry myself with. "Mum?" I call.
I can't see her anywhere outside the tent, so I assume she's not here. She must be at the shop or the toilet blocks.
My dad's face pops up from behind the car, and I can hear the American twang of Minseok's dad as well.
"Hey, son." He smiles. "Your mum is round at Minseok's. There's some croissants and butter on the table for you."
I nod. "Okay, thanks. Where's Minseok?" I ask as I head over to the table, licking my lips at the thought of freshly baked croissants.
"He's in bed. Poor kid's got something wrong with him." Minseok's dad replies. "Oh, also; good morning, Jongdae." He smiles.
I blink rapidly. My Minnie is ill? Oh no!
"Wait. Minseok is ill? With what?" I ask worriedly, brow creasing.
His dad shrugs. "I dunno. I left before Minhee had come to a conclusion."
I slice open another croissant and butter it slowly, thinking. "Right. I'm gonna go over there and see how he's doing, is that alright with you, Dad?" I ask, throwing the damp towel over the back of the chair and shovelling the last of my breakfast into my mouth.
"Yeah, sure. Take your phone, okay, son?" My dad calls, and I throw him a thumbs up before pocketing my phone and hurrying off to find my poor Minnie.
All is quiet outside Minseok's tent. It seems like no one has been up yet, although I can hear the quiet murmur of our mother's and another raspier voice which must be Minseok.
I pout at just how ill he sounds. It's worse than his usual bubbly, happy voice. I approach the closed tent flap anxiously, wanting to just run in and gather Minseok up in a tight hug.
"Uhm." I cough loudly. "Can I come in?"
The voices inside pause momentarily. "Who is it?"
"Father Christmas." I snort. "Who d'you think it is?"
"Don't be such a smart alec, Jongdae. Come in." Mum calls with a hint of annoyance. I unzip the tent flap and slip inside, chuckling.
Mum glances at me, shaking her head. "Honestly, Jongdae." She despairs.
I hug her, still chuckling. "You love me really, though, don't you mum?"
She laughs. "Of course."
I turn to Minhee. "Good morning, Minhee." I greet her politely. She only manages a quick smile in return before turning back to face Minseok. He's lying in bed tangled in the sheets, a frown evident by his creased brows. A thin sheen of sweat covers his face.
"What's wrong with him?" I ask worriedly.
Minhee bites her lip. "I don't know. He woke up like this. I think it's a fever, but I'm not sure - it could be anything."
I think hard, and suddenly get an idea. "What are his symptoms?"
Minhee looks at me weirdly, but answers nonetheless. "Uh, he's very tired and weak, he fell over when he tried to get up earlier. He complained of a headache, he's very sweaty, he's drinking constantly and he was retching just a few minutes ago. I think he was trying to be sick. I'm so worried."
In my head, I ticked off all the symptoms. "He has sunstroke." I conclude.
'What?"
"Sunstroke." I repeat. "He was in the sun all day yesterday, right? He's got sunstroke. Headache, weakness, sweating, throwing up? It all matches." I shrug.
Minhee clutches Mum's arm. "Oh god. No, my baby. Oh, and I so wanted to go out today! Now I'll have to look after him." She pouts childishly, glancing at her son.
A cheeky thought forms in my mind. "Why don't I look after him?" I suggest.
"What?" My mum and Minhee exclaim at the same time.
I sigh. "Look, I'll stay here and look after Minseok whilst you guys can go out and go sightseeing or whatever."
Mum frowns. "Don't you want to go anywhere though?"
"Not really, and not without Minseok. I'm not going out with just you grown ups. Plus, I'm quite tired as well. Yesterday was petty intense." I say, recalling memories of yesterday and learning about Minseok's fear of water.
Mum glances at Minhee. "I'm okay with that, what about you?" She asks her.
Minhee still looks undecided, so I speak up again. "Also, it seems I know more about sunstroke than you, seeing as you couldn't even diagnose it. So I think I'd be better off looking after him, don't you?" I say, feeling rather smug.
Minhee sighs, defeated. "I suppose. Right, well I'm sure you can find your way around the tent without me, and Minseok will obviously help you." She turns to my mum. "I'll go get ready, and then we can go out." She disappears out of the tent.
Mum turns to me. "You better take good care of him, okay? Be good to your word." She warns. I roll my eyes.
"Mum, I promise I won't let anything happen to Minnie." I reassure her, and she nods, leaving the tent.
"We should be back around teatime, okay?" She calls, and I yell confirmation back before listening to the sound of her footsteps getting quieter and quieter.
I turn to look at an adorable sleeping Minseok, and bite my lip.
I've got all today. Alone with him.