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Precinct 3 Government Hospital

IU

The pallid girl with a tiny figure woke up to the smell of alcohol swabs and linoleum floor. Beside her, a slightly older man was asleep in a chair, head rested against the rail of the bed. She was about to get up but noticed there were a tube attached to her nose.

"Oh no, not this again." She whispered to herself. She pulled the drip stand closer to the bed and read the label. "Too much."

She ripped the tape off of her nose and slowly drew out the tube, almost throwing up as she did. The man beside her lifted his head abruptly, surprised at the sound. She inspected his face; it was that Jimin guy.

"Hey, hey, stop. What are you doing?" Jimin put his hand on her left shoulder to make her face him.

"Shut up, the nurse is going to hear you." She whispered, the tube still in her right hand.

"I'm calling the doctor." He got up to leave but she held his wrist with her other hand as tightly as possible.

Her grip wasn't at all strong, she was probably still very weak. But Jimin didn't have to call the doctor himself, she was already at the door.

"You're awake." The doctor walked straight to IU and took the tube out of her hand.

"If you don't want to be fed through the NG tube, you're gonna have to start eating. You can't join the game if you have tubes attached to you anyway."

The nurse set a bowl of barley porridge on the table. It smelt sweet and hearty, probably around 300 calories. Considering she had maybe half of the liquid food from the NG tube, that would be 500 calories. 800 calories is more than her usual daily total.

"Eat up...?" Jimin picked up the bowl and held a spoon towards her.

"I'm not hungry." She turned the other way and pulled the blanket up to her nose.

The doctor cleared her throat. "We'll need to weigh you at 3 o'clock so you better have some porridge." After that, she left.

"You can't do this, IU. Why are you doing this?" Jimin, defeated, dropped the spoon back into the bowl.

She didn't answer so Jimin put down the bowl and walked to the other side of the bed to meet her face. "Hey."

She stared blankly at him but her eyes were turning red and watery. "Go away."

"Your family came earlier. They explained the situation. They met with the producers too to try and take you out but they wouldn't budge."

"They don't have to take me out. I'm fine."

"You're not, and you're not lying to anyone but yourself." Jimin's words were sharp and cold. IU started sobbing.

"I'm sorry," she whispered between falling tears. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Her voice barely made words, her face was red and her whole body was shaking. Jimin held her close to him in a hug.

"There's no need to apologise. I'm right here."

"I'm ruining this for everyone. I can't do anything right." Her sobbing slowed down and she pushed him away.

"Don't say that. Let's just try a bit of that porridge, okay? It's not hospital food, your mom brought it over."

IU looked at him, frown still on her face. "My mom is a terrible cook. You can have it."

Jimin smirked, an idea blooming. He put a spoonful of the porridge into his mouth and made a face.

"Told you." Her frown was disappearing, replaced by almost a smile.

"My God, you have to try it though. There has to be at least 15 flavours in there I've never tasted." IU laughed when he said that.

"It's not fair that I had to eat that and you won't even taste it. Your mom's gonna be devastated." Jimin sounded like he was joking, but was holding the spoon towards her face again.

"If you don't try it I'm gonna puke. On purpose."

IU stuck her tongue out and touched the spoon with it. "There."

"That's not fair! You probably didn't taste anything from that. At least half a spoon."

She pursed her lips initially, but after a coaxing look from Jimin, she ate from the spoon. The whole spoon.

"It's not too bad." She said.

"So you want to finish the bowl or what? 'Cos I bought myself a sandwich and I'm not finishing your food."

"No thanks. I guess you can just leave it on the table."

At least I got her to have a spoon of porridge, Jimin thought. Maybe tomorrow we can try a snicker bar.

He looked at his watch - 2.58pm.

"The nurse is going to come and weigh you soon so I'm gonna leave for a bit. I added my number in your phone," he gestured to her phone on the bedside table, "so if you need anything, just call. I have nothing to do anyway." Jimin picked up his bag and headed out.

The nurse came in shortly after, a vinyl tape measure in hand.

"Hi, Jieun, just need you on the scale." She said as she pulled out a digital weighing scale from under the bed.

Reluctant, IU got out of bed with the nurse's help and stepped on the scale. It read 35 kilograms. Then for the height and calculating BMI.

"Honey, your BMI is at 13. We need you to at least be 15 to check you out of here."

IU didn't say anything even as the nurse measured the circumference of her waist. The nurse didn't comment on it either.

A while after the nurse left, Jimin came back, with a few of his YouVesseler friends.

"Thought you'd like some company." He explained as the 6 other guys crowded her bed and introduced themselves.

"You gotta come to dinner with us, okay?" One of them said.

IU wore a skeptical look but nodded.

"Whatever it is, we're here for you." Jimin smiled.

A/N : So, yes, if it wasn't clear, Lee Jieun is battling an eating disorder. She's bulimic (or was, but it's ongoing in this story).

And the NG tube is gross but I'm not describing the nitty-gritty details of it here! :P

Go ahead and comment if you've had an upsetting experience in the hospital, or if you've faced something similar.