Adamant Adoration | Soonhoon

90 Days

Through a pounding headache and blurred vision, Jihoon forced his eyes to open as wide as he could manage, straining to rotate his head just enough to take a look at the people that were surrounding him, looking for a specific face. He forced his ringing ears to pick up on the familiar voice he so desperately wanted to hear, even if it was an unintelligent sound or a sob, anything.

But even as his energy depleted and Jihoon was forced back into unconsciousness, all of his fervent searches came up empty-handed.

Soonyoung wasn't there.

✽+†+✽――

They found him a few hours after midnight, was what Jihoon was told the next time he came to and could actually move his limbs, though barely.

It was well past 11p.m. and Jihoon still had yet to return home. Growing concerned, his mother contacted all of his friends, who had no idea about his location either. After receiving negative replies from neighbours, classmates and acquaintances alike, all 11 boys went out in search for the producer, frantic and worried.

Their searches were all in vain until Jun and Wonwoo ventured to revisit places from their childhood as the last resort.

Passed out under a tree in a park, they found Jihoon unharmed but burning cold to the touch.

An ambulance was called and thank heavens that Jihoon was found right as his body temperature dropped to 29 degrees Celsius. Any later and he might've been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

After being diagnosed with moderate hypothermia, Jihoon's body took around a day to warm up and regulate back to normal, but his immune system remained weak from stress, lack of sleep and an empty stomach on the day he had fainted. Hence, the hospital had him stay for a few more days to rehabilitate.

In those few days, Jihoon drifted in and out of consciousness, only regaining enough energy to sit up and move his limbs after 3 days.

In those few days, Jihoon's friends and family took turns visiting Jihoon, some filling him in on what he'd missed, some chiding him for doing something so reckless and others trying to make the best of his stay by cheering him up with their stupidity.

In those few days, Jihoon had never felt as lonely as he did, even with people surrounding him constantly. None of them really made the bedridden boy truly happy either because the one that mattered most wasn't present.

"Jeonghan, where's Soon?" Jihoon asked hesitantly one day when 3 of his eldest friends came to visit. Seungcheol had stepped out to get a drink, and only Jeonghan and Joshua were in his room at the moment, chatting mindlessly about nothing.

Jihoon had his suspicions when Soonyoung's name didn't come up at all while he was in the hospital, so he had to choose the right time and the right people to ask. And who better than with the mother of the group, along with the calmest?

Jeonghan looked obviously uncomfortable, gaze avoiding Jihoon's, providing his silence as an answer. It didn't help that he was sitting right by Jihoon's bed, because Jeonghan found it hard to control his facial expressions, found it hard to not give anything away.

Jihoon waited for a few more moments.

"Jeonghan."

Jeonghan sighed and took the younger's hands in his. Jeonghan's hands were warm, comforting; his face, on the other hand, looked like anything but. Worrying his bottom lip, Jeonghan finally willed himself to look at Jihoon.

"I don't know, Jihoonie."

Jihoon's face hardened, grip on Jeonghan's hands tightening. He was getting very impatient. "Not funny, Han. Tell me."