Sunshine's Secrets {NCT Donghyuck/Haechan}

Chapter 5: Overworked

Donghyuck pants, his laboured breathing echoes in his ear, if Johnny didn't suggest the five minutes break he's sure that he's going to black out. After a 3 hours direct practice with Dream, he's now continuing another 4 or maybe 5 hours with 127 with only minutes to breathe in between. He sat against the mirror, sweat dripping down his face like shower droplets.

He could see Mark laid on the floor, limbs exhausted and whole body worn out but a satisfied smile plastered on his face. Donghyuck feels ashamed when he thought of how he thinks it was too hard for him to practice for two units when Mark is juggling all three, all the while still enjoying what he does.

Weak, you're so damn weak

"Guys, I think that's enough for today...." Taeyong announced, he knew if he worked Mark any further, there'll be consequences and it's useless for the rest of them to practice without someone with a lot of important parts. Donghyuck however had other ideas, Dooyoung grab his bag and was ready to leave but Haechan wasn't following them. "Hyuckie?"

"Yes hyung?" the youngest of them is setting the music, "Are you still going to stay?" He didn't understand, the vocalist didn't need to, he's perfectly polish and sharp with their 'Touch' choreography already. "Yeah, I'll be back in a bit. Just need to perfect some moves" What is he talking about? Dooyoung was sure Haechan could dance the routine flawlessly in his sleep.

"For real? You did amazing, by amazing I mean really AMAZING! 0 mistakes! You should just chill, you know, get some rest..." but Haechan just laughs, "Yeah sure hyung, but I really just want to go through it a few more times. I'll rest right after"

"Promise?"

"Promised" Donghyuck you're such a big fat liar

Dooyoung left him there alone at 2:45p.m, but the clock shows 5:49 and he's still there covered in his disgusting sweat. Going through the choreography for the 45th? Or was it 56th time? He had no idea but one thing for sure, he couldn't feel his legs or arms and he really just wants to close his eyes. He hadn't drunk anything over the past 16 hours and consciousness is failing him.

gateun gonggan soge itneun geotman gata

juwil dulleobomyeon modeun ge da neoya it's true

*Thud*

His body gave away and slam to the floor, the music rolls on.

"Hyung, you missed lu-Oh god! Lele, help me!"

The two youngest of the group noticed the absence of their unit's main vocalist during lunch, being such caring Dongsengs they are. They decided to bring food to the elder, but never they thought that they'll see the day their hyung laid on the floor, unconscious.

Jisung pulls Haechan body so that the vocalist's head is resting on his lap, on instinct his hand reach to find a pulse on Haechan's neck. Dub dub dub dub dub......He didn't even realize he stopped breathing until he was sure that his hyung was alive. It scared the life out of him, to see his hyung motionless on the floor, it all looked all too horridly familiar.

"Jisung? Jisung, calm down.... it's okay...he's okay!" Chenle ushered the younger, "huh?" then he realized it, Chenle was holding the palm of his hands, he was shaking, crying, panicking. It only dawned on him that he was crying when he felt a single cold tear trailing down his cheeks.

"Ugh..." Donghyuck stirs but suddenly jolt awake. He stared wide eye at the two maknaes, this is bad, but before any further thoughts could be processed. Jisung throws himself at him, full out sobbing as he does. "You're okay! Hyung's okay! You're okay......you're here......alive.....hyung...." he was rambling and still shaking.

Chenle couldn't say which he was more worried of, the fact they found their hyung blacked out in the practice room or Jisung's very overreacting and concerning reaction towards it. Alive that was one of the things he caught Jisung saying, baffled, did Jisung really thought Haechan was dead? Whatever could've made him think like that? Chenle wasn't sure he's ready to know.

"I-I'm gonna call Tae-" he was taken back by Haechan's sudden outburst.

"NO!! I'm fine, I really am. Just got carried away for a moment, I swear. This is the first time this ever happened, just don't tell him or anyone"

"But hyung, you fainted! If me and Ji-"

"Taeyong's already got so much on his mind and so are the other hyungs, I really don't want them to fuss over me as an extra load over a one-time thing. Le, trust me on this" he begged, throwing out all his best lies, about them being busy of course wasn't exactly a lie. "Fine" by now Jisung was calmed down.

"Ji, what was that?" Chenle asks the taller boy, who's still sitting on the floor. "Seriously Jisung, I thought you're going through a panic attack!" the eldest of the three says, pulling the maknae into a hug. "It's r-really nothing, it .... r-reminded me o-of something from y-years ago...that's all..." and said something was something he wished to forget so badly, but could never.

It reminded him of the time during trainee days, he pays his best friend a visit after so long....... only to find a body lying on the floor of the bedroom just as Haechan was, well in his case there was a lot of blood, a bloody knife and a farewell letter involved.

He knew he had seen and known too much at only the age of 12. How can someone even forget something like that anyway?