MY BOO┊hhj [ ✓ ]

34

34
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areum woke up to the sound of quiet chatters echoing in her ears. she let out a small cough first, then slowly she fluttered her eyes open where she met a pair of brown eyes that made her tired eyes blink fast.

"what the-" she was cut short in her sentence when two strong arms hauled her up to her two feet.

"do you feel hazy?" the doctor to which areum didn't see at all asked her quietly while she stood straight with hyunjin's grasp lingered on her arms.

areum shook her head a little, confused, "no... i feel.. fine."

the doctor tightened a grin on his face as he tried hard not to look uncomfortable, "you hesitated, and fortunately we ran some tests again to check up how you're doing, and you fainted due to stress and exhaustion. i'm sure your friends have told you, right? you've been sleeping all day yesterday and moving around while you're a bit unstable will affect you. i suggest you should rest a little more."

she frowned. "but i feel fine, doctor. i don't need to stay here much longer, do i?" areum waited patiently for the doctor to say something, examining his face that paled a little.

"please just rest for a while," his voice was uneasy, and with that, he walked out of the door. just as he left, minho and chan walked in through the door with bags in their tight grips.

chan's eyes lit up when he saw areum stand. setting down the bags of food the two oldest bought, he walked over to areum with a small smile on his face.

"how are you feeling? we were so worried about you yesterday," chan said, helping hyunjin move areum to the hospital bed where she was supposed to be sleeping in, but did not.

areum stole a small glance at hyunjin's direction, but the boy hadn't muttered a single word to her ever since she woke up. worried, she tried to hold his hand to get his attention, but after he had helped her sit down on the bed he had slipped away fast.

her heart dropped at that, but she didn't forget to answer a concerned chan. "i feel fine like the usual me. why does no one believe me?"

"it's not that we don't believe you, areum," chan told her patiently. "we just think it's alright if you rest for a few more days and just stay too-"

"it's because of my parents, right?" areum cut him off sharply. she took in a deep breath and pursed her lips. "you guys weren't able to contact them and no one is willing to pay my medical bills so i'm stuck here until my parents reach out to me finally."

everyone in the room was speechless. they didn't know what to say, and areum could see the remorse in chan's eyes. she didn't say anything else and bared a forced smile to hide her pain and aching heart that was shattered already.

"it's fine," she quietly spoke under a whisper. "my parents don't want me anyway. i can just use my allowance or whatever." her gaze cast down to her fiddling fingers, and she heard fast footsteps rushing around the place.

it wasn't long until areum found herself stuck in the arms of her six friends, minus felix and hyunjin.

"no! you're wanted!" jeongin told her with much enthusiasm as he smiled brightly at her. "you're my favorite person in the whole world!"

"hey!" the boys that felt offended by that all screamed.

seungmin spoke out loud, "isn't that a bit unfair, jeongin? what about us? we practically raised you!"

"no, my parents did for seventeen years," jeongin teased, shaking his shoulders a little in a funny dance in an attempt to get on seungmin's last nerves.