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After their performances on stage, they could be proud of themselves. Some had to go into the Ground and some had to go back up with the I-Landers. Jay was happy, he had to stay in the I-LANDERS. For nothing in the world he wanted to leave them especially K-hyung. He had a lot of work and he was proud of him. But not only that, he was also proud of the members. He had found them incredibly good today.
There they are all in one room talking and laughing. Some were lying on the beds, others sat on the floor and rare are the people who still had energy to stand. They were all showered and had the right to a good dinner filled with all that they loved. When the laughter stopped the door opened in roar to Sunghoon who ran to the toilet kneeling in front of it. The boys watched the scene without really understanding it until Sunghoon started vomiting his dinner, the tears rolled down his cheeks. In hate the members got up one after the other to go see him, Jake first.
-"Sunghoon? Are you okay?" Jake rubbed his back to help him.
Of them Jake must have been closest to Sunghoon. He had spent a lot of time. Whatever the moment Sunghoon was always there for Jake. Whether it was when he had been eliminated or when he had a good place Sunghoon always stay at these sides. Like the others he had never seen the young boy in such a state. He was always paying attention, so this kind of situation would happen only briefly. So what did he have to do? Sunghoon continued to force himself to vomit. Some members will not stay long not bearing the smell or just seeing one of their members sick give them nausea. Worried Jake always rubbed Sunghoon’s back. One hand came to rest on the younger one. K was squatting on the opposite side of him.
-"Don’t worry, Jake, we’ll take care of it."
-"Sunghoon, we’re here. Hyung’s here. Let it all out and you’ll feel better, I promise"
K pushed Jake to the side gently giving him a reassuring smile. For more than 5 minutes Sunghoon had begun to vomit. K helped him to get up but Sunghoon fell on his knees. His legs were too weak. Sunghoon held his belly because of cramping.
"H-hyung... it h-hurts too m-much." he had tried to articulate.
Sunghoon was really bad. From his efforts to vomit, he got cramps in his stomach. The pain was so strong that even getting up he couldn’t do it. It was heartbreaking for all the boys to see him like that, he seemed so vulnerable.
-"I’m going to need help getting him up. Heeseung come and help me. Geonu, can you get his bed ready? And Hanbin goes to get some medicine, there must be some in the cupboard right behind me"
-"Right now!"
And in a time of reactions Heeseung and K raised Sunghoon. Being the oldest everyone listen to him. Geonu arranged the bed and the boys were able to place on it. Ni-ki arrived with a thermometer.
-"38,8 C.... it’s not strong but it could have been better." he said.
-"Sunghoon, I need you to tell me how you got sick?"
Heeseung took Sunghoon’s hand and forced him to look at him. The other members looked at Heeseung, did he not see that the skater could not speak? Jay thinks quickly before thinking he has the answer.
-"He may be getting sick because of the performance?" Jay approached the bed.
-"Is that it, Hoonie?" Heeseung used a nickname that he reserved for difficult situations.
Sunghoon simply nodded his head up and down. All looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Hanbin arrived with medicine.
-"Here Hyung" He gave the medicine to K.
-"Thank you Hanbin" he took the medicine and turned to Sunghoon.
-"Hoonie, I’m going to ask another member to help you sit down, okay? You need to at least take some medicine to lower the fever.”
Sunghoon wanted to sleep but he had to stay up and take his medicine. Jake, who was closest, gently lifted up Sunghoon trying not to hurt him any more than he already was. As he lifted him up Sunghoon let out a moan of pain. Jake quickly put him back down, feeling guilty. Sunghoon was already in pain, he had to hurt her even more.
-"Aah .... I’m sorry.... I’m sorry» Jake looked at K with tears in his eyes.
-"It’s okay, Jake, I’ll do it." K reassured Jake for a second time.
K gently lifted up Sunghoon, took a pillow and put it on his back. Sunghoon sighed. K took the medicine out of the box and looked around him.
-"A bottle of water pleases" They all looked at each other. Everyone looked in the room for a bottle of water but could not get his hands on it.
-"There is none here, Hyung," said Heeseung, seeing that no one found a bottle.
K sighed. He looked at Sunghoon who was sweating from the fever. He took a wet cloth that Jake had brought back and passed it on his face. Jay scratched his head before he remembered that he had left Sunghoon’s water bottle in the dance hall. He sat beside K.
-"There is one, that of Sunghoon. But if I am not mistaken, it is in the training room." He looked at Sunghoon.
-"Do you think you could go get her for me, Jay?"
The older one looked Jay straight in the eye, making him understand that what he asked him was not a question but a statement and that, jay had understood it. He got up without saying a word and ran to the training room where they were a few hours ago. He descended the stairs as fast as he could even risk falling at certain times. The moment he feared arrived, he missed a step and slipped. Fortunately he had arrived at the end of the stairs and that was simply falling on the buttocks. He did not imagine falling any higher.
+×+
Jay finally arrived at the door of the big room. He opened it and noticed that it was plunged into darkness. Jay had a blue fear of the dark, he hated that it reminded him of bad memories. Like the day he and his mother decided to play hide-and-seek but he was finally stuck in his closet in the dark. For several hours he cried, calling his mother in a small voice. His mother opened the closet, observing a little Jay crying. That night he had not let go of his mother’s arms.
Just to think of it made him shudder. If he could delete one moment it would be this one.
"AH! There it was." He noticed the bottle in the distance.
He advanced into the room thinking that in any case the light from the corridors would illuminate the part of the room that he needed. He plunged into the room and took the bottle and turned to go out when suddenly the corridor light went out and the door closed. Jay found himself plunged into the dark. Without even waiting any longer he let go of the bottle, his legs let go and he fell on his buttocks. He backed back until he hit a wall with his back. He put his legs near his chest closed his eyes and put his hands on his ears. His breathing became stronger and faster. He had trouble getting air in. Tears began to fall down his cheeks. He was going to stay there and as usual no one was going to come and help him. He found himself alone again but this time his mother was no longer there to help him. He tried to imagine the sweet face his mother might have when he heard a noise, no, several noises around him. In addition to being afraid of the dark he was very quickly frightened by ghosts. Jay believed in it a lot and from time to time the members amused him to scare him with it. At first it amused him but not anymore.
Jay said to himself that he was there, he would never see his family again, especially his mother. He thought about the members, would they at least notice that he was not coming back? No, it was over. Jay suddenly remembers what his mother said to him.
-"Jay, darling, if one day you are afraid and you are alone I have a technique. Just repeat three things that can’t be hidden forever. Okay?" She gently stroked his head.
Jay brought his legs closer to his chest again and began whispering to himself «The Sun, the Moon and the Truth.» The only three things that could not be hidden. Jay continued like that for several minutes. Unfortunately he saw no change.
-"m-om ... I c-can’t do it ..." Jay murmured himself.
He shoves his head between his legs and doesn’t know what to do. Maybe he could just follow the walls until he found the door but his legs had become too weak he couldn’t even move. He stopped crying but still had trouble breathing. He heard the door open but still did not raise his head.
-"JAY!"
+×+
Jay had just left. He had said that Sunghoon’s bottle was staying in the training room. I hope he comes back soon. Meanwhile I saw Hanbin rubbing Sunghoon’s hands whispering to him so surely everything will go. Everyone seemed under pressure.
-"Don’t worry, Jay will be back soon and Sunghoon will be better" Heeseung was trying to reassure them all.
It was now about 10 minutes that we waited for the return of Jay who did not make his entrance. Exhaust Sunghoon begin to close his eyes. Jake tried to help him stay awake.
-"Hyung.... I w-want to sleep" Sunghoon looked K in the eyes.
K looked at Sunghoon and then his gaze turned towards the door where he hoped to see his "little brother" arrive. He got up and went towards it. A hand came to stop him.
-"Where are you going, Hyung?" Geonu held the end of his sweater.
Everyone had stopped moving and all their eyes were all turning towards the older one. He had to do a few things.
-"I’m going to search J--
-"I FOUND A BOTTLE OF WATER!" Sunoo shouted in the corridors bringing back a half-full bottle of water.
-"F*ck yes!" Yelling Jake.
Sunoo gave the bottle to Heeseung who took the medicine, lifted Sunghoon’s head and paid him attention to the younger drink gently. When he had finished Sunghoon went back to lie on the bed, a wet towel on his forehead. Jake sighed
-"Thank you everyone and Jake .... No swearing here!" Heeseung looked at Jake who had his head lying on the bed next to Sunghoon.
-"Sorry Hyung I was... worried"
Jake bowed his head He was all relieved that now Sunghoon could rest and tomorrow maybe get better. He had worked so hard these last days, a good day’s sleep was well deserved. K looked around him and felt that he was missing a few things or someone. In a moose he shouted.
-"OH SH*T JAY!" and here he goes again.
He ran down the hallways and down the stairs to the training room. He opened the door but did not see Jay. As he was about to close the door, he heard someone sobbing in the back of the room. He turned on the light and saw Jay sitting on the ground curling up on himself
-"JAY !" K approached Jay and sat in front of him not knowing what to do. Why did he send Jay to find the water bottle knowing full well that Jay did not like to be alone and also in the dark. K looked around and saw the water bottle not far from Jay. He had really found it.
-"Jay it’s K, Hyung is here you don’t have to be afraid anymore..." Jay still didn’t lift his head.
It was stupid, he was tall, he must not be afraid of such insignificant things.
-"Jay can I take you in my arms? If you don’t want me to understand, Jay nodded his head up and down, telling K he had permission to hold him.
K came closer and took Jay in his arms, putting the youngest’s head in the hollow of his neck. He blamed himself. If only he hadn’t sent the youngest one alone all of this would not have passed. K squeezed more and more Jay to make him understand that he was no longer alone. For the first time since he started I-LAND, Jay felt protected. He wanted him to stay like this for a longer time but K decided to break their hugs and look him in the eye.
-"Jay looks at me" K wiped away the tears that still flowed down the youngest’s cheeks.
Jay raised his head and looked into his Hyung’s eyes. He could feel so much guilt in the eyes of the oldest.
-"Don’t look at me like that, Hyung, it’s not your fault.
-"Of course it is, Jay I left you here alone for several minutes in the dark, I’m horrible..."
K wanted to apologize, he wanted to apologize as many times as he could but Jay didn’t give him the chance.
-"It’s nothing K Hyung, I should never have been so stupid" he laughed but apparently K does not share his opinion.
-"No, Jay, I don’t accept what you’re telling me here. Your fear is not "stupid" it’s normal to be afraid of a few things, we’re all afraid of something; so please don’t ever say that it’s stupid again, okay?" K took Jay’s face in his hands to force him to look at him.
Jay and K didn’t really have time like this. It touched him enormously that K had come to fetch Jay. Tears flowed back into Jay’s eyes and he took K in his arms. Right now it was the only thing he needed. K looked back into Jay’s arms without really understanding.
-"Oh Jay! Sorry"
+×+
They remained like this for a long time until K decided that it was getting late and that it was time to go back to see the others. K walked away from Jay who was half asleep in his arms.
-"Jay we should go back to our rooms. The others must already be asleep."
-"Okay"
Jay and K came out of the training room together and turned off all the lights behind them.
They showed the stairs and passed by all the rooms. The lights were all off. They passed by the room where Jake and Sunghoon slept and looking closer Jake had ended up sleeping in the bed next to Sunghoon. They closed the door and headed for K’s room.
-"Do you want to sleep with me?" Jay just nodded.
Finally the end of his day had not ended so badly. The next morning he apologized to Sunghoon, who was feeling better, for not bringing him the water bottle instead. Sunghoon reassured him by telling him that it was not serious and that finally Sunoo had come to bring him a bottle of water.