Chapter Text
Chan woke up an hour before his alarm.
“Lucky me” he thought. Waking up an hour early meant an extra hour to get ready, but then he felt it. His nose was a bit stuffy, his body was hot, but also cold, and his throat was sore.
He put it off as dehydration and went downstairs to grab a glass of water, careful not to wake anyone up.
He grabbed a glass of water and chugged it down. His throat was still sore so he chugged 3 more glasses before he decided he couldn’t drink anymore. He then filled up a water bottle for the day since he had a packed schedule.
He checked his phone - 5:06 am.
He had enough time to go on a quick run before his schedule started, so he went back upstairs to get changed. He went for a quick 10 minute run, taking in the quiet of the early morning. It was mid winter, so it was freezing outside, but his body warmed up as he ran.
He basked in the early morning light, watching the city slowly wake up. It kept his mind off of his packed schedule today.
When he returned to the dorm he started his morning routine. He took a shower, did some skincare, and brushed his teeth. As he brushed his teeth he started choking on the water as he rinsed his mouth out. Even after chugging 3 glasses of water his throat was STILL sore. He chalked it up to being the dry air of the winter.
After all Hansol keeps waking up with bloody noses recently, because the air is so dry, so it was a reasonable assessment.
It was now 6:00 am and the other members had just begun to wake up. He walked downstairs to the main room before someone got up and decided to make breakfast. He opened his phone and checked his calendar.
Photoshoot from 7:30-8:30
Vocal practice from 9:00-9:45
Performance Unit practice 10:00-11:30
Dance practice challenge with Yeonjun 12:00-12:15
Lunch with Yeonjun 12:15-12:45
Group Dance Practice 1:00-2:30
Meeting with manager 2:45-3:00
GOING SEVENTEEN filming 4:00-7:30
Gym 8:00-9:30
Sighhhhhhh
At least he gets to see Yeonjun today. He plopped down on the couch ready to doom scroll until his manager came to pick him up for the photo shoot. His throat was still sore though, maybe he’ll ask Minghao for some tea later.
“G’ morning” Chan looked up to see a half asleep, messy haired Joshua.
“Morning hyung” he replied.
“You’re up early. Early schedule?”
“Mhm”
“I’m gonna make eggs, do you want some?”
“Yes please. Do you need help?”
“Nah I’m good you can go back to doom scrolling.”
“Kay. thanks hyung”
The quiet of the morning quickly turned loud as the other members started waking up and funneling into the main room.
Mornings typically weren’t spent together, unless they all had the same morning schedule. As some of the members funneled in the room, some helping Joshua with breakfast(Mingyu) and others plopping down on the couch next to him(Jeonghan and Vernon), the room filled with quiet conversation of schedules, comeback promotions, and future performances.
He got up and got a small serving of breakfast, engaging in light conversation with Vernon about what arcade to head to next when their hyungs eventually go out drinking again.
Chan was 18(turning 19 soon), so he couldn’t go out with his hyungs when they went drinking. Vernon on the other hand could go, but he chooses not to, opting to go out with Chan, typically to an arcade or somewhere to eat.
Eventually his manager called him, telling him that it was time to leave. Chan reluctantly grabbed his essentials: phone, wallet, keys, and water, then headed out.
“Bye hyungs”
“Bye Channie” they all said in unison.
______________
He arrived at the photoshoot, got his hair and makeup done, and ate some complimentary snacks. He was a bit more tired than usual, but he had also woken up early. He also kept religiously drinking water, and even then his throat was still sore. Oh god how is he going to get through vocal practice.
But that wasn’t the priority now, as he struggled to get his complicated outfit on. Why'd they always have to give him so much jewelry.
Once he got all that situated they immediately went into shooting.
Hitting poses for an hour gets tiring. The director kept telling him to bend his body in all these weird ways, and pose with a bunch of random objects, but he got through it.
The photoshoot ended up turning out well, and he definitely needed to post some of them on his instagram later. He posted some teaser photos on weverse before his manager told him it was time to go.
After the photoshoot he headed straight to the company building to do some vocal practice.
_________________
That, unlike the photoshoot, did not go so well. His throat was still sore and raw despite drinking a whole gallon of water already, and he couldn’t sing properly. He was constantly being yelled at by his coach since his voice kept cracking, and he couldn’t project at all. Even when he tried to ask for a break, he just got denied saying “As an idol you don’t have time for breaks. The fans want you at your best all the time” and blah blah blah. He did not care. He knows CARATS would understand if he had a sore throat for a bit and couldn’t sing.
Anyways, at least it was over.
He headed straight upstairs to start performance team practices. When he was there Jun was already there stretching so he sat next to him engaging in light conversation.
“Your voice sounds a little sore. Are you ok?” Jun commented.
“Yea its just the cold winter air you know” Dino laughed it off.
“Ok but if your not feeling well don’t hesitate to-”
“Yea yea yea tell someone. I know hyung”
“We’re in the middle of a comeback ok. I just want to make sure everyone is healthy and performing at their best. Especially since we still have all those stage performances to do.”
“Im fine hyung, its fine you dont have to worry about a thing”
“Ok just making sure”
“OKAY GUYS WE START IN 10” Soonyoung barged into the room, Minghao trailing not far behind.
_____________
Chan was not doing good today. As the main dancer he’s expected to keep his movements persistent and sharp, but he just couldn’t keep up today. He kept falling a step behind which was strange since he never fell behind.
Reasonably Soonyoung scolded him when he made mistakes, as he did to any other, but today he was unusually being scolded a lot.
“You need more energy”
“You’re half a step behind”
“Your movements look lazy”
“Your jumping lower than the rest of us”
Soonyoung said repeatedly.
Chan just wasn't on point today. His body felt heavier than normal, and he started to feel light headed despite not even practicing for that long.
He probably just needs some rest. They ARE in the middle of a comeback so he’s rightfully exhausted and so is everyone else. He can’t even get mad at Soonyoung for scolding him, since everything he said was correct. He WAS a step behind. He DID need more energy.
_________________
After an hour and 30 minutes of Soonyoung's grueling practice he FINALLY got a break.
Well kinda.
He still had to film a dance challenge with Yeonjun, but then he could go out to lunch with him. It’s been a while since the 2 friends hung out since they’re both constantly busy. They both bonded over the fact that that they had no members their age in their groups
He finally reached the room they were meeting in and rushed to hug Yeonjun.
“Yeonjunnnnnnn” he rushed into his arms.
“Chanieeee” Yeonjun did the same.
“How have you been?” Chan asked, still in Yeonjun's embrace.
“Fine. How bout’ you?”
“Ugh I’ve had a day” Chan said finally letting go of Yeonjun.
“How? It’s only 12:00.” Yeonjun laughed.
“I KNOW” Chan said, dramatically.
They finally got to filming the dance challenge(after staff forced them to stop talking and start dancing), then went out to lunch.
“Where do you wanna eat?” Yeonjun asked.
“I’m fine with whatever. I have like 30 minutes before I have group dance practice.”
“We could go to that restaurant that just opened down the block, or the chinese place 5 minutes away”
As they walked out of the company building a blast of cold air hit them.
“Gosh it’s cold. Do you think it’s gonna snow?” Yeojun shivered.
“I hope so, I would love a break. We could also go check out the cafe everyone's been talking about?” Chan suggested.
“Orrrrrrr we could go get convenience store ramen?” Yeonjun countered.
_________________________
They both walked to the closest convenience store, made their ramen and sat down at one of the tables by the heater inside of the store.
Chan didn’t really have an appetite as his throat was still sore, his body also ached from his performance unit dance practice, which was strange since he typically doesn’t get tired easily.
“You good? Typically you would've downed that by now?” Yeonjun asked.
“Yea I’m fine. Just tired, I have a long schedule today.”
“Mmm just make sure you take care of yourself, especially in this weather” Yeonjun says as he shoves more noodles in his mouth.
“How’s idol life treating you, since you freshly debuted” Chan asked, redirecting the conversation.
“It's tiring, and wayyyy more busy than trainee life. At least I'm not constantly stuck in the company building though, and get to venture out into the world. My members are pretty young though, so I sometimes feel like I'm obligated to take care of them.” Yeonjun said.
“I had the opposite problem… kinda. My hyungs DID take care of me, but I also got scolded the most since we all debuted as teens. Teens taking care of teens isn’t exactly ideal, especially when your company's practically broke. I wanted to prove myself sooo bad to them that I could keep up, and didn’t want to bother them with any more issues. I ended up not telling them anything at all, which I also got in trouble for, but everything calmed down once the debut rush was over.” Chan said then took another bite of noodles.
“I’m sure you’re being a good hyung Yeonjun. You’re really caring and sweet, and I’m sure your members love and trust you. I don’t know your members but they all seem really nice, and your debut was really good.” Chan reassured him.
“But what if my members are scared to burden me and all that, like you?” Yeonjun questioned.
“Well I also have 13 other members, while you have 4. Just make sure you check up on them and hang out outside of schedules. The more time you spend with each other the easier it is to talk to each other. It’s also just the beginning, so don’t stress too much, be excited that you finally debuted. ” Chan reassured.
“Thanks Chan, I’m so glad we’re friends. Anyways enough of the deep talk. Did you see they released a new chapter of that game?”
“OMG I DID. I’m so excited to play it, Seungcheol banned all games from the dorm until the comeback is over.” Chan complained.
“Hehe, I already played it with Kai” Yeonjun teased.
“WHAT, no spoilers”
“Basically at the end-” Yeonjun began.
“AHH STOP” Chan jumped to cover Yeonjuns mouth.
Both boys laughed and talked for the rest of the time before it was time to leave.
They both walked back to the company building together in the cold, engaging in more light hearted conversation and teasing.
They parted ways once Chan reached his practice room and hugged goodbye.
Chan had a bit of time before practice started, and he was already stretched, so he went into the room and sat against the wall and took a nap.
___________________
He woke up at the sound of the door being opened. Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seokmin walked in.
“Hey Channie!!! Took a nap?” Seokmin ran to hug him.
“Mhm” Chan responded.
“Aishhh make sure you’re getting enough sleep baby” Jeonghan said.
“I’m not a baby. I’m almost 20” Chan said back.
“Mmm you’ll always be my baby” Jeonghan bent down and pinched his cheek.
“Hyunggggg”
The 3 older ones laughed at his whining, but Chan was used to it.
He stood up when he suddenly had a pounding headache. He felt worse than he did this morning. His throat was still sore, his head now hurts, and he feels really tired.
He didn’t let it show though, since he didn’t want to worry any of his hyungs. He got up and began stretching with them as the rest of the members filed in. The room slowly became louder, which made his head hurt more.
Practice finally started. They already knew the choreography, but the team still needed to practice and stay in sync at all times. They had another stage performance tomorrow so they had to make sure there were no mistakes.
“Chan you’re a count behind” Soonyoung said.
“Sorry hyung” Chan said.
“No ‘sorry hyung’ we’re on stage tomorrow. We can’t slack off now” Soonyoung said, irritated.
“I understand, I’ll do better”
“Soonyoung calm down everyones tired ok” Seungcheol said.
“How bout’ we take a water break” Joshua suggested.
“Ok everyone take 10” Seungcheol said, and everyone went to sit down on different edges of the room.
Chan sat down in the same spot he took a nap in. Why was he doing so badly today? He was the main dancer for goodness sake. God he felt terrible. It definitely wasn’t just the winter weather. He was probably sick, but he still had a schedule left and a performance tomorrow, so there was no time to rest.
Wonwoo then sat next to him.
“Hey Chan, are you ok? You’re never off beat, are you feeling ok?” Wonwoo said softly.
Chan took a sip of his water.
“Yea hyung I’m fine, just tired. I woke up early.” Chan said, his voice slightly scratchy.
Wonwoo looked at him suspiciously, then put his hand on his forehead.
“I can’t tell if you're warm because we just danced for an hour straight or because you're developing a fever.” Wonwoo commented.
“I’m fine hyung really” Chan said as he pushed Wonwoo's hand away.
Wonwoo stood up.
“I think I should tell Seungchoel or Jeonghan-”
“NO” Chan said a bit too loud, drawing attention from nearby staff.
“You don’t have to do that. I swear. I feel fine. I just because it's cold. I’ll go home, take some painkillers, get a full night's rest, and be better by tomorrow. Just please don’t tell hyungs or they’ll start to worry and everyone's busy right now.” Chan pleaded.
“Chan-”
“Please hyung. I’m old enough to take care of myself now” Chan pleaded again.
Wonwoo sighed.
“Fine, but if I see you getting worse I’m telling hyungs and the staff” Wonwoo reasoned.
“Thank you” Chan said, relieved.
Wonwoo patted him on the head before walking away.
“WE START BACK IN 5” Soonyoung screamed.
____________________
Chan was thankful that Wonwoo didn’t tell anyone. He still felt bad though. Every step he took, every jump, every turn felt like someone just banged a hammer into his head. He couldn’t keep up with the music, it was a dancer's personal hell.
He knew what he had to do at what time, what energy to put in, what expression to make but his body couldn’t keep up. It was hell.
And to add the cherry on top, Soonyoung just kept reprimanding him over and over and over again. He couldn’t even process his feedback since every word went straight to his headache.
At some point he was on the verge of tears because Soonyoung just kept getting harsher and harsher, but he just didn’t have the energy to cry.
Eventually practice ended(finally), but he had a meeting with his manager(noooooo).
He stayed in the practice room for a bit extra and watched as the members filed out. Wonwoo gave him a worried look, and Chan nodded in response, signaling that he was ok.
“Chan don’t stay too late” Mingyu reminded him.
“Yes hyung I won’t” Chan responded.
Chan kept practicing until he had to meet with his manager. The practice didn’t help at all. His movements were still sloppy, his head still hurt, and now he’s more tired. What a great use of time. He's supposed to be good at this. He’s the main dancer for heavens sake.
His thoughts were quickly shut down when he opened the door to his manager's office. He sat down in the chair across, giving the occasional nod and “mhm” at whatever words he was saying. He didn’t really pay attention. He probably should've.
After the meeting they went straight to GOING SEVENTEEN filming. He got a short break and took a nap in the car, but as much as he loves filming GOSE he was just not having it today.
His manager could sense his bad mood, so in an attempt to cheer him up he mentioned that today's GOSE was supposed to be somewhat fun.
Spending another 3 hours and 30 minutes with the same people that just reprimanded you at practice, while having a pounding headache, sore throat, and really fatigued isn’t exactly what Chan would call fun, but whatever.
They arrived at the film site, Chan got his hair and makeup redone, then went to the couch to take a nap before filming. He sat beside Jeonghan, who also already had his hair and makeup done. He fell asleep on his shoulder as Jeonghan pet his hair.
He woke up feeling even worse.
_____________________________________
3 hours and 30 minutes later of absolute chaos Chan was ready to do a quick gym session, go home, shower, and sleep.
GOING SEVENTEEN, as per usual, was tiring and chaotic. There was so much yelling and screaming, which only made his headache worse. His throat was still sore, so he couldn’t scream or push back against his hyungs he normally does, which was out of character for DINO.
He had gotten reprimanded by staff several times telling him to put in more energy, or act more like a ‘maknae’ and less like a block. Even his hyungs went up to him a few times asking him if he was ok. He really wanted to go home.
Just as he was packing up his stuff Jihoon came up to him.
“Chan, are you busy right now?” he asked.
“Umm not really. I was just gonna go to the gym, then go home and sleep” Chan responded.
“Great. Do you mind dropping by the studio real quick? I want you to film some adibs for our next album. I’ll buy you dinner.” Jihoon offered.
Chan, already exhausted, but not wanting to decline his hyung reluctantly agreed and headed off to the studio. I guess no more gym.
_______________________
When Jihoon said quick, Chan thought maybe 10-15 minutes. Currently its almost been an hour.
He had completely forgotten that his throat was sore, and his voice was fried(even after being heavily reprimanded by his vocal coach earlier that day). Jihoon was no better. His perfectionist hyung pointed out each and every mistake Chan made.
“Again, too high”
“Again, be louder”
“Again, more energy”
He was so tired. All he wants to do is go home. Jihoon occasionally gave him breaks though, letting him take bites of the dinner he bought(chicken). At least he got one good thing from staying late which was free dinner.
As he was on the couch of the studio, waiting for Jihoon to tweak things with the audio he felt his head ache come back. He put his phone down and stared at the wall for a bit, just sitting in pain with his headache. He eventually stood up, but felt dizzy and crashed on the floor.
“You ok?” Jihoon turned at the crash, and got up to help him up.
“Yea just have a small headache, I’m fine” Chan said accepting his help.
“Small headaches don’t make you fall, here take some painkillers” Jihoon helped him up, then went back to his desk and tossed him a bottle of painkillers.
“Thanks hyung” Chan caught them with ease.
“Mhm, just record this one last part then you can go to the dorms” Jihoon said.
Chan thankfully didn’t mess up that last recording and was finally able to go home.
“Hyung, are you not coming to the dorms?” Chan asked as he packed up his stuff.
“I’ll just stay here for a little bit more” Jihoon said.
“Sure ‘a little bit’, make sure you come to the dorms soon and sleep” Chan reminded him, as he opened the studio door.
“Bye hyung”
“Bye Chan”
__________________________
When Chan finally gets back to the dorms it's 10:00pm. He’s utterly exhausted not only physically but also mentally. He understood all the reprimands from the staff and his hyungs were all in his best interest, but he just couldn’t deal with it today, not when everything hurts. Everything hurts way more than it did this morning. His throat is still sore, his headache is still bad even with the painkiller, his body hurts, and over all he just feels fatigued. It's probably just from the long schedule he tells himself.
Chan takes a quick shower, does his night time routine, and crashes in bed. He checks his phone real quick as he does everyday before bed, replies to some weverse posts, checks his instagram, and finally checks the SEVENTEEN group chat to make sure he missed nothing.
Alpha Leader
Just a reminder to everyone we have an early stage tomorrow, so make sure you get lots of rest
Puppy 1
Yes sir
Puppy 2
Can someone change my username?
Mom
No I think it suits you
Puppy 2 changed tigers name to Hamster
Hamster
Hey so whyd we bring me into this?
Puppy 2
Bc you changed my name to this
Puppy 2
AND seokmins
Puppy 1
I don’t really care what my name is
Puppy 2
Not helping my case here
Alpha Leader
No fighting in the gc, go do that in your own time
Hao do i deal with these ppl
Yea can yall shut up im tryna sleep
Tangarine
Is Jun in your room too?
Hao do i deal with these ppl
Goodnight
Hamster
HAHHAHAHHA clocked
Gamer Fox
Jihoon when are you coming home
Best producer
Ummm soon
Hamster
If your not home in 20 min im coming
Gamer Fox
you’re*
Hamster
RAHHHH
Channiesaur
Hao hyung can you make tea tm my throat hurts
Moon Kitty
He said yes
Tangarine
I KNEW IT
Mom
Awww bby feel better tell me if you dont feel well ok
Channiesaur
Yes hyung
Tangarine
Cheol haninee is picking favoritessssss
Chan put his phone down and set it on his bedside table to charge. Hopefully when he wakes up tomorrow he’ll feel better.
Spoiler: it only gets worse