Chapter Text
“Hey, Kim Iwol, wake up. It’s morning.”
Still half sleepy, Choi Jeho stood beside the single bed after coming out from the bathroom, towel hanging loosely around his neck. The dorm room still carried the chill of early morning air, dim sunlight barely filtering through the curtains.
Across the room, Kim Iwol remained motionless on his bed.
Above him, the upper bunk belonging to Lee Cheonghyeon was empty after the younger member had already left for school.
Jeho frowned slightly. Normally, Iwol would have woken up from any little sound. He had always been absurdly sensitive to noise. Yet now, nothing.
“Kim Iwol.”
Jeho walked closer, voice firmer this time. “Morning training.”
Still no movement. A strange uneasiness crawled into his chest. Clicking his tongue quietly, Jeho reached down and grabbed Iwol’s shoulder.
The moment his fingers touched exposed skin, he froze.
Hot. Far too hot.
“What the..?”
Instinctively, Jeho pressed the back of his hand against Iwol’s neck this time, eyes widening further at the burning temperature radiating from him.
“Iwol.”
His tone sharpened immediately as he shook him harder. “Wake up.”
A faint breath finally escaped the older boy.
Messy black hair shifted against the pillow before Iwol slowly stirred awake with visible difficulty. His breathing sounded rough, heavy from exhaustion, sweat dampening the collar of his shirt and sticking strands of hair against his forehead.
His eyes opened sluggishly. For a brief second, they looked unfocused.
“…Morning already?”
His voice came out hoarse. Jeho stared at him carefully.
Iwol pushed himself upright anyway, though the movement immediately made him pause.
The room tilted violently. His vision blurred for a split second before stabilizing again. He hid it quickly.
“…Did I oversleep? How about the kids' breakfast?”
“ They already went to school long ago” Choi Jeho replied
Iwol had already stood up from the bed. The moment his feet touched the floor, a wave of nausea rolled through his stomach hard enough to make his knees weaken slightly.
He clenched his jaw. Don’t show it.
The bathroom light flickered softly overhead as both of them stood before the sink mirror together. Jeho fixed his messy hair with damp fingers while Iwol brushed his teeth beside him.
Their reflections stood shoulder to shoulder. But compared to Jeho’s sleepy appearance, Iwol looked terrible.
Pale. Sweating. Eyes dull from fatigue. Even the hand holding the toothbrush trembled faintly near the sink.
Jeho noticed immediately.
“Are you okay?” he asked while adjusting his bangs.
“Your body seemed to be burning up just now.”
Iwol spat the toothpaste quietly before rinsing his mouth.
“I’m perfectly fine.” His voice remained steady.
“If anything,” he continued calmly, “I feel really light on my feet.”
Jeho snorted softly. “You’re not lying?”
“Of course.” Iwol forced a faint smirk at the mirror despite the pounding headache drilling deeper behind his eyes.
“I’m actually excited to go training now.”
Jeho stared at him for another moment. Then sighed.
“Okay then.”
The bathroom door slid open again as Jeho stepped out first, his footsteps fading toward the bedroom. Silence returned immediately afterward. The smile vanished from Iwol’s face.
His hand suddenly slammed against the sink counter hard enough to rattle the toothbrush cup.
“…Hhk—”
The dizziness hit without warning. Violent. The bathroom spun around him as nausea twisted sharply in his stomach. His breathing became uneven instantly, sweat dripping from his jawline while his vision blurred around the edges.
He lowered his head, gripping the sink tighter. His reflection in the mirror looked awful. Sunken eyes. Shaking shoulders. Face flushed unnaturally from fever. For a moment, he simply stared at himself silently.
Then guilt crept in again. Because he lied. Not only to Jeho. To everyone.
The “light feeling” in his legs wasn’t excitement. It was a weakness. His feet barely felt stable underneath him now. Even standing upright took effort.
Another wave of dizziness crashed into him harder than before. Iwol squeezed his eyes shut immediately, breathing shallowly through clenched teeth. Just endure it.
Morning training. Schedules. Practice.
He could survive one more day. He always did. Slowly, he lifted his head again to face the mirror.