Chapter 4
- Wake up K-pop @ththrtkdlfgo
[https://www.djWjrn.wjWjrn… Article – Sparkle leader Jin, carried to hospital on manager’s back… Isn’t Sparkle’s leader the one who was discharged from military recently??? What’s going on??]
(Retweets 1025 Quotes 85 Likes 30)
- Jin Mommy fan who’s obsessed with sons @cpzlfkdnt
[(Photo attached)
What is this article…? Is that really Jin being carried away??]
(Retweets 5025 Quotes 1982 Likes 56)
└ Reply to @cpzlfkdnt
Looking at Minhun next to him, it seems to be him… Oh my… What is this?? What happened to our Jin???ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Reply to @cpzlfkdnt
You can see the teddy bear sleep pants under the padded jacket… These are Jin’s favorite pajamas…
└ Reply to @cpzlfkdnt
If you look at other photos, he seems to be carried completely unconscious… What on earth happened?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Jin!ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Reply to @cpzlfkdnt
I was worried because he hasn’t sent any bubbles for days… What is this… QPG do your job quickly… My hands are trembling now…
- Dongdongjoo @anjfkTmwl
[(Video attached)
After Dongdong and KimK’s Japan live broadcast, they were doing a W Live when they heard something from their manager and abruptly ended it… It seems like something really happened to Jin…]
(Retweets 6025 Quotes 2082 Likes 103)
└ Reply to @anjfkTmwl
If you turn up the volume to maximum, you can faintly hear the manager mentioning Jin
└ Reply to @anjfkTmwl
What is QPG doing? Not at work? Not doing your job? Eating? Playing? Sleeping???
└ Reply to @anjfkTmwl
Come to think of it, hasn’t Yoon Jin seemed to be in poor condition ever since he was discharged from the military…? Was something really wrong??
* * *
Minhun, who had hurriedly brought packaged porridge, was confused by Junyoung’s sudden presence at the dormitory. More precisely, he was overcome with anxiety because he didn’t know how Junyoung, who clearly wouldn’t know Yoon Jin’s exact condition, would act.
Sure enough, seeing Yoon Jin’s confused state, Minhun quickly pulled Junyoung into another room. Since the dormitory was originally meant for five people, there were many empty rooms.
“Hyung! You didn’t say you were coming on leave today!”
“I did tell you! I said I was going to have dinner with Jin hyung.”
“…Did you?”
It seemed like he might have mentioned it in the group chat. Minhun thought carefully, but his memory was just a blur. Their group chat mostly functioned because of Yoon Jin, so he was always at the center of the conversations.
“So what happened? I heard Jin hyung collapsed.”
Junyoung, who had called Yoon Jin as soon as he came out, learned about his condition through the manager when Yoon Jin kept not answering. Not only that, suddenly ‘Sparkle’ and ‘Yoon Jin’ started trending in real-time searches, with an article featuring a huge photo of him being carried to the hospital.
“The manager hyung was too busy trying to block the articles to explain properly. Is it serious? Is it a big deal?”
“…It’s not serious, but it is a big deal.”
“What does that mean?”
Under Junyoung’s urging, Minhun sighed heavily and carefully explained what he had heard at the hospital. The sudden confusion of memories, loss. Even the judgment that there was no particular treatment because it was caused by psychological shock rather than illness or injury. Junyoung’s expression hardened exactly like Minhun’s had earlier.
“How can that, be possible…?”
“I don’t know either… It happened so suddenly…”
“No, should he already be discharged when he collapsed in the first place? Why is he at the dormitory!”
As Junyoung’s voice grew louder, Minhun gestured for him to calm down. Glancing toward the door, Junyoung noticed the implication that Yoon Jin might hear and lowered his voice.
“Jin hyung wanted to be discharged quickly, so there was no choice… He seemed more confused at the hospital. The doctor also said that being in a familiar place could provide psychological stability.”
“But still… Did the manager hyung agree to this too?”
“What could Sanggu hyung do? You’ve probably seen the articles too.”
They hadn’t properly concealed their appearance in their rush to get to the hospital. Although Sanggu had immediately contacted the agency, photos of Yoon Jin being carried to the hospital by his manager were already circulating on the internet. Even if the agency blocked the articles, they couldn’t do anything about pictures taken by passersby or people at the hospital.
“They probably said to discharge him quickly because it would be hard to manage if he stayed at the hospital for long.”
During the time he went to buy porridge, Minhun had also checked the circulating posts. Yoon Jin had been discharged from the military 4 months ago, and there were many posts connecting his current collapse to the military, creating false rumors.
At this rate, petitions requesting investigations into whether Yoon Jin’s military service was safe or how the agency treated him would probably appear soon. It was a common occurrence for idols but also a hassle for agencies to deal with.
“So! …What, are you planning to do? He’s not going to do schedules in that state, right?”
“We haven’t really talked about that yet… For now, we’ve agreed to go for regular check-ups.”
“…”
“They say it’s hard to guess which parts of his memory are damaged, so it might return with just a slight sense of déjà vu, or it might not.”
“Then, does he perhaps not know that I’m in the military right now?”
“Judging from his reaction earlier, probably…”
Both of them closed their mouths at the same time. A feeling like something had collapsed created a wave in their chests. Having been together as a group for 7 years, Yoon Jin was like family to them. More precisely, he might have been even more dear than family.
The leader who had taken care of them since they were little kids who didn’t know anything, never showing how hard it was for him. The hyung who worked to make them shine more than himself. If Yoon Jin hadn’t existed, could this group have come this far? The members’ answer was ‘NO.’
“Anyway, Jin hyung needs to eat the porridge and take his medicine, so let’s go out. He’ll worry if we stay here too long.”
“It’s not worry for himself, but worry for us.”
Yoon Jin was someone who worried more about others being sick than himself being sick. Since it was clear that he would worry about them worrying about him even though he was the one who was sick, Junyoung sighed.
“Before we go out, tell me what to be careful about. My leave is only for one day and two nights… but I should know.”
“They said to be careful not to cause any sudden shock or stress. Making him mentally comfortable is the best thing.”
“We’re screwed.”
Where was there a way for an idol to be mentally comfortable? Even if they retired, they remained the subject of attention for years. Junyoung shook his head and opened the door first. Although his discharge wasn’t far off, the fact that he had to return to his unit tomorrow, leaving the sick Yoon Jin alone like this, made his chest feel tight.
Yoon Jin was sitting on the sofa, blankly fiddling with his phone. Seeing this, Minhun quickly picked up the porridge he had put down on the floor and approached him.
“Hyung, are you hungry? I bought your favorite for now, but tell me if you want something else.”
Yoon Jin alternately looked at Minhun setting up the porridge on the table and Junyoung standing a little behind him, then slightly opened his mouth as if contemplating something before closing it. After finishing the setup and putting a disposable spoon in Yoon Jin’s hand, Minhun questioned his lack of response.
“Hyung?”
“I’m a bit confused, so… can I ask one thing?”
“Sure. Ask anything.”
Minhun nodded vigorously at Yoon Jin, who was asking something for the first time since returning from the hospital. What question would he ask? About the state of Sparkle? Where the other members were? Or questions about himself? Both of them stared intently at Yoon Jin. With a very tense look, he swallowed and said.
“Did I… go to the military…?”
* * *
Yoon Jin leaned against the door of the room Minhun and Junyoung had entered, listening to their conversation. Concealing his presence was all too easy. Despite the up-and-down sounds, Yoon Jin could eavesdrop on their conversation without any problem.
The information he could gather from the conversation was that it was true Junyoung had enlisted and had come out on leave today to have dinner with Yoon Jin. Also, his leave was for one day and two nights. Lastly, the two were extremely worried about Yoon Jin.
But that wasn’t what was important to him right now. Come to think of it, idols often postponed their military service until their late twenties.
‘What about me?’
It’s not like military service was actual death, and since the period was fixed, if he had to go, he would go. But as Yoon Jin thought that far, he frowned. The thought of having to take orders from youngsters who had never experienced real war while serving in the military didn’t give him a good feeling.
Yoon Jin had lived for 7 years at the top of the social hierarchy. It was inevitable that while he was accustomed to commanding people, he felt resistance to being commanded.
As it seemed they were about to finish their conversation and come out, Yoon Jin quietly returned to the living room and sat on the sofa.
“Hyung, are you hungry? I bought your favorite for now, but tell me if you want something else.”
Minhun, who had come out of the room, started setting up the porridge he had brought on the table, and Junyoung was looking at Yoon Jin with a very sad expression. Until Minhun put the spoon in his hand, Yoon Jin was lost in thought about whether to ask this or not. He could search for it himself later, but there were limits to what he could learn through the internet.
It was already decided that he would need help from others anyway. This opportunity would be good to act as if he had amnesia and to set the mood for the future.
“I’m a bit confused, so… can I ask one thing?”
“Sure. Ask anything.”
“Did I… go to the military…?”
Yoon Jin asked as pitifully and carefully as possible. He had learned many things during his 7 years of survival, and among them, the most outstanding ability was none other than acting. For someone who had navigated ballrooms without a single stumble despite having an injured ankle, pretending to be wistful was like eating cold soup.
Sure enough, Minhun let out a small exclamation at Yoon Jin’s appearance and lowered his head again. It seemed the sight of someone who didn’t even know if he had served in the military brought on another wave of pity.
‘He really can’t hide his expressions. Will he get scammed somewhere at this rate?’
Minhun was currently twenty-five years old. Of course, it wasn’t a very old age for an adult, but to Yoon Jin, whose common sense had been twisted a bit, he looked too young for his age. Somehow understanding Yoon Jin’s expression, who was having strange worries, Junyoung came and sat down next to him.
“Hyung, you were discharged 4 months ago~ I still have 4 months left~”
“Ah… right…”
Yoon Jin opened his eyes wide as if a bit surprised, then scratched his neck and smiled awkwardly. Of course, it was an act. Needless to say, inside he was cheering.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
