8

chapter 10

Jaehyun was in pain. Not just physically, but mentally as well. His head was pounding and his legs felt weak. He kept telling himself that he needed to focus on staying awake, but even with that in mind, he was struggling to keep his eyes open. He felt like he was trying to swim through quicksand.

"Stop thinking so loud," Jaehyun heard someone say softly.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of his face, causing Jaehyun to blink rapidly and look towards the source of the voice. When he focused on the hand and looked closer, he saw that it was the hand belonging to Mark. Jaehyun could feel his body relaxing when Mark touched him, making him lean forward until he was resting against Mark's chest. He was grateful for that since he really didn't think that he could stand on his own anymore. He closed his eyes briefly and let out a breath before opening them again.

A couple of seconds later, Mark's lips were pressed against his temple. The kiss caused a shiver to run up Jaehyun's spine, which caused Mark to pull away. He moved his face closer to Jaehyun's ear and spoke quietly.

"You can stop worrying, Jaehyun," Mark whispered, causing Jaehyun to jump slightly. "Everything will be fine."

"Thank you," Jaehyun whispered, though he wasn't sure if Mark had heard him. "But, what are you doing here anyway?"

"You were sleeping on your feet. It's cold and raining outside, so I brought you some blankets," Mark replied as he started to walk away.

"Wait!" Jaehyun called out before realizing what he had just done.

"Yes, Jaehyun?" Mark turned around so that he was looking at him.

"Uh, nevermind. Thanks anyway."

"No problem. Just make sure that you drink plenty of fluids so that you can stay healthy."

After saying those words, Mark went off to go find somewhere warmer. With nothing left to do but stare at the wall, Jaehyun slowly laid himself down on his bed. He didn't bother removing his shoes or jacket. Instead, he wrapped his blanket tighter around himself and tried to fall asleep.

Chapter 11

"Are you alright, Jaehyun? You seem a little distracted today," Jaemin mentioned after a while.

Mark looked down at the ground and then back up to Jaemin.

"Sorry. Yeah. I am just a little out of it. I hope I didn't wake you," Mark apologized.

"Don't worry. I was up anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was watching the news. There was another attack last night," Jaemin revealed.

"Oh."

"Are you okay? Did anything happen last night? I mean, I was worried about you. I thought that I'd see you in school today, but..." Jaemin trailed off.

"No, I'm fine. Really. I just slept through most of the day," Mark assured him.

"I guess that makes sense. But if you're feeling tired, just ask someone for help," Jaemin offered.

"I'm fine," Mark repeated.

Jaemin looked at Mark carefully before letting out a sigh.

"Okay, then. Whatever you say."

***

The rest of the day proceeded smoothly and without any incidents. Everyone finished their classes fairly quickly and before long, it was lunchtime. After Mark and Jaemin finished eating and cleaning up their messes in the kitchen, they decided to go sit down in the dining area where all of the members usually sat at lunchtime. Since Jaemin sat next to Mark, he sat across from Donghyuck. Once both Jeno and Renjun finished their food, they placed their plates on the table and left the room for the cafeteria. As soon as they were gone, Donghyuck put his fork on top of his plate and leaned back in his chair.

"