cold | junhao

二十三

It's odd how airports are always so busy that you can hardly tell whether it's day or night. 

As Jun sprints through the maze of white walls and robotic voices, the only thing giving him any grip on reality is the pounding of his chest and erratic breathing. Unlike everyone else bustling around him, Jun isn't towing a suitcase behind him or slinging bags over his shoulder. It's just him, with a coat wrapped around him and his passport clutched tight in his fist. He didn't have time to pack.

After the call with Wonwoo abruptly ended, Jun knew he wouldn't be able to wait another day to get back on the plane. What was he supposed to do? 'I need to fly back to Korea tonight', he'd typed out the message to Park with shaking hands, 'a family member is in hospital'. 

Minutes later Park replied, his frustration obvious even through a text message. He told Jun that however bad it was, it could wait for another day or two. 

"There's no way I'm waiting. He can suck my dick if he expects me to." He muttered under his breath, glaring at his manager walking back to the van as Renjun stifles a laugh.

As soon as they reached the hotel - Jun and Renjun acting like nothing was wrong - Renjun had helped Jun book a flight back to Korea. They were frantic and clearly desperate, and Yuqi and Yeji had noticed something was off as soon as they'd climbed into the back of the van. Only when Jun made them vow to cover for him did they find out what was going on. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yeji hissed as they sprinted through the hotel corridors.

"It's not!" Yuqi whispered back.

Jun shook his head, "But we're doing it anyway."

The three of them shoved Jun into a taxi and paid for him to reach the airport. They barely stayed outside long enough to see him off, aware of the staff possibly seeing them. "Come on," Yuqi called. "He'll be fine, the best we can do is help him." She beckoned Yeji and Renjun behind her, leading them back into the hotel.

Now, Jun sprints through the airport, reaching the gate seconds before the door shut. "I didn't miss the flight, did I?" he pants, and the man in front of him shakes his head.

"No, you're just in time," he smiles, quickly checking Jun's boarding pass before allowing him on to the skybridge.

Jun sighs in relief when he drops into his chair, immediately reclining back and closing his eyes. Thankfully, the lights are dim enough that it doesn't pain his eyes as they grow heavier with sleep. Rubbing at them, Jun takes a deep breath - as tired as he is, his mind is on a rampage, stopping him from relaxing enough to even have a chance at sleeping. He denies a drink when offered one, and instead curls up with a blanket thrown over him, phone held tightly right in front of his face.

Wonwoo
Minghao's not in great shape
but he's alive
it was his allergy
someone found him up by that cliff on the other side of the harbour

Jun turns his phone off. 

Overhead, the pilot's voice appears over the radio, running through safety precautions as an attendant at the front demonstrates his words. Jun tries to pay attention as much as he can, but his focus drifts elsewhere soon enough.

Is this my fault? he asks himself. What happened?

His fingers tap against the armrest impatiently, and all Jun can do it wait for the flight to end when he's back in Korea and on his way to the hospital.

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a/n: gcses got cancelled hehe ngl I'm so relieved 
but I still have to do my controlled assessment for computer science :/