Camp Heartbroken | TXT Novella

Chapter 32 - Huening Kai

Sesame curls up against Huening Kai's chest. The gesture is familiar, but something is wrong. Over the past two days, the kitten has been losing energy over every passing hour. Mucus gathers in the corner of his eyes, and now when he meows, the sound comes out in a miserable rasp. In the middle of night, he's hard to see, but the limpness of his posture is enough to spark worry.

It's enough for Kai to recall Curly. His first cat, the one he loved throughout his entire childhood, didn't get sick, exactly. He just grew too old, too quickly for Kai's liking. Kai was the one to find the orange puffball curled up in the corner of his bedroom, his chest no longer rising and falling.

The past week was filled with so many rehearsals, dance practices, and recording sessions, that he didn't even have the time to pay attention to his new family member becoming weaker. I can't let this happen again. This time, I can actually do something.

So he carries Sesame against his chest, doing his best to ignore the thrashing of protest. He taps Yeonjun's shoulder, and the older boy wakes up immediately. "What is it?"

Huening Kai probably speaks too quickly. But he can't help himself when one of his own is involved. He quickly recaps all the symptoms he's noticed of Sesame, then asks in his sweetest voice, "Can we please head over to the twenty-four hour pet emergency?"

Yeonjun gets up with a groan, but he doesn't complain while driving down St. Louis Heights and taking directions from the monotonous voice of his phone. "Sesame is important to me too," Yeonjun says. "You didn't have to be shy when asking me."

Kai sighs, coddling Sesame by placing him within his jacket, close to his stomach. "It's not that. I knew you would help me. It's just hard for me to accept that Sesame can pass away, so I get choked up when talking about it."

The eldest member is quiet until turning into the Veterinary Emergency Center. "You know, Huening, Sesame won't live forever."

Huening Kai takes the news with a icy grip over his heart. He didn't think the truth would hurt so much. He tries to voice the words I know, but all that comes out is a miserable sob.

Yeonjun reaches over, gripping Kai's shoulder while shutting off the R&B radio. All that's left is a emptiness carried within the fluorescent lights of the parking structure. "Look at me, the story doesn't finish there."

With a heavy ache in his chest, Kai forces himself to meet the gaze of his teammate's. "Then where should the story end?"

"The thing is," Yeonjun says, his voice lowering—no cheesy puns or dad jokes to be found. "You just have to keep doing what you're doing. You love Sesame and would do everything for him, which is good. It means your heart is still pure.

"But don't put your whole identity in what you can't control. You can't control whether your pet will live or die. All you can do is make sure you show all the love while you can. I can tell that you did so with Curly, so you should have no regrets there. I want you to do the same with Sesame, but this time knowing that even if your cat leaves someday, you'll be okay. You have your own, strong heart to keep you going."

Huening Kai reflects on Yeonjun's words as the vet prescribes Sesame with a simple antibiotic. With instructions on how to administer it, along with assurance that his kitten will recover in no time, he heads back to Yeonjun with relief. But above all, he carries a certainty that he gave the best life he possible could to Curly. He promises himself to do the same for Sesame, but to be a little more guarded on what he'll allow to break his heart.

Yeonjun plays a few of their demos on the way back, while the sun begins to rise and illuminate Honolulu with a milky cast. Huening Kai is encouraged by his own voice and his teammates', singing about the pain of growing up, a pet-like relationship, and the choice to carry good memories even through missing someone horribly.

After leaving Sesame in his bedroom, Kai heads down to the music room, where a few last minute vocals need to be finalized with DJ Gee. While preparing to do a group recording, the room is heavy with worry. It shows in the form of voice cracks, forgetting lyrics, and misplaced harmonies. By an hour's time, the team looks as if they've been through the most challenging trial of their entire camp experience.

Soobin regards his team, while they sit with their water bottles for a five minute break. "I know that I'm the leader, and I'm supposed to be strong. But does anyone else feel hopeless?"

Kai answers without much thought, but he follows the instinct of his heart. "Don't answer that, guys! Don't make me bring down another four plushies."

Beomgyu laughs the loudest. "Count it on Huening to cheer us up. This time I think I'd like a chipmunk or polar bear."

The other teammates put in their requests, and Kai makes a mental note to buy the plushies at his next visit to the mall. "Now," he says, trying to calm down the team. "Are we gonna keep going? We're almost done with the album, and debut is literally staring us right in the face!"

Yeonjun nods. "It's been a rough week. But let's keep going."

"Agreed," Taehyun says, putting all his resolve into a single word.

Beomgyu stands from his seat, headbanging a few times. "If Huening Kai can do it, so can I."

Soobin is the last to respond. He's taken the past few rehearsals the hardest, and Kai wasn't oblivious to how lost and frustrated his leader looked during their last practice at the Blaisdell. But now, all the doubt has been replaced with a shining energy. Kai hopes it will last long enough to power them through the start of their careers.

"TOMORROW X TOGETHER will keep fighting!" Soobin shouts. The boys follow suit with enough clapping and cheering to power a concert hall.

Just as their excitement fizzles out, Mike Kuang enters the music room with a stern look on his face. "Guys, we have a last minute event to prepare for."

A/N: Thank you for reading and supporting!