Chapter Text
Sunoo looked in the mirror and sighed as he applied a bit of makeup under his eyes, hoping it would make his face seem less miserable. He left the bathroom, hearing the voices of others, and sat at the kitchen table. Grabbing the food meant for him, he started eating; miraculously, they were home for lunch. Despite Sunoo always feeling sleepier when he went home.
"Sunoo?" he heard and looked up to see Sunghoon staring at him. "Are you sleeping well?" he asked with that occasional look of concern, usually directed at Kim.
"Yeah, a bit, some nights yes, others no..." Sunoo shrugged, taking a spoonful of food into his mouth.
"Have you talked to the psychologist?"
"No, she'll say it's anxiety, and probably it is, but I don't want to take medication. Last time, it didn't go well," he replied, looking at Sunghoon, who pouted. He tried to think of something that would help Sunoo, but he couldn't come up with anything. "It's okay, hyung," Sunoo smiled at him.
"It's not okay, Sun. You haven't been sleeping well for days," he pointed out, scratching his hair. At this moment, Jungwon sat at the table and heard the last sentence.
"Sunoo hyung, is the insomnia back?"
"Yeah, it's back," he confirmed, sighing, and Jungwon held his gaze for a few seconds. "But I'll figure it out; everything will be okay," he reassured in his tone. "Don't worry." He finished his lunch and left the table.
In reality, Sunoo had no control over anything that was happening. His sleep was terrible, and he wasn't sure if it was just stress or something else. He just wanted his mind to shut off for a few minutes because even though he didn't have many thoughts, it kept him awake, and it was already getting on his nerves.
Sunoo kept pondering these things until he realized he was in the car, heading to his afternoon activity. He looked at the street; they were on a less crowded, larger road, heading to a more remote studio. Sunoo saw the trees, and then everything quickly went dark.
Sunoo didn't know what had happened; he opened his eyes slowly and felt his entire body ache. He felt something running down his legs and his face. He heard voices and sensed flashes near his eyes. Everything hurt, and he couldn't open his eyes; it felt distant, like a dream. He was so sleepy; he wanted to sleep and make the pain go away.
"Sunoo? Sunoo, are you okay?" he heard and forced himself to open his eyes, startled by the sudden awakening. He felt his vision improve, and his hearing returned to normal. Everything in him hurt.
"What happened?" he asked, feeling a metallic taste in his mouth.
"Sunoo, look at me," the person requested, and he soon felt a bright light directed at his eyes, almost causing him to close them. "Sunoo, what day is it today?" he was utterly confused, unable to understand what was happening.
"August 23, 2024," he replied, and the person returned to his vision. He realized it was a woman; her hair was tied in a ponytail, her eyes were somewhat alarmed, and her clothes had red stains. "What happened?" he asked again, feeling his head heavy.
"You're in an ambulance going to the hospital. You were in a car accident," she said, and Sunoo observed her eyes, almost a yellowish brown, something different. Then he realized what she was saying, and the pain made sense, the taste in his mouth too.
"Don't let me die," was what Sunoo said after snapping out of her gaze. "Don't let me die; I can't die," he pleaded and begged. She stared at him and responded with a smile, but her features weren't reassuring. "Don't let me die; I don't want to die," Sunoo pleaded, feeling everything hurt more and his body shutting down.
"Sunoo? Sunoo, stay with me!" he heard, but he couldn't respond anymore; he felt everything so out of his orbit. He felt his eyes burn, and with no other form left, he only pleaded again in his mind, "Don't let me die," and everything turned into darkness again. "Damn!" the paramedic said, and soon she felt the vehicle stop, and the ambulance doors opened.
"What do we have?"
"Male, 21 years old, car accident, he was trapped in the wreckage, multiple traumas throughout the body, possible head trauma, perforations in the abdomen, chest, and legs, he lost a lot of blood, we were trying to keep him awake and control the bleeding," she said as they rushed into the hospital, and then the doctors nodded, taking him to the maximum emergency ward.
"I think the kid is someone famous," the other paramedic approached the woman and handed her an ID card. "Look at the names; I found this other card in his bag, along with other IDs." She took them and read what was written.
Hybe Co.
Kim Sunoo - Idol.
Group: ENHYPEN.
Those were the most relevant pieces of information she read, and it made her sigh. He was so young, and given the extent of the injuries, he had little chance of survival. The woman shook her head, feeling the weight of it on her shoulders. The other two people in the car were already lifeless when they arrived: the driver and a man who looked like a security guard. She sighed and handed the ID back to the man, hoping everything would be okay, sincerely wishing for the best.
Some time later, at the other entrance of the hospital, some people rushed through the door until they reached the reception desk. An attendant looked at them.
"Hi, my name is Lee Heeseung, our friend is here; they said he came here," he told the woman. "Kim Sunoo," he added, and the woman nodded. They had already received the protocol for this situation, to deal with media people.
"Come this way," she said, and the people followed her. The six of them were there with two more staff members; everyone had hurried there after the protocol team's call about the accident. "I've already informed that you're here," the woman said, showing a smaller room, and they entered. "One of the doctors will be here to talk to you soon."
"Do you know how he is?" Ni-ki asked, and the woman shook her head.
"Sorry, but the doctor will be here soon," she said, closing the door.
"This can't be happening," Sunghoon said, putting his face in his hands and sighing as he sat on the sofa.
Everyone was completely frightened, especially because they already knew about the two fatalities, which shook them even more. No one had any idea how Sunoo was, but the fact that there were fatalities made them more anxious than ever. A few minutes later, a doctor opened the door, and they stared at him.
"Are you Kim Sunoo's family?" he asked, and they nodded; his mother was still on her way there. "Well, Sunoo arrived here in a very critical condition," he began speaking, seeing everyone's expressions change for the worse. "He has numerous fractures in his body, severe perforations near his heart, stomach, and one in his leg." At that moment, he saw some starting to cry, and that was truly the painful part. "He also suffered brain damage; the impact was very strong. Our team managed to control internal bleeding, and he is currently undergoing head surgery." He concluded.
"But... but does he have any chance of recovering well?" Jungwon asked with tears on his face. It was completely surreal.
"I can't give total certainty; the damages were extensive, but we're doing our best to repair everything," he said, and only the sounds of crying filled the room. "Sunoo is in a very delicate situation, but I promise that my team will do everything we can."
"What could happen?"
"The worst-case scenario is that he won't wake up due to the brain damage, but many people recover well without any lasting effects, and that's what we hope for Sunoo." The doctor said, seeing the other young ones devastated.
It was a massive nightmare, they thought that way. Sunoo was fine before leaving home, a bit sleepy but okay, he was alive. And there, they didn't even have the certainty that he would come back, and they couldn't fully grasp the idea.
The doctor started talking with the two staff members, and the boys sat together on the couch. They didn't know what to say, didn't even look at each other. Everything seemed like a massive joke, and a part of them hoped Sunoo would show up, saying it was a prank, that none of it was real, that he was fine, and they could go home, goof off, eat junk food, and watch movies.
But that wasn't what happened, no matter how much they prayed, to every god they knew, begged, nothing happened.
A week later, Sunoo remained in the ICU. He was already breathing on his own, and his body's injuries were healing. But Sunoo had no timeline for waking up. The damages had been repaired, the brain surgery was a success, but it wasn't an indication that he would wake up.
After three weeks, Jungwon cried with his face in his hands, looking at Sunoo in the hospital bed. The boy seemed to sleep so peacefully, so serenely. He was finally sleeping without his insomnia disturbing his peace. But he could also wake up; he could come back. Jungwon wanted to believe that Kim would return. He was his best friend, one of the most special people in his life, and he just wanted him awake, living his life, being happy.
Jungwon was inconsolable, and someone watched him from afar. They saw the pain in Jungwon's eyes and then saw two others arrive, one taller and one so pale it was almost transparent. They tried to comfort Jungwon but ended up crying with him, holding Sunoo's hand, running their fingers through his hair. Sunoo was undoubtedly loved.
And that was also evident at the hospital entrance, part of which was covered in flowers and messages for the boy from fans and people who admired him, rooting for his return. Not everything that had happened had been disclosed, but people knew it wasn't something simple, considering the silence from the parties representing Kim.
The person watched them, and some time later, they left, inconsolable. A few minutes later, the door to Sunoo's room opened and then closed. The beeping of his heart was heard, and otherwise, there was an enormous silence that wasn't comforting. The person sat beside him, looked outside and in all other directions, not seeing anyone observing the room.
"This might seem like a curse, Sunoo, but I promise you'll adapt," she said and then injected something into his vein. "You'll be okay," she said lastly before injecting something into the IV connected to his arm. "You don't need to thank me, and I promise to not abandon you. I'll be here for you," she said and stayed in the room, watching until his heartbeat stopped completely.