A Week Off

"Where am I?" I slowly looked around as the view still seemed so unfamiliar to me.

"You're finally up! Thank goodness!" My manager said before he stood up and ran towards the door to probably call for assistance from the nurses and from the doctors.

As soon as he came back he was with a lot of them.

"How are you feeling JayB-ssi? One of the doctors asked.

"I feel a little bit dizzy." I replied.

He nodded. "Okay. Does your head hurt?"

I shook my head.

He then continued to explain my situation. "That's good. Based on the tests that we conducted, there wasn't any problem. You lost a lot of blood from the severe hemorrhage. By the time you got here, you were already very pale. When we started operating on you, you actually flat lined for almost a minute."

I actually died for almost a minute?

"Thankfully, Chairman Cane came in the operating room and did the impossible. With the help of Dr. Hayashida as well, you were given some medicine that helped your recovery."

So Dom went in the operating room to help. He must have been really too shaken to operate ate first so he couldn't operate right away. He was always like that when it came to his best friend. Even Seiji-hyung intervened by giving me one of his miracle drugs.

It's because of our lives as idols that I often forget that we're actually prodigies in our respective fields. It even surprises me sometimes.

"For now, you'll continue with the treatment. After we do some tests on you today, we can then check and see if you can already be discharged. We still have to check if the stones that hit you gave off any permanent damage." The doctor informed.

I nodded in agreement and processed all the information that the doctor shared. So I nearly died and my friends brought me back to life. I guess this is the 3rd life that I've lived now.

As what the doctor said, the stones were the ones that hit my head. What are the odds to be hit by the stones instead of a book?

Well, at least I didn't die... permanently...

You know what I mean.

I hope everyone isn't too caught up in the situation. I wonder how Ji-Eun is doing. I hope she's not too worried.

"JayB-ssi, I called PD-nim about your situation and have informed him that you're awake. He'll be here later to check on you." The manager said.

"Thank you, manager-nim." I told him.

I then started looking for my phone and wallet.

"Manager-nim, where are my stuff?" I asked.

"I have you're phone and wallet with me." He replied as he gave me back my stuff.

"So… what happened to those people that threw stones at me?" I asked him.

He told me that they were actually spies from a rival company of mine. They came there to actually wait for an opportunity to embarrass ourselves and then attack. According to their statements, they were about to give up but I gave them the opportunity to attack me when I announced my relationship with IU.

It was hard to share this information to the fans since they don't really know that I own multiple trillion dollar corporations. So we had to let the press know that they were saesang fans. They almost got away but Jeong Do got the upper hand and this put them in prison for 7 years. He had to use someone from his law firm in South Korea since many eyes were on this trial.

This ended pretty well, but it still gives off another question.

If they were not saesang fans, then who gave that "special" gift last year?

It's still practically dangerous.

The manager seemed to be restless. It was as if he was still hiding something. But I didn't pry him open. I believe the members would tell me anyway.

"Where are the members, manager-nim and what times is it?" I asked him.

"It's been 5 days since the incident now. Alpha was on break for 3 days after the incident to help with your case. Now, they are in the studio for Weekly Idol to promote the Album. They're about to end so they'll be here in a few hours. It's already 3PM by the way." He replied.

After giving him a smile I handed him some cash so he can buy himself something to eat. I know managers were often neglected because of idols. That's why I'm letting him have a break. The guards are outside my door anyway.

At first, he was hesitant but after persisting, he gave in and accepted the money.

He was about to reach the door but he turned around. "Oh. I almost forgot."

I turn to face him.

"You should call your girlfriend. She's been crying at her concerts every time she sings. There's this song she released early as a single and she sings it in her concert. I believe it's called 'Knees'. She said you wrote it for her that's why she wanted to release it early and sing it because it spoke so much of what she feels right now." The manager said in a sad tone.

Ji-Eun must have suffered a lot…

He then continued to say, "You know… she really cried a lot that day. She watched over you and refused to eat for 2 days. Until PD-nim told her that you would really be sad if you'd see her like that. That's why she continued her world tour despite that."

It broke my heart when I heard my manager tell me these things.

"Do you know where she is right now?" I asked.

He smiled and told me that she was in Singapore right now before he closed the door.

___________

"I'm taking the first flight home after my concert tonight!" She yelled over the phone.

She was probably waiting for me to call her because she immediately picked her phone up as soon as I called her using Kakao Talk. She also frantically asked if it was me calling.

"Ji-Eun-ah, I heard you still had a flight over to Indonesia tomorrow morning for your concert in the evening." I told her.

She was obviously not happy with my response because she groaned. "But I need to see you right now! I mean I don't know if you're really okay or not."

I chuckled at her. "Relax. I'm fine. Okay? So just give your all duriing your concert and stop crying so much."

"C-crying? Me? W-who told you that?" She stuttered as she asked.

"My manager told me. Now, go. I know you're about to go and rehearse. Fighting!" I cheered on.

She didn't respond but then she sighed. "Fine. Take care of yourself. Okay? Don't make me worry like that again. And… thank you for protecting me."

"If I had the chance to do it again, I would do it without any second thoughts." I told her seriously.

"You nearly died JayB-ah…" I could feel her voice breaking.

If only I was there with her, I would have given her a hug to assure her that everything was going to be fine.

I sighed. "Ji-Eun-ah… I'll protect you no matter what. Because I'm your boyfriend. But don't worry. I won't do anything stupid while you're away."

She chuckled at what I said. "So if I come back, you'll start doing stupid things?"

I laughed at her comment. "Hey, I have you to stop me from doing these stupid things."

We both laughed before being silent.

She then said, "I've got to go. I love you, JayB-ah."

I was surprised with what she said. It's the first time I've heard her say that which took me by surprise.

"I said 'I love you.' Don't you love me too?" She said it again.

"No… I mean yes… I-I mean it just caught me off guard." I replied.

"You don't have to say it back. It's just that… after that day, I realized that I didn't get to say it to you. When they were about to pronounce you dead, I regretted it so much. Now that you're here, I want to say it so I wouldn't have any regrets." She said.

I smiled at her response.

She then sighed. "So don't force your-"

"I love you too, Ji-Eun-ah. Thank you for being there for me." I butted in.

"Really?" She asked.

I chuckled. "Why? You don't believe me?"

She started mumbling. "No… I mean yes… I mean…"

"You were just caught off guard?" I asked her.

"Yeah…" she replied.

I shook my head. "So we're finishing each other's sentences now?"

She giggled. "I guess so…"

We were silent for a few seconds before she continued speaking. "Hey JayB-ah?"

"Mm?" I replied.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too, Ji-Eun-ah." I replied.

__________

"Hyung! Are you alive?!" Zee yelled as he entered the room.

Dominic then slapped the back of his head. "Idiot! You're in the hospital! Keep it down!"

"Idiot… Of course he's alive! Besides, how can a dead person answer that question anyway?" Yo Chul said as he brushed pass the two of them.

I chuckled at the sight of these people. "It's good to see you guys too."

"Oh Right! Some people wanted to see you." Matt-hyung said.

I raised my eyebrow in curiosity. "Really? Who?"

Who could possibly want to see me? JYP PD-nim already stopped by earlier to check on me. Ji-Eun is in Singapore right now for her concert and she won't ditch her fans over me. Otherwise, I'd be scolding her for sure.

Then 3 women came in…

Oh crap…

I forgot about them…

"Yuna-ya, Lisa-ya, Joy-ah. What a pleasant surprise!" I said in an awkward tone.

"We'll come back in a few minutes, hyung. You guys need to talk." Zhang said.

The members of Alpha started leaving the room.

This is going to be bad… why did they have to leave?

When all of them left the room, Yuna started talking first, "Oppa, how are you feeling now?"

"I'm good, Yuna-ya. Thanks for asking." I replied.

"Good… so we won't hold back with all the questions then." Lisa said.

They're pretty straightforward today.

I could feel Joy glaring at me. "Ya… Kim Jinbo… When were you going to tell me about, IU-unnie, huh? Some best friend you are."

I gulped. "Joy-ah… it's not that…"

"I heard that you started dating when the VLIVE happened." Lisa butted in.

I could feel cold sweat running down my face. "No, that's no-"

"So is it fun giving women false hopes?" Yuna interjected.

I was in a bad spot right now. "No! Of course not! It's ju-"

The ladies started asking all this questions and I couldn't even answer a single one. It was like a suspect being interrogated by the police itself.

I sighed. "Look here you three. I never gave you false hope."

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" Lisa said as she crossed her arms.

I chuckled. "Lalisa Manoban… I know you're doing this because you're father told you to. And I know who you REALLY like. It's obvious that you're in love with Matt-hyung."

"W-what?! N-no! Of course not! What makes you say that?" She asked

Because in the previous world, older men were you're type. Men who were masculine and was someone who loves to take care of people. Of course, it was obvious in this world too. Plus, Matt-hyung's Thai just like you.

Of course I wouldn't tell her that.

"I just know. Besides, you were stealing glances at him the moment you entered the room." I replied.

"And don't get me started with you Park Sooyoung. We already talked about this. Did your talk with him end that badly?" I asked Joy.

She rubbed her elbow in embarrassment. "Sort of… I'll tell you the details later."

I then turned to Yuna. "Ya! Shin Yuna!"

She jerked a little when she heard me call her name like that.

"You're too young to think about going out on dates. I didn't help you get in as a trainee just to watch you squander away from your destiny to be an idol. Besides, don't pretend you like me because we both know that you like Ze-" I started ranting at her when she suddenly covered my mouth.

"Are you crazy?! He's right outside! He'll hear you!" She whispered yelled at me.

I chuckled after she let go of my mouth. "Now that's settled. Would you guys stop pretending and start being real with yourself?"

They all just stayed there quiet.

"I'm always going to be your friend. In your case Joy-ah, I'm always going to be your best friend. So please… be there for the people you really love. Give yourself a chance. Even if you are still trainees..." I turn to look at Yuna and Lisa before looking over to Joy. "Or a rookie."

After talking for a few minutes, Alpha started coming back in. The ladies then excused themselves since Lisa and Yuna were too shy to be around Zee and Matt-hyung.

These ladies are serious cute when they show different sides of themselves.

"So how are the promotions going?" I asked the members.

They told me that everything went well. Because of our influence as prodigies, they were able to limit the information that would go to the media. As a result, they were able prevent unnecessary information to leak to the press.

They didn't also come as a group in the TV shows but in units or in batches so that they could take turns in watching over me and helping out in the case. Thankfully, the people believed the excuses they've made.

"So what's the plan? When am I coming back?" I asked them as I slowly stood up.

Yo Chul-hyung then grabbed my shoulder and sat me back down. "The plan… is for YOU to lie back down, and rest up while WE continue with the promotions. PD-nim already gave you the week off anyway."

"We'll just handle the rest hyung. Don't worry." Jiwoo said.

"Is that true? Do I really need to stay here?" I turn to ask Dominic.

Dominic flipped through today's lab results. "You can actually leave tonight if you want. But you shouldn't strain yourself."

"Am I allowed to fly to a different country?" I asked.

Matt-hyung then grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it. "Absolutely not, Kim Jinbo!"

Ouch…

That hurts…

I'm a patient here, remember?

"Relax guys. Thanks to Seiji-hyung's medicine, he'll be able to recover completely in 4 hours or so." He said.

They all turn to Seiji-hyung in astonishment.

"Amazing… are you a god or something?" Zee asked.

Seiji-hyung shrugged. "I didn't even know that the serum would work. I just frantically made the it based on the theories I formulated in my mind."

Jiwoo then asked, "Meaning to say… JayB-hyung could have died from that serum?"

He nodded as if it was normal. "Yeah. He could have died."

They then tackled him and tickled him.

"He could have died! Seiji!" Yo Chul screamed while tickling him.

Seiji-hyung said while defending himself. "But he didn't, did he?!"

"That's not the point! The fact is you used him as a guinea pig for your crazy experiments!" Matt-hyung tried to pin his hands.

"He already died anyway! He's alive now!" Seiji-hyung said.

I laughed at them which made them stop and join in laughing as well. We were like that. I know that the serum would work. We actually gave him a part of our blood to study and test on years ago. That serum would only work for us personally. He wasn't able to complete it but I guess the pressure hit him hard which made him test his theories. Thankfully, he used the right theory on the serum to cure me.

"By the way JayB-ah, are you planning what I think you're planning?" Jeong Do who's the smartest and sharpest one finally asked.

The rest of the members turned their attention to me.

I widely smiled at them and said, "Yep… I'm planning to go to Indonesia and surprise Ji-Eun."

_____________

AN: The road is going to be bumpy from here on out. If you've read this volume's description, then you'd know that the team is going to go through a lot this year. So this might be a longer volume compared to the previous one.

Please vote and give this chapter a rating.

Also, continue to write reviews and comments about this story as well. Please and thank you!

Shout out to my Indonesian readers.