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“This hotel is incredible.” Yuna spun in a slow circle in the lobby of the Japanese five star, taking it all in. “I don’t feel famous enough to be here.”
Chaeryeong chuckled, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. “It’s too bad we’re only going to be here for two nights.”
“Two nights in a five star hotel is better than zero,” Yuna reasoned.
They’d arrived in Tokyo late in the evening and stopped to get dinner at a steakhouse first. They were due to wake early the next morning and spend the entire day filming variety shows. Then, they were going to spend the night in Tokyo, film some travel content, and leave the next day.
Busy, like most of their life was, but at the same time- exhilarating.
“I’m so full,” Ryujin complained, a hand on her stomach. “I feel like I could sleep for an entire day.”
“We should all sleep well tonight,” Yeji advised. “We have an early morning tomorrow.” She was also feeling particularly tired. Their manager approached with key cards and handed them out.
“We have two suites booked. One has a queen bed and a single, and the other just has a queen. How do you want to split up?”
“Let’s just grab keys at random,” Yeji suggested. “We’ll keep it simple.” Arrangements didn’t matter much; they would all get together in the larger room to film content later anyway. She was the first to pull a card. “I have room 201.”
“Me too,” Chaeryeong responded.
“Oh, and me.” Lia held up her key. “Unnie, do you want to share the queen bed?”
“That’s fine with me,” Yeji responded, turning to Ryujin and Yuna. “What’s your room number?”
“202; we’ll be right next door.” Ryujin lifted her bag higher up on her shoulder. “Do we need to do anything else before we go to sleep?”
“I don’t think so,” the manager responded. “Just set your alarms and be ready tomorrow morning. I’ll gather you and we can walk to the car together.”
“Sounds like a plan. Thank you.” Yeji grabbed the handle of her suitcase and walked to the elevator, sighing and leaning against the wall. “I’m so tired.”
“We’ll turn the lights off early,” Chaeryeong promised. “The more sleep, the better.”
Lia nodded in agreement, and before long, they were all in pajamas, faces bare, and tucked under warm covers.
Yeji woke to a hand on her shoulder, patting gently. She hummed, pulling her covers up stubbornly. She wasn’t ready to face the world. “Five more minutes.”
“We’re leaving in twenty, and you’ll never let me hear the end of it if I let you sleep in,” Lia responded, pulling the covers back down. “Come on, get dressed and wash up.”
She reached out and grabbed Lia by the waist, chuckling as she squealed. “What if we just stay here and lock the managers out? The Shin sisters can take care of filming for us.”
“I second that,” Chaeryeong responded from where she was tying her shoes, sitting on her single bed.
“I don’t,” Lia shot back, pushing away and pulling the covers fully off of Yeji. She laughed as Yeji yelped and curled into a ball, all of her body heat sapped away in an instant. “I warned you, unnie. I’m going to go make sure the others are awake. If you’re not out of bed by the time I’m back, I’ll drag you out.”
“Ugh, you’re the
worst
,” Yeji complained, throwing a pillow that missed Lia by a mile. She was ruthless, but she was effective. Yeji sat up in bed, pressing a hand to her head. “Whoa.”
“Are you dizzy?”
“I just sat up too quickly,” she assured Charyeong. “Probably a little dehydrated. I’m horrible at drinking water when we travel.”
“Here.” Chaeryeong tossed her bottle onto the bed, and Yeji drank greedily. “Better?”
“Much. Thanks.” She finally stepped out of bed, shivering, and walked to the bathroom to get ready for the day. There was no avoiding it; she needed to leave the comfort of the nice hotel and step into her schedule for the day. She squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush. “Do you know what they ordered for breakfast?”
“No clue. It’ll be catered to our first dressing room, though; I remember that much.”
“Mm, hopefully something good.” She bent over and spat into the basin, looking at her face in the mirror. “Ugh, these eye bags are intense.”
“It’s because you spend all your time looking at your phone instead of sleeping,” Chaeryeong scolded. “Mine are bad, too.” She stepped into the bathroom, digging through her toiletry bag and looking for her eye bag cream. Yeji watched her for a few minutes, toothbrush suspended in midair.
The world went quiet for a moment, and Yeji blinked slowly. Blink, blink, blink.
“Unnie?”
“Hm?” she asked, looking at Chaeryeong’s extended hand. “Oh, thank you.” She grabbed the tube and squeezed some cream onto-
“
Unnie
.” Chaereong caught the cream before it could land on her toothbrush. “This cream was expensive; don’t waste it on your toothbrush.”
“Oh, sorry, I- I don’t know what happened.” She furrowed her eyebrows.
“It’s fine,” she forgave her easily. “You just had an absence; I should’ve given you a little more time. Do you feel better now?”
Yeji nodded, taking the cream from Chaeryeong’s finger and spreading it on her under eyes. “Yeah, thanks.” She glanced at her nightstand where her pill bottles stood, waiting for her to open them. She wiped her hands and walked in that direction, jumping when the door slammed open.
“Unnie, are you out of bed?” Lia asked, squinting at her. “Damn, I was looking forward to pestering you.”
Yeji scoffed, walking towards her and flicking her head softly. “I’m older than you, you know?”
“Mm, sure. Put some real clothes on so we can leave.”
“So pushy.” Yeji stepped into jeans and a sweater, dragging a brush through her hair and grabbing her everyday bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “Finished with time to spare, Lia.”
“Proud of you.” Lia patted her butt, waiting for Chaeryeong before closing and locking the door behind all of them. Ryujin, Yuna, and their manager met them in the hall. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
…
“What should we order for dinner?"
It was nearing seven in the evening, and they were all hungry and eager to start their vlive. Their filming had been exciting and fun for all of them, but they were all ready to relax and chat casually with the fans, even if it meant having more cameras in their face.
“I’m okay with anything.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I’m not picky.”
“Whatever will get here the fastest.”
“Tanghulu?”
“Are we going to eat in our room?” Chaeryeong asked. “If we’re filming there, I need to clean up a little.”
“That’s fine; we just need a spot that won’t give away where we’re staying,” Lia responded.
Thus far in their careers, they’d never accidentally spilled the location of their hotel, and they weren’t planning on starting any time soon. Friends in the industry had gone through similar struggles, accidentally showing a branded notepad or robe and having fans waiting for them in the lobby in only a matter of hours.
“The wall behind the couch is blank, I think,” Chaeryeong responded.
“Sounds perfect,” their manager responded. “I’ll order your food and pick it up from the lobby. When you start your Vlive, I’ll be monitoring from my room, so let me know if you need anything. I’m just right down the hall.”
“Okay, thanks, unnie.”
“Yuna and I are going to freshen up, but we’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so,” Ryujin excused herself, walking towards her room.
Yeji didn’t say anything, quietly following Chaeryeong and Lia to their shared room. She had started feeling sick on the ride home, closing her eyes and trying to relax ahead of their Vlive. She just needed to change clothes and freshen up; it had been a long day of filming. Anybody would feel a bit tired, right?
Once in the room, Lia immediately sat on the bed to relax. Chaeryeong tidied up, and Yeji stepped into the bathroom. Her face was flushed, and her skin was tingling all over. She set her shirt on the counter and turned the faucet on to splash her face. She bent down and cupped the water, but in an instant, her balance was thrown off, and she didn’t get back up.
The world went black.
Knock, knock, knock
“Who is it?” Chaeryeong called out, stretching her back from where she’d been bent over her pile of laundry, folding and organizing her luggage to move it out of the way.
“Who do you think it is?” Yuna called back.
“I’ll be right there!” She folded her last shirt and opened the door, closing it behind them and locking it. “It’s been fifteen minutes already?”
“Mm,” Ryujin confirmed. “You haven’t changed?”
“No, Yeji-unnie’s washing up in the bathroom. Do you know if the food order was put in?”
“Yeah, I ran into manager-unnie earlier, and she said it’ll be here in the next twenty minutes or so. She ordered a feast.”
“Perfect.” Chaeryeong tapped her foot impatiently. “Should I just change out here? Yeji’s taking forever.”
“I need to brush my hair, and my brush is in there.” Lia groaned as she stood, stretching. “I lost track of time on my phone. Unnie, are you almost done in there?”
Yeji didn’t respond, and Lia knocked. “Unnie? I need to come in and brush my hair; are you done?”
Yuna hooked an eyebrow. “Can you hear her?”
“The water’s running,” she responded, knocking again. “Unnie?” There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. “I’m coming in.”
The sight that greeted her was not one that Lia ever wanted to see. Yeji was on her back dressed in a bra and a pair of pants, eyes open but unseeing, nostrils flaring, dried blood crusted around them. Her nose was an unusual shape, and bruises were starting to form under both eyes. The air smelled of urine and vomit. What was most concerning, though, was the rhythmic gurgling sounds coming from her mouth, too soft to be heard over the faucet and through the door.
“Fuck,
Yeji
.” Lia immediately skidded to her knees, pulling Yeji onto her side and patting her back. “Get in here,
now
. Call an ambulance!”
The girls were in there only a second later.
“Oh my god,” Ryujin breathed out, pulling her phone out. “I don’t speak Japanese; I don’t- how do I say ambulance?”
“Figure it out!” Lia called. “Yuna, get her medication. Chaeryeong- hey! Chaeryeong! Grab me a towel.”
They all dispersed, and Lia wiped furiously at Yeji’s mouth. She’d vomited, and it had dried on her face and the tile. Her skin was the color of porcelain, and her lips were the bluest that Lia had ever seen them. Every breath was sporadic and rattled in her chest, wheezing through her throat on the way in and out.
“Unnie, can you hear me?” Yuna asked, setting the medication on the counter. “Unnie?” She pressed her knuckles against Yeji’s sternum to no avail. Every time Lia moved, Yeji’s head lolled uselessly on her limp neck. Yuna tilted her head back to help her airway stay as open as possible.
Chaeryeong stood, wringing her hands by the door, trying to be useful but failing. All of them were. What could they do? All of their knowledge on epilepsy applied to Yeji
during
a seizure. Keeping her on her side, making sure she didn’t hit her head, and giving medication when/if she had a bad episode- they couldn’t do any of that for her.
Yeji groaned, coughing wetly, her hands scrambling for purchase on the tile floor. Her legs moved through the puddle of urine, and she gagged, throwing up more of her lunch.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Lia murmured, turning her over more. “It’s okay, unnie. It’s okay.”
It was decidedly
not
okay.
“Unnie, can you hear me?” Yuna asked, sliding her hand into one of Yeji’s. It was cold. “Squeeze my hand.”
Yeji’s hand twitched once, twice, then a third time. Her arms straightened out in front of her, her legs tensing, and before long, her entire body was stiff as a board. Yuna grabbed the Midazolam spray and stuck it into Yeji’s nostril, pushing the plunger.
“Chaeryeong, are you timing?”
“I’ve got it,” she responded, holding her phone. “Fuck, this is bad.”
Yeji gurgled as saliva and blood ran out of her mouth. “M- ng, g’, h…mm.”
Lia just continued to wipe and hold her until Ryujin returned to the room. “They’re on their way,” she panted. “They didn’t speak Korean, but their English was good enough that I could get the point across. She’s seizing again?”
“It’s been a minute and a half already,” Chaeryeong responded. “Can you grab a change of clothes for her? They’re probably going to cut her out of what she has on once she gets to the hospital.”
“Yeah, I got it.” Ryujin disappeared again.
Yeji slowed, then stilled, face pressed against the tile.
“She’s not breathing,” Lia realized, feeling along her neck. Her pulse was rapid and thready against her figures. “She’s not breathing, oh my god.”
Yuna took the rag from Lia and cleaned her face, holding her chin in her hands and pinching her nose closed, breathing into her mouth forcefully. “Come on, unnie. Take a breath.” She did it again, pulling back when Yeji spluttered against her, startled.
“Mmm,” she groaned, rolling towards Lia, one hand outstretched. Lia caught it, holding tightly. “Mmm- m- hic- I’m…hic- mmm.”
“Talk to me, Yeji. Say something.”
She winced, coughing up more saliva. “-hurts.”
“What hurts?”
Yeji pulled her hand free and palmed along her face and nose, chest still spasming. “Owwww.”
“I think her nose is broken,” Chaeryeong observed, moving her hand away and looking closely at it. There was blood on the edge of the counter where she must’ve hit her face as she fell. “She’s not moving that hand much.” She pointed to Yeji’s left hand with her head. “Does it look normal?”
Lia reached for the hand, pulling back like she was burned when Yeji yelped in pain. Not normal, then.
“Yeji, it’s okay. We’re here. Try to take some deep breaths.” Yeji whined with every breath, obviously in an incredible amount of pain. Before long, she started to tremble again, going unresponsive. “Yeji? Yeji?”
“Where’s the ambulance?” Chaeyeong called to Ryujin. “How long did they say it would take?”
“Any minute now,” Ryujin responded. “I called our manager, too; she’s on the way. I have a bag of clothes and her belongings ready.”
After a few more minutes, there was a knock at the door. Their manager arrived, leading a pair of paramedics inside. “Everybody move out of the way. Let the paramedics help.”
Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna stepped back, but Lia stayed put, still holding Yeji. “This is her second seizure in the last ten minutes,” she informed them. “We found her unresponsive on her back with vomit in her mouth.”
She mimed every word, throwing in Japanese terminology where she could, hoping that the paramedics understood enough to get an idea. She showed them her medical alert bracelet. “She’s epileptic.”
The paramedics immediately drew medication from a vial, plunging the needle into the muscle of her arm and strapping an oxygen mask to her face. Yeji went completely limp and unresponsive, but the condensation inside the mask told them all that she was in fact breathing.
The paramedics quickly lifted her onto the stretcher and stuck stickers all over her chest. The monitor at the foot of the stretcher jumped to life, showing the rhythm of Yeji’s heartbeat. It was almost 140 beats per minute, and her oxygen saturation was hovering around 88%.
“We leaving now,” the paramedic said in broken English. “One passenger?”
“Unnie, you speak the best English, so you should go,” Ryujin said, pushing Lia forward. “We’ll stay here.”
Lia didn’t object. Wasting time was useless. The paramedic spread a blanket over Yeji’s body, pulling it up to her chin, and strapped her in. As they left, Ryujin handed Yeji’s backpack to her.
The ambulance was crowded with three people in the back. Yeji laid in the middle of the back compartment, and Lia sat on her right side. The paramedic worked on the other side, sticking a needle into her arm and hanging a bag of clear fluid.
Yeji’s eyelids fluttered for a few seconds, her hands tensing and relaxing. She stiffened and pulled against the straps as she woke up. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m right here,” she spoke, brushing Yeji’s hair away from her face. “It’s Lia. You had a seizure, and we’re on the way to the hospital, but they’re taking good care of you.”
Yeji got her hand free and pulled at the oxygen mask.
“No, unnie, keep it on.” Lia held her hand, wincing when she whined in pain. She looked at the paramedic, switching to English. “I think her wrist might be broken. Or sprained.”
He nodded, reaching into a compartment for an orange splint and making quick work of wrapping and immobilizing the injury. He gestured to her nose. “Also broken, probably.”
Lia nodded, rubbing Yeji’s bare shoulder and pulling up the blanket. “She’s breathing okay?”
He nodded. “Not good, but not bad. Doesn’t need…tube.” He hooked his finger and put it up to his throat to demonstrate what an intubation tube looked like. “Do not worry. Doctors are good here.”
Lia just nodded.
They’d better be
.
“Hey, how is she?”
Lia looked up to see her manager approaching with a plastic bag and a sweatshirt. They’d allowed Lia to sit in a private waiting room, but they’d flat out refused any contact with Yeji until they’d treated her. So, she’d been sitting alone in a windowless room not much bigger than the back of the ambulance, trying not to think about how lifeless Yeji had looked when they’d closed the door between them.
“They won’t tell me anything. I can’t see her while they’re treating her, but she’s not good, unnie. She had another seizure on the way to the hospital.”
“Poor girl,” she sighed. “Here. I brought you dinner and a sweatshirt.”
She accepted the sweatshirt but set the take-out container on the chair next to her. “I’m not hungry.”
“I expected as much. The others weren’t, either. The food is in your minifridge. Obviously, we canceled Vlive plans and Yeji’s plane ticket. I’ll stay here with her until she’s released, and we’ll fly back together. Another manager will pick you up at the airport.”
“You want us to leave her here?”
“You don’t have an option, unfortunately. Your tickets are already purchased, and you have schedules in Korea.”
“This
sucks
.” Lia wiped her nose, feeling suddenly emotional now that she didn’t have to be strong on her own. “How are the others?”
“Upset and scared. I was hoping you’d have more of an update.”
“You and me both,” Lia grumbled. “They said I’d be allowed to see her as soon as she was stable and they had her in a room. They have a Korean translator here that I’ve been talking to.” She chuckled humorlessly. “She’s a big fan of Itzy, apparently.”
There was a knock on the door before a familiar face entered. “Hello again,” she said, bowing slightly to the manager. “My name is Aeri; I’m one of the nurses assigned to Yeji’s case, and I also help with translation. I have an update for you.”
Finally
.
“Yeji is stable and resting in a room on the neurology floor, epilepsy monitoring unit. You’ll see signs for it in the elevator bay. She has a concussion, a broken nose, and a sprained wrist, and she is at risk for aspiration pneumonia. We’ll keep her here for a few days to monitor her, but she can follow up at her regular doctor in Korea once she’s been cleared for travel.”
“Is she awake?”
“She is. You can go visit her now for a short time, and the doctor will be with you soon to talk about her care plan and answer any questions you might have.”
“Thank you so much,” Lia responded, bowing. “Which way is the elevator bay?” After receiving instructions, she walked quickly with her manager by her side, finding the nurses’ station and asking for Yeji’s room. “Unnie?” she asked quietly. “Are you awake?”
Yeji blinked, smiling softly. “I thought you were avoiding me.” Her voice was hoarse and dry. She was still pale, eyes and nose bruised, face bandaged, arm in a splint. Even in the low light, Lia could tell that she’d never looked more sick.
“Oh, unnie,” she said, sitting next to her. “I’m so sorry.”
Yeji patted her hand. “Not your fault. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Lia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusting the nasal cannula when it came loose. “I brought you some real clothes. It looks like you’ll be staying here for a few days.”
“So I hear,” she croaked out. “...’s okay, Lia. I’m okay.”
Lia wiped her eyes, pulling Yeji’s uninjured arm to her lips and kissing her knuckles. “I’ll tell the others that you’re okay and thinking about them. I can’t- I don’t think I can stay long because of visiting hours, but we’re all going to be missing you until you come back home. We’ll call once a day.”
“You’d better.”
“We will.” Yeji hummed, her eyes closing softly, and her breaths evening out. “Just sleep, unnie. I’ll stay as long as I can.”
“Do you have the cake ready?”
“I still have to light the candles; how far away is she?”
“I don’t know. Last I heard, not far.”
“Why do we need candles? It’s not her birthday.”
“It’s a
celebration
, Chaeryeong. She should blow out a candle.”
“I just don’t understand why-”
“Hello?” All of them froze in place, staring at Yeji standing in the front door, staring at them with love in her eyes. “Are you going to give me a hug or not?”
They all rushed forward and pulled her into the apartment, taking her bags from her and setting them on the dining room table. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now that I’m home,” she responded, smiling. “Seriously, my head’s not hurting near as bad, and my wrist should be good to go in a week or so.”
“And your nose?”
“They reset the break early enough that I won’t need reconstructive surgery, so that’s good.”
“Oh, thank god, unnie,” Yuna pulled her in for a second hug. “I really like your nose the way it is.”
“Thank you, Yuna.” She smiled, looking at the cake. “No candles?”
“I told you we need candles,” Ryujin hissed.
“I can eat cake without candles,” Yeji assured them. “I do, however, want to sit down. I’ve been traveling all day.” She walked to the couch and took a seat, patting the cushions next to them. “Thank you for your help. I’m sorry I couldn’t be here these last couple days, but I appreciated your messages.”
“We’re just glad you were getting some rest. When do you think you’ll be back to work?”
“In a week or so,” Yeji responded. “The main worry is the concussion, so I’ll need to take it relatively easy. Second concern is the bruising from the broken nose, but that’ll go away pretty quickly, too. All things considered, I got really lucky.”
“
That
was lucky?”
“Mhm. When I was little, I had to be intubated, and I had aspiration pneumonia so bad that I was in the hospital for a month.”
“Oh my god.”
“Let’s hope that never happens again.”
“I can’t imagine how you felt.”
Yeji nodded. “I don’t remember much of what happened in that bathroom, but from what our manager told me, it was pretty scary. Normally I can feel a seizure coming on with at least a
little
warning, but it was just- it was so sudden. I would’ve told one of you or at least laid down.”
“It’s okay, unnie. We know you can’t always predict them. We’re just glad you're okay.”
She nodded. “Thank you. Really, thank you. I’m so glad to be back with you.”
“Now you need to rest so you can stay with us for a long time,” Lia instructed. “But first, try this cake. We bought it from your favorite bakery.”
She smiled, cutting it with her fork. “Don’t mind if I do.”