The long days were a constant for dream- all idols, really. There wasn’t much to complain about and not a whole lot more to be thankful for. It was just a work day.
Jaemin often worried himself with the thought of getting burned out in the peak of his success. When he was a trainee, he would dream of being the best- of being a name that every Korean knew by heart. And- as much as he hated to sound cocky- he was beginning to think that he was there. And if his dream was accomplished, what else motivated him?
Haechan groaned, pulling him out of his contemplative thoughts. “It’s been a long day.”
Jisung nodded, hands stuffed in his pockets. “Once we get home, we should order in.”
“Well I doubt Renjun, Jeno, or Chenle have managed to cook anything,” Haechan laughed. “I’m all for ordering in. Hell, I’ll even pay.”
Jaemin’s stomach growled at the thought of some greasy fried chicken smothered in sweet and spicy sauce. It had been a little while since his snack, and he knew that he’d be just about due for a meal by the time he would arrive home- five minutes. It was perfect timing. “Can we get chicken?”
“We’ll get everything,” Haechan assured him, stepping into the open elevator and pressing the button for the ground floor. “We’re going to walk home today, so make sure to wear masks.”
“Where’s the car?” Jaemin asked, frowning. He didn’t mind walking; he enjoyed it, really, but the walk would add about two minutes to the normal travel time of three minutes. Every second that he stayed on his feet and away from a meal and a bed seemed like hours.
“One of the cars needed an oil change, I heard,” Jisung answered, flipping through the phone as the elevator began its descent. They were only eight floors up, so the trip wasn’t as horrible as it could be. After thirty seconds, they were already at the third floor, and because not many staff took the elevator at six in the evening, they didn’t have to stop for anybody.
Jaemin pushed himself off the wall as the elevator reached the second floor and continued downward, very nearly falling on his ass when a loud thunking sound rattled his bones. The elevator stopped moving, the number stuck on two. With wide eyes, he turned to Haechan and Jisung, who were just as confused as he was.
“What was that?”
“Maybe it stopped at 2,” Haechan suggested. “We can take the final staircase down and let the staff know that the elevator’s weird.” Jaemin watched him as he reached for the ‘open door’ button, pressing it once, twice, three times. Nothing happened. Jaemin frowned, pushing forward and clicking the ground floor button, then the second floor, then the third. Nothing was working.
“Great,” Haechan groaned, running a hand through his hair. “None of you freak out, okay? It’s just stuck in place. It won’t fall, and we won’t suffocate in here. Elevators are ventilated.”
“I’m fine,” Jisung assured him. “Obviously I don’t like it, but...I’m just glad Chenle wasn’t here with us.”
“Yeah, Chenle would’ve been a mess,” Jaemin laughed, stuffing his shaking hands in his pockets. He wasn’t afraid- not really; he just wanted to go home. “This fucking sucks.”
“Relax, Jaemin; it’ll be fine. Here-” Haechan pressed the call button, staring pointedly at Jaemin when the secretary’s voice came over the intercom. “Hello,” the sunshine greeted. “I think the elevator’s stuck between the second and ground level. Are the fire department en route?”
“Yes, they’ve already been called,” she assured them. “Who all is in the elevator right now?”
“Haechan, Jisung, and Jaemin,” Haechan informed her. “Nobody’s hurt or anything. We just want out.”
“I don’t blame you, Haechan-ssi,” she chuckled, talking a bit more comfortably now that she knew who the boys were. “Don’t worry too much. You’ll be out quickly.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright, I’ve got to leave you now, but I’ll call the elevator back when there’s any news from the department.”
“Of course. Bye.”
The line went silent, and Haechan immediately squatted and fell back with a sigh, leaning against the wall and pulling out his phone to look up how long it takes for an elevator to be unstuck. “Fifteen minutes to an hour,” he sighed. “Maybe we should call the boys and just have them order food.”
“Please do,” Jisung begged, still standing but leaning his head against the wall. “I don’t think I can wait for food after waiting to get out.”
“So impatient,” Jaemin chastised, knuckles turning white from his grip on the handrails. He didn’t quite know what was happening with him. He’d never been claustrophobic before, but the symptoms were there- sweating, paleness, shallow breaths. He just needed to make it fifteen minutes, and he’d be fine.
“Hello?” Jeno asked over the phone speaker.
“Jeno,” Haechan called. “Small problem- the elevator got jammed at the building, so we’ll be home a little bit late.”
“Oh,” Jeno hummed. “Wait, I’ll let you speak to all of us at once...Here, you’re on speaker. He says they’re stuck in the elevator at the company.”
“Have you called the fire department?” Renjun asked.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. The receptionist called and they’re on their way. Apparently it only takes 15 minutes to an hour, so we’ll just wait it out.”
Renjun laughed. “Just your luck...You should see Chenle; he looks downright mortified.”
“We were just saying that we were glad he wasn’t here,” Jisung laughed.
“Was that Jisung?” Jeno asked. “Who else is there? Any staff?”
“Nope, just me, Jisung, and Jaemin...We were wondering if you’d order in food so that we can get home and eat right away. We’re all starving.”
There was a beat of silence before Renjun spoke up. “Are you all okay, though? Jaemin?”
“Fine,” Jaemin called. “Ready to get out, but I’m fine.”
“Aright, we’ll order some chicken and other stuff. Call us back if you need anything.”
“You’re the best, hyung,” Jisung called out as the ending tone rang out, signifying the end of the call. They all breathed a sigh of boredom and sat in silence to wait for the fire department to pull them from their temporary prison. Time ticked by like molasses; every few minutes, Jaemin checked his phone to see that the time hadn’t changed whatsoever. His mouth was dry, and his body was feeling increasingly weak.
“I need to eat,” he murmured, pushing himself harder up against the wall to remain standing. Black dots swam around his vision “I need food.”
Jisung looked up at the same time as Haechan, immediately taking note of the pale and sweaty state of his face and the white-knuckled grip he had on the handrails. He was hypoglycemic in an elevator, and they were going to be stuck for the foreseeable future.
“Hey, let’s have a seat, Jaemin,” Haechan sprung into action, standing up and lowering him to the ground. “There, you’re alright.”
Jaemin sighed, swallowing thickly and laying his head back against the wall. “How long has it been?”
“About seventeen minutes,” Jisung informed him, tying on his phone. “I’m telling Renjun-hyung to bring some snacks here for when we get out.”
“You don’t have any?” Haechan asked, frowning when the youngest shook his head. “Okay...that’s alright. We’ll get out in just a few more minutes and we can get you a snack before we go to the dorm for dinner.”
Jaemin sighed, rubbing his head. “I don’t feel good, hyung. I think I’ll puke.”
“Just keep your eyes open, Jaemin-ah,” Haechan advised, finding a seat next to him and rubbing his shoulder. “I don’t feel like being covered in your puke today, you hear?” He felt Jaemin’s short exhale, a small laugh without much energy behind it. Still, it was something. “Talk to me; what’s on your mind?”
“Food,” he sighed, letting his eyes fall closed a bit. “I don’t feel good.”
“Well you can’t close your eyes; you know that,” Haechan scolded a bit, patting his shoulder. “Come on, head up.”
Jaemin complied, breathing through his nose and out his mouth, a tactic that he only did when he was just about to-
“Shit!”
“It’s fine; Jaemin, it’s alright,” Haechan assured him as he retched, back arching. His arms were shaking from where he was supporting his weight above a small puddle. “You’re okay; it’s fine.” This whole situation was far from fine, and everybody in the elevator knew it. He pushed him away from the puke and wiped his mouth with a stray napkin from his pocket.
“Hello?”
That voice was from the speaker. He motioned for Jisung to watch Jaemin and keep his eyes open. “Hello? This is Haechan.”
“My name’s Jihyuk. How are you and the others doing there?”
“Not great. One of us- Jaemin- he’s got hypoglycemia, and he really needs to eat.”
“Is he responsive?”
Haechan turned to Jisung, who shrugged. “Only barely. We really need some food in here.”
“There’s a guy here by the name of Renjun who’s babbling away about a hypoglycemic boy in the elevator. Should we let him through?”
“Yes! Yes, we told him to bring snacks.”
“Understood. We’ll try to get the doors open; expect some loud noises and turn away from the doors until we tell you not to. There might be sparks, so protect yourselves.”
“Go ahead,” Haehchan urged, taking off his jacket and leaving himself in just his shirt. He held it up like a curtain, completely blocking Jaemin’s body from the doors. Just like their rescuer had warned, the noise was horrendously loud- screeching, popping, groaning. If Haechan wasn’t so focused on Jaemin, he would’ve worried about his own mortality.
“We’ve got about a foot and a half of leeway here,” Jihyuk said, voice no longer coming through a crackly speaker. “Go ahead and turn around.”
Haechan followed instructions, sliding his jacket on and inspecting the situation that they were in. There was a gap, just up to Haechan’s knee, where he could see the ground floor and a group of firemen staring through at them. Above that was a cinder block wall- the floor and ceiling. Even higher was another gap of just about two inches- the second floor. Fireproof boots squeaked around up there as well, but only one pair.
“What now?” Haechan asked, getting onto his stomach to look down at Jihyuk. “Is Renjun there?”
“Here!” Renjun’s voice called. “They won’t let me close.”
“It’s too dangerous. But he does have food, and if you need the sick boy out, we can do that.”
“Through the gap?” Haechan asked. “Isn’t it a bit dangerous?”
“More dangerous than leaving him in there? He needs medical attention, and we’re first responders.”
“Will he fit?”
“If we slide him through on his back, yes. He’ll fit. We’ll reach out and pull him through, making sure he doesn’t fall the whole way down...Don’t worry, Haechan, we’ve got him.”
“And Renjun can give him snacks?”
“As soon as he’s out.”
Haechan stood up, turning to Jisung. “You got all that?” The youngest nodded, helping Jaemin move around the puke and towards the opening. “Jaemin, we’re going to get you out right now, okay? Renjun’s on the other side with snacks, so don’t worry.”
Jaemin made eye contact with him, blinking slowly and licking his lips. “Wha?”
“You’re going to get out,” Jisung said louder. “We’re going to push you to the firemen, and they’re going to catch you.”
Jaemin coughed, wincing and groaning. “I don’t...wha’?”
“Let’s just do it; come on. He can’t follow us.” Haechan kneeled at the gap. “Ready?”
“Ready down here!” Jihyuk called.
Jaemin was light with both Jisung and Haechan maneuvering him to where his feet stuck out of the hole. Gloved hands clamped onto his ankles from the other side, pulling him much too quickly for Haechan’s liking. He very nearly smacked his head coming out of it, but Jisung caught it in time, sticking his hands out for a smoother transfer to the firemen.
“You got him?” Haechan poked his head out, watching the men carry him over to a frantic Renjun, who was armed with juice and watermelon in a plastic container. Once the other member had Jaemin in his arms, Haechan’s mind stopped reeling, and he let himself fully feel the effects of the situation.
“Oh my god,” he sighed, going back into the elevator and helping Jisung stick his legs out. “This is such a mess; oh my god.”
“Hyung, you got him out,” Jisung assured him. “You saved him; you did well.”
“What if it had taken an hour?” Haechan asked, begging his racing heart to calm. “What if he had seized in here?”
“He didn’t.” Jisung held his hand. “And in five minutes, we’ll both be out and on our way home, okay? Just do what I do.” He wiggled himself down like he was going out of a slide, getting over half of his body out and letting the firemen take him the rest of the way down. Once he had his feet on the ground, he waved on Haechan, encouraging him.
The elder did the same, stomach flipping wildly when the support of the elevator was replaced with only the steady hands of the brave firemen. Finally, finally, his feet were on solid ground. He kneeled, pressed his forehead to the ground, and promptly threw up, waving off a medic who wanted to check him over.
He just needed to see Jaemin. “Jaemin? Are you alright?”
“He’s on his second one,” Renjun told him, sitting back and watching Jaemin drinking juice, holding the box with his own hand. The watermelon was sitting on his lap, open and ready to eat. “He hasn’t eaten yet, though. It may be a bit too much.”
“Jaemin, eat a little bit,” Haechan pressed, putting a piece of sticky fruit in his hand. “I didn’t do all that just to have you refuse it, did I?” Jaemin hummed, slurping on the drink and clumsily raising the fruit to his lips.
“He doesn’t need a hospital, does he?” Jisung asked. Both of them looked up, shaking their heads at the maknae and letting him relay the message to the paramedic asking him questions. Jaemin hated hospitals. They made it a point to only make him go if he was in serious danger of seizing or had already fainted.
“Ready to go?” Haechan asked after he’d had a few more pieces.
“Yeah,” Jaemin sighed. “Don’t wanna...walk.”
“I drove.”
Both heads shot to him in surprise. “You...what?” Haechan asked.
“It’s not illegal if the cops don’t catch you.” He winced when he realized that a police officer glanced his way. “And besides,” he lowered his voice. “I wasn’t just gonna walk here when you needed help. That’s stupid.”
“You’re stupid,” Jaemin sighed, pressing a hand to his head. “But I have a headache-”
“I’m not surprised.”
“-so thank you,” he mumbled, chewing the watermelon and swallowing. “For driving.”
“No problem. Let’s get out of here before the front doors slam shut and trap us in.”
“Don’t even temp them,” Haechan scolded, helping Jaemin up and pulling Jisung along. “The way this day has gone, I wouldn’t be surprised.” He opened the door for the two younger boys, smushing Jaemin in the middle with Renjun taking the driver’s seat. As illegal as it was, Renjun wasn’t actually a bad driver, and by some miracle, they made it to the dorm without harm or legal trouble.
“If you try that again, I’ll tell…” Haechan trailed off, thinking of somebody who could scare Renjun. He wasn’t easily spooked.
“Mark? Taeyong? They quiver before me.”
“We’ll tell Kun,” Jaemin threatened, pushing past with Jisung and entering the room with the wonderful chicken aroma. Renjun stood, pale and shaky at the thought. Kun would hand him his head on a stake if he’d ever learned what he did.
Once inside, Jaemin dismissed and assured the worried members, focusing mainly on filling his stomach properly with the array of wonderful dishes before him. All things considered, dinner was a painless experience. Before long, everybody was getting ready for bed. Haechan ducked into Jaemin’s room, knocking lightly on the wood.
“I’m fine, Haechan,” Jaemin said automatically, chewing his apple. “Thank you for helping me, but I’m fine now.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Are you like...really sure? I’ve heard of people having episodes in their sleep and nobody knows. Did you know that people can have seizures from low blood sugar in their sleep?”
“Hence the apple.” Jaemin lifted the fruit. “Really, I’m okay now. It was bad, but I’m feeling much better. I’ll make sure to start keeping snacks in my bag as well as in rooms.”
“Yeah,” Haechan sighed. “I think all of us should take note.”
Jaemin hummed, sighing when Haechan didn’t leave. “Do you want to sleep in here tonight?”
Haechan jumped at the open invitation. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Come here, you big sap.” He held the covers for Haechan and let the sunshine throw an arm over his stomach, sighing contentedly.
“I’m happy you’re okay. You scared the shit out of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Mmm, not your fault, man. Stupid elevator. I’m taking the stairs from now on.”
“Go to sleep,” Jaemin grumbled, flipping off the lamp and snuggling deeper into the soft surface. “Or I’ll kick you to the floor.”
“Goodnight, Jaemin.”
“Goodnight, Haechan...I really appreciate you being there for me today.”
“If you puke near me again, I’ll whack you one. Now go to sleep.”
Jaemin couldn’t argue with that. With a full stomach and full arms, he dozed off, happy and content. He much preferred a bedfull of Haechan than a bedfull of tubes and wires. He held on just a little bit tighter.
“Thank you.”