Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
KEIRA
I woke to the smell of ginger and honey.
For a moment, I didn't know where I was.
The bed was too soft, the sheets too smooth, the pillow beneath my cheek carrying a scent that made something in my chest purr with contentment.
Then the memories came flooding back — the park, the collapse, Jae-won's arms around me, the choice I'd made.
Stay. Know them. Decide.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through gauze curtains.
The nest room. I was still in their nest room, surrounded by pillows and blankets that smelled like five different alphas, each scent distinct and somehow already familiar.
The bonds pulsed gently in my chest, steadier than they'd been yesterday.
Still incomplete, still aching with that hollow wrongness, but.
.. quieter. Like they'd finally stopped screaming and settled into a patient hum.
"You're awake." Min-jun's voice came from the doorway, soft and warm like his vanilla scent.
He stood with a tray balanced carefully in his hands, his honey-brown hair slightly damp from a recent shower, wearing a soft gray sweater that made him look younger somehow — less like an idol, more like someone's gentle older brother.
His hazel eyes crinkled at the corners as he offered a small smile, the dimples in his cheeks deepening with relief.
"How long was I asleep?" I asked, my voice coming out rough and scratchy from disuse. I pushed myself up against the pillows, wincing at the stiffness in my muscles.
"Almost fourteen hours." Min-jun crossed the room carefully as he answered, setting the tray on the bedside table with precise movements.
His long fingers arranged everything just so — the steaming bowl of juk, the cup of honey tea, the small plate of sliced fruit.
"Your body needed the rest. The soul sickness was. .. severe."
"I feel better," I said, reaching up to touch my forehead where the fever had burned for days. The skin was cool now, normal. "Still tired, but... the fever's gone."
"The scenting helped." Min-jun's cheeks flushed a pretty pink as he spoke, his rose colored bond flickering with something like shyness. He ducked his head, avoiding my gaze, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of the tray cloth. "Jae-won-hyung said you let him... that you agreed to..."
"I did." I reached for the tea as I confirmed it, wrapping my fingers around the warm ceramic and letting the heat seep into my palms. The honey scent rose up to greet me, soothing something raw in my throat. "It helped. He was right about that."
"Good. That's good." Min-jun nodded as he spoke, relief softening the worried lines around his eyes.
He hovered by the bedside, clearly wanting to stay but uncertain if he should, his weight shifting from foot to foot.
His hands twisted together in front of him, restless without something to hold, and I noticed flour dust still clinging to the sleeve of his sweater.
He'd been baking. Even now, even worried, he was still taking care of people in the only way he knew how.
"The others are in the living room." He spoke after a long moment of comfortable silence, the words coming out carefully measured like he'd rehearsed them. "We wanted to give you space to wake up, but... there's something we need to discuss. When you're ready."
"The one-on-one sessions?" I asked, taking a sip of the tea. I'd drifted in and out of consciousness last night, catching fragments of conversation through the cracked door. Jae-won's deep voice laying down rules. The others responding with varying degrees of enthusiasm and anxiety.
"You heard?" Min-jun's eyes widened with surprise, the hazel brightening as his eyebrows shot up toward his hairline.
"Bits and pieces," I admitted, setting the cup down. Words like worthy and earn and her choice, always echoed in my memory.
"We don't have to do it that way." Min-jun spoke quickly now, his words tumbling over each other as he leaned forward, one hand reaching toward me before he caught himself and pulled back. "If you'd prefer something different, we can adjust. Whatever makes you comfortable. Whatever you need."
"Min-jun." I said his name firmly, waiting until he met my eyes.
I could see the earnestness there, the desperate desire to get this right.
His whole body seemed to lean toward me like a flower seeking sunlight, and I felt his bond pulse with anxious hope.
"It's okay. I think... I think it's a good idea, actually.
Getting to know each of you individually before trying to navigate all five at once. "
"Really?" He breathed the word like he was afraid to believe it, the tension in his shoulders easing visibly as my words sank in.
"Really." I nodded and reached for the juk, my stomach growling at the sight of it. "But how does that even work with your schedules? You're in the middle of comeback preparations. You can't all just... stop working."
"We talked about that." Min-jun's expression shifted into something more practical as he settled onto the edge of the bed, some of his nervousness fading now that we were discussing logistics.
"We have practice sessions, recording blocks, a few variety show tapings over the next week.
But we can rotate — whoever isn't with you can cover the group schedules.
The company knows about..." He gestured vaguely between us, his cheeks flushing again.
"About the situation. They're being flexible. "
"The company knows?" I asked, my stomach dropping. Narvi Entertainment. The executives who had assigned me to write SIREN's comeback track. The thought of them knowing about my bonds, my designation, my impending heat — it made my skin crawl.
"Just the basics." Min-jun must have read the panic on my face because he reached out, his hand hovering near mine without quite touching. "Jae-won-hyung handled it. He told them you're... that there's a medical situation. That you'll need time away from work. They're not asking questions."
"My work." The words came out flat as the realization hit me.
I hadn't thought about it — hadn't thought about anything beyond surviving the fever and the bonds.
But I had deadlines. The title track wasn't finished.
I was supposed to be in the studio, not lying in an idol group's nest room wearing borrowed clothes.
"The comeback track. I was supposed to—"
"It's handled." Min-jun cut me off gently, his voice soothing.
"Jin-ho talked to your contact at the company.
Mina? He explained that you're dealing with a health issue and need to step back temporarily.
She didn't push for details." He paused, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Apparently she's been worried about you. "
"Mina?" I asked, thinking about her sharp eyes, the way she'd studied me during our last meeting. She'd probably suspected something was wrong long before I'd admitted it to myself.
"She asked Jin-ho to tell you not to worry about the deadlines.
" Min-jun nodded as he spoke, his dimples showing.
"Said the track can wait until you're healthy.
That she expects you back in the studio eventually — her words were something like 'that girl is too talented to lose to some medical nonsense. '"
I huffed out something that was almost a laugh, warmth spreading through my chest at Mina's characteristic bluntness. "That sounds like her."
"So the company is just... okay with their lyricist disappearing in the middle of a comeback?" I asked after a moment, spooning some of the rice porridge into my mouth. It tasted even better than it smelled — warm and comforting, exactly what my body needed.
"The company is okay with whatever keeps SIREN functional." Min-jun's voice carried a hint of wry amusement as he answered. "Right now, that means making sure our omega is healthy. They'll wait for the lyrics. They don't have a choice."
Our omega. The words sent a complicated flutter through my chest.
"Besides," Min-jun continued, his expression brightening, "the one-on-one arrangement works for scheduling too.
While Hwan is with you tomorrow, the rest of us have a dance practice block.
When Jin-ho has his day, we've got vocal recording.
It keeps things moving while still giving each of us time with you. "
"That's... actually really practical." I admitted, surprised by how much thought they'd put into this. It wasn't just about romance or bonding — they'd figured out how to balance their careers with this new reality. How to make space for me without everything falling apart.
"We're idols." Min-jun shrugged as he said it, but there was pride underneath the casual words. "We've spent years learning how to juggle impossible schedules. This is just... a new variable."
"A new variable." I repeated, huffing out something that was almost a laugh. "That's one way to put it."
"Eat." Min-jun nodded toward the juk with a gentle command in his voice, his caretaker instincts showing through. "You need your strength. The doctor will be here soon."
"Right." I took another bite, chewing slowly. "Min-jun... thank you. For all of this. The food, the explanations, the... everything."
"Of course." He smiled as he said it, warm and genuine, his rose pink bond pulsing with quiet contentment. "That's what pack is for."
We sat in comfortable silence while I finished eating, Min-jun perched on the edge of the bed with an ease that felt almost domestic. When I'd finished most of the juk and all of the fruit, he collected the tray with careful hands.