All I Needed x Michaeng

Part Three

"You shouldn't go to class," Mina tries to tell her but it's no good. Chaeyoung goes to shower and comes out looking a hundred times better than she did. She doesn't give Mina a second glance and grabs her books as she heads out the door.

It makes Mina feel like she's been slapped in the face but she decides to try again when Chaeyoung comes back after her class anyway.

Mina finds her when she comes back to grab a book. Chaeyoung's laid on her bed, obviously trying to grab a nap between classes, but all she can do is cough instead. Her voice is hoarse and her cheeks are red. Mina leans down to check if she's okay and tries not to feel hurt when Chaeyoung rolls away from her.

"It's just a cold," Chaeyoung croaks when Mina ignores her attempts to scare her away and presses the backs of her fingers to Chaeyoung's forehead.

Mina hushes her and holds her head still when she tries to move. "You have a fever. A slight one but a fever nonetheless."

"I'm fine," Chaeyoung coughs, finally shoving her away. "I'm fine. I can look after myself."

There's a bite to her voice that has Mina retreating. She reluctantly heads to class without another word and tries not to worry about her the whole time. Chaeyoung isn't there when she comes back and Nayeon tells her later that she saw her in the library, sharing her germs with everyone else. She hates that it worries her and she doesn't think twice before heading to the dining hall once Nayeon leaves. She gets a cup of soup and asks for some hot water and dry toast to go with it.

Chaeyoung's in a corner all by herself when she gets there, mid-cough as her face looks paler than Mina's ever seen it. She doesn't ask permission or even say hello before she grabs Chaeyoung's bag and finds a packet from the box of Theraflu she watched her put in there this morning. Chaeyoung looks up at her angrily and Mina ignores her as she puts the soup and toast in front of her.

"Eat," she demands as she stirs the Theraflu and places it in front of her. "All of it. Because I can't stop you from going to school, but I can make sure you're at least trying to look after yourself."

Chaeyoung looks up at her and shakes her head. Her jaw quirks and Mina tries to remain steadfast as Chaeyoung looks like she's about to bite her head off.

"You worry about you, Mina," she hisses, breathlessly. "And I'll look after myself."

She gathers her things and stomps away. Mina watches her leave before gathering up the food and tossing it in the trash.

Each night, she listens as Chaeyoung tosses and turns until dawn and struggles to sleep. She listens to her cough and whimper with struggled movements. She listens to her wheeze like her body's about to give in during the short periods of rest she manages to get. She wishes she could do something, wishes she could stop Chaeyoung from being so stubborn, wishes she could make sure she looks after herself.

She wishes that Chaeyoung would just let her in.

//

Chaeyoung thinks she's starting to feel better. She's coughing less and her body doesn't ache as much. Her cold is pretty much gone and she feels relieved because it's been over a week and she never knew someone could be sick so long.

She feels even more relieved that she was still able to manage going to class everyday.

For a while there, she was worried that she'd miss school, that she'd lose participation and attendance points. She was worried that her scholarship would end up in jeopardy and she'd have no idea what she'd do. The last five days have possibly been some of the worst of her life.

"You look better," Mina says as she comes out of the shower. Chaeyoung's packing her books into her bag and breathing easier, purely for the fact that it's Friday and she gets to rest the entire weekend. "When's your last class today?"