Chapter Text
The stadium’s roaring was finally gone, but Jiwoong still had a loud ringing in his ears. It was a constant reminder of the three straight hours they’d just spent giving it their all on stage. Man, he was wiped out. He slowly lifted himself off the super-soft velvet couch in the waiting room, every part of his body aching. Tokyo was their tenth stop in twelve weeks, and honestly, the endless cycle of performing, practicing, and traveling was starting to break down even the tough guys.
He ran a hand through his damp, sweaty hair, smelling that mix of performance sweat and stage makeup. Beside him, Hanbin, the responsible leader, was already checking notes, though his eyes looked half-closed. The younger members Yujin and Gyuvin were just sprawled out on the floor, not exactly asleep, but definitely not moving.
“Okay, guys, quick drink before we hit the vans,” their manager, Mr. Kang, called out. He rolled in a cart loaded with cold towels and a bunch of sealed electrolyte drinks. “The company says these are approved and delivered fresh. Get some of your minerals back before that long drive home.”
Jiwoong, being the oldest and always trusting the staff, didn't hesitate. The crew was usually on top of things, so he grabbed the closest bottle. The seal was fine, and the pale blue liquid looked just like their usual pricey recovery stuff. He twisted the cap and chugged nearly half of it down.
It tasted kind of weird, metallic almost, under the sweet citrus flavor, but his throat was so dry, he didn't really care. He needed the liquid more than anything. Across the room, Ricky held his bottle, looking at it with a suspicious squint. “This smells a little off, hyung,” Ricky mumbled, giving the bottle a careful sniff.
Jiwoong just shrugged it off. “Must be a different brand, Ricky. They’re probably running low or something. We need this, man, we’ve got an early flight tomorrow.” He finished the rest and tossed the bottle away. It’s fine, he told himself, ignoring the faint, strange aftertaste. It’s just recovery.
The ride back to the high-rise hotel was super quiet. You could practically hear the fatigue rolling off them. Everyone was just trying to save energy. When the van pulled into the garage, even the simple task of walking twenty feet to the elevators felt like scaling a mountain.
They were all squeezed into the elevator, swaying a little. Jiwoong was rooming with Zhang Hao that night. As they stepped out, the soft hallway light suddenly felt too bright, and a huge wave of dizziness crashed over him. This wasn’t just being tired; this was a sudden, sickening drop, like hitting unexpected turbulence. He reached out, his hand slipping awkwardly on the wall just trying to stay up.
“Hyung, are you okay?” Hao immediately asked, stepping close when he saw Jiwoong stumble.
“Yeah, I’m just… really, really done,” Jiwoong mumbled, rubbing his temples, which were pounding. This exhaustion felt way heavier than normal, like his whole system was shutting down. “I think I’ll skip the late-night ramen. I just need to crash.”
He tried to smile, but the effort was too much. The world started spinning violently, like a messed-up merry-go-round. The lights stretched into blinding colors, and his legs just gave out. He couldn't stop the fall.
“Jiwoong-hyung!”
That scream was Yujin's, terrified and piercing. Chaos instantly exploded. Strong arms Hanbin’s and Gunwook’s somehow grabbed him before he hit the ground.
“Get him inside! Call the doctor, now! Taerae, key in!” Hanbin’s voice was sharp and totally panicked.
They somehow managed to drag his heavy body into the room and onto the massive bed. Jiwoong was fading fast; his breathing was shallow, and his heart was hammering away. The guys were absolutely terrified, crowding around him, hands hovering uselessly over his face. Matthew was already on the phone with the front desk, his voice shaking.
The hotel doctor showed up super fast, a guy in wrinkled scrubs who looked like he’d been dragged out of a good meal. He worked quickly, but he seemed completely bored, checking Jiwoong’s pulse, shining a light in his eyes, and giving his chest a quick listen. He looked up at the eight desperate faces surrounding the bed.
“He’s stable,” the doctor announced, snapping his bag shut. “Pulse is fine, vitals are normal. Seriously, with your tour schedule, this is just overwhelming exhaustion. Adrenaline crash. It happens. Get him some water when he wakes up, and let him sleep. He’ll be completely fine by morning, I promise.”
His confident tone was annoying, but the relief was huge. They watched him leave, still not totally convinced. “But it didn't feel like just being tired,” Taerae whispered, still looking worried. Gyuvin just sat staring at Jiwoong, who was motionless on the bed.
Hanbin took control. “Okay. The doctor said he’s fine. Hao, can you just hang out with Matthew tonight? We should let Jiwoong-hyung have this whole room to himself so he can get proper rest.”
Hao nodded, but his gut still twisted. He was the one who'd seen Jiwoong's eyes right before the collapse. It wasn’t just exhaustion; something felt off. He gave Jiwoong's shoulder one last, worried squeeze. His skin felt oddly cool though, before the others filed out, leaving the room dark and quiet.
The next morning, the room was still pitch-black because of the heavy curtains. Zhang Hao, who hadn't slept well, came in early to check on his hyung, carrying a fresh water bottle and some nice snacks. He carefully flipped the light switch.
He stopped dead in his tracks. The small notebook he was holding, which is the one with his new song ideas, slipped out of his hand and hit the carpet with a quiet thump.
The giant bed, where the tall, grown-up Kim Jiwoong had been sleeping just hours ago, was empty.
Instead, a tiny little thing was curled up deep under the thick blankets. The covers absolutely swallowed the figure like a lump swallowed by a sea of fabric. Hao blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. His heart gave a weird, uneven thump.
Where was Jiwoong?
He leaned in, confused. There wasn’t an adult on that bed no broad shoulders, no messy black hair spread over the pillow. Instead, there was a kid. A little boy.
A kid who somehow had the same eyes, the same sharp nose, the same faint frown that Jiwoong always wore when he was half-asleep. The child’s oversized white T-shirt, which is definitely one of Jiwoong’s, hung all the way past his knees like a nightgown. His hair stuck up in a dozen different directions, and his tiny hand was clutching the blanket like it was the only thing keeping him safe.
It was absolutely the sleeping form of a six-year-old boy.
Hao’s entire brain short-circuited. He stumbled forward, breath hitching. His trembling fingers hovered just above the blanket as his gaze caught a small, clear mole beneath the boy’s left ear. It was unmistakable. The same tiny mark Hao had teased Jiwoong about a hundred times before.
It’s him.
No way.. but it is.
He froze in place, eyes wide and unblinking, before a strangled noise tore out of his throat, somewhere between a gasp and a squeal. “Wh-what-WHAT?!”
The sound startled the boy awake. He blinked blearily, big brown eyes meeting Hao’s panicked face. For a few seconds, they just stared at each other in mutual confusion. Then Hao, utterly overwhelmed, squeaked, “H-hyung?!” and fell backward, smacking his knees painfully against the doorframe with a loud thud.
The crash was enough to summon Hanbin, Taerae, and Gyuvin from the next room. They came sprinting down the hall, half-awake and alarmed. Hanbin was still holding his toothbrush, foam at the corner of his mouth. Gyuvin had one slipper on.
“What’s going on- did something happen to- ” Hanbin started, but the words died in his throat the moment they saw the bed.
All three froze.
Taerae’s face went from annoyed, to confused, to horrified. “Who in the world… is that?” he whispered, blinking rapidly as if trying to make the image in front of him make sense.
The little boy looked up from the pillow, big eyes darting from one giant stranger to another. His lip trembled. Four enormous guys, all staring at him like he’d just landed from Mars.
And then-
“WAAAAAAH!”
The kid let out a scream so loud it could probably be heard down the hotel hallway. Tears welled up in his eyes as he clutched the blanket to his face and wailed, “I want my mommy!” His tiny voice cracked in panic, echoing around the room.
Everyone froze. The silence lasted a heartbeat too long before chaos exploded.
“Shh- shh! Don’t cry, we’re not gonna hurt you!” Hao stammered, waving his hands uselessly.
“WHY is there a child here?!” Gyuvin half-yelled, half-screeched, looking ready to jump out the window.
Hanbin dropped his toothbrush. “Hao, what did you DO?”
“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! That’s- that’s Jiwoong!” Hao pointed frantically at the crying boy, voice breaking.
Taerae’s jaw dropped. “Jiwoong? Jiwoong who? That’s literally a child!”
The small boy’s sobs only got louder, his cries muffled against the pillow. “I want to go home! I want my mommy!”
Taerae groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Oh my god. We can’t have this right now. We have a soundcheck in three hours!”
“Forget soundcheck,” Gyuvin panicked. “We just time-traveled a person!”
Meanwhile, Hanbin crouched helplessly beside the bed, trying to soothe the trembling boy with the gentlest voice he could manage. “Hey, hey… it’s okay, hyung-uh, I mean-uh… kid? Buddy? Please don’t cry…”
The child peeked out from the blanket, still sniffling, eyes glassy with confusion. “Where… am I?”
Four grown men exchanged equally terrified looks. They had no answers. No plan. No idea how their group’s eldest member had somehow turned into a six-year-old overnight.
One thing was clear, though-
They had a tiny Jiwoong problem.
And their world tour had just become infinitely more complicated.