Chapter Text
Growing up, Eden had been incredibly healthy despite his episodes of coughing up blood due to the damn system,although the system had been quite nice lately, as the penalties hadn't included internal haemorrhaging for quite some time.
But now, with his body feeling way too hot and his head feeling both too light and heavy at the same time, he wondered if the system was messing with him again.
‘No.’
The system was blunt and adamant with its answer.
‘The current state of the user is due to health neglect and malnutrition.’
Damn you, system.
Eden shivered in his bed. It seemed that it was still quite late in the night; he had actually slept in early for once, only to wake up sick? The system was surely playing games.
‘The current state of the user is due to health neglect and malnutrition,’ the system flashed again.
Okay, okay, I got it, you damn fool.
His throat felt sore and scratchy, too. What terrible timing, considering he had a recording tomorrow and a show at noon. By the state of him right now, it didn’t seem possible to recover before the curtains went up, and it was clear the system wasn't going to have any mercy on him.
Come on! He had been doing his quests diligently all this time; couldn’t he have that panacea or whatever the system had so kindly given Hajun? Couldn’t he, the actual system user, receive said kindness once more?
‘The current state of the user is due to health neglect and malnutrition.’
What a bastard.
He gave up. The system could be incredibly stubborn, and it seemed this was one of those moments where it wanted him to face the consequences himself.
Well, no use sighing now. He needed to get better quickly lest he become the joke of the show by passing out from a high fever mid-broadcast. The last time someone was sick, it was Jaehee experiencing growing pains from a growth spurt. Besides that, everyone had taken care of their bodies well.
Yoon Eden, the supposed pinnacle of health, down with a fever now? What a joke!
Although, it was true that his diet consisted of plain salad and barely any protein. Most of which he rarely finished because of his lack of appetite, and more than 35 cups of coffee in a span of a week. No wonder the system was "punishing" him. He couldn’t do much about the malnutrition, though; he needed to get in shape for the modelling ad next week. Torturous diet aside, why was he the only one suffering? Didn’t the other members eat the same things?
‘No, they did not.’
The system was really starting to grate on his nerves.
With a heavy heart and leaden limbs, he lifted himself from the bed and stumbled toward the living room to find the first aid box. He needed fever reducers and cough syrup immediately. Considering how sick he felt, he didn’t want to risk passing the bug to Yehyun.
The couch it was, then.
It was only 2 AM; surprisingly, no one else was awake. Maybe it was the anticipation of the variety show, or perhaps Yehyun’s constant drilling about the importance of sleep had finally stuck.
For a moment, Eden hesitated before the medication, a lingering fear from the last "hallucination incident" surfacing in his mind. But surely the system wouldn't mess with him like that again over a simple cold. He downed the pills in one gulp and followed them with the cough syrup. Even as a child, he’d hated medicinal syrups, but he could handle pills just fine.
He sat on the sofa, the plastic measuring cup still in his hand, waiting. After a while, it seemed the medicine was staying down. Being the insomniac he was, sleep felt impossible now that he was awake. He pulled up the DayDreams forum—it was still active even at this hour. He figured he’d do some monitoring while completing his daily quests.
The current hot topic was "Blonde Eden," though it seemed many fans still preferred his black or dark navy hair. After thirty minutes, words began to blur. He was mindlessly scrolling, his fingers moving on autopilot.
Instead of feeling relief, he felt worse.
His breathing was laboured and ragged; holding his head up felt like a monumental chore. Feverishly, he let his body slump against the sofa cushions. He really was the type to get hit hard once his luck finally ran out.
This wouldn't work. He needed to break the fever before morning. What was the protocol? He was usually the one taking care of the others, but he had no idea how to treat himself.
He was so dizzy. Did the medicine even work? Maybe a shower would help. In his delirious state, a spark of flawed logic took hold: If I’m too hot, I need to get cold.
Warning: A cold shower and soaking wet towels can drastically worsen a high fever!
But Eden couldn't see the warning signs. Painstakingly, he stood up, his vision swimming with dark spots. He navigated back toward his and Yehyun's shared room to grab a towel, his hand gripping the wall for support.
He made it to the bathroom, but the simple act of standing at the sink felt like running a marathon. He stared into the mirror, his reflection flushed and eyes glazed with heat. His knees buckled, and he caught himself on the edge of the tub just before his lights went out.
Lurching forward with a clouded mind, he fumbled for the shower handle. He didn't even have the strength to undress. He slumped into the tub, his clothes bunching around him, and yanked the handle.
The spray hit him instantly. Freezing cold, biting, and relentless. The shock of the cold water against his burning skin was supposed to wake him up, but instead, the world just tilted on its axis. As the water soaked through his shirt and jeans, his head hit the tiled wall with a dull thud. His eyes fluttered shut, and he passed out right there under the spray, shivering violently as the cold water continued to pour over his fever-wracked body.
Warning: A cold shower and soaking wet towels can drastically worsen a high fever!