After a few hours of driving through the Korean countryside, Senghi's eyelids started getting heavier as the world outside the car window got increasingly darker and gloomier.
"Hey, you're not getting car sick back there, are you?"
Senghi flinched as she realized that Joonah was glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
"Mmm, no, just tired", she replied, her voice coming out a bit hoarse. "I got up in the middle of the night to get you to the set this morning, remember?"
Her subtle scolding brought a slight grin to Joonah's face.
"Sorry, I forgot that you're just a measly human who needs sleep", he joked, then flinched as he realized the weight of his own words. "Anyways, you look a little pale there. Keep resting."
Songchul stretched out his legs and yawned loudly.
"Maybe we should stop to eat something. It would look funny on the show if you wasted some of your allowance on a nice meal."
Joonah shrugged, but didn't think it over for very long.
"Sounds good, I'm starving." He smirked and gestured towards the back seat. "And we should make sure this one eats something, too."
Senghi looked up in surprise at his almost tender remark.
"Sounds good. I could definitely eat", she replied with a forced laughter.
Joonah cleared his throat and turned his focus back to the road.
"Alright then, let's find a rest stop and grab a bite."
After a while, they spotted a service area by the roadside, and Joonah drove off the highway. The sky was still dark gray and the air felt cold and humid as they got out of the car.
Senghi shivered slightly as she walked behind the two men. Songchul filmed Joonah from the side, engaging with him while they got closer to the restaurants.
"So, we're at this service stop. Are you hungry, Goodwin?"
Joonah glanced at the row of restaurants, trying to decide which one looked the best.
"Yeah, I'm famished. But looks like a lot of the restaurants are serving lunch sets today... That'll take a long time to get."
"How about the oyster kimbap over there? You can eat it while driving. It's kind of expensive, though..."
Joonah looked over and spotted the vendor selling oyster kimbap, that Songchul was pointing to.
"Oh, that looks good. Don't worry about the price though, I have some allowance money left."
Senghi and Songchul exchanged looks and burst out laughing as Joonah kept staring at the kimbap sign, suddenly grinning cheekily and licking his lips.
"Hey, what's so funny?" he asked, feigning annoyance.
Songchul fought to hold back another laughter.
"Yah, Goodwin, don't you think you'll be needing some money for the fish market in Wando?"
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I can be responsible when I need to be."
The kimbap restaurant was cozy and quaint, with a warm atmosphere. They greeted the owner, and Joonah immediately ordered a large portion of oyster kimbap.
As he waited for the food, he noticed Senghi ordering from one of the kiosks.
"She's getting cheap kimbap for me and her", Songchul explained next to him. "Some of us have a budget to stick to."
He suddenly lowered the camera and covered the microphone with his hand.
"Be honest with me, Goodwin - do you like her? I've never seen you being so attentive to your manager before."
Joonah first looked a little baffled, then rolled his eyes at Songchul's suggestion.
"What, you think I'm flirting with my own manager? Don't be ridiculous. I'm just trying to be a good coworker."
"It's not that." Songchul hesitated. "But... you usually don't recognize people's needs until they tell you about them... Except when it's someone you really care about."
Joonah let out a sigh, knowing that Songchul wasn't wrong.
"Alright, maybe I am being more attentive towards her. But don't read too much into it. It's just because she's new... I feel like I should take care of her."
"But you're paying her to take care of you."
Joonah scoffed, but didn't say anything back.
After receiving and paying for the food, the trio were back on the road again, driving and munching, Senghi couldn't help but notice the awkward silence between the two men.
"Hey, is everything alright?" she asked, giving Joonah's arm a gentle pat. "Don't you like the kimbap?"
"Nah, the kimbap's fine. I just have a bit of a headache."
"That reminds me. Driving must be tiring for you, so I got you this. Take it, it's cold." Senghi leaned forward, handing Joonah a can of energy drink, and he accepted it with a small, surprised chuckle.
"Oh wow, you even remembered that I like this brand. Thanks."
He popped the lid and took a couple of big swigs, slowly feeling his fatigue melting away. Songchul gave him a knowing smirk, but Joonah ignored him.
Some half hour later, lightning started flashing in the sky above them, and they could hear the sound of hard rain against the car roof. The rain got heavier by the minute, making the atmosphere inside the car feel even more secluded.
"Lovely day to visit a coastal fish market, really", Songchul sighed. "And perfect for finding locals to sing duets with. Do you have any money left by the way, Goodwin?"
Joonah reached for his wallet, and grimaced at how little money seemed to be left in there.
"I used a lot of my allowance on kimbap. But it was good... so I'm not sorry."
Senghi leaned forward in her seat, her tone of voice intrigued.
"How are you going to pay for the 2 kilograms of webfoot octopus at the market?"
Joonah shrugged nonchalantly, still in variety mode as Goodwin.
"I don't know, I guess I'll just figure it out when I get there."
"Man, you're a badass for eating raw oysters from a rest stop when filming a variety show. Fingers crossed for you", Songchul chuckled.
"Thanks for the reminder." Jonah laughed, grimacing slightly again. "But I'm feeling fine, so I'm not too worried.
As if on cue, a loud, growling sound reached their ears. Senghi made a small jolt in the back seat, staring at Joonah.
"What on earth was that?"
He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact with Senghi in the mirror. To his horror, he felt a string of saliva leaving the corner of his mouth, and quickly wiped it away. His inner wolf was suddenly tormented, drooling and whining pityfully.
"What, that? It's nothing, just some indigestion."
"You've got to be kidding me? Now?? You're feeling sick from the oysters?" Songchul's voice suddenly sounded high-pitched, a hint of dispair in his eyes as he glared at Joonah.
Senghi leaned forward, putting her hand on Joonah's arm.
"If you're not feeling well, let me or Songchul-ssi drive and lay down in the back seat."
She moisted her lips, feeling worried in a way she couldn't explain, even to herself.
Joonah shook his head, stubbornly refusing the offer, wiping his mouth again.
"No, no, I'm fine. It was just a little growl, nothing serious."
At that, another roar came out of his stomach, betraying his words.
Senghi gave him a stern look from the side.
"Joonah, you look terrible. Pull over before it gets worse. You might need to get out of the car quickly," she demanded, not even realizing that she addressed him without using proper honorifics.
Joonah opened his mouth to protest, but turned pale as his stomach started churning, He could feel the reak of the sour oysters now, cursing his inner wolf for being too hungry to recognize it as he ate.
"... Fine", he muttered, scanning the road signs and wiping some more drool off his chin.
Eventually, Joonah pulled over in a parking spot by the roadside, and quickly got out of the car. Senghi decided to follow and try to help him as best she could. She felt queasy and dizzy herself now. But since Songchul seemed fine, having had the same food as her, she assumed she was just feeling sick from empathy with Joonah.
Joonah stumbled a few feet away from the car, leaning against a railing overlooking a cliff.
"Oh, aigoo... I don't feel so good."
Senghi stood next to him, holding an umbrella over them while gently rubbing his back, as the oysters swiftly returned. The sight of him retching made her stomach churn, but she decided to ignore it and kept rubbing his back, slowly, up and down.
"Ugh... this is horrible..." Joonah groaned between heaves, his head spinning and his entire body shaking from the cold and the effort. He felt a strong urge to shapeshift, to howl and pull his tail in between his legs, go hide somewhere and not come out until he felt better, but he stifled the urge, wiping his mouth with a soft whimper.
"You'll feel better soon", Senghi said softly, still attempting to calm the painful convulsions with her hand on his back. She noticed that he drooled a lot, but decided to disregard it. She had never seen someone get food poisoned before, and wasn't sure what it was supposed to look like.
Joonah nodded weakly, trying to swallow back the bile that kept rising up in his throat. His body heaved again and he vomited over the railing, the sour taste of the oysters mixing with the bitter bile in his mouth.
Senghi took a close look at Joonah, her concern growing. The skin on his face looked almost see-through.
"I feel like crap..." He moaned, leaning back against the railing in an effort to steady himself. "My stomach is still cramping. I think I need... uh..." He helplessly gestured to some bushes close by.
Senghi nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Here, take the umbrella and try to stay dry. I'll have Songchul-ssi come out and bring you some tissues. Text or call when you're ready to come and lay down in the car. We'll help you walk back."
She supported Joonah as he headed towards the bushes, stumbling in his miserable state.
When Senghi returned to the car, Songchul just got off the phone.
"Listen, I called the poisoning hotline and PD Han. We should probably get him to a hospital when the vomiting has calmed down."
Senghi nodded and informed Songchul about the current state of things. He immediately scraped together a bundle of tissues and went to check on Joonah.
Senghi started preparing the trunk of the car, folded down the back seat and tried to make an improvised bed, using an emergency blanket and a first aid kit for a pillow. She gritted her teeth while swiftly collecting her rain-dripping hair in a bun, pushing away all feelings of fear or concern that threatened to well up inside of her.
"Not now", she muttered. "Later, but not now."