#ulcer

Hoseok considers himself pretty resilient. He can endure a lot and pushes his body for hours doing choreo. Even if he gets sick or hurt, he bounces back fast and gets through the most grueling of schedules. But he's been having stomach problems for awhile now. A weird random pain that comes and goes. He also may have thrown up a few times; no big deal. Hoseok tries to keep that to himself.

Sometimes his stomach wakes him up at night. One minute he's alseep, next he's up cringing and silently cursing; then he's off to the bathroom. Hoseok pukes in the toilet, trying not to make retching sounds. "Ughh" he moans quietly. It's especially bad at night. He muffles another gag spurting out. Hoseok looks at the door, paranoid of waking someone. Luckily he's able to finish and sneak back to bed. But he doesn't feel any better.

****

Hoseok also has trouble at mealtimes. Sometimes food breifly helps, or it can just straight up hurt to eat. Hoseok is taking his time with this jajangmyeon. "Is something wrong, Hobi?" Seokjin asks.

"Oh, I'm okay hyung" Hoseok shoves more noodles in his mouth. It tastes good, but he swallows uneasily. His appetite fades and he already feels full. Hoseok looks down frowning. He worries he'll get sick again and can't finish it. Seokjin shakes his head.

An hour later:

Hoseok goes on with this gnawing pain inside. He believes it's indigestion. "Yeah, that's all it is.." His stomach churns and releases gastric juices, coating everything. But then it starts to burn and make him nauseous.

Where is this coming from???

Hoseok has no idea. He hates using the work bathroom to be sick but has no choice. He burps into his hand and tastes bitter reflux; the burning intensifies. "Ughh, fuck.." His stomach roils and he belches losing his dinner. It feels gross coming up half digested, not to mention the smell. Hoseok sighs dreadfully holding his middle. He bends further and throws up more mangled noodles. This is awful.

Maybe he should see a doctor.. But Hoseok shakes that thought. He's too busy and that would attract worry from the others. Hoseok just chalked it up to stress, sometimes it affects his stomach and digestion.

****

"One, two, three.. ahh!"

Hoseok's trying to dance but stops in his tracks. His stomach is flaring up again, causing a great discomfort. He gets anxious and holds his breath, keeping a poker face. He stays like that until it's over. The members watch confused and he feels their stares.

"...Just a cramp, that's all" Hoseok says through clenched teeth. He slowly exhales and reaches for the antacids in his pocket. He's been taking those with him for awhile now. They bring some relief and he's able to move again.

"Hyung, what was that? Are you okay??" Jungkook asks.

"I don't know, I've just been having these.. 'stomachaches' for awhile now."

Jungkook raised his eyebrows "how long have you had this?"

"Just a few days" Hoseok doesn't feel like talking about it.

"How bad is it? Are you gonna throw up?"

"It's not that bad Kook, I'll be fine" Hoseok says tentatively. "Okay, let's start again. Sorry about that"

After that convo, the guys keep an eye on him. Hoseok felt the vibes but kept his composure. Even though his stomach forced him to take more breaks. He didn't want to push it and ended practice early.

"Ok, that really isn't like Hobi" Namjoon said afterward. "Is he getting sick?"

"Not sure, but he barely ate at breakfast" Yoongi notes. "He should get that checked out." But they all know that's easier said than done with Hoseok.

Hoseok overhears them talking about him. But he just pretends that didn't happen. Afterall, this will get better on its own...

****

Hoseok doesn't know what to do. It's been 3 days and he's gotten worse. He always has to drop what he's doing to throw up somewhere. He's taking more and more antacids, but they're not as effective. And now his members are onto him.

Hoseok's locked away in his studio, trying to be productive. He was writing something down when his stomach grumbled "Ugh, ow!" Hoseok flinches dropping his pencil. He assumed it was from hunger as he didn't have lunch. Hoseok tries to get up but that hurt even more. "Ahh shit!" He falls back seething in pain.

Hoseok groans miserably closing his eyes. He sinks down with hands resting on his tummy. He rubs it to soothe the pain, but that doesn't work. Instead he grabbed the trash bin, hurling into it. His stomach contracts and a thick wave splashes out. Hoseok coughs wetly, his eyes tearing up. He lurches forward with hair in his face.

That gnawing pain drills into his stomach and he lets out a yelp, followed by a more productive heave. Hoseok can't stand this. He upchucks again and feels so gross. His mouth tastes like bile and he's left panting.

Hoseok looks at the dirty bin and the unfinished work scattered on the table. He sighs heavily. He's tired of his stomach running his schedule. As much as he wants to go home, Hoseok forced himself to stay and ignores the slow burning that lingers.

****

6PM:

Hoseok was in his studio all afternoon. He's been putting off seeing the others and nervous about dinner. Hoseok wants to eat but isn't sure he can trust his stomach. He's hungry and feels slightly faint from not eating for hours.

His stomach growls acutely "ughh" Hoseok groans. He knows it's not helpful leaving it empty. He hopes dinner will be something easy.

"Hyung, is your tummy still bothering you?" Jungkook asks.

Hoseok is put on the spot. "Oh, I'm..still a bit sick yeah"

"Hm, have you seen a doctor?"

Hoseok knew someone would ask that. "I mean, it's getting better I think.." *His stomach growls louder* He half winces, holding it.

"Awh, you're probably just hungry. You'll feel better with some food" Jungkook reassures. Hoseok wants to believe that. He takes the last of his antacids and hopes for the best.

At the dinner table they're having bulgogi, Hobi's favorite dish. It smells good but can he keep it down? Hoseok eats slow and cautious with a hand over his middle. But still tries listening to the convo going around.

"What do you guys think? Did I use enough spices?" Seokjin asked. Everyone nods and agrees that it's delicious.

"Hobi hyung, I haven't seen you all day. How are you feeling?" Jimin brings up.

"...I'm fine" Hoseok mumbles "just been busy." He keeps it vague but feels like they're lowkey pressing him. They all noticed the change in his behavior.

Hoseok's trying to hide the torment he's going through. He's barely half done and wants to give up. But knows Jin took forever getting the meat just right. He tries smaller pieces and takes his time chewing it. His stomach gurgles in complaint when receiving the new food. Hoseok pauses, a microexpression of pain flickered across his face.

"Hyung, are you ok?" Taehyung worries

Hoseok holds back a whine, pressing his lips together. He sqirms in his chair tensely. The spicy meat sitting in his stomach incurs painful nausea.

"Hoba, what's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Yoongi asks

Hoseok sets down his chopsticks and pushes his bowl. "I can't eat any more"

"Do you have a stomachache? Cramps?"

"Urghh, no, it.. burns" Hoseok grunts.

Yoongi's eyes widen at that."Burns??"

Hoseok pushes his chair back and leans forward, arms crossed over his abdomen. His breathing slowed down and strained. A jolt of searing pain extends through his system. He wails out, unable to hide it.

The members watch Hoseok get up and run to the sink. He hunches over and then projectile vomits, making them all gasp. His dinner pouring out, one horrid retch after another. Hoseok moans in anguish as his stomach twists and the acidity worsens. "Ughh, fuck!.." His arms tremble as he tries to stay balanced.

The others rush over to help. "Oh gosh, hyung, you're really sick!" Jungkook frets.

Hoseok coughs and his stomach contracts forcefully, shooting out more. He recoils and gasps for breath, his whole body shaking.

"Hyung, do you need to go to the hospital??"

Hoseok shakes his head but gives one more scratchy retch. Then starts to feel dizzy and sinks to the floor. He curls up in a ball, clutching his stomach desperately. "Owwww!!" He shrieks with teary eyes. The pain is unbearable and his insides feel like they're on fire. Hoseok gets ringing in his ears and his head spinning. Before he knows it, he passes out.

****

Hoseok doesn't know how, but he finds himself at the hospital. He slowly shifts in bed, putting a hand on his stomach. It still hurts a little and he moans tiredly. Now he wishes he saw a doctor.

"Hey there" Seokjin murmurs "how you feeling?" Hoseok's face says it all. The older rubs his arm gently. "You gave us quite a scare yesterday" The members all nod. "We're just glad you're ok"

When the doctor came, he explained that Hobi has an ulcer from H pylori infection, but he's going to be just fine.