Minsoo woke abruptly.
It wasn't a natural awakening…
It was as if his body had been forced back into consciousness.
A strange weight pressed down on his limbs.
His head was clouded… and his eyes burned.
He lay there for seconds, staring at the ceiling, as if trying to remember how he had arrived here.
Then… he sat up with difficulty.
His breath was slow; his body didn't respond as it should. He struggled to even grasp who he was.
Outside, Hemi stood in silence, an internal conflict raging within her. Finally, she decided to ring the bell.
Minsoo froze for a moment, then moved with slow, heavy steps to open it.
It was Hemi.
She stood before him, holding a small bag of food.
She didn't speak immediately.
She just… looked at him.
A brief glance this time she had grown used to not holding his gaze for too long.
Then, she smiled simply.
"I brought you food… you haven't been eating well lately."
She stepped aside and entered as if the place were her own home.
She passed by him without hesitation
But as she brushed past…
She closed her eyes for a fleeting second.
A small habit… one he never noticed.
She did it always
As if capturing the essence of his presence in that moment before continuing her day.
She placed the food on the table and began arranging it with care.
Her movements were familiar… warm…
She had done this hundreds of times.
She wasn't nervous; on the contrary, she was at peace.
Opening cabinets without asking, searching for plates because she had known their place for a long time.
Minsoo watched her in silence.
He said nothing…
But her presence alone…
Was something he had grown accustomed to.
A constant…
In an inconstant world.
Without looking at him, she said:
"You must eat… you have practice today, right?"
He nodded silently.
She sat across from him, watching him eat.
Every bite…
She followed with her eyes, but indirectly.
When he looked up, she occupied herself with something else.
When he looked away, she returned to him.
And when he smiled a faint, unconscious smile…
She stopped.
For a second.
She looked at him directly
Then lowered her eyes quietly, as if nothing had happened.
But her fingers…
They ceased their movement for a moment.
She listened to him even in his silence.
She noticed his exhaustion before he spoke.
She understood his mood without a question.
After he finished, he stood up slowly.
He picked up his jacket.
She said softly:
"Don't overwork yourself."
He paused for a moment…
She looked at him.
This time, she didn't pull her gaze away quickly.
She just… kept looking.
As if she wanted to say something
But she didn't.
Then she gave a small, natural smile:
"And try to eat after practice too."
In the practice room…
The rhythm began.
The new song…
The lyrics… were his words.
Everyone stood in their positions.
Lee Jun Ho at the front.
Choi Hyun Woo with his usual stability.
Park Ji Hoo with a faint smile.
Jung Woo Jin with restless energy.
And Minsoo…
In his place—but not present.
The music started.
🎵 Lee Jun Ho (In a clear, deep voice):
"I was a brilliant flower… in a field full of flowers,
Until you came…"
🎵 Park Ji Hoo (In a lighter, yet painful tone):
"You carved yourself into my heart…
Like a stain that won't fade… no matter how I try."
Bodies moved in harmony…
Except for one.
🎵 Jung Woo Jin (With rising emotion):
"You were like a light breeze… in the heat of life,
But now…"
🎵 Lee Jun Ho (Voice rising):
"You've become a torment… numbing my soul…
Making me lose even the simplest sense of joy."
A step—too late.
A gaze—lost.
🎵 (Minsoo – Rap, voice low but sharp):
"O Time Machine… take me far away
Before this stubborn voice breaks
Before my features vanish among faces
Before I become… something that cannot be reclaimed.
I used to laugh… for no reason.
I used to live… without fatigue.
Now, even my own breaths feel foreign
I am a body… without an essence."
A tension gripped the rhythm…
🎵 Choi Hyun Woo (Steady, but heavy):
"I have lost my innocence…
So erase it from my body and soul…"
🎵 Everyone (In low harmony):
"For you have destroyed me… like an invisible germ…"
Minsoo's breathing faltered.
🎵 Lee Jun Ho (The Peak):
"I want a life without you…
A life… that was simple."
It stopped.
For a second.
Then
"Are you the criminal… or the victim?"
The voice… wasn't from the song.
He froze.
His eyes widened.
For the first time…
He couldn't distinguish between the past… and the present.
A wrong step.
A broken rhythm.
A body moving… without a soul.
"Stop."
Choi Hyun Woo's voice cut through the music.
Silence fell.
Everyone looked toward Minsoo.
Choi Hyun Woo spoke calmly… but it wasn't comforting:
"Ten-minute break."
The members dispersed slowly.
But
"Minsoo. Stay."
A heavy silence followed.
Choi Hyun Woo approached.
He stood directly in front of him.
There was no anger in his eyes…
But something more dangerous: truth.
"I'm going to ask you something… and I want an honest answer."
Minsoo slowly raised his eyes.
Choi Hyun Woo said:
"Are you on drugs?"
Silence.
"I don't care what the company says… or the rumors."
He paused, then added:
"I'm asking you as your leader… and as someone who knows you."
He stepped closer.
"Tell me the truth… and I will believe you."
Minsoo clenched his hand.
"No."
He said it quietly.
"I'm not using."
Choi Hyun Woo stared at him for seconds…
As if weighing his words.
Then he sighed.
"Fine… I'll believe you."
But his voice didn't sound relieved.
He turned his head slightly, then said:
"But this doesn't end it."
He looked back at him directly:
"You're collapsing… and we see it."
"But if you don't tell us… we can't help you."
Silence.
Then he said in a lower voice:
"Minsoo…"
"I'm not asking for much."
"Just… put an end to this."
The silence between them was suffocating.
Minsoo looked at the floor.
The words reached him…
But
The thing inside him…
Was deeper than words could say.
He said quietly:
"…I'll try."
Choi Hyun Woo looked up at him.
"No."
"'Trying'… isn't enough."
Silence.
"We need you… the way you were."
He turned away.
"Ten minutes are up."
The music returned.
But
Inside Minsoo…
There was no rhythm…
That he could catch up to.