~Han Jae-min POV~
The dorm buzzed with chatter long after lights-out trainees whispered across bunks, traded jokes, and replayed their stage moments until laughter echoed down the hall.
But in Room 302, it was quieter. Do-hyun lay on his bed, one arm behind his head, scrolling through his phone I curled on my side, pretending to sleep.
"You breathe weird when you pretend," he said suddenly.
My eyes shot open. "Excuse me?"
He chuckled, low. "You're awake don't fake it."
I sat up with a glare. "I wasn't faking...."
"You were, your shoulders tense when you lie." He turned his phone off, plunging the room into shadow. "It's… obvious."
Heat prickled down my neck. "You're really annoying, you know that?"
"Mm... I've heard." His voice carried that infuriating calm.
There was silence and the only sound was the hum of the AC.
Then, softer.... "Why do you work yourself so hard?"
I never expected the question. "…Because I have to."
"That's not an answer."
I clenched the sheets in my fists. "Because if I don't, I'll lose everything."
His head shifted on the pillow, facing me through the dark. "What exactly are you afraid of losing, Jae-min?"
My throat tightened and words caught like stones.
"Doesn't matter anymore."
Another long silence then, unexpectedly, he said, "You remind me of someone I knew."
That caught me off guard. "Who?"
"Someone who fought like hell to stand where they didn't belong."
For the first time, I couldn't tell if his voice carried suspicion or his actually suspecting something.
I rolled to face the wall, hiding my expression. "Go to sleep, Do-hyun."
He didn't answer but I felt his gaze linger long after.
The next day, cafeteria smelled of soy broth and fried eggs that morning trainees lined up with trays, voices hoarse from early practice, some half-asleep, others already buzzing with energy.
I slipped into the line, keeping my head down blending in had worked so far until a sharp elbow bumped my side.
"Oops." Seok-jin's smirk didn't match his voice, he cut in front of me without shame, piling food on his tray.
I bit my tongue drawing attention was the last thing I needed but Do-hyun voice became behind me.
"Move back."
Do-hyun had stepped into the line behind me, eyes fixed on Seok-jin.
Seok-jin scoffed. "What, playing bodyguard now?"
"Just correcting bad manners." Do-hyun's gaze didn't waver.
Their voices drawing curious stares.
I swallowed hard. "It's fine..."
"It's not," Do-hyun said, without looking at me.
The silence stretched Seok-jin clicked his tongue and stepped aside, though his glare promised this wasn't over. We moved forward I clutched my tray tighter, heart racing.
When we sat down, I muttered, "You didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did."
"Why?"
He picked up his chopsticks with infuriating calm. "Because if you let people walk over you once, they'll keep doing it."
I stared at him, words stuck in my throat.
"You need to stop hiding," he added quietly, so only I could hear, his eyes met mine. "You've got more fight in you than you think."
I looked away quickly, shoving rice into my mouth to cover the heat rising in my chest. Do-hyun didn't press, he just ate, like nothing had happened.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that, for once, someone had stood beside me not because they wanted to expose me but because they refused to let me be small.
---------------
Back in the practice hall, the mirrors reflected exhaustion sweat-slick faces, trembling legs, trainers barking corrections until voices cracked.
"Again!"
The music restarted as I pushed through the ache in my chest, movements crisp, precise, every step cost me more, but stopping wasn't an option.
Seok-jin's glare burned through the mirror, he hadn't forgotten the cafeteria.
"Formation switch!" the trainer barked.
We moved and my foot caught on something.... a weight on the floor and a water bottle, deliberately kicked into my path which made me stumbled, my heart lurched.
But before I hit the ground, Do-hyun hand gripped my arm again.
He pulled me upright with effortless strength, sliding seamlessly into formation without missing the beat. To the trainers, it looked rehearsed to me, it felt like being caught at the very edge of disaster.
When the music cut, the trainer's eyes narrowed. "Not bad, Han Jae-min, watch your footing."
"Yes, ma'am," I said quickly, bowing, hiding the tremor in my hands.
As the others scattered for water, Do-hyun's grip lingered a second too long on my wrist before releasing, his voice was low, for me alone.
"He did that on purpose."
My pulse jumped. "…What?"
"Seok-jin." His gaze flicked across the room. "He's testing how far he can push you."
I swallowed hard. "Then let him."
"Wrong answer." Do-hyun stepped closer, his shadow falling over mine. "You let him once, he'll do it again and next time, I might not be close enough to catch you."
The words lodged in my throat and my chest burned not just from the bindings, but from the weight of his stare.
I forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "What are you, my guardian?"
His expression didn't change. "Maybe."
Something in his tone twisted through me, sharp and soft all at once.
Before I could reply, Seok-jin's voice rang out, mocking. "Careful, Jae-min, if you keep needing Kang to save you, the trainers might think you're useless."
Laughter rippled from a few nearby trainees and Do-hyun's eyes turned glacial.
But I stepped forward first, my voice even. "Better to be caught than to trip over my own ego."
The laughter died, Seok-jin's smirk faltered, just slightly and Do-hyun's lips curved—barely, but enough to make my stomach flip.
When practice ended, I collapsed on my bunk, every muscle trembling.
Do-hyun leaned against the wall watching me as always.
"You surprised me today," he said finally.
"Why?"
"You finally pushed back and stand for yourself."
I met his gaze, steadying my breath. "Don't expect me to do it again."
His eyes narrowed. "I think I will."
And for the first time, I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of Seok-jin's hatred or of Do-hyun's attention.