The true pain is pretending to be strong in the harshest moments of collapse.
Seo-hyeon leaned closer, reaching out to help Min-su sit up.
Min-su raised a hand.
"I'm fine. No need for that."
"It's alright, Min-su."
"You're okay now."
Min-su lowered his head, his breath uneven, struggling to control his racing heartbeat.
He forced a smile onto his face and glanced toward Seo-hyeon without lifting his eyes fully.
Seo-hyeon's gaze, however, remained fixed on Min-su's movements for a little too long.
He moved closer.
"Min-su..."
"No matter what past you've lived through,
I want you to understand one thing."
"You are my younger brother.
I will support you until the very end."
Even though it was difficult to bring that trembling body back to calm, those words slowly changed Min-su's expression into something resembling gratitude.
"Hyung..."
"I know that."
"Really."
Seo-hyeon smiled gently, closing his eyes behind his glasses.
"Don't forget to take your medication."
"I'll leave now. You can lift your head."
Min-su's eyes moved quickly.
"Oh... okay."
"Let's talk later."
Seo-hyeon left.
Leaving behind a body—no, a man—who refused to stabilize even after he was gone.
Every breath he took carried a thousand unanswered questions.
And none of them had answers.
Was he thinking about the drug rumors that appeared out of nowhere?
Why was he forced to take a blood test?
They would discover traces of the medication...
Wouldn't they?
He thought of the broken child with empty eyes.
Was I that child?
Slowly, his vision dimmed.
And then he fell into deep sleep.
A sleep full of wandering nightmares—
as if reality itself was rewriting him again and again.
A version of himself he kept trying to escape... in vain.
Min-su woke up suddenly.
It wasn't natural awakening.
It was as if his body had been forced back into consciousness.
A strange heaviness pressed down on his limbs.
His head was foggy... his eyes burning.
He lay there for several seconds, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember how he got here.
Then, slowly, he sat up.
His movements were sluggish, his body refusing to obey properly.
He struggled just to remember who he was.
Outside, Hee-mi stood in silence, torn by an internal conflict.
Finally, she pressed the doorbell.
Min-su froze.
Then slowly dragged himself to the door.
It was Hee-mi.
She stood holding a small bag of food.
She didn't speak at first.
She just looked at him.
A brief glance—nothing more.
She had long stopped holding his gaze for too long.
Then she smiled softly.
"I brought you food... you haven't been eating well lately."
She stepped inside as if it were her own home.
She passed him without hesitation.
But as she moved past him—
she closed her eyes for a brief second.
A small habit.
One he had never noticed.
She always did that.
As if she was capturing the essence of his presence before continuing her day.
She placed the food on the table and began arranging it carefully.
Her movements were familiar... warm.
She had done this hundreds of times.
There was no hesitation.
She opened cabinets without asking, already knowing where everything was.
Min-su watched in silence.
He didn't speak.
But her presence alone—
was something he had grown used to.
Something steady...
in an unstable world.
Without looking at him, she said:
"You should eat... you have practice today, right?"
He nodded silently.
She sat across from him, watching him eat.
Each bite...
followed by her eyes.
But never directly.
Whenever he looked up, she looked away.
Whenever he looked down, she observed him again.
And when he gave a faint, unconscious smile...
she stopped.
Just for a second.
She looked directly at him.
Then calmly lowered her gaze as if nothing had happened.
But her fingers...
froze for a moment.
She was listening to him even in silence.
Noticing his exhaustion before he spoke.
Understanding his mood without questions.
While she ate, she said softly:
"Don't overwork yourself."
Then she looked directly into his eyes.
This time, she didn't look away immediately.
She... simply held the gaze.
As if she wanted to say something.
But she didn't.
Then she smiled gently again.
"And try to eat after practice too."
Min-su lifted his eyes slightly for a moment, then lowered them again.
"You brought too much food."
"We're leaving for Paris tomorrow."
Hee-mi paused.
"Really?"
"Suddenly?"
He swallowed.
"Yeah..."
"The shoot was moved up."
"We're filming an advertisement for one of the brands we're contracted with."
Hee-mi's pupils shifted quickly.
Worry appeared on her face.
Min-su noticed.
He looked at her directly.
His voice came out slightly rough.
"I'll be fine."
Min-su didn't even realize how he got to the practice room.
The music began.
The new song.
His lyrics.
Everyone stood in position.
Lee Jun-ho in front.
Choi Hyun-woo steady as always.
Park Ji-hoon with a faint smile.
Jung Soo-jin tense and unstable.
And Min-su—
in his place... but not present.
The music started.
🎵 Lee Jun-ho (deep, clear voice): "I was a blooming flower... in a field full of flowers, until you came..."
🎵 Park Ji-hoon (softer, painful tone): "You carved yourself into my heart... like a stain that never fades..."
Their bodies moved in sync.
Except one.
🎵 Jung Soo-jin (rising emotion): "You were a gentle breeze... in the heat of life, but now..."
🎵 Lee Jun-ho (voice rising): "You've become suffering... numbing my soul... making me forget even the meaning of joy."
One step—too late.
A gaze—lost.
🎵 Min-su (rap, low but sharp): "Time machine... take me away before this stubborn voice breaks before my face fades among strangers before I become... something beyond recovery.
I used to laugh... without reason. I used to live... without exhaustion. Now even my breath feels foreign to me.
I am a body... without essence."
A wave of tension tightened the rhythm.
🎵 Choi Hyun-woo (steady, heavy): "I've lost my innocence... please erase the memory from my body and soul..."
🎵 Everyone (low harmony): "Because you destroyed me... like an invisible virus..."
Min-su's breathing faltered.
🎵 Lee Jun-ho (climax): "I want a life without you... a simple life..."
Everything stopped.
For one second.
Then—
A whisper.
"Are you the criminal... or the victim?"
The voice wasn't part of the song.
He froze.
His eyes widened.
For the first time...
he couldn't distinguish between past and present.
A wrong step.
Broken rhythm.
A body moving... without a soul.
"Stop."
Choi Hyun-woo cut the music.
Silence fell.
Everyone turned toward Min-su.
Hyun-woo spoke calmly... but not comfortably.
"Ten-minute break."
The members scattered slowly.
But—
"Min-su. Stay here."
Heavy silence.
Hyun-woo approached.
Standing directly in front of him.
There was no anger in his eyes.
Only something more dangerous: truth.
"I'm going to ask you something, and I want an honest answer."
Min-su slowly raised his eyes.
"Are you using drugs?"
Silence.
"I don't care about company statements... or rumors."
"I'm asking you as your leader... and as someone who knows you."
He stepped closer.
"Tell me the truth... and I'll believe you."
Min-su clenched his hand.
"No."
He said it calmly.
"I don't use them."
Hyun-woo studied him for a few seconds.
Then sighed.
"Alright... I believe you."
But his tone carried no relief.
He tilted his head slightly.
"But that doesn't end this."
"You are collapsing... and we can see it."
"But if you don't tell us... we can't help you."
Silence.
"Min-su..."
"I don't ask for much."
"Just... put an end to this."
The silence between them became suffocating.
Min-su looked down.
The words reached him.
But whatever lived inside him...
was deeper than words could reach.
"...I will."
A pause.
"Min-su... we need you... like you used to be."
He turned away.
"Ten-minute break is over."
The music resumed.
But inside Min-su...
there was no rhythm left to follow.
Only eyes watching him.
Judging.
Because the world doesn't need evidence to accuse you.
In Manager Han Se-ra's office, a message arrives from an entertainment journalist known for exposing celebrity scandals.
Her eyes widen.
It has begun.
The thing she feared most... has finally started.