An involuntary smile touched Zoya's lips.
Her fingers kept moving over the keyboard as she slowly lowered her head toward the laptop.
And then—
On the stage, the lights flared all at once.
Seven silhouettes stepped into view.
In a single second, the dark stage was drowned in blue and gold.
The bass hit hard enough to shake the air.
stepped forward first.
He spun the mic once in his hand, caught the beat perfectly, and looked straight toward centre stage before rapping—
"Golden maknae, Jeon.J, fire in your eyes,
every dark road turns bright when you rise.
One single step and the whole world sees,
the youngest star drops to their knees."
The crowd screamed.
"Jeon.J! Jeon.J!"
A small smile curved on Zoya's lips.
"Hosu…"
Then the beat shifted.
Kim Joon lifted his mic and looked ahead—
"Teahun, silver voice under midnight skies,
One soft note and the whole hall flies.
Moonlight wrapped inside your flame,
Every crowd remembers your name."
Teahun laughed and dipped his head slightly.
The fans screamed louder.
Zoya's fingers moved over the keyboard as she murmured—
"Kim Joon…"
Then Jinhun turned toward Minjo with a bright smile—
"Minjo, sunrise voice in midnight blue,
Every bright melody starts with you.
One deep breath and the stars ignite,
You own the dark and carry the light."
Zoya smiled while typing and briefly closed her eyes.
"Jinhun…"
Then Minjo twirled the mic and rapped with the beat—
"Yomin, tears behind your smile,
You kept walking every mile
.Every beat your heart would send,
felt like healing without end."
The audience's screams echoed through the arena.
Zoya pressed her lips together and whispered,
"Minjo....."
Then Teahun looked at Hosu and sang—
"Hosu, sunlight dancing through the sound,
One bright smile turns worlds around.
Rhythm follows the way you move,
every heartbeat falls in your groove."
Hosu laughed.
The crowd shouted his name again.
Then Yomin lifted his mic and turned toward Jinhun—
"Jinhun, beauty glowing soft and clear,
One flying kiss and hearts draw near.
Every smile you send is so light,
turns the crowd to stars tonight."
Jinhun laughed and nudged his shoulder.
The crowd only got louder.
Zoya smiled and softly said, "he is Yomin. "
Then—
The lights dimmed.
Only one spotlight remained.
Jeon.J raised the mic.
And in a single heartbeat—
The entire arena fell silent.
Zoya's fingers were still moving on the keyboard.
But slower now.
Then Jeon.J looked straight at Kim Joon—
"Kim Joon, you carried storms alone
and made our heavy fears your own.
When cruel words reached us like the rain,
you held them first and hid the pain.
You gave us smiles with gentle grace,
while hurt stayed written on your face.
Your tired heart still chose to stay,
and led our seven through the grey.
Even when fear pulled at your soul,
you held us close and kept us whole.
Kim Joon, through every dark we knew,
our safest place was always you."
Zoya's fingers stopped.
The cursor blinked across the screen.
The smile slowly faded from her lips.
Her breathing caught softly.
She lifted her gaze from the laptop and saw her own reflection in the vanity mirror.
And without thinking, Her lips moved.
"He…"
On stage Jeon.J's voice rose again.
Soft.
Steady.
As if even from that distance, he was impossibly close.
"Seven hearts, one sky above,
seven souls, one name, one love…"
For a few moments, the entire stadium fell completely silent.
Kim Joon already had tears in his eyes. He was always strong on stage… but today, his control was slowly breaking apart.
He looked once at Jeon.J… then opened both his arms.
Jeon.J was the first to step forward.
And then, one by one, the rest followed.
Hosu, Yomin, Minjo, Jinhun, Teahun.
They all gathered around Kim Joon in a tight group hug.
His control had completely slipped away.
Tears wouldn't stop falling… and he wasn't even trying to hold them back anymore.
He just stood there with his eyes closed, holding them tightly.
After a few seconds, when everyone slowly calmed down…
Kim Joon gently lifted the mic again.
His breathing was still heavy.
Then he looked at the crowd and spoke—
"I'm not very expressive…"
A short pause.
"But there's something I really want to say."
He looked at his members.
"These people…"
A small breath.
"…are not just my team."
His voice was trying to steady itself.
"They are the people who made me a better person."
The crowd stayed completely silent.
"I'm the leader… but without them, I am nothing."
He gave a small, tired smile.
"I always try to take care of them… but the truth is, they are the ones who take care of me."
He looked at Jeon.J.
"When I'm tired, they lift me. When I lose myself, they remind me why I'm here."
Then he looked at all of them.
"I'm not perfect… and none of them is either."
A pause.
"But when we are together… we are complete."
He took a slow breath.
"And I always want to stay with them."
Then softly, with a small smile—
"Thank you… for staying with me."
And then he went quiet.
On stage, all seven stood together in a tight circle… and the entire stadium felt that one moment as family.
Zoya's heart answered with one sharp beat.
And under her breath—
so quietly—
She whispered— Yeah, they are Family.
Then silence.
Nothing was playing in her earphones.
And still—
Every beat.
Every lyric.
Every breath— reached her the same… as if there had never been any distance between the stage and the dressing room at all.
Zoya kept her eyes fixed on the laptop.
One performance ended another began.
Sometimes the crowd outside screamed so loudly that her fingers paused over the keyboard for a second.
The noise reached her easily through the half-open dressing room door.
Soft flashes of stage lights slipped inside.
Sometimes a lyric made her smile.
And then she bent over the screen again and disappeared back into typing.
Like half of her attention belonged outside on stage…
And the other half belonged to the words glowing on her laptop.
On stage Jeon.J turned in the middle of a dance move.
His eyes landed directly on the VIP section—
The exact seats he had personally reserved for Minji and the others.
The stage lights were bright.
RAMY lightsticks shimmered across the audience.
And still—
He recognised them immediately.
"Minji…"
One beat.
Turn.
"Sophia."
Next move.
"Ruhi."
Then—
"Hana."
His lips moved faintly, at that same second—
His gaze stopped.
Two more faces.
Strangers.
His expression changed for a second.
Who were they?
He had only given five tickets.
And the fifth ticket…
was hers.
Then where was she?
And who exactly was sitting in the sixth and seventh seats?
The music kept going.
The beat dropped.
His body moved automatically into the next choreography.
But his mind stayed there.
One lyric.
One step.
Then his eyes went back to those same seats again.
The two strangers were still there.
The performance ended.
The crowd roared.
The announcer's voice echoed through the arena—
"Break!"
The members started moving backstage.
Jeon.J turned once more and looked back.
Some of the hall lights had come on now.
And he had been right.
There really were two extra people sitting with Minji's group.
His brow tightened.
Five tickets…
Then who were those two?
Hosu came up beside him.
A faint smile on his face as he bumped Jeon.J lightly with his shoulder.
"Even during the performance… your attention was still there."
Jeon.J didn't answer.
Hosu teased a little more—
"I understand Minji's here tonight…"
Then his tone shifted.
More serious now.
"…but don't compromise on the performance."
Jeon.J looked at him.
For a moment.
Then he said quietly,
"I'll focus."
Hosu nodded.
All seven of them started walking toward the makeup room.
As per routine, they first came to the dressing room to pick up their next outfits.
The door opened—and Jeon.J suddenly stopped.
In the corner chair, Zoya was sitting.
Her legs were stretched out on the other chair.
Black dress.
Head always covered as usual.
Earphones in her ears.
As if the noise of the world could never reach her.
A laptop was on her lap.
Her fingers were moving smoothly across the keyboard.
She was so lost in it that she didn't even notice anyone entering.
For a moment…the backstage noise…
the members' voices…
the hall's distant sounds…
Everything faded.
Jeon.J kept looking at her.
"Hey, Zoya… you're here?"
Teahun's voice came from right behind Jeon.J.
Zoya immediately lifted her head.
For a moment, her eyes met Jeon.J's.
Then Teahun crossed him and went straight toward her.
Jeon.J walked toward the costume stand because the dressing team had also arrived.
Now they had only 30 minutes, so everything was being handled quickly.
A staff girl stood beside Jeon.J, taking out his next performance outfit and checking it by holding it against him.
The room was not too small, not too big—but Zoya suddenly felt uncomfortable among them.
She quickly brought her legs down from the chair.
Grabbed her laptop with both hands and stood up.
"Ah—"
Teahun smiled.
"You're here."
At that moment, Hosu entered the dressing room.
He saw Zoya and laughed in surprise.
"Oh wow, Zoya… you're here?"
One by one, everyone started coming inside.
Kim Joon entered and smiled.
"Hey, Zoya."
Jinhun gave a small wave.
Yomin smiled and slightly bowed his head.
Minjo also greeted her,
"Hi."
Zoya silently responded to everyone with small nods.
Everyone already knew—
Her voice had not fully returned yet.
The dressing team also started appearing outside the room.
Zoya held her laptop tightly and said softly,
"I… I'll go outside… You all can be comfortable in the room."
For a second, the whole room went completely silent.
Everyone looked at her.
First, Kim Joon widened his eyes.
"…oh wow."
Then a surprised smile appeared on his face.
"Your voice is back."
"Really?"
Teahun acted dramatically shocked and stepped back.
Holding his chest.
"I'm going to faint."
Minjo laughed.
Hosu looked genuinely happy.
"Finally."
Yomin and Jinhun both smiled.
But both of them were quietly noticing something else.
Jeon.J.
He was standing normally.
No surprise.
No shock.
Just his usual expression.
As if he already knew.
Jinhun looked at him for a second.
Yomin also noticed the same.
Zoya gave an awkward smile after seeing everyone's reaction.
Holding her laptop closer, she turned toward the door.
And in that moment—
Jeon.J's eyes stayed on her again.
Just like before…
as if he wasn't surprised by her voice at all.
Because he already knew.
You stay here; we were just about to take the outfits anyway. You can continue your work," Hosu said.
"But by the way, if you are here for the concert, you should be in front of the stage, not backstage," he added.
"I had some work, so I sat here," Zoya replied calmly.
"By the way, you are not allowed here. This is a private area for staff. Who allowed you to come in?"
one of the staff members said.
Zoya got a little nervous.
No matter how brave she was, she still couldn't reply to people instantly.
"Oh, I'm sorry… actually, Mr Jea told me to sit here," she said, her eyes slightly filling up, but she controlled herself.
"Euna, she is our guest. If Jea made her sit here, he must have thought about it," Hosu said firmly.
Euna got slightly shocked hearing Zoya being called a guest of TBS.
And not just a guest—someone who could sit anywhere backstage.
(At that time, she didn't know this guest had even stayed at Jeon.J's house with her friends, where only TBS and Jea had ever been.)
She looked at Zoya from head to toe.
From the way she was dressed… to the way she spoke…
there was nothing about her that looked like a guest of TBS.
That surprised Euna.
But more than surprise—
she felt jealous.
Because all the members seemed friendly with her.
They were asking about her.
They were surprised to see her.
And the way they reacted made it feel like she actually mattered to them.
For some reason, Euna suddenly disliked her.
She turned toward the wall mirror nearby.
Looking at herself carefully.
What was she lacking?
Nothing.
She was tall.
Her hair was long—yes, dyed—but it still looked beautiful.
Her skin was pale and flawless.
Her eyes were smaller.
Then she turned again and looked at Zoya.
Her large eyes.
Long lashes.
The thin black line framing them.
For one second Euna thought they looked beautiful.
But the very next second—
she found herself disliking them.
She turned back toward the mirror.
In her short skirt and fitted shirt, she looked perfectly decent.
And yet she kept thinking—
I've been with TBS for years.
They're humble. They respect us.
But they've never acted this freely with any of us.
Not like this.
Not the way they were with her.
That thought alone made jealousy settle even deeper inside Euna's chest.
She looked toward Teahun.
He was sitting beside Zoya, talking casually.
"Teahun," Euna said with a polite smile, "I think we should start your makeup first… otherwise later you'll have to wait for Jeon.J to finish."
Teahun looked up.
Then smiled.
"Euna, there's still time. We'll come after refreshments."
Then with an easy grin he added,
"It's okay. Like always, I can wait for Jeon.J to finish first."
Euna kept the smile on her face.
"Sure."
But before leaving—
her eyes moved to Zoya one more time.
Just for a second.
Then she turned—
and quietly walked away.
After a few minutes, all staff members left with the outfits.
Now, on one sofa in the room sat Yomin, Jeon.J, Jinhun, and Minjo.
Hosu and Kim Joon lay on the carpet.
Teahun sat on the chair beside them.
"By the way, how did your voice come back?" Minjo asked Zoya.
At that question, Jeon.J—who was scrolling his phone—suddenly stopped.
His fingers froze.
That night's whole scene flashed in his mind…
When Zoya suddenly woke up and screamed.
Yomin had noticed it, but didn't say anything.
"I don't know… I slept one night, and in the morning, my voice was slightly better. I've been taking medicine for the last few days, so it's improving," Zoya answered carefully.
"You are not even our fan. Today you proved it very well," Teahun said.
Zoya raised her eyebrow and looked at him.
"You are sitting here. Go outside and see how big the crowd is. Look how much people love us," Teahun continued to motivate her, trying to excite her.
Zoya kept listening.
Everyone else was also listening, but was busy scrolling their phones.
Jeon.J still couldn't accept how normal Zoya was behaving.
At that moment—
"Jeon.J, did you call me?" Jea suddenly entered the room.
"Huh? When did he call him?" Zoya immediately asked herself in confusion.
And suddenly she pulled Teahun's arm toward her.
Teahun almost fell.
He widened his eyes.
"Zoya, I'm a single good man. Don't mislead me like this!"
Zoya glared at him and hit his arm.
Teahun's eyes and mouth both opened wide.
Everyone started laughing.
The way everyone laughed so easily around them—
for some reason, it bothered him.
A sharp wave of annoyance rose in his chest.
Unwanted.
Immediate.
His jaw tightened slightly.
His fingers around his phone stilled.
"I gave tickets for Minji fans, but I saw two unknown faces there. What are they doing there? As far as I know, I only sent guest tickets today. Members didn't buy any tickets," Jeon.J said seriously.
Everyone looked at him.
Because unknown faces in VIP guest seats could be dangerous.
"Jea, tell me why those two people are there?" Jeon.J asked.
Jea looked at Zoya.
Teahun's arm was still in her hand.
"…they were called by Teahun," She said quickly.
Jeon.J looked at him sharply.
Zoya smiled slightly and looked at Teahun.
At Zoya's words, Teahun's eyes widened completely.
What guest? When did I invite anyone?
For a second he couldn't understand anything.
He just stared at Zoya.
And then suddenly—
He understood.
Again.
She was creating another story.
Just like that time at Seoul Riverlane Table restaurant—
When she had made up an entire scene, and later even made Teahun pretend to be blind.
Seriously… what kind of girl is this?
Teahun thought while staring at her.
Zoya, meanwhile, avoided looking at him completely.
Her expression was calm.
As if she had said nothing unusual.
As if she hadn't just dragged him into another random situation.
Teahun narrowed his eyes at her.
Zoya finally glanced at him.
And the completely innocent look on her face almost made him laugh.
Unbelievable.
He glared harder.
Zoya only lifted one eyebrow at him—
like she was warning him not to ruin it.
Teahun looked away and exhaled.
Fine.
Again.
I'm apparently involved in this now too.
"Now leave my arm," Teahun said, pulling it away.
"Thank you," Zoya said softly.
Refreshments arrived.
Teahun smirked.
"Then post it on your account and thank me publicly," Teahun said while staring at her. "And before that… explain whatever story you just created."
Zoya looked at him with raised brows.
Like she was deciding whether he deserved an answer.
Teahun folded his arms.
"I'm serious."
At the side—
Jeon.J quietly shifted his position.
Just slightly.
But even that movement felt stiff.
Teahun and Zoya were so busy talking that neither noticed anything.
And for some reason—
Jeon.J was finding it increasingly hard to tolerate.
Still—
nothing showed on his face.
He stayed quiet.
Controlled.
He kept repeating to himself—
So what?
Let them talk however they want.
Why are you even bothered?
It's their life.
But every time his eyes lifted—
and landed on Zoya, sit with Teahun—
something sharp twisted inside his chest.
And it was driving him insane.
He hated thinking about it.
Hated where his mind kept going.
I'm younger than her.
Stop thinking.
Don't overthink this.
He forced himself to look away.
Then looked back again without meaning to.
Still watching.
Still noticing every small thing.
And that irritated him even more.
His jaw tightened.
His fingers curled slightly against his sleeve.
Why am I even paying attention?
He was getting angry with himself now.
But no matter how much he tried to act normal—
His eyes kept drifting back toward her.
And that loss of control annoyed him more than anything.
"Fine. Open your account," Zoya said.
She took out her phone—the one gifted by the Minji.
She posted a thank-you message and tagged Teahun.
Teahun immediately checked it.
"See! Finally, Zoya posted for me!" he said proudly.
But when he checked again—
The post was gone.
He turned around.
Zoya raised her eyebrows and teased him.
"You're cheating me!"
"No, I fooled you. You told me to post, but didn't say for how long. I deleted it and blocked you."
she said, winking.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"When did you invite your guests?" Jeon.J asked, looking directly at Teahun.
Teahun froze.
"…I—"
He immediately looked at Zoya.
Like he was silently asking, " What am I supposed to say?
Zoya shot him a warning look.
Jeon.J's eyes moved between both of them carefully.
Watching every reaction.
"Well… Zoya called me," Teahun finally said. "So I confirmed two tickets."
It was the first answer he could come up with.
Jeon.J's expression didn't change.
"Oh."
Then his eyes sharpened.
"That means you already knew she was there?"
His voice stayed calm.
Too calm.
"Because when you entered the room… You looked genuinely surprised."
"It didn't look like someone who already knew."
That one point hit Teahun directly.
For a second, his mind went completely blank.
Then, before he could speak—
Zoya answered.
"I was the one who told Teahun not to mention it."
Her voice was steady.
"Because they're newly married."
"And they wanted to attend the concert."
"But they didn't have tickets."
"So… that's why."
Teahun slowly turned and stared at her.
Completely speechless.
The confidence in her voice…
the way she didn't hesitate even once…
like the entire story had already existed in her head.
Jeon.J kept looking at her.
Not missing a single detail.
"Then those guests aren't Teahun's."
This time, he asked directly.
"They're yours?"
Now—
for the first time—
Zoya paused.
Just for a second.
And suddenly she didn't know what to say.
Teahun noticed.
Everyone noticed.
The room had gone quieter again.
Zoya tightened her hold on her laptop.
Her eyes moved away for a moment.
Searching for an answer.
But before words came—
Jeon.J was still watching her.
Waiting.
"Zoya… we know you, that's why you're here," Kim Joon said, sitting up straight.
"But you don't even know those people."
"You brought them in out of sympathy."
"That's dangerous… and it's against the rules too."
For the first time—
Zoya genuinely felt she had made a mistake.
Because that really was what had happened.
She had felt bad for them…
and brought them in without thinking much.
Her grip tightened around her laptop.
"Oh… I'm sorry."
Her voice came out quieter than before.
"I shouldn't have done that."
"I didn't understand properly."
"I thought it was normal…"
"So… I'm sorry."
She apologized again.
The room suddenly felt tense.
No one looked relaxed anymore.
Kim Joon turned to Jea.
"Go tell security."
"In the VIP guest area, check the identity of those two guests."
"And take whatever precautions seem appropriate."
Jea nodded immediately and left.
A silence settled in the room.
And then—
Jeon.J stepped closer.
Close enough that Zoya had to lift her eyes to look at him.
His expression was calm—
but his eyes were cold.
Sharp.
Unmoving.
"Keep your childish decisions and carelessness to yourself."
His voice was low.
Controlled.
But every word landed hard.
"Because of you…"
"We could have taken a serious risk."
Zoya froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Everyone else looked at Jeon.J in surprise.
The tone he used—
They hadn't expected that.
But at the same time…
What happened really was dangerous.
And because of that—
No one could disagree with him either.
The room stayed silent.
Heavy.
And Zoya stood there—
still holding her laptop—
fingers tightening against it—
trying to stay composed while Jeon.J's cold gaze stayed fixed on her.
Teahun stayed there with a shocked, defeated face.
"Let's go, guys, only 15 minutes left," Kim Joon said, standing up.
Everyone slowly got up and left.
To be continued...
Regards
ZK