The days after the rooftop talk passed like a quiet storm.
Rumors still floated through the trainee halls, but nobody dared to mention them out loud anymore — not when Rian Vale's name was involved.
Lian tried to stay focused. He practiced until his body ached and his throat went raw. He smiled in front of others, joked with Jinwoo, and told himself everything was normal.
But every time his phone buzzed with a message, a small part of him wished it was Rian.
It never was.
Still, he kept hearing Rian's voice in his mind — "You already belong here."
Those words became his anchor, even on the days he doubted himself.
---
The company was preparing for the upcoming recording — the special trainee collaboration project with Rian Vale.
For most trainees, it was a dream.
For Lian, it felt like standing at the edge of something bigger — something dangerous and beautiful at once.
On the third day of filming rehearsals, the trainees were called into Studio A for stage blocking.
