𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘆 || 𝒌𝒑𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒕 ᴮᵒᵒᵏ ¹ [MAJOR REVISIONS👷]

°𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐-𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 (revised)

 "I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become." - RM's UN Speech / "Answer: Love Myself" — Kala

❜ ─ NARRATOR'S POV ─ ❛

The door to the practice room creaked open, a familiar sound by now, like the soft call of a friend arriving. And there she was—Kala. The youngest among the I-LAND group with only Daniel being younger by a few months, though anyone watching her would've thought she was the oldest. Or maybe the heart of them all. The kind of heart that beats not just for herself, but for every single soul in that room.

With her clipboard tucked under her arm and her signature oversized hoodie slightly slipping off one shoulder, she walked in, her presence somehow both grounding and electrifying at once.

"Hello everyone!!" she chimed, bright as ever.

"Hello, Directornims!" the trainees chorused, bowing to her and to the two choreographers flanking her, Sungdeuk and Doobu.

The rehearsal began. The interim check for the BTS Unit Test was crucial, with just three days left before judgment day. As each team—DNA, Fake Love, and I Need U—poured their exhaustion and effort onto the studio floor, Kala's eyes flicked from one trainee to another. She didn't just watch. She studied.

She always did.

Not because she had to. But because it mattered to her. Because they mattered to her.

She jotted down notes—posture corrections, rhythm inconsistencies, emotional gaps in their expressions. But more than that, she read their exhaustion, their fear, and that trembling uncertainty that came with dreams balanced on a knife's edge.

After the final bow, the air in the room was heavy. The trainees' shoulders slumped, the tension of their performance replaced with silent dread. Kala's heart ached for them. She wanted nothing more than to stay, to pull each of them aside, pat their backs and say, "You're doing better than you think." But Sungdeuk motioned to her, and she followed, her footsteps quiet and thoughtful.