"What exactly is your relationship with Jihoon?"
The question stopped Rin in her tracks. Surprise flared in her chest, quickly giving way to irritation. Of all the ways her day could go wrong, this was not on her list. She glanced at her watch. Late. She was going to be late.
"Look, my guy," she said, yanking her wrist free from his grip, "I have an appointment, and if I'm late, heads will roll. Mostly mine."
She turned to leave, but his hand caught hers again, firmer this time, forcing her to spin back toward him. His gaze was steady, questioning—far too intense for her liking. It wasn't just his boldness that threw her off. It was him. He wasn't the kind of person she thought he was. Her instincts, usually so reliable, had betrayed her.
"Why does it even matter to you?" she snapped. "Stay in your own lane."
With a final twist, she pulled free and strode away, heat burning in her cheeks and anger churning in her chest. A bad mood now clung to her like a storm cloud. Not all pretty faces hid good intentions, she reminded herself.
Behind her, he watched her retreat, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he turned away without another word.
. . .
"Hello! I'm here. Sorry, I'm kind of late."
"You're fine," Manager Yoo replied, a touch of sternness in her voice. "But try to be exactly on time for these things, okay?"
Rin nodded quickly. If nothing else, she was grateful she didn't have to deal with her first manager anymore. Manager Yoo cared—really cared—and that was a relief Rin hadn't known she needed.
"Wow, this feels weird!" Rin exclaimed, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
The hairdresser chuckled, brushing stray strands off her shoulder. "That's what the other girls said, too."
Rin wasn't surprised. She knew her bandmates well, sometimes better than they knew themselves.
"Alright, time to head back to Pledis," Manager Yoo said. "You girls still need to finalize the debut choreography."
The short reprieve from her packed schedule had been nice, but as Rin settled into the company van, she sighed. Moments of calm never lasted long.
The energy in the practice room was electric. The other members of Eclipse were practically bouncing off the walls, fueled by excitement as their debut choreography finally came together. Rin, however, struggled to match their enthusiasm. Her earlier encounter at Music Bank gnawed at her thoughts, and the weight of being the leader pressed down heavier than ever.
"Hey." Hyunjae slid down the wall, her movements fluid, almost as if she'd planned the moment. Rin barely noticed the subtle tension that lingered in the air until Hyunjae was already sitting beside her.
Rin raised an eyebrow, her senses alert despite her own fatigue. "What's up?"
Hyunjae's eyes lingered on her for a beat longer than necessary before answering. "I know something's bothering you."
Rin hesitated. Hyunjae had always been observant, but today, her intensity seemed... different. It was almost as if she was too attuned to Rin's every move, too eager to know the things Rin wasn't saying.
"I guess I'm... worried," Rin admitted, the words slipping out before she could second-guess them. But there was something about the way Hyunjae looked at her, something a little too knowing, that made Rin's stomach twist uncomfortably.
Hyunjae's smile was too perfect, too reassuring. "We've worked so hard for this. Whatever happens, our effort will show. You've got this."
Rin forced a small smile in return, though the unease in her chest didn't fade. "Shouldn't I be the one giving you advice?"
Hyunjae chuckled, but there was a sharpness to it that didn't match the softness of her tone. "I learned from the best," she replied, her gaze lingering just a fraction too long, before she leaned back, as if satisfied with herself.
( 5 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 )
"Eclipse, we can do it!"
The members huddled together, their voices echoing with shared determination. As they embraced tightly, Rin looked around at the faces of her friends, her teammates, her family. This was it—the culmination of everything they'd worked for.
Her chest tightened as Manager Yoo stepped into the room. The sight of tears threatening to spill from their manager's eyes made Rin's throat catch. She pulled her into a quick hug.
"You've done so much for us. Thank you," Rin whispered.
As they stepped onto the stage, Rin's heart pounded. The cheers from the crowd, the bright lights, the familiarity of the choreography—all of it felt surreal. This wasn't just a dream. This was her reality.
The Seventeen members lounged in their waiting room, the casual chaos of their routines filling the space.
"Wait!" Dino exclaimed, pointing at the monitor. "Isn't that Rin? She's in this group?"
Jihoon barely glanced up from his phone. "Yeah, she debuted with Eclipse."
"What?" Seungkwan's jaw dropped. "She was a trainee here? How did I not know this?"
"She mostly kept to herself," Jihoon replied with a shrug, as though the revelation was nothing noteworthy.
The rest of the group fell silent, their attention glued to the screen as Eclipse performed. Jihoon, meanwhile, seemed unbothered—or so it seemed.
For Seungcheol, though, something lingered. He watched the girl on the monitor, his thoughts pulling him somewhere distant.
"How interesting," someone murmured.
And indeed, it was.
