Covers- [TXT FF]

Episode 21: It's Getting Hard to Breathe

A/N: guess who's back?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Things didn't get better.

Minus the fact that the school took action against the bullies, suspending the ones who vandalized and framed the boys for five weeks, people were still leaving hate speech on pieces of paper in their lockers and on their desks.

And online, more and more hate comments started spreading.

Even though the boys were barely active.

But something else was bad.

Yeonjun and Beomgyu were barely talking.

Despite the two living with each other in the first dorm (Taehyun, Kai and Soobin had moved into the second dorm so they could all go to school together in the same car to avoid any possible danger), they barely said a word to each other.

The fight had truly weighed them down.

It felt like something heavy was on their chests, making everything so much more difficult.

One rainy May day, Manager Lee called all five members into his office. When he took the image of the boys in, he felt slightly worried.

Even though their eyebags had disappeared, their skin looked lively and their posture wasn't extremely slumped, the boys still looked... troubled.

He noted how Beomgyu and Yeonjun were standing on opposite ends, something that has never happened before.

I'll ask them later about it. Maybe they just had a minor squabble. It happens.

"How are you?" Sookwan decided to ask nevertheless.

"Like college students," Beomgyu replied.

"I can imagine."

Sookwan cleared his throat.

"I don't know if this is insensitive of me to suggest but... it's been already a month since you last uploaded a cover. Would you guys like to do another one? I think it might be great for you to do what you like right now."

Do what they like?

Currently, none of them felt like it.

This thing they're doing... it's causing them harm. To both their mental well-being, and their bonds as a group.

As a family from different mothers.

"Sure," Yeonjun said.

They all looked at him.

"Really?" Kai questioned.

"Yeah. I'm kinda missing that."

"Anyone in objection?" Manager Lee asked.

The rest shook their heads.

"Alrighty... what song will you do?"

Yeonjun bit his lip.

"You'll see. But sir, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"No stage makeup. We get to pick our own outfits this time. And only a few cameras, like how we used to. And as a stage setting... broken glass."

Now playing: 'Breaking Down' by DAY6

Kai and Soobin steadily started playing the beginning instrumental, while Yeonjun and Beomgyu stood on opposite ends with their instruments, heads hanging low while their hands rested on the strings. Taehyun stood in the middle, gripping the mic.