Left Out Friend

5

After taking a short break, the group made their way back to the practice room. The hallway was quiet except for the sound of their sneakers padding against the polished floor. Sunoo, walking near the center of the group, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Curious, he pulled it out.

[Eunwoo]

Eunwoo:
Sunoo, are you free
tonight?
I'm inviting you and
your members as well
for dinner with us tonight.

Just as he was about to type a response, another message came through.

Eunwoo:
Hey, why aren’t you replying?
Are you busy right now?

Sunoo slowed down, his focus entirely on his phone screen. Without realizing it, he had stopped walking completely—right in the middle of the group.

Before he could react, a sudden force collided with the back of his head.

A dull thud echoed through the hallway.

“Aishh!! Ya, Sunoo!!” Jungwon hissed, immediately bringing a hand to his forehead. “That hurts!”

Sunoo’s eyes widened in shock as he spun around to face the younger.

“I—I’m sorry!” He bowed his head repeatedly, embarrassment creeping up his neck. “I wasn’t paying attention, I—”

The others had already turned their heads at the commotion, their gazes burning into him. The weight of their stares made Sunoo’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

Jungwon was still rubbing his forehead, muttering complaints under his breath. Seeing that, Sunoo instinctively reached out, hesitating before lightly brushing his fingers over the reddening skin.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, guilt laced in his voice.

Jungwon exhaled sharply but allowed Sunoo to check. “Just be more careful next time, okay? That really hurt.”

Feeling responsible, Sunoo leaned in and gently blew on the sore spot, hoping to ease the pain even a little.

The moment he did, the air in the hallway shifted.

A heavy silence fell over them, and when Sunoo pulled back, he was met with the sharp glares of his other members.

His heart sank.

Heeseung, who had seen the whole thing, crossed his arms and scoffed. “Don’t you have eyes, Sunoo? Stopping in the middle of nowhere like that…”

Sunoo quickly looked down, gripping his phone tighter. “I—I’m sorry…” he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jay sighed, clearly unimpressed with the tension building up. “Hey, that’s enough. It’s not a big deal. Let’s just head back, yeah?” He raised an eyebrow at the others, waiting for someone to agree.

But no one did.

Instead, they turned away one by one and walked off, leaving Sunoo standing there alone.

Sunoo swallowed the lump in his throat, willing himself not to cry. The embarrassment was already unbearable—shedding tears now would only make it worse.

With a deep breath, he forced himself to follow them.

***

Back in the practice room, everyone had resumed their choreography session. Sunoo, still shaken from earlier, stayed near the back, moving through the motions without much energy. His mind was elsewhere.