Your words broke through even the sound... {Jaehyun x Taesan}

(Just smile again for me)

>Notes<

Hi!!

I just wanted to say that this is my first fan fiction after 6 years and English is not my first language!!
I'm not very good at describing things, especially feelings. So please be kind to me.🫣
I apologize for any grammatical errors or issues with the language itself.
I've wanted to write a fan fiction about Jaehyun and Taesan for months, so I really hope you like it!!🥲
I plan to write more fan fictions about them in the future; some are already in progress and others are just drafts.

Happy reading and thank you so much for your time!🤍

>End notes<

______________________

In recent days, something had changed in their leader. At first, the group members thought it was just exhaustion; after all, they had been through a few tough and busy weeks. Between their comeback, the commitments that came with it, and Jaehyun's role as an MC, it was more than understandable. However, it wasn't like him. No matter how tired he was, even after hours of activities, he was always the one to fill the room with energy and vitality. But as time went on, the concern among the other members only grew.

---

Jaehyun sat alone in the corner of the room, his gaze lost in space. In the past few days, he had spent most of his nights reading online comments. Despite their recent success, some criticisms had begun to creep into his mind. No matter how hard he tried to ignore them and keep a strong facade, those words echoed in his head like a broken record. Day by day, those comments sank deeper, like a knife slowly embedding itself in his self-esteem. They had started to leave a profound mark on his heart and mind, to the point where he felt like a burden to the group, undeserving of sharing the stage with his bandmates. Who was he to prevent his friends from shining?

---

That evening, after a long rehearsal session, Dongmin decided to take matters into his own hands. He couldn't stand seeing that forced smile on Jaehyun's face for another day. Even though the leader tried to convince everyone that he was fine, it was obvious from miles away that his smile was nothing but a mask. It might sound strange, considering how Dongmin behaved toward Jaehyun, especially in front of the fans, but in reality, Dongmin cared more about him than anyone else. He would do anything to get his Myungpuppy back.

"Dongmin, what are you doing here?" Sungho asked, surprised, as he paused the video game he was playing with Donghyun. He turned toward their teammate, who was entering their dorm. Given the exhausting day they'd had, both believed that after a good shower to wash away the sweat, everyone would spend the evening relaxing on their own or maybe even head straight to bed. But what truly puzzled the two wasn't that Dongmin still had the energy to move, but that he was on their floor. It was a rare occurrence. Woonhak and Sanghyuk were usually the ones frequenting their dorm, while the three of them often stayed downstairs; Dongmin, on the other hand, preferred spending his free time in his room or working on some project alone.

The youngest didn't bother to look at Sungho, blatantly ignoring him. He strode purposefully toward Jaehyun's room, which he shared with Sungho. The latter turned to Donghyun with an indignant look, exclaiming, "WTF!?" To which Donghyun simply shrugged. The two of them gave up and resumed their game.

Dongmin took a deep breath and opened the door. As soon as he entered the room, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. Just like a few hours earlier, Jaehyun was there alone, this time sitting on the bed with his head lowered towards his hands, his gaze fixed on his phone. However, his eyes seemed absent, dull, and filled with sadness. A sharp pain pierced Dongmin's heart as he saw him like this. In all the time he had known Jaehyun, he had never seen him so troubled and vulnerable. What on earth had happened to bring him to this state? He had to do something, and fast.