The Shadow Of A Trainee | Bang Chan ✔️

Chapter 8.

Jeongin's P.O.V

The last note of music echoed in the practice room as we finished another exhausting session. Stray Kids and ITZY had pushed through it together, but everyone was tired, sweat dripping from our faces. Chan pulled us into a huddle, his eyes intense as always.

"We need to push even harder," he said, his voice leaving no room for doubt. "No mistakes. The awards show is coming up, and we need to be perfect."

We all nodded in agreement. ITZY smiled weakly and waved their goodbyes as they headed off to vocal training. I could tell they were as drained as we were. I looked at Lia one last time before she leaves the room with her group. I couldn't talk to her like Mirae told me to do. Mirae gave me courage by just seeing her around us and without her in here I couldn't have the courage to talk to my crush. I felt defeated.

I flopped down on the floor with the rest of the guys, wiping my face with my shirt. That's when Changbin looked around, confused. "Where are the water bottles?"

I blinked, realizing I was thirsty too. Chan glanced around the room, frowning. "Mirae was supposed to bring them," he muttered, standing up and looking toward the door. "She disappeared like an hour and a half ago."

We all exchanged glances. That was weird. Mirae was supposed to be always around.

"Felix, Jeongin," Chan called, turning to us. "Go find her. She's not supposed to leave her job like that."

"Okay, hyung," Felix and I said in unison as we got up to leave. I could see Felix was just as confused as I was. Where could she have gone?

As we walked down the hall, I turned to Felix. "Where do you think Mirae went?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't know. But I doubt she went far. Let's check around."

We wandered through the floor, checking the places she might be at. It wasn't until we passed by one of the practice rooms that we heard some music. A cool beat, really smooth. Felix and I glanced at each other, curious.

For a moment, we completely forgot about finding Mirae. We were drawn toward the sound. Without thinking, we moved closer to the slightly open door, and I peeked inside.

My eyes widened.

There she was. Mirae.

But she wasn't standing in the back, quietly doing her assistant work like she usually did. She was dancing. No, more than that. She was leading. The way she moved was mesmerizing. Every step, every gesture was filled with passion, precision. She was guiding the group of trainees that came by at our practicing room asking for her, helping them perfectly, their moves, their timing. It was like.....she belonged there, in the spotlight. I had never seen her like this before. I didn't even know she could dance.

I glanced at Felix, and he looked just as shocked as I felt. Who was this girl? This wasn't the Mirae we knew. The one who stayed in the background, the one who walked ghostly collecting our dirty clothes to wash. This was someone else entirely.

Without realizing it, I nudged the door open wider. The sudden creak echoed in the room, and my heart skipped a beat. Mirae froze, her eyes darting to the mirror where our reflections were caught. Her face was full of shock, just like ours.

She quickly turned to the trainees. "That's enough for today," she said, her voice tight. The boys all bowed to her, then to us, and left the room, leaving Mirae alone with Felix and me.

The air was thick with tension. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to say. Mirae lowered her gaze, fumbling with her phone as if she could somehow pretend none of this had just happened.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm going to order water bottles and lunch for you all now."

She tried to walk past us, but something inside me stopped her. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her wrist gently.

"Noona," I said softly, still trying to wrap my head around what I'd just seen. "You dance?"

Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, and I could see her shoulders tense up. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. It hurt to see her like that.

Felix stepped closer, his voice gentle but filled with curiosity. "Who are you, really? We want to know you. The real you."

She finally looked up at us, and the sight of her teary eyes caught me off guard. She looked so vulnerable, so raw. It was like a wall had been broken, and for the first time, we were seeing her; truly seeing her.

"There's nothing to know," she whispered, her voice trembling. "You only need to know Mirae, the Stray Kids assistant. That's it."

Felix and I exchanged glances. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There was so much more to her than just being our assistant, and now I wanted to understand who she really was. I shook my head, trying to be firm but gentle. "What we saw in there.....that wasn't just our assistant. That was the real you."

Felix nodded in agreement. "We want to know the whole you. And maybe.....we can help fix what's broken."

I watched as her expression softened, her walls starting to crack just a little. She smiled, but it was small, hesitant, like she wasn't sure if she should trust us with this part of her.

"Maybe," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't know. Maybe one day I'll be able to show you the whole me."

I felt a warmth in my chest at her words, but I didn't push. I knew this was hard for her. Felix and I both nodded, letting her know that we'd be here, waiting, whenever she was ready.

Me and Felix smiled softly. "We'll be here when you're ready."

Mirae glanced up at us, and for a moment, something flickered in her eyes. Something I hadn't seen before. Hope, maybe. But she quickly cleared her throat, pulling herself back together.

"Let's go," she said, her voice stronger now. "Before Chan gets mad."

Felix and I followed her out of the room, but I knew things wouldn't be the same. Something had shifted between us. For the first time, I felt like we were starting to see the real Mirae. And for the first time, maybe she didn't feel so alone. 

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A/N:

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