Taken by the Mafia ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 1

~Santa's Pov~

The soft hum of the studio lights buzzed overhead as we stood in front of the mirrors, the familiar rhythm of our newest song playing on loop. Each beat drilled into my mind, pushing my body to move in perfect synchronization with the others. Dreamers, that’s what we called ourselves—a name filled with hope, though sometimes, I wondered how far those dreams would actually take us.

I glanced at the faces of my group members. We were all exhausted, but no one said it out loud. It was always the same—grit your teeth, push through the fatigue, and hope tomorrow would be better.

As we reached the final set of moves, Hyunwoo, our leader, broke the silence. "Do you guys think... there will be a lot of people coming to the Fanmeeting?" His voice sounded hesitant, almost like he was afraid to ask the question that had been hanging in the air for weeks.

Riki, the youngest of us, let out a soft chuckle, though it didn’t reach his eyes. "Well, I don’t know, hyung. I hope so… considering the last time, we only had about 50 visitors." He paused, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Kind of frustrating, honestly."

The words hung in the room, weighing heavily on all of us. Gyumin leaned against the mirrored wall, his expression tired, yet still determined. "Yeah… to be honest, all of this is exhausting. We practice all day, every day, and it feels like no one even notices. I thought being an idol would be different."

A sigh escaped from Daniel, his tone more resigned than frustrated. "We’re not like other K-pop groups, though. They have all the support, the big companies behind them... and we don’t." His voice carried the truth we all knew but never liked admitting.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my spirits high despite the weight pressing down on my chest. "Let's just hope for the best, guys," I said, offering them a small, reassuring smile. I had to be strong—not just for myself but for them too.

Gyumin turned to me, eyes scanning my face as if he was searching for any hint of doubt. "Ta... don’t you ever feel tired? We’ve been practicing every single day, giving everything we have, and yet... barely anyone shows up. We can’t even get invited to a music show. Doesn’t that get to you?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, their gazes now fixed on me. I felt the weight of their silent questions, but I couldn’t afford to break. Not now.

"Of course I’m tired," I admitted, my voice steady but soft. "But I’m not just doing this for myself. I think about my father and my brother. They need me... I can’t give up." My thoughts briefly flashed to my father back in Thailand, struggling to make ends meet, and my younger brother Barcode, who always looked up to me. I couldn’t let them down.

The room fell silent for a moment, the exhaustion mixing with the understanding we all shared. Daniel sighed, looking down at his feet before adding, "Yeah... my mom’s relying on me too. I get it."

Hyunwoo, always the leader, clapped his hands together, breaking the moment. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s get back to practicing. We still have a Fanmeeting to prepare for, no matter how many people show up."

There was a quiet murmur of agreement, and we all straightened up, positioning ourselves in front of the mirrors again. No one wanted to admit it, but we were running on fumes. Still, we practiced every day, hoping that maybe—just maybe—this time would be different.

As the music started up again, I pushed all my doubts aside, focusing only on the next move. Because no matter how hard it got, I couldn’t afford to give up. Not yet.

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After hours of non-stop practice, we finally made our way back to the dorm. The air inside felt different—a mix of exhaustion and quiet comfort. The second we walked through the door, Gyumin slumped down onto the couch with a groan.