Divinity ~ Male KPOP Idol

Choi Sooyoung I

Choi Sooyoung sat in her car, the engine idling, as she stared at the building that housed Smoke and Mirrors Entertainment. A part of her wanted to drive away, to escape the mess that had been created by Atlas' relentless push for success. But she couldn't. Not anymore.

She had a job to do, even if it felt like walking through a minefield.

The rearview mirror reflected her face—tired, hollowed by weeks of sleepless nights. She had been with Atlas for years, rising through the ranks, earning her place at the table with strategy and cunning. She knew how to read people, how to get the best out of them. But none of that prepared her for Divinity—or more specifically, for Sei.

He had been the wildcard, the one trainee she never saw coming.

Her hand hovered over the door handle before she finally pulled it. "Get it together," she whispered to herself before stepping out into the cold morning air. She could still feel the sting of Bang Janghyuk's words from their last meeting. The disappointment in his voice was something she hadn't expected to weigh on her so heavily.

The moment she walked through the doors of Smoke and Mirrors, the usual hum of activity greeted her. The staff was buzzing around, prepping for another long day of rehearsals. She was slightly overwhelemed by the new faces that surrounded her, gone were the people that Atlas had put in to control Smoke and Mirrors, but her mind was elsewhere, already replaying the events that had led to Sei's collapse.

"I trusted you," Bang had said, his voice calm but icy. "You said you wanted what was best for them, that Atlas would help them shine. But not like this."

Not like this. The words echoed in her mind like a haunting melody she couldn't shake.

Sooyoung sighed, pushing open the door to the practice room. The sound of music filled the space, and there they were—Divinity. Minho, Jaehyun, Wei, and Sei, moving in near-perfect synchrony as they practiced their routine. To any outside observer, they looked like the epitome of success, the shining stars of Smoke and Mirrors.

But Sooyoung knew better. She saw the tension in their movements, the exhaustion in their eyes. She could see the cracks forming, the weight they all carried from the pressure to perform.

Her gaze shifted to Sei, and a familiar knot twisted in her stomach. His improvement had been miraculous, almost unnatural, but she knew what it had cost him. The late-night practices, the endless drills, the sheer mental toll it had taken on him. Atlas had pushed him too hard, and she had been complicit in it.

As she leaned against the wall, arms crossed, she noticed Bang standing nearby, watching his boys with an intensity that was hard to read. His presence was a constant reminder of the line she had crossed—the line between pushing for greatness and pushing too far.

But she was here now, to oversee their progress, to ensure that Divinity stayed on track. Atlas' eyes were on her, waiting for her reports. It wasn't a job she relished, but it was the one she had.

The music stopped abruptly, and the boys collapsed onto the floor, panting, drenched in sweat. Jaehyun glanced her way, offering a polite nod before turning his attention to Sei, who sat against the wall, chest heaving, visibly drained.

"Sei," Jaehyun said, his voice laced with concern. "You need to rest. You're still recovering."

Sei shook his head, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I'm fine. Just one more run-through."

Sooyoung watched the exchange, her heart sinking. It was moments like these where she felt the weight of her decisions. How had it come to this? She had always prided herself on her ability to nurture talent, to bring out the best in people. But Sei had become a different kind of project—a product of Atlas' machine-like precision, where success was measured in numbers, not in the wellbeing of the artist.