between the spolight - purinz ✧

shadows in the studio.

yunjin's pov —

the night after chaewon told me about her conversation with giselle, i couldn't shake the tension. it wasn't just giselle's audacity—it was the way she spoke to chaewon as if she knew exactly what was going on between us.

still, we had to keep up appearances. the next day, i walked into rehearsals with a neutral expression, forcing myself to engage casually with everyone, but giselle was also there. when i finally spotted her, she was all smiles, but there was an unsettling energy in the air that made my skin crawl.

"yunjin!" she called, waving enthusiastically as if we were old friends. "excited for the end of the year?"

"yeah," i replied, keeping my tone light. "got a lot to look forward to."

but her gaze lingered too long on me, an intensity that felt almost possessive. as the rehearsal progressed, i caught her stealing glances, the way she leaned in a little too close when speaking to me, her laughter a bit too bright, too eager. i felt the prickle of unease at the back of my mind, like a warning that something was off.

during a break, as i stood alone in the hallway scrolling through my phone, i heard her footsteps approaching. i turned, and there she was, her smile wide and her posture open, but i could sense the underlying tension.

"hey, yunjin!" giselle said, moving closer. "i was just looking for you. i wanted to see how you're doing after...everything."

i forced a smile, trying to keep the conversation light. "i'm doing well. just busy with practice."

"busy is good," she said, her tone almost syrupy. "you've been working so hard lately. i just wanted to check in, you know?"

her words dripped with an odd sweetness that felt disingenuous. "thanks, giselle. i appreciate it."

she stepped a bit closer, the distance between us narrowing. "you and chaewon seem really close these days," she remarked, her eyes sparkling with a strange intensity. "i mean, you guys practically finish each other's sentences."

i held my composure, though her gaze made me uneasy. "yeah, we're best friends," i replied, shrugging. "we just understand each other really well."

giselle's smile widened, but there was something in her eyes that made my heart race—something that felt possessive, almost desperate. "best friend, huh?" she mused, tilting her head slightly. "more like you two are inseparable, right? i mean, the way you look at each other... it's kind of sweet."

i could feel the tension building in my chest, my defenses rising. "it's just friendship."

giselle's expression shifted, her smile dropping just a fraction. "of course. just looking out for you, that's all." her eyes lingered a moment longer, and i could sense that she was enjoying this—this game she was playing.

later that day, the practice room was dimly lit, the silence punctuated only by the soft shuffle of my feet on the polished floor. i had stayed behind after everyone else had left, using the quiet hours to work through our choreography one more time. the energy of the day had drained from me, and i craved the solitude of the studio, a place where i could lose myself in movement and forget about the outside world, if only for a little while.

as i practiced, the routine flowed through me, my body moving instinctively to the music. but my mind kept drifting back to the events of the past week—the article, the rumors, and most annoyingly, giselle. her presence was like a thorn in my side, always just out of reach yet uncomfortably close.