Between Spotlight and Shadows (NewJeans x M!Reader/OC)

Chapter 1 - Pruning (Updated)

Hi so uhm, this is my first ever story lol so bear with me if it's kind of eh, I'm just trying to see what works. (edited note - quality has def improved from)

Also this work is obv a work of fiction and I don't personally know the idols involved or the industry and everything in this story does not reflect people in real life :P

One last thing, this story is a Male OC story but if people want I can change it to a Y/N insert.

Anyway Please enjoy and any feed back is welcome :)

2.4k words (5.8k now :p)

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June 30th, 2022, 3:23pm @HYBE Trainee Studio - Taejin POV

I stared at her, my mind lagging, like the moment was out of sync with the rest of the world. The afternoon sun filtered through the practice room's high windows, painting streaks of light on the hardwood floor where we stood. But I barely registered any of it—my heart felt jammed in my throat, and my chest tightened in panic.

"I-I... I just don't think we're right for each other, Taejin... It's not working."

She stumbled over each word, as if hoping they'd speak for themselves. Her gaze flickered everywhere but me: the mirror along the wall, the scuffed floor, the open door behind me. I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't come; it was lost somewhere in my chest, tangled up with my heartbeat.

Her fingers trembled at her sides. I noticed them clenching and unclenching, like she wanted to hold onto something but couldn't find the courage.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice quivering. "This is where we end."

I blinked, slow, disbelieving. My lungs burned, and I realised I'd been holding my breath, waiting for her to laugh and say it was a mistake. But nothing like that happened. All I heard was the echo of her words—this is where we end—bouncing off the studio's walls.

A long silence. My stomach churned, desperate to form any sort of question: Why? What changed? Did I do something? But the words refused to leave my tongue. Her cheeks glistened with tears she fought to keep at bay. This entire scene played out like a drama I couldn't tear away from, except it was my life.

She stood up from the bench and turned, giving me one last look. I saw the regret in her eyes, a reflection of my own confusion. Something about that look made the reality sink in. There wasn't going to be an apology or a second chance. It was truly over.

"I'm sorry, Taejin," she repeated, voice cracking.

She took a step back, then another. Say something, I begged myself. Don't let her leave. My lips parted, but no sound emerged. I felt glued to the spot, my entire body locked up by shock. As she pivoted for the door, her shoulders shook with stifled sobs.

Half a heartbeat later, her form disappeared into the hallway, leaving me surrounded by the ghosts of everything we once shared—memories echoing in the emptiness of the practice room. The clock on the wall ticked loudly. Before, I'd never noticed its sound; now, it hammered into me, counting each second I did nothing.

I sank onto the bench she'd just vacated, my legs giving out. My breaths came in shallow spurts, brain scrambling to piece together what had happened.

We had fights before, sure. But we always worked through them. Or so I thought. When did she decide this was beyond fixing? I replayed every conversation from the past month—had I missed the signs? Had she been dropping hints?