FLAMES - A KimChay AU

one

The Voice in the Shadows

Kim stood backstage, hands trembling slightly as he gripped the neck of his guitar. The sound of the crowd outside was a distant hum, but the nervous tension in his chest wouldn't go away. He had just finished performing, and though the applause was polite, it didn't feel real. The crowd was kind, but it felt... distant, like they were only clapping because they were supposed to, not because they actually appreciated the performance.

He couldn't help but compare himself to Kinn and Tankhun, even though he knew he shouldn't.

Kinn with his effortless charisma, his voice that could light up any room. Tankhun, who always seemed to command respect in every space he entered. And then there was Kim, whose voice was good, he knew that much-but it was never enough to stand out like theirs.

He could feel the weight of their success on his shoulders, and it crushed him.

The backstage area was quiet, but Kim could still hear the faint whispers of the crowd. He couldn't escape it-the thoughts, the doubts, the comparisons.

Was his performance good enough?
Had they really liked it, or were they just being polite? And what hurt the most-Why did they always compare him to his brothers?

Kim pushed open the backstage door, stepping into the dimly lit corridor. His heart was heavy, his chest tight. He needed to be alone.

The hallway was empty. He could hear his own footsteps echoing as he walked further away from the main event. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now, didn't want to hear the usual comments that followed him everywhere. "Not bad, but Kinn's voice is smoother." "Tankhun would have given more energy."

He was tired of it. Tired of feeling like he was never good enough.

Kim kept walking, his mind spinning. He pushed open another door at the end of the hall. The music room.

It was empty, save for the scattered sheet music on the piano and the faint smell of old instruments. Kim sighed, his fingers running over the edge of the piano keys, testing the sound, but there was no rhythm to it. Just a hollow, lonely sound that matched how he felt. He wasn't in the mood to practice, but he needed something to occupy his mind.

He walked across the room and sank down on a chair in the corner. His head dropped into his hands, and he stared at the floor, trying to shut out the noise in his mind.

He wanted to be like Kinn. He wanted to be confident and charismatic. He wanted to be like Tankhun-strong, admired. But he wasn't any of those things. He was just Kim. And sometimes, that felt like it wasn't enough.

Then, out of nowhere, a sound broke through his thoughts.

A voice.

It was distant at first, like it was floating down the hallway from somewhere far away. The voice was soft, almost like a whisper, but it was beautiful. Kim froze, his heartbeat quickening. He couldn't explain it, but there was something so raw, so captivating about the sound. It wasn't loud, but it felt so real, so full of emotion.

Kim stood up and followed the voice, unsure of where it was coming from. He hadn't heard anyone else in the building. But this voice, he couldn't ignore it. His feet moved before he could think twice.

He walked quietly down the hallway, trying not to disturb the rhythm of the song. The voice was getting closer, and with each step, Kim's curiosity grew. It felt almost like a magnet, pulling him forward, making him want to discover where it was coming from.

He turned a corner and saw the door to another practice room slightly a Far. The voice, It's so clear and pure and was coming from inside.

Kim hesitated for a moment, heart pounding. He hadn't expected to find anyone here. The building had been quiet since the performance. But the voice,it was mesmerizing and something about it made him feel like he had to listen. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open, just enough to peek inside.

But the room was empty.

His eyes scanned the space quickly, but it was just as silent as the rest of the building. No one was there. The room was as still as the one he had just left.

Kim frowned. "What the hell..."

He stepped inside cautiously, looking around. There was no one at the piano, no one standing by the window, no sign of any movement. The room was untouched, just as empty as before.

The sound of the voice had stopped, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Kim could still feel the weight of it on his skin, the memory of how it had made him feel. It had been... beautiful, almost like it had reached into his chest and pulled something free, something he hadn't realized he was holding onto.

Kim looked around again, feeling a strange mixture of confusion and curiosity. Who had been singing? Where had they gone?

He stood there for a long time, unsure of what to do. The hallway was quiet now, and all he could hear was his own breathing. Maybe he was just tired. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten lost in his own head.

Still, the feeling lingered. That voice, it wasn't just a passing thing. It had meant something. He couldn't shake the thought that it had been calling to him in some way, like it had been meant for him to hear.

Kim shook his head and walked back to the hallway, the weight in his chest still there. As he stepped out into the quiet corridor, he couldn't help but wonder who had been singing. And why it had affected him so much.

But he pushed the thought away, at least for now. There was nothing to be done about it. Nothing to explain it.

Still, the memory of that voice stayed with him as he walked back toward the main event, the sound of the crowd still faintly buzzing in the distance. And though he tried to bury it, the voice echoed in his mind, pulling at something deep inside him, something he couldn't quite understand.

It was a voice he couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried.