SKZ Imagines

As We Are - Seungmin

Author's Note: Listen to the song while reading for a better experience :)

The practice room was silent except for the sound of your ragged breaths, your palms pressed flat against the cold floor. Another failed audition. Another "We'll keep your contact on file" that really meant "You're not good enough."

You'd trained for years—sleepless nights, blistered feet, voices cracking under pressure—and yet here you were, alone in an empty studio, choking back tears. 

The door creaked open. You didn't look up, but you didn't need to. The footsteps were familiar—steady, deliberate—and then Seungmin was crouching beside you, his knee brushing yours. 

"Hey," he said softly. You swallowed hard. "Don't.". "Don't what?" He asked. "Don't tell me it'll be okay." Your voice cracked. "Or that I just need to try harder. Or—"

Seungmin didn't interrupt. He just waited, his presence a quiet anchor, until your words ran out. Then, gently, he reached over and turned your practice notebook toward him. The pages were filled with your scribbled lyrics—

Why am I the only one left behind?

—and his fingers traced the words like they were something precious. "You're not," he said finally. You blinked. "What?". "Behind." He met your eyes, his gaze unwavering. "You're just on a different path. And if you need to stop for a while, that's okay. But if you want to keep running..." He nudged your shoulder with his. "I'll stay beside you."

That was the start of your new ritual. On the days when the weight of your dreams felt like too much, Seungmin would appear—sometimes with coffee, sometimes with nothing but his stubborn presence—and you'd sit in silence until the storm in your chest calmed. Other days, he'd drag you out of your head entirely, his voice cutting through your doubts with a playful "Bet you can't hit this note" before launching into an absurdly high-pitched rendition of a trot song. 

And when he stumbled—when the pressure of perfectionism made his hands shake during recording sessions—you returned the favor. You'd stay in the studio, sometimes even late at night with Chan and Changbin during recording, supporting Seungmin and whispering "Hey. Look at me." And when he did, you'd grin and say, "Remember when you told me it's okay to be slow? Take your own advice, dummy." You both calmed each others' nerves and were right by each others' side.

Years later, when you finally stood on your own stage—your name in lights, your songs ringing through the speakers—Seungmin was there in the front row, his smile brighter than the spotlights. And when the encore came, he didn't cheer. He didn't clap. He just held your gaze and sang along, every word, like he'd known all along that this moment would come. 

Ah, even if we look imperfect
Even if we're compared to others at times
I'm always on your side
Until we reach the finish line
Let's run through time together

Back then, you were by my side
So I was able to hold on
I was able to make it in the end
Without feeling lonely
For all that time
Like that, on the day, let's
Look at each other
With the brightest smile

After the show, you found him backstage, leaning against the wall like he'd been waiting forever. "Told you," he said, smug. You threw your arms around him, laughing into his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. You were right." Seungmin hugged you back, his voice muffled in your hair. "We're just getting started."