Between two worlds | Chanlix

Smoke in the sky

The day began like any other.
Coffee. Studio. Laughter from Han bouncing off the walls. Changbin groaning dramatically about having to record another harmony.

Everything was moving forward.
The album was climbing charts.
Mr. Kim was pleased.
The world, for once, felt steady.

Chan sat in the back office of their small building, sipping on his third Americano, scrolling through emails and half-reading production notes. Then—

"Felix Lee Resigns from JYP Entertainment"

He blinked.

Then again.

He sat up straighter.

"Shock in the Industry: Felix Lee, long-standing CEO of JYP, steps down unexpectedly. Board members and insiders refuse to comment."
"Is JYP Crumbling? What the Sudden Resignation of Felix Lee Means for the Industry."
"JYP Chaos: Lee family in turmoil, rumors of internal power struggle."

Chan's hand froze above the trackpad.

He stared. Cold spread through his chest.

Felix... resigned?

His pulse picked up. He refreshed. More headlines poured in.

"Felix Lee Announces Divorce from Socialite Yujin"
"Power Couple Splits: Felix and Yujin Lee Confirm Separation Amid Corporate Fallout"

It was all falling apart.
And Felix... he was in the eye of the storm.

"Hyung?" Han's voice drifted in, casual. "You need more—"

Chan stood suddenly. "Did you see the news?"

Han blinked at him, frowning. "What—?"

He walked out with his phone held up. "Felix resigned. Divorce. Everything. It's all over the damn feed."

Han and Changbin huddled beside him, eyes widening with every new post, every update. It was a cascade of headlines and panic.

"Holy shit," Changbin muttered. "He really burned it all down."

Chan didn't answer.

Instead, he opened his messages.

His fingers hovered. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he should. He didn't know where they stood anymore, if he even had the right to reach out. But the memory of Felix's voice from the balcony, hoarse and broken, echoed in his mind.

He typed.

Chan:
I saw the news. Are you okay?

He stared at the screen for a long time before pressing send. The message went blue. Delivered.

He waited. Seconds turned to minutes.

Then—

Felix:
I'm alive.

That was it.

Two words. Cold. Sharp. Distant.

Chan's stomach twisted.

"Is that him?" Han asked gently.

Chan just nodded. "He's not saying anything else."

There was silence.

The kind that stretches too long.

"I mean..." Han finally said, "it's not like this is small. He's got the whole damn empire against him now."

"His father," Changbin added. "The board. The investors. It's a war."

Chan leaned back against the wall, dragging a hand through his hair. His heart pounded.