Make Me STAY

HALLUCINATION

Chan returned to the practice room after his heart-to-heart with Rose in the hallway. As his eyes scanned the room, Minho caught his eye, and the leader nodded. The dancer resumed their dance practice, continuing until he was satisfied they were ready for their comeback.

During a break, Jeongin approached Chan.

"Hyung, about what Jisung-Hyung said, about Rose-Noona needing to have a near-death experience...?"

"Ah, no. Don't worry, Innie. Jisung was exaggerating. Nothing bad will happen to Rose-Noona."

Jeongin's shoulders dropped.

"Oh. Good. What did he mean then?"

"Ah, well, Rose would probably explain it better than me, but essentially, the soulmate doctor told her that to have another soulmate, she would need to have a moment of high emotion with them."

"Like a near-death experience?"

Chan rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um, yeah. But it doesn't have to be! Obviously, that wasn't the case with Lix."

Noticing Jeongin still had a lot of questions, the leader placed his hand on the Maknae's shoulder.

"Rose-Noona can explain it in more detail tonight, yeah?"

The youngest nodded.

"Okay, Hyung. I'm glad Noona's not in any danger."

"Me too, Innie."

As they went back to work, Jeongin couldn't stop thinking about how Rose had been in danger. And how he had been there too.

On the day of Stray Kids' comeback, Rose was running around trying to make sure everything was going smoothly. After an emergency two days ago, she had been busy with the rest of the staff, trying to sort things out before the comeback. She and Felix hadn't gotten to celebrate their bonding. In fact, she had barely seen the members at all.

Previously, she had been worried about working with her soulmates. However, they had proven to be very professional with her. Although they had their fun moments, when needed, they were completely focused on their job. Or at least they had been.

Rose felt a pair of lips press against her cheek, and she looked up from her phone to see a smiling Felix walking away. Her newest soulmate had been giving her kisses every time he saw her. She wanted to be annoyed since they were at work, but it was so cute that she ended up smiling every time.

"5 minute warning!"

At the staff's call, Rose started checking everyone's outfit. A habit she never stopped.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

It was time for their music show performance. The Idols rushed out the door one by one, Felix pressing a quick kiss to her cheek as he passed.

"Wait! I didn't get to check Jeongin."

But it was too late.

Rose sat down on the sofa with a sigh and rubbed her forehead. She was exhausted. The last two days had consisted of late nights and early mornings, but it was worth it to see Stray Kids' comeback go smoothly. She closed her eyes and allowed herself five minutes of rest.

When she woke up, Rose was using Minho's shoulder as a pillow. The rest of the Idols and staff were moving around the room unusually quietly. She lifted her head and looked up at her soulmate, who tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Good nap, Kitten?"

"I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"You're not truly part of the Idol industry until you've fallen asleep at work."