The egregious antithesis

PREQUEL
Book 1 of The Kintsugi Series
OT13 (Lee Chan X OT13)

Loneliness.

Loneliness: a state of mind linked to wanting human contact but feeling alone.

Chan feels lonely.

Which sounds stupid in and of itself because how is that even possible? He is an idol. He has a hoard of security and staff around him the moment he steps foot outside his house. He performs in large, sold-out stadiums with thousands of fans attending each concert.

He is also part of one of the, quote, largest K-pop boybands that has seen this much success, despite their size, unquote. With 13 members, it is a miracle they achieved everything that they did. His work and personal life overlap and he is surrounded by his members day in, day out. He has 12 other people flitting in and out around him constantly.

So the above statement sounds, understandably, juvenile.

And while it is true that Chan is rarely ever left alone to his own devices, it doesn't stop him from feeling lonely. Is it because he is the maknae? Or maybe because he is the only 99-liner in a group where all the other members have at least one same-aged friend? Perhaps his sub-gender is the root cause of all his problems. He is, after all, the only beta in a group of alphas and omegas.