Jinwoo's Gambit

The sterile scent of the practice room, usually a comforting aroma of dedication and sweat, felt heavy in the air. It clung to the polished floor, to the mirrors reflecting a world that was slowly, subtly, shifting. Hyunjin watched Jinwoo from across the room, a knot tightening in his stomach with each effortless pirouette the backup dancer executed. Jinwoo, with his easy smile and a grace that seemed to ripple through the very air, was becoming a fixture, a bright splash of color against the canvas of their group’s performances. And with every passing week, Felix’s absence felt less like a temporary pause and more like a permanent void.

Felix. The thought of his best friend, frail and confined to his room, sent a familiar pang through Hyunjin’s chest. He’d visited yesterday, bringing a carefully chosen bouquet of sunflowers, their vibrant faces a stark contrast to the paleness of Felix’s skin. Felix had smiled, a weak, watery thing that didn't quite reach his eyes, and talked about new song ideas, about the melody he’d heard in the rustling leaves outside his window. He was still so full of light, even as the shadows lengthened around him.

“Hyunjin-ssi, are you with us?”