Chapter 75 — The Sound of Almost
Day Two — 5:08 AM
AUREUS Dorm — Kitchen Cam
The dorm was quiet again.
Too quiet.
Minjae stirred a mug of instant coffee with the precision of someone who hadn't slept at all. The spoon clinked against ceramic like a ticking clock. Hyunjae sat at the kitchen island, half-asleep, eating cereal with one eye open. Rin was on the floor with a blanket around him, pretending not to be listening.
Jaeheon hadn't come out of his room yet.
That wasn't unusual.
But it felt different.
The kind of silence that doesn't come from sleep—but from something else. Like waiting for something no one can name.
The live comments had noticed it too:
is jaeheon ok?? he's been so quiet today
he's always quiet but like... this is different
did anyone else feel that?? like he's thinking something real deep
yo this whole dorm feels like it's holding its breath
6:03 AM
Camera switches to Bedroom 2
Jaeheon sat at his desk. The chair turned slightly toward the window. His phone rested face-up, screen blank.
He hadn't written this morning either.
That hadn't happened in months.
He usually sent his morning message at 5:01 AM sharp.
Every day. Without fail.
But not today.
He stared out the window like he was searching for a horizon that hadn't arrived yet.
A knock came from the door.
It opened a second later. Minjae.
"You okay?"
A pause.
Jaeheon didn't look at him. Just nodded once.
"You sure?"
Another pause. Then softly—
"Yeah."
Minjae lingered in the doorway for a moment longer. He didn't ask anything else. Just left the door open behind him.
Even he knew better than to push.
8:27 AM
Shared Living Room Cam
The members gathered on the couch again, this time quieter than usual. Even Sungchan was subdued, nervously glancing at the camera and trying to start small talk that didn't stick.
Jaeheon joined them last.
Hair slightly messy. A hoodie thrown over his frame. His phone still in hand.
And that was when it happened.
Just a flicker.
A sound.
Barely audible.
Ping.
Jaeheon's eyes flicked down.
Then froze.
The chat window had changed.
There it was.
One single line.
No one else noticed—because no one could.
He didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't breathe, almost.
But the camera caught it.
The faint tremble in his fingertips.
A tremble that lasted less than a second.
And a blink that lasted too long to be natural.
He locked the screen slowly and set the phone down beside him.
Back to silence.
But his lips curved. Just slightly.
It wasn't a full smile.
Not the one fans screenshot and obsess over.
It was something smaller.
Almost invisible.
The sound of a world shifting inside someone's chest.
Not crashing.
Not rising.
Just almost.
Live Chat Exploded
WHAT WAS THAT
he SMILED
go back to timestamp 8:27:53 he totally SMILED
did someone text him????
nah he just remembered something i bet
it's HER isn't it...
But they didn't know.
No one knew.
Not the fans.
Not the members.
Not even the manager.
And they never would.
Not really.
Because Jaeheon would never say a word.
Not about the message.
Not about what it said.