Returning to school felt stranger than waking up in someone else's body.
Jiho stood outside the school gates for nearly five full minutes, watching groups of students spill into the building in waves.
Laughter echoed throughout the halls, backpacks thudded against their backs, voices rose and fell in the chaos of morning.
And still, he stood there, his heart beating too fast.
He wore Yunjae's uniform that was crisp, ironed, and neat. Just like everything else in Yunjae's world.
But Jiho didn't feel like Yunjae.
Not even close.
He took a deep breath, fixed his collar, and stepped in.
The halls were too bright and too clean. Students shuffles past, most ignoring him, a few casting quick glances. Maybe they noticed something was off. Maybe they didn't. Yunjae's face was still Yunjae's face. But Jiho felt like an actor dropped into the middle of a play without reading the script.
His first class was literature. He kept his head down as he walked in and slid a desk near the back.
A girl sitting beside him leaned over, eyebrows raised. "Hey… you're back?"
Jiho blinked. "Yeah. I guess I am."
"You okay? I mean, you were gone a while."
He forced a smile. "Just needed some time."
She nodded slowly, a little awkward, but not unkind. "Well… it's good to see you."
A few more students looked his way throughout class — curious, but no one pushed. Jiho didn't know if it was because they'd heard rumors or just assumed Yunjae needed space. Either way, he was grateful.
The teacher walked in and began roll call. Jiho sat down, opened his notebook, and let the noise of the class wash over him like static. Familiar. Distant.
The next few days passed like that.
Classes, assignments, short conversations with teachers who told him to "take it easy." The rhythm of it all was grounding in a strange way. Every bell that rang, every hallway he walked reminded him that life hadn't paused for him. He had to keep moving.
Still, Jiho felt like he was living between lives.
The one everyone else thought he'd returned to — the straight-A student, the quiet, smart Yunjae.
And the one that had begun the moment he stepped into that audition room.
He thought about it constantly.
The sharp white lights. The sound of his own breath echoing between notes. The judge who'd said he wasn't trained, but he had potential.
But it had been a week. No email. No call.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe "having potential" just meant "not enough."
Jiho sat on the school roof during lunch which was something Yunjae probably never did — phone resting in his hand, screen dark. The wind tugged at his sleeves. He stared at the clouds, waiting for something. Anything.
That's when it buzzed.
A single vibration. Short. Unassuming.
Jiho blinked, startled. Then unlocked the screen.
[From: ONYX Entertainment]
His breath caught.
He tapped it.
Subject: Audition Results & Next steps
Dear Yunjae,
Thank you for attending the ONYX Entertainment open audition last week. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to advance to the next stage of our trainee program. Your performance demonstrated strong potential, emotional presence, and a vocal tone that aligns with the direction of future artist development. You are one of 13 individuals who passed this round.
Please review the following information carefully:
Orientation Date: Saturday, May 3rd
Location: ONYX Entertainment Building, Seoul (address attached)
Arrival Time: 10:00 AM sharp
What to Bring: ID, comfortable training attire, and a prepared short performance (vocal or dance) for skill assessment.
You will also receive your preliminary schedule and trainee contract upon arrival.
If you accept this opportunity, please respond to this email by Thursday, May 1st.
We look forward to your journey.
— ONYX Audition Team
Jiho stared at the words until they blurred.
He read it again.
And again.
He had passed.
Out of dozens of people who were hopeful, they picked him.
His stomach twisted.
Thirteen. That meant others had made it too. People who had danced circles around him. People who had trained for years. Who had studios, coaches, money.
Why him?
He hadn't been the best in that room. Not even close. He remembered the way his knees had nearly buckled when he bowed. How one of the notes cracked in his throat. He wasn't polished. He was barely passable.
So why?
He stood, backing away from the edge of the roof, pacing.
What did they see?
That question repeated in his mind like a drumbeat.
And deeper beneath it — something scarier — was the voice that asked:
Can you really do this?
Jiho exhaled shakily. Looked up at the sky.
It felt like the moment before the storm, heavy with air, pressure, and change.
He thought about the old him. The boy who had stood in front of a mirror, pretending to be someone else. The boy who sang quietly into his pillow so no one would hear. The boy who had once wanted to disappear entirely.
And now, someone out there believed he could be more.
Even if he didn't yet believe it himself.
He sat down again, fingers trembling as he replied to the email.
Subject: Re: Audition Results & Next Steps
To: ONYX Entertainment
Message:Thank you for the opportunity. I will attend the orientation on May 3rd.
—Yunjae
Send.
The moment it left his outbox, Jiho leaned back and closed his eyes.
He didn't have all the answers. His scars hadn't healed overnight. He still doubted himself. Still wondered if he was making a mistake.
But for the first time in a long time…
He had something to look forward to.
Something to hold on to.