Chapter Thirty One: Main Character Problem

╔═━━━◇◆◇━━━═╗Target:40 votes.80 comments.╚═━━━◇◆◇━━━═╝

[ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴘᴏᴠ ]

The final night of the world tour in Mexico City was a whirlwind of chaos, confetti, and caffeine-fueled adrenaline.

Seungmin barely had time to breathe, let alone think.

The stage lights were blinding, the cheers deafening, and his earpiece kept slipping no matter how many times staff taped it down. By the third song, he was sweating so hard he considered whether his soul was trying to leave his body. His mic pack detached mid-dance break, and he nearly tripped over a stray streamer that had the audacity to wrap around his ankle like it was auditioning for a drama.

But the crowd? Loud, warm, unreal.

They held signs with his name in glitter, screamed his lyrics with passion, and even threw a stuffed duck dressed like him. He didn't want to laugh, but he did.

The final bow was emotional. Felix almost teared up. Chan gave a speech that made everyone want to call their moms. Hyunjin flung a sweat towel into the audience like a dramatic anime prince. Then came the backstage madness-- stylists rushing to touch up makeup that had long since melted, managers barking orders about flights and passports, and someone yelling about missing shoes.

Post-concert meant selfies, fan letters stuffed into luggage, frantic packing, and a suspicious container of chilaquiles Jisung refused to let go of. Someone found Changbin trying to fit seven souvenirs into a carry-on that could barely close.

It was madness. Fun, heart-pounding madness.

But even in the middle of that chaos, Nayoung lingered in the back of his mind.

She had been off. Weirdly off.

Her usual chaotic texting style had dimmed. There were no random flirt bombs. No aggressive typing in all caps. No dramatic claims about how she was 'too emotionally unhinged for modern society.' Just a clipped, 'I'm fine,' and then radio silence.

Jisung, ever the unsolicited therapist, (Don't take his advice folks) shrugged and said, "She's probably having main character problems. Let her sort out her drama arc."

So Seungmin did. Or tried to.

But over the next two days, he kept zoning out. During dinner, during rehearsals, even mid-pillow fight when Felix and I.N turned the hotel room into a warzone. Hyunjin had to snap in front of his face because he spaced out staring at his rice for five straight minutes. "You good?"

"Totally." Seungmin hummed lowly.

"...You put salsa on your pancakes."

"Oh. It was Jisung's idea." the black haired was quick to blame Jisung who was getting attacked by Felix and Jeongin.

Now, two days later, seated at a cozy little café, the kind with warm wooden tables and indie music playing softly in the background. Hyunjin was passionately debating between a vanilla latte and a cinnamon mocha, like the fate of the world depended on it.

Seungmin sat across from him, hoodie up, fingers curled around his iced americano, dark circles proudly decorating his face. He had been quiet the entire walk there, letting Hyunjin monologue about seasonal flavour betrayals and oat milk conspiracies.

Then, casually-- too casually-- he unlocked his phone and logged into his alt.

No accidental likes today. He made sure of it.

The company didn't react-- not yet, at least. Seungmin liking a blogger's post hadn't stirred enough chaos to warrant a meeting or a memo. The reaction online was surprisingly tame, more humorous than scandalous, with fans treating it harmless rather than a controversy. Since there was no real damage to his image, the company decided to observe quietly, fingers crossed it would blow over like everything else usually did.

He scrolled to her chat, thumb hovering.

And then he saw it.

>Minnie_: Hey, you still there?

>Minnie_: I'm sorry

It was short. Simple. No flair. No emojis. Just that lowercase apology sitting there like a whisper.

His lips twitched.

The smile that crept onto his face was small, but it was real. Gentle. Soft in the way he never let people see. It stayed there as he stared at the message, re-reading it even though he'd already memorized it.

Across the table, Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. "You're smiling."

Seungmin scoffed, "Really? I thought I was dying." his tone laced with sarcasm, typing back a response.

>Just that?

> I'm gonna need something more heartfelt, Nayoung.

------------• ° -🤍- ° •------------

Whoops, I was supposed to publish this two days ago because apparently you guys are still too awesome for the current bar

Don't panic!!I'm not increasing it anytime soon(I may or may not be trustworthy)

Last chapter's answer:Chan

Quote of the day:No, Seungmin in the car

Anyways hi, how are you?

As always Lee (> •-•)> will be taking your votes and comments

Thanks for readingCya🖤