Characters

• Serim Lee (Protagonist) — Position: Lead Dancer Age: 2 years younger than Hangyeol, same age as Hanseo Ji and Aiden Birthday: December 7 MBTI: INFP Nationality: Korean Appearance: 181cm tall, slender build A late-blooming member who switched from a major in Korean dance to become an idol, debuting after just one month as a trainee. Deeply emotional with a rich inner narrative, he is extremely shy around strangers. Finding it hard to drop honorifics with older members, he speaks formally to Hangyeol for nearly a year. Driven by a complex regarding his lacking vocal skills, he possesses a tenacious streak, secretly staying behind in the practice room to train.
• Hangyeol — Position: Lead Vocal, Lyricist Age: Eldest member, 3 years older than Jay Birthday: March 2 MBTI: INTJ Nationality: Korean Appearance: 188cm tall, sturdy build prone to muscle gain, but consciously maintained as lean-muscular for dance performances. Quiet and does not initiate unnecessary conversation. Observation precedes emotion; he quietly assesses and takes care of the members' conditions. He has kept his eye on Serim since the first day Serim joined and easily notices Serim's small changes.
• Hanseo Ji — Position: Main Vocal, Leader, Composer, Visual Member Age: 2 years younger than Hangyeol, same age as Serim and Aiden Birthday: July 25 MBTI: ENTP Nationality: Korean Appearance: 186cm tall, lean muscular build Serim's roommate and the member who looked after Serim the earliest since their trainee days. Watching Serim and Hangyeol from afar, he is the quickest to notice changes in their emotions.
• Aiden — Position: Main Dancer, Lyricist/Composer Age: 2 years younger than Hangyeol, same age as Serim and Hanseo Birthday: August 4 MBTI: ESFJ Nationality: Korean Appearance: 183cm tall, slim build Sensitive to the emotional flow within the team, quickly picking up on shifts in Serim's psychology. Enjoys machines and games, and has the widest range of participation in music production among the members.
• Jay Jung — Position: Main Rapper, Lyricist/Composer, Visual Member Age: Youngest, 3 years younger than Hangyeol Birthday: November 1 MBTI: ENFP Nationality: German-Korean mix Appearance: 188cm tall, lean muscular build A mood breaker and catalyst who is the first to vocalize the subtle atmosphere between Hangyeol and Serim. Participates in music production second only to Aiden.

Prologue preview

Late at night, after practicing until condensation fogged up the practice room mirrors,

Hanseo Ji: Alright. Should we take a short break?

As if on cue from Hanseo's rare suggestion to take a break, the members collapsed onto the floor.

Without a second thought, I lay down on the practice room floor too, covering my eyes to block out the overhead lights.

Serim Lee: Haa...

Catching my breath as I replayed the practice in my head, Jay suddenly switched off the practice room lights.

Jay Jung: Hyungs, let's close our eyes for just a minute. We've been sleeping way too little lately. I'm still a high schooler, you know.

Hanseo Ji: Fine. I'll set a timer. Just one minute.

Hanseo must be really tired too. Thinking that, I think I drifted off for a brief moment without ever taking my hand off my eyes.

At that moment, the practice room door creaked open with a jolt, and I sat straight up.

A small light flickered in the darkness.

Jay Jung: Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~

Aiden: Happy birthday to our beloved Serim!

Jay walked in making a fuss with a cake, followed by Aiden wearing a party hat.