The JYP practice room smelled like disinfectant and wooden floors. The mirrors glared under fluorescent lights, reflecting six tired girls stretching in silence. And you, seventh member, stood off to the side, clutching your water bottle like it was the only thing holding you together.

It had been two weeks since Jinni left.

The announcement hit the world like a bomb. One moment, there were seven of you, laughing in interviews, huddled together in backstage corridors, singing your hearts out on stage. The next, the group chat pinged with a company message so sterile it felt cruel:

“Due to personal circumstances, Jinni has terminated her contract and will no longer be a part of NMIXX.”

You’d read it three times before the words sank in.

⸻

Now, rehearsals felt like running through choreography with a missing limb. Every formation left a gap that screamed Jinni’s absence. Every harmony sounded slightly off, as though the air refused to vibrate the same way without her voice.

Sullyoon and Bae kept turning her head mid-dance, almost as if to check for Jinni at her side. Lily’s usual chatter fell quiet. Haewon tried to hold the group together, even as her own eyes glistened during breaks. Kyujin and Jiwoo practiced with fierce determination that sometimes bordered on desperation.

And you…you kept feeling like an imposter.

Because you’d been the last to join, the hidden eighth member revealed after debut—an addition that fans accepted slowly, though the girls welcomed you instantly. Jinni had been the one to hold your hand on your first day, whispering, “You’re one of us now. Don’t be scared.”

Now she was gone. And the words “one of us” felt painfully hollow.

The company told you all to stay quiet about the real reason for Jinni’s departure. “Personal circumstances,” they kept repeating, as though the phrase was some magical bandage that could cover a gaping wound.

But it didn’t stop fans from speculating online.

“Was she forced out?” “Did she fight with the members?” “Is she sick?” “Did NMIXX betray her?”

Each rumor dug a deeper pit in your chest. You scrolled through posts late at night, trying not to cry when you saw comments accusing the remaining members—accusing you—of being the reason Jinni left.

⸻

Tonight, practice ended later than usual. Haewon dismissed the group softly, voice strained. One by one, the girls shuffled out, leaving you alone in the mirrored room.

You sat down on the wooden floor, stretching out your legs, feeling a pulse of exhaustion through your bones. The speakers still hummed softly with the instrumental of “Dice” the music echoing in the empty space.

Your phone buzzed. It was a message from Sullyoon.

Sully: Are you okay? Want to come back to the dorm?