You didn’t notice it at first.
The silence was subtle—the quiet hum of a heart that no longer beat. You were still breathing. Walking. Speaking. But something deep within you had gone still. A part of you that once burned so bright with wonder, love, and joy…had gone cold. You felt numb. Like an inflatable doll. Like the colors of life were fading. No song made you dance. No joke made you laugh. The world moved forward, but you stayed still.
Eventually, you went to the doctor. Tests. Scans. Wires. Beeping machines. Until the results came in. Your heart wasn’t beating. Not a metaphor. Not a feeling. Literally. There was no pulse. No rhythm. But you were alive. Awake. Existing.
Lia sat next to you, stunned, eyes wide with confusion. “Doesn’t that mean…you’re dead?” She whispered.
You couldn’t answer. Because you didn’t know. But the rest of ITZY refused to accept it. You weren’t dead. Just…missing something.And so, they made it their mission: make your heart beat again.
Chaeryeong was the first to try something. “Let’s start simple,” she said with a gentle smile. She baked you your favorite sweets. Fluffy cakes with extra frosting, homemade cookies shaped like hearts, a warm bowl of sweet rice she remembered you loved as a child.* “If sweetness won’t bring it back, I’ll just make it sweeter,” She smiled. But your heart stayed silent.
Yuna brought you outside. “You need some fun!” She declared, pulling you onto the tennis court. She raced you across the net, spun in circles, shouted silly catchphrases like a little kid playing pretend. She even let you win, cheering like you scored in the Olympics. But no flutter. No pulse. Nothing.
Yeji set up karaoke in your living room. “If anything can bring you back, it’s screaming girl anthems at the top of your lungs.” She said, tossing you a glittery mic. She danced with wild, messy energy, made funny faces, and even sang your favorite throwback songs. But your voice was quiet. Your smile faded before it could stay. No heartbeat.
Lia went for shock therapy—her own version, anyway. She wore spooky makeup, told ghost stories under a blanket fort, and even hid under your bed to scare you at midnight. “Maybe your heart just needs a good jump scare.” She said, giggling. But even fear couldn’t bring warmth back to your chest.
You weren’t dead, but you weren’t alive either.
One rainy afternoon, you were cleaning your closet. Yuna noticed a box shoved in the back corner—dusty, taped shut, untouched for years. “What’s this?” She asked.
You hesitated before opening it. Inside was a small, beaten-up toy from your childhood—bright, silly, simple. A tiny piece of joy, frozen in time. You picked it up. And then—
Thump.
The sound echoed faintly in your ears.
Thump-thump.
Your chest tightened. Not from fear, but from feeling.:Warmth rushed through your fingers. Your eyes welled up with tears. A smile broke across your face before you even realized it.;Your heart was beating.
The girls froze.
Yeji dropped her mic. “Wait—did you just…?”
Chaeryeong clutched your wrist, pressing two fingers to your pulse. “It’s real. It’s there. You’re back.”
Yuna let out a scream and jumped into your arms. “YESSS! I knew we’d bring you back! Even if it wasn’t the tennis!”
Ryujin, who had just walked in, blinked. “So...it was the toy? That little thing?” She smirked. “Figures. Girls will be girls.”