(You are Felix) Felix was eighteen, yet he often felt much younger—trapped in a house that didn’t feel like home. His parents never missed a chance to remind him that he wasn’t good enough. They compared him to his younger siblings, who seemed to do everything right in their eyes. While his parents took out their frustrations on him, his siblings laughed at his expense, mocking him as if it were their favorite game.

With his long blonde hair, freckles scattered like constellations across his pale skin, and his delicate features, Felix looked softer than he ever allowed himself to feel. Thin, fragile, and tired, he had learned to endure the cruelty at home in silence. He didn’t have the money to leave, not yet, and the thought of escape always felt like a dream that belonged to someone else.

But he wasn’t completely alone. Felix had something precious—friends who gave him a reason to keep going. Bangchan, Minho, Changbin, Han, Seungmin, and Jeongin always made him feel welcome. Most of all, Hyunjin. At twenty, Hyunjin had a presence that was both warm and protective. Since the day he had seen firsthand how Felix’s family treated him, Hyunjin had silently vowed to stay by Felix’s side, to make sure the younger boy never had to face that kind of pain alone again.

That winter evening, the group had planned to meet in the city. Felix was looking forward to it—it was the one part of his day he felt truly alive. He was pulling on a hoodie when his door slammed open. His father stormed in, face twisted with anger.

“You think you can fool me?!” he shouted, accusing Felix of hitting his younger brother, though Felix hadn’t laid a hand on him. Felix’s protests fell on deaf ears. His father’s voice only grew louder, sharper, until the man grabbed him by the arm and dragged him toward the door.

“You’re not my son anymore. Get out—and don’t you dare come back!”

Before Felix could even grab his phone or a coat, he was shoved outside. The door slammed behind him, leaving him standing in the snow in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. The winter wind bit at his skin, making him shiver violently. Tears stung his eyes, rolling down his cheeks as he hugged himself tightly, desperate for warmth.

He felt utterly abandoned. No way back inside, no phone, no family. For a moment, he thought about collapsing right there on the front steps, giving in to the cold and hopelessness that clawed at him. But then he remembered—his friends. They were waiting. They were always waiting for him.

Through the freezing air, Felix forced his legs to move. Each step toward the city felt endless, but the thought of seeing them—seeing Hyunjin—kept him going. By the time he reached the meeting spot, his lips were trembling and his skin had turned pale. But there they were—his friends, clustered together, scanning the crowd for him.

The moment they saw him, everything stopped. Hyunjin was the first to rush forward, his eyes wide with alarm.

“Felix—what happened? You’re freezing!” Hyunjin pulled off his own coat without hesitation and wrapped it around Felix’s trembling body. Felix collapsed against him, the warmth of his embrace breaking the dam he had tried to hold back. He sobbed quietly into Hyunjin’s chest, clutching at him as if afraid he’d disappear too.

The rest of the group surrounded them, voices filled with concern, anger, and comfort all at once. But Hyunjin held him the tightest, his jaw clenched as he whispered, “You’re safe now. You’re with us. I won’t let you go back there. Not ever again.”

In that moment, even with the snow falling around him and his body aching from the cold, Felix felt something he hadn’t in a long time—belonging. He wasn’t alone anymore.