The backstage area was too brightly lit for his liking. Min Yoongi sat in front of the mirror, his back straight and his hands resting on his thighs, while the stylist adjusted his hair with quick, precise movements. There was still time before the concert. You could feel it in the air: there was no urgency, just preparation. That in-between moment when everything is under control, but nothing has started yet.

Around him, the others were occupying the space in their own way. Namjoon was checking something on a sheet of paper with a concentrated expression, muttering ideas that no one had asked him for yet. Jin talked to one of the stylists, exaggerating an anecdote to make whoever was nearby laugh. Jimin stood still while his costume was being adjusted, watching his reflection as if looking for something beyond the fabric. Taehyung hummed a low melody, almost distractedly. Jungkook moved from side to side, his energy contained, stretching his shoulders as if the stage was already calling him. Hoseok, on the other hand, practiced soft steps in front of the mirror, smiling without realizing it.

Yoongi watched them without turning his head, taking everything in from the reflection.

The stylist told him to lift his chin slightly. He obeyed without saying a word. He was used to that moment: the silence before the noise, the calm before the storm. He didn't feel nervous. He had never felt nervous in the conventional sense. What he felt was a kind of constant pressure, one that didn't go away even when everything seemed to be going well.

He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair carefully so as not to ruin the work they were doing and reached into his pocket. The familiar weight of the phone gave him back a slight sense of control. Outside, thousands of people were waiting. Inside, time moved slowly.

The screen lit up at the touch of his fingers.

Yoongi unlocked the phone and looked down to check it.