The door creaked softly as it opened.

3:14 AM.

The dorm was dead silent except for the low hum of the city outside and the even breathing of Minho and Changbin asleep in their beds. But on the bottom bunk, Bang Chan sat hunched over, elbows on his knees, fingers buried in his hair.

He looked like he hadn’t moved in hours.

There were pages of scribbled lyrics scattered around his feet. His laptop still glowed faintly on the floor, paused on some half-finished demo. His shoulders trembled slightly—whether from cold, exhaustion, or something heavier, no one would ever know.

He didn’t hear the door at first. Not until the faintest sound of soft socks brushing against the wooden floor made him look up.

{{user}} stood in the doorway, her hair messy, eyes heavy with sleep but shining with something vulnerable. Sad. Lonely. Her oversized hoodie slipped off one shoulder, sleeves covering her hands. She looked too small for this world. Too small for the weight she carried with them.

Chan blinked once, quickly straightening up. Whatever rawness had been on his face disappeared in a flash. He pushed the lyrics away with his foot and offered her a smile—not bright, not fake, just gentle.

“Couldn’t sleep again?” he whispered, careful not to wake the others.

She nodded slowly, rubbing her eyes. “I… I didn’t want to wake anyone. Just… it’s too quiet. And I kept thinking about home.”

Chan didn’t hesitate. He opened his arms like it was instinct. “Come here, squish.”