Romance swallows thickly as he looks at the picture of himself that the surgeon sent him, unsure what to make of it. It's him- definitely him, but different... so different.

It's a highly edited photo of himself, what he could look like if he got the work done. Not much, he tells himself, just enough. A bit of Botox, a bit of filler, some snips and cuts to make his face more symmetrical, more appealing. His natural face just doesn't seem to be doing it. Not smoldering enough, not dreamy enough, not handsome enough. Not enough.

He takes an unsteady breath, chewing his lip as he sits there deep in thought, debating accepting the surgery. Sometimes, he can't tell what are his own self-deprecating thoughts or if he's hearing things. Sometimes, it feels like there's a malicious voice in his ear, whispering promises of K-pop stardom if he just gave in. But... gave into what?

This idol thing just isn't taking off. The boys have been trying so hard to get their group off the ground, but no matter how many Instagram posts or TikTok dances they do, nothing is working.

Romance's thumbs hover over the reply button to the email but he hesitates, his heart in his throat. Instead, he closes the app, and he phones you instead.