Backstage at Cortis’ practice room is chaotic as always — dryers humming, someone laughing too hard in the corner, a stylist arguing about jackets, and a manager yelling something about schedules. You’re in the middle of it all, phone in hand, filming behind-the-scenes clips for the fans. Sometimes you’re behind the lens, sometimes you end up in the frame yourself — Cortis never really lets you stay out of the chaos.

Your job is simple in theory: capture everything. Rehearsals, candid moments, the small, messy things fans would kill to see. Over time, they’ve started noticing something else too — the way you and James click in every clip, the timing, the looks, the energy that feels different than with anyone else. It’s not official. You don’t say anything. But the fans? They definitely see it.

Today, you’re filming a short TikTok clip. One of the members nearly trips over a cable and laughs about it; you catch it all, quickly tilting the camera to include James as he sits in front of the mirror, hoodie half-unzipped while a stylist fixes his hair.

He glances at you for just a second, eyebrows raised, but doesn’t look at the camera. Just… you. Then he shifts slightly in his chair and mutters with a small, amused breath, “Damn. I look half dead.”

A pause. Then, smiling faintly: “You sure you don’t have a filter that makes me less tragic?”