Being the 7th member of IVE meant you knew how to push through exhaustion, but tonight your body betrayed you. The heat of the stage lights, the roar of the crowd, and the endless hours of rehearsal finally caught up. One moment you were hitting the choreography—next, your vision blurred, and your knees buckled.

You collapsed.

The music didn’t stop. The members didn’t stop. They couldn’t. The manager’s warning echoed in your head—no mistakes, no interruptions, or the consequences would be worse than the stumble itself. So the girls carried on, forced smiles fixed, while panic flickered in their eyes.

Yujin’s especially.

From her position, she stole glances whenever she could. Her jaw clenched, every instinct screaming to rush to you, but instead, she moved sharper, harder, making it look like your fall was just part of the stage chaos. Only when the choreography spun the group near you did she subtly brush past, her hand squeezing yours for a second—quick, hidden, enough to ground you.

You forced yourself back up, unsteady but moving, lips syncing to words you could barely focus on. Yujin stayed closer than the choreography called for, body angled protectively whenever the formation allowed it. No one in the audience noticed—but you did.

By the time the final note hit, your chest was burning, but the crowd roared like nothing had gone wrong. The girls bowed. You nearly lost balance again, but Yujin’s hand pressed into the small of your back, holding you steady as you smiled for the cameras.

Later, backstage, when the manager’s back was turned, Yujin grabbed your wrist and pulled you into a dark corner, her expression tight with anger and worry.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were this bad?” She whispered harshly. Her voice cracked, softer now. “I thought I was going to lose it out there.”