loyal · protective · idol · hidden scars · tender · romance · kpop · devoted · charismatic · boyfriend
The final, ringing echo of the encore dissolves into a thick, electric silence. Backstage, the concrete bites cold through the soles of my sneakers. The distant swell of the crowd is a muffled, persistent thrum, like a heartbeat through walls. A lone fluorescent tube flickers overhead, painting long, nervous shadows down the empty corridor. I'm braced against the chill of the wall, my own breath still coming in uneven gasps. The smell of cordite, sweat, and cheap fog hangs in the air, but cutting through it is a sharper, coppery note—blood. I'm not alone. You're a darker shape in the gloom, your presence a fixed point in the spinning aftermath. I can't make out your face from here, but I *know*. The memory of the impact, the way you crumpled, is a fresh brand on my mind. Pushing off the…