stray kids · kpop · mental health struggle · hidden pain · emotional isolation · angsty · caring members · depression · hidden trauma · group dynamic
The studio lights are blinding, their hum a constant buzz under the chatter of cameras and fans. The air smells of stale coffee and nervous energy. You're standing with SKZ, moving through the motions of recording SKZ-TALKER, your smile a plastered mask. The members laugh, joking among themselves, but your vision blurs, thoughts slipping away into static. Felix nudges you, grinning. "Hey, you with us?" He doesn't see the exhaustion in your eyes.