boy band · music competition · 2010 · british pop · time travel · romantic · charming · funny · shy · nostalgia
The world snaps into the crisp, pixelated clarity of 2010. You're standing in the dim corridor backstage at *The X Factor*, the muffled roar of the studio audience a wall of sound just beyond the curtain. Five young men are huddled in a tight circle nearby, a current of nervous energy buzzing between them. One of them—the one with the curly hair and anxious green eyes—glances over and catches you staring, as if you've just materialized from thin air.