Chapter Text
The backstage area at Inkigayo thrummed with energy. Hairdryers whirred, stylists darted from idol to idol, and racks of sparkling stage outfits cluttered every available inch of floor. It was a kind of beautiful chaos, the kind that only existed in these fleeting moments before the cameras turned on and the world saw perfection. P1Harmony stood somewhere in the middle of it all.
“Jiung-hyung, you’re going to sweat through that shirt before we even go on,” Intak teased, flicking his towel at him.
Jiung scoffed and tugged his collar. “It’s called stage presence, not stage dryness.”
Soul leaned over and, with zero hesitation, planted a quick kiss on Jiung’s cheek. “You look great,” he said simply, “he’s just teasing, don’t mind him.” Then Soul turned to rifle through the snacks on the nearby table.
Jiung blinked. “Thanks...?” he mumbled, confused and a little flustered. He glanced at Soul, who was now nibbling a rice cracker like nothing had happened. The kiss wasn’t new, exactly. Soul did things like that all the time… just not usually to him.
Across the room, Keeho crouched beside Jongseob, who sat rigid in his chair as a stylist dabbed the last of the shimmering makeup onto his cheekbones. The young rapper wore skirt-trousers, with delicate pastel stickers dancing around his face.
“You look incredible,” Keeho beamed, eyeing him in the mirror. “Like an angel, or no, a fairy who could also absolutely ruin someone’s night.”
Jongseob gave a tight-lipped nod, visibly trying to relax his shoulders and calm his nerves. “You think so?”
Keeho bumped their shoulders. “Yeah, you’re killin it! It’s totally giving ‘campy’ gay vibes, like Lady Gaga’s Pokerface. Just breathe. P1eces are gonna go crazy over you.”
Jongseob exhaled, and for a moment, the worry softened behind his eyes. Letting go of that pokerface just for a bit.
Theo popped in between them. “You guys seen Intak? He vanished the second his makeup was done.”
“Balcony, maybe?” Soul mumbled through another cracker. “He does that when he’s nervous sometimes.”
Out on the balcony, behind the one-way see through glass, Intak stood alone. He looked down at the crowd beginning to gather beyond the gates of the broadcast center. He always said it grounded him. He doesn’t look so sure of that now.
Intak’s eyes lingered on his reflection in the glass. Or more specifically, the hint of glitter he just caught on Theo’s jaw from where Jongseob had hugged him earlier. Intak touched it with the pad of his finger and smiled. It wasn’t just the glitter. It was the way Jongseob had looked at the members earlier. A quiet vulnerability peeking through the confident stage persona. He's glad some of the members seem to find comfort in each other. Their busy schedule lately could make a sane man mad. At least they have each other to rely on.
“Five minutes!” a coordinator yelled in the distance.
Back inside the group assembled. The styling noonas hurried to give some final finishing touches. A little hairspray here, an extra accessory there. Meanwhile the members were rapidly adjusting in-ears and jackets. Intak saw his members look better than ever, which gave him the biggest boost in confidence. He bounced on the balls of his feet like a puppy about to be let loose in a park.
“Let’s kill it,” Intak grinned. “Hyungs, don’t cry when I steal all the fans with my killer wink.”
“Good luck trying", Jiung chuckled.
As the stage lights flared and the cameras rolled, there was no more time for adjustments or nerves. P1Harmony became their polished selves, every move smooth, every lyric flowing like second nature. Present on stage, both mentally and physically. All that energy to show off to the world.
But later that night, the gloss faded. They sprawled across the dorm living room floor, half out of their stage clothes, TV playing ‘Friends’ reruns in the background. The coffee table was a warzone of takeout containers and half-eaten chicken.
Keeho lay with his legs across Intak’s lap, eyes barely open as both of them sink deeper into the couch. Jongseob curled in the corner, knees hugged to chest but a small smile on his lips. Soul leaned against Jiung, cheek on his shoulder, both sitting on the floor.
Theo sat cross-legged beside them all, sipping from a water bottle, watching the way the others breathed together like some strange little ecosystem. He didn’t say anything. None of them did, because there were no words that could possibly describe the comfort of home. It was cozy that way.
The warmth was deep inside them, roaring next to something quiet and slow-moving. Beneath their hearts, and next to that ungodly amount of chicken, there was a whisper.
Jiung was halfway to his room to call it a night early, when he caught sight of Soul curled on the couch. His phone was balanced in one hand, thumb idly scrolling. His face was lit by the soft blue of the screen, eyes unfocused like he wasn’t really reading anything.
“You good?” Jiung asked quietly.
Soul blinked, “Just thinking.” Then he gave a vague hum.
Jiung didn’t push, but the way Soul’s gaze lingered on him for a beat too long stuck in his mind as he closed his bedroom door.
Each of them held a secret.
A hidden life, behind the curtains.
A truth left unsaid.
And as the sound of distant laughter filled the room, those truths pulsed softly under the surface, waiting.