Candle Queen | OT7

01| A Symphony of Shadows

The streets of an idol life were always pulsating with the undercurrent of frenzied chaos.

Each one of them treaded on a path adorned with the broken fragments of forgotten childhood whimsies, all of them crushed beneath the weight of merciless expectations. Promises, once made in innocent naivety were now shackles around their wrists, while their dreams lay scattered like shattered glass, glinting with lost hope.

It was a realm that bore witness to the relentless pursuit of perfection, where the very air crackled with the unyielding pressure of expectations and the relentless demands of the industry.

It was a place that haunted the hundreds of people that dared to walk upon it, filling their days with insecurities that turned into stalking shadows that danced like ravenous predators, waiting to devour you whole.

And yet, it was the very place where Jungkook found himself competing.

Time slipped through his fingers like sand in this unreal existence, his days devoured by a relentless cycle of rehearsals, performances, and endless obligations dictated by the company. From the first light of dawn to the darkest hours of the night, his schedule was a ceaseless marathon, leaving little room for respite or reflection.

Each passing day etched its mark, as though determined to remind him of his demanding life. The reflection that stared back at him from the mirror unveiled a weariness that transcended physical exhaustion.

As the relentless cycle of his idol existence consumed his days and nights, the darkness under his eyes seemed to expand as ink spilled across a blank canvas. It was honestly hilarious how despite being quite literally exhausted sleep continued to evade him the same way the other members of the team avoided him.

He wasn't naïve. He was aware that the grueling weeks of preparation leading up to a comeback and the relentless demands imposed by their management for an unimaginable level of progress had undoubtedly taken its toll on everyone involved. Under the circumstances, it was natural that they felt frustrated.

It was just that, the frustration of his Hyungs came with consequences. Unsavory consequences.

Consequences that took shape in the form of the mounting tension between his Hyungs.

It wasn't a spectacle fit for the media's grand narratives, devoid of earthquakes or explosive confrontations that shook the very foundations of the earth. Instead, it resembled a slow, insidious decay—a creeping death that infiltrated their relationships, spreading like an unstoppable virus.

The festering strain and unspoken resentments seeped into the air, poisoning the once-thriving garden of their relationship. Despite Jungkook's best attempts to contain and control it, it grew like an invasive weed, entwining its roots deep within their interactions. It continued to grow until Jungkook woke up one day to find an infestation of icy indifference and unspoken grievances.

And it continued to grow, festering between the punctuated silence between stilted conversations and the fake smiles that seemed to take permanent residence on their youthful faces.

As time wore on, the minutes turned into hours, the hours turned into minutes, the minutes turned to days—the buds of anger began to bloom, their petals tainted with disappointment and hurt. The once bright color of their relationship faded, replaced by the somber hues of resentment and apathy.

The weight of their collective silence grew heavier with each passing day, suffocating the hope that things would mend themselves. The relentless growth of indifference and grievances left him feeling small and insignificant, a lone figure scrutinized by six different pairs of eyes, each one as hollow as the abandoned buildings that surrounded his childhood home.

The weed of indifference continued to thrive its roots intertwined too deeply to be severed.

There was only one thing left to do now, it seemed.

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