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3rd Pov
The clinking of ramen packets and the muffled roar of their favorite reality show filled the tiny dorm room. Y/n, a mop of messy hair cascading over his forehead, placed a steaming bowl of spicy kimchi jjigae in front of Lia, the main vocalist.
"Whoa, hero!" Lia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. "You're a lifesaver. I was about to gnaw on my microphone for sustenance."
Y/n chuckled, the sound warm and familiar. "Just fueling your future Grammy-winning voice, no need for cannibalism."
The other members, Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna, erupted in laughter. They were ITZY, a group of five trainees just starting out, their dreams as vast as the sky and their pockets perpetually empty. Y/n was their anchor, their confidante, the one who knew their deepest fears and wildest aspirations.
But their laughter was fading, replaced by a growing silence as success began to knock on their door. Practice sessions became longer, schedules tighter, and smiles strained. Y/n noticed the change, the way their conversations became shorter, their laughter replaced by a focused intensity.
One evening, Yeji, the leader, nervously approached Y/n. Her hand hovered uncertainly over his shoulder before dropping back to her side. "Y/n... about the dorm..."
His heart sank. "What about it?"
"The company... they think it would be better for everyone if we had individual rooms. More focus, you know?"
Y/n understood the logic, but a profound sadness settled in his stomach. The dorm, with its mismatched furniture, walls plastered with inside jokes, and memories woven into every corner, wasn't just a place to sleep. It was a symbol of their shared struggle, their unbreakable bond.
"Oh," he managed, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, makes sense. I can find another place. Just need some time."
He saw a flicker of guilt in Yeji's eyes before she turned away. The rest of the evening passed in a strained silence, the once vibrant dorm feeling sterile and cold.
Practice sessions morphed into grueling marathons. Sleep became a luxury, laughter of a distant memory. ITZY rocketed to fame, their music topping charts and their faces plastered on billboards across the world. Y/n, their biggest cheerleader, watched from the sidelines, his heart aching with every award show and sold-out stadium.
He tried to bridge the growing distance. He'd arrive at the practice room with takeout dinners, only to be met with hurried goodbyes and barely a glance. Messages went unanswered, calls ignored. The girls were caught in a whirlwind, their schedules a relentless storm that left no space for their old life.
One day, he found himself outside their new, luxurious dorm building. He hesitated at the entrance, a stranger in a world he once knew. He longed to see them, to hear their laughter once more, but the fear of rejection held him back.
He turned and walked away, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. He wasn't sure what had happened to the girls he knew, the girls who used to confide in him, who needed him. He was just an unwelcome reminder of a simpler time, a time before the pressure and the fame.
The silence in the practice room was suffocating. It had been a week since Y/n had stopped returning their calls, his messages left on read. A gnawing worry had been festering in the pit of their stomachs, a fear they refused to acknowledge.
Then, the news hit them like a physical blow. A notification popped up on Lia's phone, a local news headline screaming, "Young Man, Y/n Lee, Found Dead in Apartment." The world blurred around them as they devoured the details, the word "suicide" hanging heavy in the air.
A wave of nausea washed over them. Ryujin, the youngest, crumpled to the floor, sobs wracking her fragile frame. Chaeryeong clutched a forgotten stuffed animal, her eyes wide with disbelief. Lia, usually the calm one, was pale as a ghost, her hands trembling uncontrollably. Yeji stared blankly at the wall, her face an unreadable mask. Only Yuna, the rapper, managed a strangled cry, the sound raw and desperate.
The silence that followed was deafening. The weight of their unspoken words, their growing distance, the silent neglect - it all came crashing down upon them. Y/n, the constant in their whirlwind existence, the one who loved them even when they were exhausted, insecure, and unsure of themselves - was gone.
The guilt, a suffocating weight, settled in their chests. They had clawed their way to the top, driven by ambition and the pressure of success. But at what cost? As they stared at the cold, sterile walls of their practice room, it dawned on them - they'd traded laughter for fame, sacrificed a piece of themselves in the pursuit of glory.
The coming days were a blur of grief-stricken apologies whispered into empty spaces. They visited Y/n's small apartment, a place they hadn't set foot in since he'd moved out. The space held the faint scent of his cologne, a lingering echo of his presence. They found half-written notes scattered across the table, remnants of dreams and anxieties he never shared.
One note, crumpled and discarded, read: "Remember that time we spilled ramen all over the practice room floor and spent hours cleaning while laughing so hard we cried? I miss those days."
Tears streamed down their faces, each word a searing indictment of their neglect. They spent hours pouring over their old photos, a stark reminder of the carefree joy they once shared. The girls they were in those photos, the ones with bright smiles and unburdened hearts, seemed like strangers.
Days turned into weeks, the silence in the practice room a constant reminder of their loss. They tried to return to their routines, to the relentless demands of their careers, but the music felt hollow, the choreography robotic. The spark, the joy they once brought to their performances, was gone.
One evening, as they sat huddled on the practice room floor, a shared determination hardened in their eyes. They wouldn't let Y/n's memory fade. They would find a way to honor him, to recapture the spirit they had lost.
Lia picked up her phone, her voice thick with emotion. "Let's call the producer. I have an idea for a song."
The days that followed were filled with late nights and tearful breakdowns. They poured their grief, their regret, and their love for Y/n into their music. The song, titled "Empty Spaces," spoke of broken promises, the bittersweet sting of success, and the enduring power of friendship.
When they finally performed the song on a live broadcast, the raw emotion resonated with their fans. The girls, stripped bare of their usual stage persona, sang with a vulnerability that brought tears to their own eyes and the audience's.
As the final note faded, a deafening silence filled the stadium, followed by a slow, hesitant applause that gradually grew into a thunderous standing ovation. In that moment, ITZY knew they had found a way to heal, to connect with their fans on a deeper level.
And though the empty space beside them on stage, the space that once held Y/n, would forever remain a painful reminder, they vowed to carry his memory in their hearts, in their music, and in the unbreakable bond they had rediscovered.
"We Remembered You Y/n. We Would Always Remember you".
