As Sejin took his chorus, voice polished and direct.
I stood in my assigned position.
Waiting.
My posture was correct. Expression neutral.
But I wasn't listening.
Jaehyuk's verse followed—technically flawless delivery.
I hit my harmony entrance on time, pitch perfect.
But my face showed nothing.
No reaction. No engagement.
Just mechanical precision.
Sunwoo's voice wavered slightly during his solo line.
Woobin adjusted immediately.
Harin softened his support.
Yuhyun leaned into the harmony.
I compensated half a beat late.
Not enough to ruin the performance.
Just enough to be noticeable.
I wasn't making mistakes.
I was absent.
Treating my own lines as the performance.
And everyone else's as filler.
The realization landed cold and precise.
Was that why I was fifth?
Not because my bridge wasn't good enough.
Because whenever the spotlight belonged to someone else, I'd been waiting for my turn instead of being part of the conversation.
The playback ended.
