With only ten days remaining until the live finale of Road to Starlight, the Starline building had transformed into a pressure cooker. The air was thick with the smell of floor wax and industrial-strength hairspray, and the sound of muffled bass lines throbbed through the walls of every corridor.
But for the members of staryu, the "Hell Week" rehearsals weren't just about physical endurance. They were about maintaining the "Loverboy" light in their eyes while their bodies screamed for sleep.
"Again," Kang-joon said, wiping a bead of sweat from his chin.
They were in the main stage hall, a cavernous space that would soon hold thousands of screaming fans. The 'Shiny Day' remix was playing for the fiftieth time that morning. The choreography was no longer just a dance; it was a reflex.
"Kang-joon-ah," Gun-woo panted, his hands on his knees. "I think... I think I've reached my 'marshmallow' limit. If I hear that synth lead one more time, I might actually turn into a pixel."
