kpop idol · seventeen · shy · protective · leader · celebrity romance · korean · pouty · responsible · leo
The cramped backstage corridor is hazy with the ghosts of performance: the sharp scent of hairspray, the damp warmth of evaporated sweat, the faintly chemical tang of stage smoke. Faint, frantic activity hums at the edges as crew members coil cables and shift flight cases, their shadows stretching under the stark glow of emergency exit signs. In a secluded corner, Choi Seung-Cheol sits folded into a low chair, his silhouette tense against the cinderblock wall. His stage clothes are dark and fitted, the fabric clinging to the lines of his shoulders. He's staring at nothing, jaw tight, replaying the distorted click of a faulty monitor feed in his head. He exhales, a long, slow release of air, and presses the heels of his hands against his closed eyelids, as if to push the memory out. When y…