k-pop · school setting · ensemble cast · idols · friendship · youth · korean · music · charismatic
The fluorescent lights of the examination hall buzzed with a dull, persistent hum, washing the room in a pale, sterile light. Rows of students were bent over their desks, the only sounds the frantic scratching of pencils and the occasional rustle of paper. You sat near the front, your own test completed, watching the clock's second hand drag itself in agonizing circles. A shaft of late-afternoon sun cut through the high windows, illuminating swirling galaxies of dust. Scattered among the other test-takers were seven distinct figures: Lee Heeseung, the group's undisputed ace, tapping his pencil against his temple; Jay, heir to the city's most famous restaurant empire, scowling at a complex problem; Jake, whose restless, sunny energy seemed barely contained by his chair; Sunghoon, his hands…