FALSE HALO Chapter 3
507 Words
Chapter 3 – The Spotlight
The recording studio was unusually quiet.
One by one, the members stepped into the booth to record their parts.
"Great job, Shinyu."
"Thank you."
Dohoon finished next.
The producer nodded.
"Nice. Let's move on."
Youngjae, Jihoon, and Kyungmin each recorded their lines before it was finally Hanjin's turn.
He adjusted his headphones.
"Ready."
The producer smiled.
"Just your part."
A few short lines.
Then it was over.
"Good."
Hanjin stepped out of the booth.
"...That's it?"
"Yes. We'll continue after lunch."
He nodded politely.
"Okay."
---
Later that evening, the members gathered in the dorm living room.
Youngjae was scrolling through social media.
"Look at this fan edit."
Jihoon leaned over.
"Wow, that's cool."
Kyungmin laughed.
"They even added slow motion."
Dohoon looked at the screen for two seconds.
"They edited out my mistake."
"They're doing you a favor."
"I didn't make a mistake."
"You definitely did."
Shinyu smiled quietly while reading comments on his own phone.
"Fans are excited for the comeback."
"That's good," Jihoon said.
---
Hanjin sat on the other side of the sofa with his own phone.
His name appeared only a few times.
Most comments were about Shinyu.
Others praised Dohoon.
Youngjae and Jihoon were receiving plenty of attention too.
He kept scrolling.
Another post.
Another ranking.
Another fan discussion.
His name was near the bottom again.
His smile stayed on his face.
Inside, something tightened.
---
Again.
Almost nobody is talking about me.
He continued scrolling.
More edits of Shinyu.
More praise for Dohoon.
More attention for everyone else.
His thumb stopped moving.
Why?
I work just as hard.
Another notification appeared.
A clip from today's recording.
People were already guessing their favorite parts.
Most mentioned the members with longer lines.
Hanjin quietly locked his phone.
---
Youngjae looked over.
"Hanjin?"
He looked up with the same gentle smile.
"Yes?"
"You've been quiet."
"I'm just a little tired."
"Me too."
Youngjae laughed.
"I think we're all tired."
"Probably."
No one questioned his answer.
---
That night, Hanjin stood alone on the dorm balcony.
The city lights stretched across the horizon.
His expression was completely different now.
There was no warmth.
No softness.
Only irritation.
Short lines.
Less attention.
Less recognition.
He let out a slow breath.
I'm sick of this.
His fingers tightened around the balcony railing.
They're all so comfortable.
Shinyu... our leader.
Dohoon... everyone's favorite because he's effortlessly cool.
The others don't have to try as hard to get noticed.
His eyes grew colder.
And me?
I'm expected to smile... stay quiet... and disappear into the background.
He looked up at the night sky.
I didn't come all the way here to stay invisible.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Not the sweet smile everyone knew.
A calculating one.
If people won't notice me...
Then I'll give them something impossible to ignore.
The smile slowly widened.
I don't care what it takes.
I just need the spotlight to turn toward me.
And once it did...
He had no intention of letting it go.
- Writer
