Chapter 5 – The First Cracked
1038 Words
Ellise’s POV
The thing about talking to someone who doesn’t reply is… you start to feel like you’re slowly losing your mind.
For five whole days, Renji Sage’s inbox was basically my diary.
Day one:
> Good luck with practice today, wherever you are. Eat something, okay? I burned my toast again, so I guess we’re both suffering.
Day two:
> Today, I saw a little girl wearing a Renji Sage hoodie at the café. I asked her why she liked you and she said, ‘Because he looks like a prince.’ Congrats, you’ve got royal status now.
Day three:
> Do you think stars get lonely, or are they too busy shining to notice? …Sorry. That was cheesy. Pretend I didn’t send that.
Day four:
> Amara says I should stop messaging you. I told her no. Guess who won that argument? (Spoiler: me.)
By day five, I stared at the blinking cursor on my screen, my chest heavy. This one felt different. My fingers trembled as I typed.
> Do you ever feel like you’re carrying a hundred things at once and everyone expects you not to drop any of them? I had a day like that. Just wanted to say—you’re not alone if you feel that way too.
I hovered over the send button. This wasn’t random trivia or jokes anymore. This was… me.
“Should I send this?” I muttered aloud.
From my bed, Amara Zoey, sprawled like a starfish, didn’t even look up from her phone. “No. You’ll regret it.”
“I will not,” I argued.
“You will,” she said flatly.
I groaned, flopping onto my desk. “But if I don’t send it, I’ll regret that.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re hopeless. Just marry your phone already.”
With a deep breath, I pressed send. The message whooshed away, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
I shoved the phone under my pillow, like hiding it could erase what I’d done.
---
Renji’s POV
The rehearsal room smelled of sweat and exhaustion. The mirror was fogged from hours of relentless dancing. My legs ached, my throat burned, but Manager’s voice was sharper than ever.
“Renji! Again!”
“Yes, hyung,” I muttered, biting back frustration.
Kai shot me a worried look. Leo clapped my shoulder. “Hang in there, man.”
But my mind wasn’t here. It hadn’t been for days.
Because every night when I finally let myself check, there was always a message.
From her.
Some were silly, some made no sense, and some… made me pause.
Like tonight’s.
Do you ever feel like you’re carrying a hundred things at once and everyone expects you not to drop any of them? … You’re not alone if you feel that way too.
I stared at the words long after rehearsal ended, long after the others went to sleep.
No fan ever messaged me like this. No one dared to peel back the mask.
And yet… this stranger did.
Against my will, my walls trembled. My fingers hovered over the screen, hesitant. But something inside me—the tired, human part of me—answered.
Renji Sage: …Yes. Every day.
When I hit send, a strange lightness filled my chest, like releasing a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
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Ellise’s POV – the next morning
Sunlight filtered through my curtains. My alarm blared. I reached for my phone lazily—then froze.
One notification glowed.
My heart pounded. No. No way.
With shaking hands, I unlocked it.
Renji Sage: …Yes. Every day.
I sat upright, nearly knocking my laptop off the bed. “Oh my god.”
Amara Zoey stormed in with her toothbrush still in her mouth. “What? Did he—” She froze, eyes narrowing. “Wait. Don’t tell me.”
Wordlessly, I shoved the phone at her.
She spit toothpaste in the trash can and screeched. “NO WAY. He replied?!”
I nodded furiously, tears prickling my eyes. “He replied.”
She jumped onto the bed with me, both of us screaming into a pillow to avoid waking the neighbors.
Then she grabbed my shoulders. “You need to answer. Now. Before he regrets it.”
Heart racing, I typed back.
> Then that makes two of us. But hey, if we’re carrying the world, at least we’re not carrying it alone anymore, right?
I hit send before my courage evaporated.
Amara squealed. “Smooth, Blair. Real smooth.”
I flopped back, hugging the pillow. For once, it didn’t feel like shouting into the void anymore.
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Renji’s POV – later that day
Manager droned on about schedules. I barely listened. Every word bounced off my ears because all I could think about was the buzzing in my pocket.
On break, I slipped into the stairwell, pulling out my phone.
Her message stared back at me.
If we’re carrying the world, at least we’re not carrying it alone anymore, right?
For some reason, my chest warmed. My lips curved before I could stop them.
She was ridiculous. Too open. Too much.
And yet… her words made me feel less heavy.
I typed back.
Renji Sage: You’re strange.
I stared, then added another line.
Renji Sage: But… thank you.
Seconds later, my phone buzzed.
Ellise Blair: Strange? That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Mr. Ice Prince.
I chuckled quietly, shaking my head.
Mr. Ice Prince. Hilarious. No one dared call me that to my face.
But she did. And I didn’t hate it.
For the first time in a long time, I found myself looking forward to tomorrow.
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Ellise’s POV – that night
I lay in bed, staring at the glowing screen in the dark.
He called me strange. He thanked me.
Renji Sage, global superstar, untouchable idol, the boy who built walls higher than the sky… let a c***k show.
And I saw it.
My heart thudded, giddy and terrified all at once.
Maybe this wasn’t just me shouting into the void anymore. Maybe he was listening.
Maybe, just maybe—he wanted me to keep going.
And I would.
Because I wasn’t letting this c***k close again.
- Writer
