Stay Shining , My love

" (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Love is chain (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) You're my chain (In your shade, in your shade) Your gaze is so much deeper And I feel so much better Love is chains Yeah, it's okay You and me Baby'' Along with the music that slowly faded out, their three-hour dance practice finally came to an end. Wiping his sweat-soaked face with a towel, Geonwoo picked up his water bottle and drank while watching the video of their practice. Because of his dream to become a K-pop idol, he had been training for nearly seven years now. There were times when he felt like giving up, but his strong determination always won over those thoughts, which is why he never quit until now. Living in a crowded training room with no personal space… Being unable to eat what he wanted because he was afraid of gaining weight… Having to study vocals, dance, rap, and language classes every day… And constantly trying to outperform others in monthly evaluations… Wasn’t all of that for the ultimate goal of becoming an idol? “Geonwoo… the manager asked you to come to his office for a moment.” “Yes, sir.” While he was resting, a staff member came in and called his name. Startled, Geonwoo quickly got up and followed them to the manager’s office. Inside, not only the manager but also the performance director and trainee team leader were there. In front of them were documents, including the trainees’ monthly evaluation records. “You called for me, sir?” “Yeah, sit down. We have something to tell you.” The manager spoke quietly with the others for a moment, so Geonwoo waited silently. “Do you know that the company is forming a new boy group at the end of this year?” “Ah… yes, I’ve heard about it. So calling me here means…?” Caught off guard, Geonwoo answered quickly. “That’s right. We’re planning to debut a five-member boy group. Based on your evaluation records and your abilities, you fit the concept we’re going for. After careful discussion, we’ve decided to let you debut.” “W-what? Really?!” Geonwoo was so shocked he couldn’t believe his own ears. Seven years… would all his struggles finally pay off? “Yes. Out of the 20 trainees, we carefully selected the best five. Congratulations. You’ve trained the longest, so we’re really happy you’re finally debuting.” “Thank you… I’ll do my absolute best and won’t disappoint you.” “Alright, you can go now. Once we’ve told all five of you, we’ll start preparing the contracts.” Holding back his tears, Geonwoo shook hands and returned to the practice room. Finally… his dream was coming true. Tears of joy began to fall, and he quietly wiped them away. At that moment, Jinmin, who saw him crying, walked over and patted his shoulder. “Hey… what happened? Did the manager scold you?” “It’s nothing… I’m just happy.” Jinmin was usually competitive and distant, so Geonwoo didn’t bother telling him about his debut. Besides, everyone would find out soon anyway. ✨ Three days later… Only when all five members were called to the manager’s office did Geonwoo find out who the final lineup was. Among them were two he already knew well—Hanwoo and Taejun—along with Addy from Thailand and Sulin from China. After signing their contracts, they moved into a dorm reserved only for debut members to build team chemistry. Since it was only September, they still had about three months before their debut. The company planned to introduce them gradually to fans by uploading dorm-life content, so they were constantly in front of cameras. Every day, they recorded songs in the studio, practiced choreography, filmed music videos and photoshoots, and even prepared for interviews and variety shows. Because of the intense schedule, Geonwoo felt like he had lost quite a bit of weight. But since this was just the beginning of his dream, he didn’t even feel tired. He kept pushing himself, thinking that one day he would become someone his parents could be proud of, someone loved by fans, and someone his members could rely on. 🌟 Early 2026 Geonwoo began the year with his debut with group name " MYSTR5". Their group received far more love and support than expected. Especially since Sulin had been a beloved child actor in China, they gained huge popularity among Chinese fans. Geonwoo himself already had a decent fanbase from posting cover songs and dances on social media during his trainee days. Although he had been inactive for about three years due to strict company rules, his fans returned once they heard about his debut. Their content attracted many fans, and their debut was considered successful for a rookie group. Their songs also gained many casual listeners. Like most rookie groups, they had packed schedules—music shows, radio appearances, promotions, and fan sign events. The workload was so intense that two members even had to receive medical treatment. Even so, Geonwoo fully embraced his life as a rookie idol. 📍 Shanghai – Huangpu District In a three-story penthouse, an alarm clock rang loudly. A pale hand suddenly shot out from under a blanket and threw the alarm against the wall. “Oh my goodness… if you’re not going to wake up, don’t even set an alarm! That’s the fifth one you’ve broken this month!” Despite being scolded, Anxin ignored it, sat up, and stretched. His hair was messy, and his eyes were barely open from sleep. His mother couldn’t stay mad and gently ruffled his hair before going back to finish breakfast. “It’s not like I want that stupid alarm… it’s that math teacher who insists on tests at 8 AM!” Muttering to himself, Anxin got up, washed up quickly, grabbed breakfast, and rushed to school. “Is something chasing you or what?” Wanshang teased him as he ran into the classroom just two minutes before the teacher arrived. “Your dad—I mean the teacher—is coming in two minutes! If I’m late, his lecture will ruin my test!” Even though Anxin could joke around with other teachers, he was afraid of this strict math teacher. “Hey, did you hear? Our old classmate Sulin debuted in Korea. People are talking about it in our group chat.” Wanshang showed him his phone, but Anxin stepped on his foot. “Tell me later! If I forget what I studied, are you going to take responsibility?” “Alright, alright… I respect your dedication to math, sir.” At lunchtime, while they were eating, a K-pop fan from their class, Wei Wei, rushed over and shoved her phone in front of Anxin again. “Zhou Anxin! Have you listened to Sulin’s song? It’s so good! Everyone in class says so. You used to be classmates, right? Are you still in contact? Can you give me his WeChat?” “What’s wrong with you two? Why do you keep shoving phones in my face? My eyesight’s getting blurry because of you!” Acting dramatic, Anxin rubbed his temples, earning annoyed looks. Wei Wei moved closer and insisted again. “Just once, just once! Look at their MV—it’s amazing! If you don’t like it, I’ll buy you milk tea!” Unable to refuse, Anxin finally looked at the screen… And the moment he saw a certain person— He shot up from his seat. “Wait… is that him…?”