Chapter 8:Lyrics Between the Lines

Chapter 8: Lyrics Between the Lines

By the second week, the pressure had doubled.

Now that Hana was officially Eclipse's producer, she was responsible for six tracks—each meant to reflect the members as individuals and as a group. The company wanted concept, emotion, and a "fresh but classic" sound. Whatever that meant.

She spent her mornings revising melodies, afternoons stuck in meetings, and nights scribbling lyrics by lamplight. But something was missing. She had their voices, their public personas—but not them.

Until one day, Jisoo casually dropped beside her with a slice of cake and said, "You know… you could just ask us."

The Writing Sessions Begin

She started with Minjae.

They met on the rooftop, where he liked to lift weights at sunset. He wasn't chatty at first, just offered her a protein bar and stared at the skyline.

"It's not about muscles," he finally said. "It's about control. The world's chaos. This is where I feel steady."

His song became a heavy, beat-driven track called Anchor—a mix of power and calm.

Next was Hyunwoo, who invited her to his "quiet corner" of the studio where he wrote calligraphy to focus.

"I think fans forget we're human," he told her, dipping his brush in ink. "We get scared. We doubt. We fall apart."

His song, Glass Skin, was raw and aching—about vulnerability beneath perfection.

Jaemin bounced into the studio with a tray of cookies.

"I want my song to be fun. Playful. But also… maybe a little sad. Like those days you laugh until your stomach hurts, then cry in the shower."

Hana laughed, then cried after writing the chorus of Bittersweet with him.

Then came Taehyun.

He didn't show up.

For three days.

On the fourth, she found him alone in the rehearsal room, drenched in sweat, practicing choreography until his limbs shook.

"Why are you pushing so hard?" she asked, holding out a water bottle.

He took it, wordless.

"You're the only one who hasn't helped me with your song," she said gently.

"I don't want a song," he replied. "I want silence."

"But you sing for millions."

"And none of them know me."

That night, she wrote Phantom Heart, a haunting track full of shadows and restraint. It wasn't loud. It didn't build.

It whispered.

And when she nervously played the demo for Taehyun the next day, he said nothing. Just stood by the speaker, hands in pockets.

Then, after a long moment, he whispered, "Keep it."

But the peace didn't last.

Soyeon caught Hana alone outside the dorm one morning, her lips tight with bitterness.

"You think writing a few songs makes you part of their world?"

"I'm just doing my job."

"No, you're invading it," Soyeon hissed. "Stay away from Taehyun. He doesn't need you confusing him."

Hana didn't reply. But that night, she wrote a seventh song—a secret one. Just for herself.

She titled it Nobody.

End of Chapter 8