Chapter 8: Who is she?
A still silence stretched in the room after the name slipped from Felix’s mouth.
Kel.
Kelvin didn’t know why it hit him so hard. Maybe because Felix never used nicknames. Maybe because it didn’t sound sarcastic—it sounded... like he forgot to filter it.
Before he could respond—or react at all—a sudden voice broke the moment like a hammer to glass.
“OH. MY. GOD.”
Both boys snapped their heads toward the door at the exact same time.
Camera. Sunglasses. Designer hoodie that looked like it cost more than their last tour budget.
Xiran Chang.
Or, as her fans knew her: Marie Chang, lifestyle influencer, chaos merchant, and very loud BL shipper.
The first thought that crossed Kelvin’s mind:
Oh. So that’s the YouTuber Rika meant.
The first thought that crossed Felix’s mind was 'Oh shit'
“Please tell me that was caught on film,” she gasped dramatically, still holding her phone camera up as she glided into the room like she owned it. “Did I seriously just walk in on a moment? THE moment? Because if this is the start of the ‘colleagues-to-lovers romance arc’—I’m eating this up.”
Felix’s face didn’t flinch, but his soul screamed.
He turned casually back to Kelvin and muttered, “Don’t engage.”
But Kelvin was still stuck blinking at her. “Wait—you’re the YouTuber? Marie Chang.”
Marie flipped her hair like she was on a runway. “Guilty as charged. You must be the painfully polite one.”
“And you must be… very early. Extremely early,” Felix said flatly, brushing off his pants and walking toward the mirrors.
“Rika gave me clearance to set up early and film some intro shots,” Marie explained, panning her phone dramatically across the practice room. “But clearly, I’ve stumbled into a live fanfiction update instead.”
Felix ignored her. He simply turned back to Kelvin and held out his hand.
“Come on,” he said coolly. “We’ve still got half the routine to finish.”
Kelvin looked at him, still processing the whiplash, then took his hand and stood. His palm was warm. Felix didn’t let it linger.
Marie gasped again. “Stop. Are you—touching hands? On camera?! Rika’s gonna love this.”
“I thought you were doing a behind-the-scenes idol vlog,” Felix said dryly, walking back to position. “Not filming Wattpad content.”
“Oh please,” Marie grinned. “I can multitask.”
Felix stretched his arms overhead, hiding the way his pulse had picked up.
Nobody here knew that he knew this ball of chaos.
And he had no idea how long he could keep it that way.
The door creaked open again.
First Grey stumbled in, yawning into his hoodie sleeve. Then Zach and Mitchell followed, half-awake but still carrying an air of casual idol perfection.
And then—all three froze.
“Oh my god,” Grey whispered. “Is that… Marie Chang?”
Marie, already in full camera-mode, turned and beamed at them like she’d just summoned her adoring crowd. “Yes, yes, it is I. I come bearing YouTube content and chaos. And you three are late.”
Zach grinned. “Can you autograph my forehead?”
“Maybe after I ruin your dignity with my interview questions,” she winked.
The boys dropped their bags and lined up quickly, greeting her with a chorus of polite good mornings and slight bows. Felix stood at the back, arms crossed, watching her hold court like a queen.
She was 25—older than all of them—and carried that energy like a badge. Even Kelvin, who barely blinked for anyone, kept a respectful distance.
Marie continued to film, panning over the room, occasionally zooming in on one of the boys with fake shock: “Caught in 4K yawning before 10 AM,” or “He blinked with idol precision, ladies and gents.”
“Alright, I’m heading back out to get the intro shots from the hallway,” she chirped. “Don’t do anything cute without me.”
Once she left the room, the energy shifted just slightly.
Kelvin stretched his arms above his head and threw a casual glance toward Felix.
“You were oddly casual around her.”
Felix looked up from his water bottle. “What?”
Kelvin tilted his head slightly. “I mean, you’re usually sarcastic with everyone, but with Marie? You looked comfy.”
“I’m tired,” Felix replied simply, shrugging.
Kelvin frowned and narrowed his eyes. “You’re always tired. That’s not new.”
Felix turned, meeting his gaze. “Is there something I’m supposed to tell you?”
Kelvin hesitated.
Felix’s expression flattened. “If there isn’t, let’s practice. I’m not in the mood for this.”
The words weren’t harsh, but they were sharp enough to slice the tension clean.
“Right, this is the real Felix Chang,” Kelvin muttered, stepping back into place.
The rest of practice continued in tight, quiet coordination. Felix moved with precision, his eyes rarely drifting. Kelvin tried not to watch him, but it was hard. Something was off. It always was.
[Later That Afternoon]
The lights were set. Marie had claimed the corner of the company lounge and converted it into a fake living room with pastel pillows, ring lights, and a questionable pile of props labeled “for chaos only.”
She clapped her hands, camera already rolling. “Alright, my sweet little Rune boys. It’s interview time!"
Zach looked terrified. Mitchell whispered, “I swear if this is a trust fall game again…”
“No, no,” Marie assured, bouncing on her toes. “This one’s simple. It’s called Blindfold Roulette.”
Five blindfolds. A bowl of folded paper slips. Each person picks one. They read their challenge out loud and complete it while blindfolded.
“Should we be scared?” Grey asked.
“Absolutely,” Marie beamed.
They each put on their blindfolds and one by one, pulled a slip from the bowl. The camera caught everything.
“Imitate the person to your left.”
Mitchell groaned and launched into a painfully accurate impression of Zach's stage voice.
“Hug the person you think is the tallest.”
Grey tackled Mitchell, who yelled, “I’m not a tree!”
“Whisper a compliment to someone—but you won’t know who it is.”
Kelvin shifted nervously and leaned forward.
Felix flinched.
But it was Zach's challenge, and he ended up whispering “You smell like citrus and privilege,” to Grey by accident.
They laughed. Shoved each other. Acted like brothers.
Then Marie called out, “Felix, your turn.”
He reached into the bowl.
Read the slip.
Paused.
Then read it aloud:
“Hold hands with the person you think would lie for you in court… and don’t let go until your next turn.”
The room howled.
“Hold hands?!”
“With anyone?!”
“Oh, this is evil,” Marie cackled.
Felix adjusted his blindfold and slowly reached out. There was a small pause.
Then his hand brushed someone else's.
They both froze.
Fingers curled.
They didn’t let go.
Marie zoomed in, grinning wildly. “Rune is so wholesome today, you guys.”
Felix didn't speak. Kelvin didn’t either.
They just sat there.
Holding hands.
And pretending nothing was weird.
Felix’s fingers was closed around a hand—Kelvin’s, though neither of them said a word.
And for a moment… everything went still.
Like someone poured cold water over the heat in his chest. Not ice, not numbness—just stillness. Quiet.
The buzz that usually crept under his skin, the pulse that warned of shifting or cracking or combusting—it was gone.
He kept his face neutral, gave his usual sly half-smile, but inside he was… calm?
That didn’t make sense.
He glanced across the room. Marie’s camera was rolling, but her eyes were laser-focused on him.
She knows. Of course she knows. And this? This was her little experiment.
He should’ve let go. He didn’t.
The games continued. Laughter filled the room. Screaming, teasing, chaos—until finally, they reached the last turn, and Marie clapped her hands together.
“Okay, cut! That’s a wrap! We have at least six memeable moments and one ship-worthy hand-hold!”
Zach whooped. Mitchell collapsed. Grey said something about needing a foot massage.
And Felix?
He blinked.
His hand was still holding Kelvin’s.
He looked down, then up. So did Kelvin.
They both froze.
“…We’ve been holding hands for an hour,” Kelvin said slowly.
Felix dropped his hand like it burned. “Don’t make it weird.”
“You’re the one who—”
“Not. A. Word.”
Marie, now off-camera, skipped over with a victorious grin.
She kicked Felix lightly on the back of the knee. “You’re welcome for the emotional growth arc.”
Felix swiveled with a glare. “Do not get on my nerves, Xiran.”
She gasped dramatically. “You’re using my birth name? I must’ve struck a nerve.”
He gritted his teeth.
Marie leaned in, switching to that caring friend tone that only Felix would recognize. “How’ve you been?” she asked, softer now. “Sleeping okay? Eating real food?”
He narrowed his eyes. “This is not the time.”
Zach noticed. Mitchell too. Grey gave a subtle side-glance.
“Wait,” Zach said slowly, “do you two... like, know each other? Are you, I dunno—friends? Or…” He smirked. “Did you date or something?”
Felix flinched.
Kelvin stiffened, he curiosity strangely growing.
Marie’s mouth opened—then paused. Her smile dropped for half a second.
She said nothing.
And that silence was louder than a confession.
Felix looked pale.
Then suddenly—he stood.
No excuse. No explanation.
He just grabbed his bag and walked—fast—out the practice room door.
Marie blinked, then swore under her breath and jogged after him, grabbing her phone and calling out, “Felix, wait!”
The remaining boys sat in stunned silence.
“…So they’re definitely not strangers,” Grey said.
"I think they dated," Zach added.
Kelvin watched the door.
He didn't speak. He didn’t move.
But his jaw clenched slightly.
Did they date?
Is she the reason he was acting off today?
Why did he look like he was about to lose control when she laughed like that?
The thoughts piled up.
And none of them made sense.
'Who is she?'