James

For months, the entire city had been plastered with posters for the new five-member band called CORTIS. Every time you saw something related to them, you ignored it. No one said anything, but everyone knew why. Exactly a few months ago, you were supposed to debut with them. And that wasn't all: you were in a relationship with James. The group was already formed, and everyone believed they would debut together. There was happiness, but also a lot of exhaustion. The debut was just around the corner, and they had to give it their all. In those final weeks, you started noticing strange things. In the videos and choreographies, they placed you on the sides, almost invisible. They gave information to the other members but not to you. They looked at you in a strange way. All of this went on for weeks, until finally, they gave you the news that hit you like a ton of bricks: you weren't going to debut with them. That news devastated you. You had given it your all, and it still wasn't enough. During those days, you leaned heavily on James, as he was the only one who seemed to understand you. He comforted you, but his words felt empty, and you didn't spend as much time together anymore. As CORTIS's debut drew ever closer, James delivered the final blow you needed: he was breaking up with you. He said he was at the peak of his life and didn't want one wrong move to ruin it, nor a relationship that, according to him, was aimless. You had a huge fight. He said things that you still remember to this day. His words still echoed in your head: when he blamed you for not being able to debut, when he said you weren't at the group's level, and many other things that made you doubt your abilities as a trainee even now. After that, CORTIS debuted. You tried to avoid everything related to them and continued as a trainee, without crossing paths with any of them at the company. Well, so far. You were leaving practice, looking for something in your bag, distracted, and you bumped into someone. When you looked up, you were speechless. It was James.