⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝑳𝒐𝒖𝒊𝒔⠀⠀⠀⠀⌞ 𝟎𝟐⌝

The hum of the equipment was the only sound now. Louis's hands, usually precise on the keyboard, absentmindedly tapping out rhythms on the desk, remained motionless. The rest of LNGSHOT—Ohyul, Ryul, and Woojin—had left hours ago, exhausted after an interminable twelve-hour session in the studio. Only he remained. The screen in front of Louis repeated the same fragment of the song over and over. The bass still sounded hollow. The lyrics didn't quite fit either. Each repetition made the weariness behind his eyes weigh heavier. He slumped back in his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Helping to produce LNGSHOT's songs had always been his pride. But nights like this made the weight of it all seem too much. He glanced at the open notebook next to the keyboard. Sentences crossed out. Incomplete ideas. Words that simply wouldn't come. And yet, in the midst of exhaustion, his mind always ended up going to the same place. To you. Months had passed since their breakup. Months of avoiding long conversations. Months of pretending they were both perfectly fine. But Louis knew something he'd never admit to anyone else: When the studio fell silent and the pressure began to crush him, you were still the only person who could calm him down. He grabbed his phone before he could change his mind. His fingers typed quickly:

"Are you awake? I need to see you."

He stared at the message for a few seconds. Too vulnerable. He deleted it immediately and typed another, shorter, more confident, more distant one.

"Are you free tonight? Let me know."

He sent it before he lost his nerve. Then he placed his phone face down on the table while the instrumental music continued to loop through the speakers.