SKZ- IN DEPTH (PT. 2)

The rule you broke for him: The arena was completely packed.

Thousands of STAYs were screaming as Stray Kids stood under the bright stage lights, the opening beat of the song echoing through the venue.

You were one of their backup dancers.

You'd performed with them countless times before. You knew every formation, every transition, every cue from the stage crew. You also knew the most important rule:

Backup dancers do not break formation during a live performance.

No matter what happens, you keep dancing unless you're specifically told to stop.

The music continued.

You moved into your next formation, barely noticing anything around you.

Then—

Something went wrong.

Felix lost his footing during the choreography.

He went down unexpectedly.

Your eyes immediately snapped toward him.

You were the closest dancer.

For a split second, everything inside you screamed to stop.

But the music was still playing.

The choreography continued.

You were supposed to turn away and move into your next position.

So you did.

But you couldn't stop looking back.

Felix wasn't getting up.

Your heart dropped.

You knew the rule.

You also knew that something was seriously wrong.

The other dancers continued moving around you.

You had a choice.

Follow the choreography...

or help him.

You made your decision.

You broke formation.

You rushed toward Felix while the music continued around you.

A few dancers noticed.

So did the members.

Chan's eyes widened when he saw you kneel beside him.

“Hey—are you okay?”

Felix tried to respond, but he clearly wasn't ready to get back up.

You immediately signaled toward the stage staff.

The performance was still happening, but the attention of everyone nearby had shifted.

You knew you'd get in trouble later.

You'd broken one of the biggest rules for backup dancers.

But as you stayed beside Felix, you realized you didn't care.

You couldn't just leave him there.

And when Chan finally looked over and saw what you had done, his expression changed.

The leader who had been focused on the performance was now staring directly at you.

The song continued.

The crowd kept cheering.

Free Prompt.

Fan call Felix: It was a busy afternoon at JYP Entertainment, and Felix was currently participating in a scheduled video-call event. Sitting comfortably in front of his phone, he had a few handwritten notes nearby and a drink he’d barely touched.

The calls had been going smoothly so far. He’d laughed with fans, answered questions, shown off some little gifts and occasionally gotten distracted by particularly funny comments.

A staff member quietly indicated that the next call was ready.

Felix straightened up, adjusted his hair and looked toward the screen as the incoming video connected.

His face immediately brightened.

“Hello, STAY!” he greeted, waving enthusiastically. “Can you hear me okay?”

Fan call Seungmin: Seungmin was halfway through a scheduled video-call event, sitting at a desk in one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms with his phone propped up in front of him. A few signed albums were stacked nearby, alongside markers, sticky notes and a bottle of water.

He’d already spoken to several STAYs, answering questions, making jokes and occasionally delivering his signature deadpan responses. Every now and then, he’d glance toward the staff off-camera when they reminded him about the remaining time.

A staff member indicated that the next call was ready.

Seungmin adjusted his position, glanced at the screen and waited for the connection.

When the video finally appeared, he leaned slightly closer, studying the person on the other end.

“Oh, hello.”

He gave a small smile and raised his hand in greeting.

“Can you hear me? The connection’s working?”

He paused, looking directly into the camera.

Fan call Han: Han was participating in a scheduled video-call event from one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms. His phone was propped up on the desk in front of him, a half-finished Iced Americano on the edge of his screen.

He’d already had quite a few calls, and his energy was all over the place. One minute he’d be enthusiastically chatting, making ridiculous jokes and pulling exaggerated expressions; the next, he’d be quietly listening to a fan’s story or getting distracted by something happening off-camera (probably Minho).

A staff member indicated that the next call was ready.

Han straightened up, fixed his hair using his phone’s reflection and glanced at the screen. As the incoming video connected, he leaned closer, squinting slightly.

“Oh! Hello?!”

His expression immediately brightened, and he waved enthusiastically.

“Hi! Can you hear me?”

Fan call minho: Lee Know was participating in a scheduled video-call event from JYP Entertainment. Sitting comfortably in front of his phone, he had a few markers and a small collection of sticky notes arranged on the desk.

He’d already spoken to several STAYs, entertaining their questions with his usual dry humor, teasing them occasionally and giving surprisingly thoughtful answers when the conversation called for it, and being a Diva on occasion.

Between calls, he’d been quietly drinking water and occasionally glancing at the staff monitoring the event. He looked relatively relaxed, although his expression was characteristically difficult to read.

A staff member indicated that the next call was ready.

Lee Know adjusted his position, glanced at his screen and waited for the connection.

When the video appeared, he leaned slightly closer, studying the person on the other end.

“...Oh. Hello.”

He raised one hand in a small wave.

“Can you hear me?”

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the screen.

Fan call Chan: Bang Chan was participating in a scheduled video-call event from one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms. Sitting at a desk with his phone propped up in front of him, he a bottle of water nearby per usual.

He’d already spoken to quite a few STAYs, giving thoughtful answers, laughing at silly questions and enthusiastically listening to whatever fans wanted to share. Even after several consecutive calls, he made an effort to give each person his full attention.

Between calls, he occasionally chatted with staff, adjusted his headphones and checked the time remaining.

A staff member signaled that the next call was ready.

Chan straightened up, brushed his hair away from his forehead and waited for the video to connect.

As soon as the incoming caller appeared, his face brightened.

“Hey! Hello!”

He waved enthusiastically, leaning a little closer to the camera.

“Can you hear me alright? How are you doing?”

He settled comfortably in his chair, giving the screen his undivided attention.

Fan call hyunjin: Hyunjin was participating in a scheduled video-call event from one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms. His phone was propped up in front of him, with signed albums, colorful markers and a few small decorations scattered across the desk.

He’d already spoken to several STAYs, enthusiastically answering questions, making dramatic expressions, showing off his little doodles and occasionally getting so invested in a conversation that staff had to remind him about the time.

Between calls, he was fixing his hair and looking through some of the messages fans had sent him.

A staff member signaled that the next call was ready.

Hyunjin sat up, adjusted his position and watched the screen as the incoming video connected.

“Oh!”

His expression immediately brightened. He waved both hands toward the camera before leaning closer.

“Hello, hello! Can you see me?”

He tilted his head, examining the screen with an exaggeratedly serious expression.

Fan call Jeongin: I.N was participating in a scheduled video-call event from one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms. His phone was propped up on the desk in front of him, a bottle of water Bangchan had dropped off earlier half finished.

He’d already spoken to several STAYs, answering questions, exchanging jokes and occasionally showing off his cheeky sense of humor. He’d been particularly entertained by fans who tried to tease him, often responding with an equally mischievous remark.

Between calls, he was casually chatting with a staff member off-camera, occasionally checking his reflection on the phone screen and fixing his hair.

A staff member indicated that the next call was ready.

Jeongin straightened up, glanced at the screen and waited for the connection.

When the video appeared, he immediately raised his hand in greeting.

“Hello!”

He gave a bright smile, his dimples showing.

“Can you hear me?”

He leaned a little closer, looking curiously at the screen.

Fan call Changbin: Changbin was participating in a scheduled video-call event from one of JYP Entertainment’s rooms. His phone was propped up in front of him.

He’d already spoken to several STAYs, enthusiastically answering questions, showing off his muscles when requested, making exaggerated expressions and laughing loudly at particularly ridiculous comments. His energy was infectious, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy making fans laugh.

Between calls, he was chatting with a staff member, occasionally checking his hair and taking a sip of water.

A staff member signaled that the next call was ready.

Changbin immediately straightened up, leaning toward the phone as the video connected.

“HELLO!”

He waved enthusiastically, grinning at the screen.

“STAY! Can you hear me? Can you see me?”