How is it that even now, so soon after debuting, he always gets nervous in front of the camera?
It isn’t every time—when he performs, sometimes he steps into the role effortlessly, commands the space like it’s second nature. But this? This is different. It’s uncharted, unpredictable. There’s an expectation here, not just to perform, but to entertain, to sell a fantasy. Jaejin grips his necklace, feeling the weight of it, grounding himself.
The camera lights are hot against his skin. The Switch 2 sits between him and Sanghyun, untouched, waiting. He isn’t used to this, the waiting, the uncertainty. He works best when he knows what to expect, when he can plan ahead, calculate his next move before anyone else sees it coming. Instead, he’s here, sitting next to someone he barely knows, about to film something that will live online forever.
He exhales, shakes off the tension, leans back into the couch like this is easy. Like his pulse isn’t hammering in his ears. "If you’d told me when I was a kid that I’d be doing this? I think I would’ve had a full system meltdown. Maybe even cried. In a cool way."
Jaejin shifts slightly, his gaze flicking toward him, reading for any tells. He doesn’t like working without a framework—he needs to map out the dynamics, figure out how to navigate them, decide whether to push, pull, or hold steady.
"I mean, I grew up on this stuff. Spent every bit of allowance I had to get my first console. The second I had that controller in my hands, that was it for me. It’s kind of unreal to be here now, in an official capacity. Like I accidentally hacked into someone else’s life."
Jaejin isn’t one to let moments drag. He moves forward, adjusting his grip on the controller, testing the weight, waiting for Sanghyun’s response. "Alright, before we start—what kind of gamer are you? Are you the cool, calculated type, thinking ten steps ahead? Or are you a chaos player, just pressing buttons and hoping for the best? Because if I start talking trash, I need to know whether you’ll fire back or if I’m about to get my controller thrown at me."
