BETWEEN THE TRACKS
PAIRINGS: idol ! james x 6th member lsrfm ! reader GENRE: slow burn,romance, fluff, slice of life, idol au, friends to lovers, secret relationship, comedy WARNINGS: kpop industry pressure, rumors and dating speculations, some emotional moments, long work hours, teasing from members. WC: 4459 words SYNOPSIS: what begins as a songwriting partnership slowly becomes the industry’s worst kept secret. !NOT PROOFREAD!
You finally arrived at the HYBE building, expecting nothing more than another comeback meeting with your group members. It’s probably going to be the usual: discussing concepts, listening to demos, and debating choreography for hours.
You walk through the large glass doors, where a security guard greets you with a polite bow. You return the gesture before making your way across the bright lobby. The sound of conversations and distant music echoes through the building as you step into the elevator and press the button for the upper floor.
The doors begin to close.
You finally made your way to the fourth floor and headed toward the conference room. After taking a deep breath, you push open the door.
Inside, all of your fellow members are already seated around the large conference table. Some are chatting among themselves, while others scroll through their phones as they wait for the meeting to begin. As soon as you step in, a few heads turn in your direction.
“Finally,” Yunjin says with a grin. “We were about to start without you.”
“No, you weren’t,” you laugh, glancing at the clock. “You’re actually early for once.”
“Wow. thanks for the vote of confidence.”
The room fills with quiet laughter as you set your bag down on the table. Coffee cups, notebooks, and concept boards were scattered everywhere, making it obvious that today’s meeting is more important than usual.
Before anyone can continue joking around, the conference door opens again.
The conversation dies down almost instantly as several producers and staff members walk inside.
One of them places a stack of folders on the table before smiling at the group.
“Thank you all for coming. We have something very special planned for this comeback.”
The room falls silent.
The creative director clicks a small remote, and the screen at the front of the conference room lights up with the words.
LE SSERAFIM COMEBACK PROJECT
A few concept photos flash across the screen before changing to a slide labeled production team.
You lean forward in your chair, curious about what could be so different this time.
“For this comeback,” the creative director begins, “we want to create something that feels fresh while still capturing LE SSERAFIM’s identity. Because of that, we’ve decided to bring in additional help for the songwriting and production process.”
The members exchange confused glances.
“Additional help?” Yunjin whispers.
Chaewon shrugs. “Maybe they’re bringing in an outside producer.”
The creative director smiles, clearly enjoying the suspense.
“However, this won’t be a typical collaboration. Rather than simply handing you a finished track, this person will be working alongside one of you throughout the entire production process.”
You raise an eyebrow.
“One of us?”
“Yes,” he replies. “After reviewing everyone’s previous songwriting credits and demo submissions, we’ve decided who would be the best fit.”
The room becomes so quiet that you can hear the soft hum of the projector.
You didn’t think much of it. Whoever it is, you’ll probably just meet them briefly and get back to preparing for the comeback.
The creative director looks down at his notes before smiling.
“Would you come in, please?”
The conference room door opens.
Every head turns toward the entrance.
A figure steps in.
“Everyone,” the creative director says, “this is James. He’ll be joining the production team for this comeback and working closely with you.”
He looks directly at you.
For a second, neither of you says anything.
Then James gives a small nod.
“Nice to meet you,” James says, offering a polite nod.
You return the gesture. “Nice to meet you too.”
The room is quiet for a moment, the kind of silence that comes when everyone is trying to figure someone out.
The creative director claps his hands once.
“Great. Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s get started.”
James takes the empty seat across from you and places a notebook and laptop on the table. Everything is perfectly organized, from the neatly stacked papers to the pencils resting beside him.
You glance over for only a second before looking back at the presentation.
He seems serious, you think.
“For this comeback,” the creative director continues, clicking to the next slide, “we’re aiming for something powerful but emotional. We want a sound that feels fresh while highlighting the group’s strengths.”
He turns toward you.
“That’s why you’ll be working closely with James throughout the production process. From lyric writing to recording sessions, the two of you will collaborate until the final version is complete.”
Your eyebrows lift slightly.
“The two of us?”
“That’s correct.”
THE NEXT DAY 44 days until the comeback
Your alarm blares at 7:00 a.m.
After hitting snooze twice, you finally drag yourself out of bed and get ready. The morning air is cool as you make your way back to the HYBE building, an iced coffee in one hand and your notebook tucked under your arm.
The lobby is already bustling with staff members and idols rushing between schedules.
You glance down at your phone.
9:56 a.m.
“Four minutes early,” you mumble to yourself.
Following the directions the staff gave you yesterday, you walk down a quiet hallway until you stop in front of a studio door labeled Studio 3.
You hesitate for a second before knocking.
“Come in.”
You push the door open.
James is already there.
His laptop is open, headphones resting around his neck, and several pages of handwritten lyrics are spread neatly across the desk.
He looks up at you.
Then at the clock.
9:57 a.m.
“You’re early,” he says.
You smile as you set your coffee down on the table.
“I could say the same thing.”
He closes his notebook.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“It means we won’t waste any time.”
You pull out the chair across from him.
20 DAYS LATER 24 days until the comeback
Twenty days of nonstop schedules, recording sessions, and lyric revisions have passed in what feels like the blink of an eye.
Somewhere along the way, the awkward silence between you and James disappeared.
Conversations that once revolved around chord progressions and vocal layering somehow turned into debates over the best late night snacks, childhood stories, and which songs belonged on a road trip playlist.
The studio has become your second home.
Empty coffee cups crowded the desk, crumpled lyric sheets covered the floor, and sticky notes with random ideas were plastered across the computer monitor.
You glance at the clock.
11:48 p.m.
“We’ve been here since nine this morning,” you mumble, stretching your arms above your head.
James doesn’t even look up from his laptop.
“Nine thirty.”
You stare at him.
“You actually corrected me over thirty minutes?”
“Accuracy matters.”
“You’re unbelievable.”
For the first time that night, he lets out a quiet laugh.
You blink.
“Did you just laugh?”
He immediately returns to typing.
“No.”
“You definitely did.”
“You’re hearing things.”
Before you can argue, the studio door swings open.
Martin walks in carrying two paper filled bags with food.
He stops in the doorway and looks between you and James.
Then at the pile of lyric sheets.
Then back at the two of you.
“Wow,” he says. “You guys actually live here now.”
You sigh dramatically.
“Save us.”
Martin sets the bags on the table.
“I brought dinner before one of you forgets that humans need food.”
You immediately reached for a box of chicken.
“You’re my favorite person.”
James quietly takes his own meal.
Martin watches the two of you for a moment, a knowing smile creeping onto his face.
“You know,” he says casually, "I've never seen James spend this much time with anyone.”
James freezes.
“We’re working.”
“Uh-huh.”
Martin turns to you.
“And I've never seen someone willingly listen to him explain audio compression for fifty-five minutes.”
You laugh.
“To be fair, I only understood about ten minutes of it.”
“That’s still ten minutes more than the rest of us.”
James pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Can you stop interrogating my coworker?’
Martin raises his hands in surrender.
“Coworker. Right.”
He looks between the two of you one last time before heading for the door.
“Anyway, don’t stay up too late.”
He pauses, a grin spreading across his face.
“Or do. It’s kind of entertaining watching this slow burn drama happen in real time.”
The door closes.
Silence.
You and James exchange a confused glance.
“What was that supposed to mean?” you ask.
James shakes his head and opens his notebook again.
“Just ignore him.”
You nod, though the compliment lingers in your mind for a moment before you push it aside.
14 DAYS LATER 5 days until the comeback
The HYBE building feels different.
Everyone walks faster.
Staff members rush through the hallways carrying garment bags and camera equipment. Choreographers move from practice room to practice room, producers are running on little more than coffee, and managers are constantly checking their phones.
There are only five days left until the comeback.
Which means there are only five days left for mistakes.
The title track is finished.
The choreography is finalized.
The music video has been filmed.
Now everyone is simply trying to survive the final week.
Meanwhile, in one of the practice rooms, the cortis members are taking a short break.
Martin tosses a water bottle toward James.
He catches it without looking.
“You’ve been smiling a lot lately.”
James twists the cap off.
“I have?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Keonho sits beside Martin.
“I’ve never seen him answer texts this fast.”
Juhoon nods.
“Or volunteer to stay at the company until midnight.”
Seonghyeon looks over from the couch.
“He even fixed his hair before going to Studio 3 yesterday.”
James finally looks up.
“You guys notice everything?”
Martin laughs.
“When it’s this obvious? Yeah.”
James takes another sip of water.
No one speaks.
Then Martin asks,
“So…”
“…”
“…Do you like her?”
The room becomes completely still.
Even Juhoon stops eating.
James stared at the floor for several seconds.
Finally, he exhales.
“…Yeah.”
Four heads snap towards him.
Martin blinks.
“Wait.”
“You actually admitted it?”
James rubs the back of his neck.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“So you DO like her?”
“…Yes.”
Keonho points dramatically.
“I KNEW IT!”
“I told you!” Juhoon says, standing up.
Seonghyeon throws his hands into the air.
“I’ve been saying this for weeks!”
Martin shakes his head, trying not to laugh.
“So our quiet genius has a crush.”
James groans.
“Can we not call it that?”
“What should we call it then?’
“…”
“…” “I like her.”
The room erupts.
“HE SAID IT AGAIN!”
“I owe Martin twenty dollars.”
“I knew those late night studio sessions meant something.”
James bruises his face in his hands.
“You guys are impossible.”
Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, the practice room door had been left slightly open.
Yunjin, who had been walking past on her way to grab coffee, froze the moment she heard your name.
She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.
But now?
There was no absolute chance she was leaving.
She quietly stood outside the door, listening just long enough to hear Martin say,
“So when are you going to tell her?”
James looked at the floor.
“…I don’t know.”
Yunjin’s eyes widened.
She immediately spun around and speed walked down the hallway.
“No way…” Ten minutes later…
Inside LE SSERAFIM’s waiting room, Sakura, Chaewon, Kazuha, and Eunchae, sat in a circle while Yunjin whispered excitedly.
“I’m serious.”
“He admitted it.”
Chaewon blinked.
“He WHAT?”
“He likes her!”
Eunchae covered her mouth.
“I KNEW IT.”
Kazuha smiled.
“So what do we do?”
Yunjin grinned.
“We tell absolutely no one.”
The others nodded.
Then Sakura added,
“…Except each other.”
Just then, the door handle turned.
The room instantly fell silent.
You stepped inside, carrying your notebook and an iced coffee.
You looked around at your members, who were suddenly sitting unusually straight and pretending to look at their phones.
“…Why is everyone so quiet?”
“No reason,” Chaewon answered a little too quickly.
You narrowed your eyes.
“…What are you talking about?”
Yunjin smiled innocently.
“Oh, nothing.”
Eunchae nodded a little too enthusiastically.
“Yep. nothing at all.”
You glanced between all of them.
“…You’re being weird.”
The five of them exchange nervous looks.
None of them noticed the small smile slowly forming on Yunjin’s face.
She had absolutely no intention of keeping this secret for long.
The silence in the room stretched for a few more seconds.
You set your iced coffee on the table and looked around suspiciously.
“…Seriously. What happened when I was gone?”
Sakura was suddenly very interested in fixing the sleeve of her hoodie.
Kazuha stared at the ceiling as if it contained the answer to the universe.
Eunchae picked up her phone and pretended to scroll, though the screen was completely black.
Yunjin bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling.
“Nothing happened.” You crossed your arms.
“You’re lying to me.”
“We’re not.”
“You are.”
Chaewon sighed.
“Can we please act normal?”
Yunjin immediately looked at her.
“You’re telling me to act normal?”
Chaewon shot her a warning look.
“Don’t.”
“…I didn’t say anything.”
“…Don’t.”
You looked between the two of them.
“Okay, now I’m definitely missing something.”
Eunchae quickly stood up.
“Who wants snacks?”
Nobody answered.
“Great! I’ll go get snacks.”
She practically sprinted out of the room.
You blinked.
“…That was weird.”
Sakura nodded a little too quickly.
“Very weird.”
“You’re all weird.”
“We’re tired.”
“No.”
“We’re stressed.”
“No.”
“It’s comeback week.”
“…Still no.”
Yunjin could feel herself losing the battle against her own curiosity.
She leaned closer to Chaewon and whispered,
“How long are we actually going to keep this from her?”
Chaewon whispered back,
“Until we’re sure.”
“Sure of what? He literally said he likes her.”
“Yunjin.”
“What?”
“Volume.”
Yunjin's eyes widened.
She slowly turned toward you.
You were staring at her.
“…Who likes who?”
The room froze.
Chaewon closed her eyes.
Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose.
Kazuha looked like she wanted to disappear into the couch.
Yunjin laughed awkwardly.
“…Nobody.”
“You literally just said, ‘He likes her.’ “
“…Did I?”
“Yes.”
“…I meant…” She looked desperately at the others for help.
None came.
“I meant…the main character in a drama I watched.”
You raised an eyebrow.
“…You don’t watch dramas.”
“I started today.”
“…Today.”
“Today.”
The room fell silent again.
Then, all at once, everyone’s phone buzzed.
Chaewon glanced at the notification.
Manager: meeting in the conference room B. five minutes.
She stood up immediately.
“Let’s go.”
Everyone grabbed their things as quickly as possible.
You followed behind them, still unconvinced.
As you walked out into the hallway, you caught Yunjin and Eunchae exchanging a grin before looking away the moment they noticed you.
You narrowed your eyes.
They’re hiding something.
You just didn’t know that, across the building, James was getting teased by his own members for the exact same reason.
James had barely made it back to the practice room before Martin was waiting for him.
Arms crossed.
Grinning.
Which was never a good sign.
“So,” Martin began.
James didn’t even look up from his phone.
“No.”
“I didn’t even ask anything yet.”
“You were about to.”
“Correct.”
Keonho walked over with a bottle of water and handed it to James.
“Here.”
James accepted it.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
James took one sip.
Keonho smiled.
“Now tell us when you’re asking her out.”
James nearly choked.
“I’m not.”
Juhoon burst into laughter.
“That’s not what you said earlier.”
“I said I liked her.”
“Exactly.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m asking her out.”
Martin leaned against the mirror.
“Then what’s your plan?”
“…” “You do have a plan, right?”
“…No.”
The room erupted.
“HE HAS NO PLAN!”
“I knew it!”
“He’s hopeless.”
Seonghyeon clapped James on the shoulder.
“For someone who’s good at producing music, you’re terrible at producing romance.”
James rubbed his temples.
“Can we please just talk about something else?”
Martin shook his head.
“Absolutely not.”
“We have choreography practice.”
“And?”
“A comeback in five days.”
“And?”
“We’re busy.”
Martin smiled.
“You know what else is busy?”
James sighed.
“…What?”
“Your brain every time she walks into a room.”
The others immediately started laughing again.
Before James could defend himself, his phone buzzed on the bench beside him.
Everyone’s eyes darted toward the screen.
The notification lit up:
You:
Do you still have the notebook with the revised bridge? I think I left it in Studio 3.
Martin gasped dramatically.
“Don’t touch it.”
James frowned.
“Why?”
“We’re conducting research.”
Keonho folded his arms.
“Let’s see how long it takes you to reply.”
James looked at all of them.
“…You’re joking.”
Juhoon pulled out his phone.
“Three…”
“Two…”
“One…” James rolled his eyes and typed a response.
James:
Yeah. I have it. I’ll bring it to you after practice.
He hit send.
Martin looked at the stopwatch on his phone.
“Eight seconds.”
Seonghyeon pretended to write in an invisible notebook.
“Subject exhibits immediate response when contacted by her.”
“Symptoms include smiling, staying late at the studio, and voluntarily carrying her notebooks.”
“Diagnosis?”
Martin nodded seriously.
“Completely gone.”
James buried his face in his hands.
“I’m surrounded by children.”
Martin laughed.
“Yep.”
He glanced at the phone still in James’s hand before adding,
“But if you don’t tell her soon, someone else is going to figure it out first.”
At that exact moment, halfway across the building, Yunjin was sitting beside Chaewon with a suspicious smile.
“You know,” she whispered, "I have a feeling this isn’t going to stay a secret much longer.”
Chaewon followed your gaze as you walked down the hallway toward Studio 3.
Then she looked over at James approaching from the opposite direction, notebook in hand.
The two of you hadn't noticed each other yet.
She quietly sighed.
“Five days until the comeback…”
“…and somehow, I’m more worried about these two than the performance.”
5 DAYS LATER comeback day
The alarm goes off long before the sun rises.
Today is the day.
Months of recording, rehearsals, photoshoots, interviews, and sleepless nights have all led to this very moment.
The waiting room is buzzing with hair stylists, makeup artists, managers, and staff members rushing from one corner to another.
Despite all the noise, you can only think about one thing.
For the past five days, your members have been acting very strange.
Every time you ask what’s going on, they change the subject.
Every.
Single.
Time.
You finish getting your makeup on and walk over to where Yunjin is sitting.
She looks up.
You cross your arms.
“I’m asking one last time.”
She pretends not to know what you’re talking about.
“About what?”
“You know exactly what.”
“I don’t.”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
You sigh.
“Yunjin.”
“Nope.”
“Please.”
“Nope.”
“I’ve been asking for days.”
“Nope.”
“You owe me.”
“Nope.”
You sit beside her.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
She continues scrolling through her phone.
Five second pass.
Ten.
Twenty.
Finally, she locks her phone and looks at you.
“…Promise you won’t freak out.”
Your heart immediately starts racing.
“I promise.”
“And don’t blame me.”
“…Okay?”
“And don’t tell anyone I told you.”
“Yunjin.”
“Fine.”
She takes a deep breath.
“The day you were in Studio 3…”
“…Yeah?”
“I walked past the practice room.”
You blink.
“So?”
“I heard James talking.”
Your expression changes.
“…Talking about what?”
Yunjin lowers her voice.
“He likes you.”
You stare at her. “…What?”
“He admitted it.”
“…”
“…”
“He told all of the members.”
Your mind goes completely blank.
“No.”
“I’m serious.”
“No.”
“He literally said, ‘Yeah, I like her.’ “
You shake your head.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“Stop messing with me.”
“I’m not!”
You search her face for any sign that she’s teasing you.
There isn’t one.
Your heartbeat gets louder.
“So…”
“…he actually likes me?”
Yunjin smiles.
“I think he’s liked you for a while.”
You sit there in complete silence.
Everything suddenly makes sense.
The late night conversations.
The extra coffee he always brought you.
The way he’d save you a seat.
The tiny smiles.
The lingering eye contact.
You whisper,
“…I like him too.”
Yunjin’s eyes go wide.
“I KNEW IT.”
Before she can celebrate any further, Chaewon walks over.
“What happened?”
Yunjin points at you dramatically.
“SHE LIKES HIM.”
Chaewon freezes.
Then smiles.
“I knew that too.”
Within seconds, Sakura, Kazuha, and Eunchae gathered around.
The five of them exchange victorious looks.
“We’ve literally been waiting for this.”
Across the building…
James is adjusting his microphone when Martin walks over.
“So.”
James already knows.
“No.”
“You haven’t confessed yet.”
“No.”
“You should.”
“No.”
Keonho joins them.
“You know what today’s for?”
“The comeback.”
“And?”
“…The comeback.”
“And?”
Juhoon laughs.
“What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”
Martin looks at him like he’s asked the world’s easiest question.
“Then she’ll tell you.”
“And if she does?”
Martin grins.
“Then you’ve wasted enough time already.”
Seonghyeon pats him on the back.
“You write emotional lyrics for millions of people.”
“Sure.”
“But you can’t tell one girl how you feel?”
James had no response.
The members all look at each other.
Martin claps once.
“Alright.”
“Operation Confession.”
Later that evening…
The comeback showcase has ended.
Fans are cheering outside.
Staff members are celebrating.
You step into one of the quieter hallways to catch your breath.
As you’re about to leave, you hear footsteps behind you.
You turn around.
It’s James.
He looks just as nervous as you feel.
For a moment, neither of you spoke.
Then he smiles.
“…Congratulations.”
“You too.”
Another silence.
Finally, James laughs quietly.
“I’m usually good with words.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“But apparently not today.”
You smile.
“Take your time.”
He looks down before meeting your eyes again.
“I like you.”
Your heart nearly stops.
“I know.”
His eyes widened.
“…You know?”
You nod.
“Yunjin told me.”
He covers his face with one hand.
“I’m going to have a conversation with Martin.”
You laugh.
“I should probably have one with Yunjin.”
The tension disappears.
James looks at you again.
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
“I’ve liked spending time with you.”
“I know.”
“I’ve liked…”
He pauses.
"…You."
You take one small step closer.
“I like you too.”
He blinks.
“…Really?”
“Really.”
For the first time since you’ve met him, James is completely speechless.
You laugh.
“So?”
“So?”
“Aren’t you going to do something?”
He smiles.
“I was hoping you were thinking the same thing.”
The distance between you disappears.
He gently cups your hand.
Then leans in.
The kiss is soft, brief, and almost hesitant.
When you pull away, neither of you can stop smiling.
Unfortunately…
Neither of you notices Martin peeking around the corner.
He quietly backs away.
Pulls out his phone.
And types in the cortis group chat:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
THREE MONTHS LATER
Keeping the relationship private turns out to be much harder than either of you expected.
Fans notice everything.
Every glance during award shows.
Every smile backstage.
Every wink.
Everytime James unconsciously looks for you in a crowd.
Social media is filled with edits and theories.
“There’s no way they’re just friends.”
“Someone count how many times he looked at her.”“I’m either delusional or they’re dating.”
The compilations only get longer.
Eventually, after discussing it with your company and with each other, you decided that you’d rather tell everyone yourselves than let rumors keep growing.
WEVERSE LIVE
The livestream begins.
The comments fly by faster than either of you can read.
“WHY ARE YOU TWO LIVE TOGETHER?”
“WHAT IS HAPPENING?”
You glance at James.
He nods.
You take a deep breath.
“There’s something we’ve wanted to tell everyone.”
James smiles.
“We know many of you have noticed our friendship over the past few months.”
You continue,
“And after thinking about it carefully, we wanted you to hear this from us.”
He reaches over and gently takes your hand.
The chat explodes.
“We’re together.”
For a split second, there is silence between the two of you.
Then you both laugh.
You shake your head.
“I guess all those editors were onto something.”
James smiles.
“They noticed before we did.”
The comments flood the screen with hearts, congratulations, and jokes about how the “slow burn finally reached the last chapter.”
And somewhere, watching from another room, Yunjin and Martin high fived each other.
“We told you,” Yunjin says proudly.
Martin grins.
“The fans didn't figure it out.”
“We did.”
