with @smokedmirrors set in day 2 of lynkcon festival in the artist lounge, aug 2026.
the private artist lounge at lynk con was supposed to be a sanctuary, a place to decompress before the storm of performance, but janghyuk couldn’t sit still. he’d been pacing the length of the room for the past twenty minutes, his fingers tapping an restless rhythm against his thigh. the nerves were eating at him—tonight was one of origin’s most important stage yet, and the weight of it pressed against his ribs like a too-tight corset. he couldn’t let anyone see it, though. not the staff, not the other artists, not even his own members. so he forced his usual grin, the one that had fans calling him the sunshine of origin, and pretended the butterflies in his stomach were excitement, not dread.
then he saw hyukjae slumped on one of the plush couches, and without thinking, janghyuk dropped down beside him, the cushion dipping under his weight. “hyung,” he said, nudging hyukjae’s shoulder with his own. “you’re here early.” he didn’t wait for a response before continuing, the words spilling out of him like he’d been holding them in for hours. “i’m a mess,” he admitted, shaking his head at himself. “tonight’s a big deal, and i can’t—” he cut himself off, pressing his lips together. he hated this, hated feeling like he was about to come apart at the seams.
he leaned back against the couch, letting out a slow breath. the familiarity of hyukjae’s presence, the easy comfort of their five-year friendship, settled something in his chest. he grinned, the real one this time, not the practiced smile he wore for cameras. “i can’t wait to see axis tonight,” he said, meaning it. there was something grounding about knowing hyukjae would be on that stage, carrying that effortless confidence. it reminded him of what he was here for, of the reason he’d worked so hard to get to this point.
he nudged hyukjae again, unable to keep still. “you’re gonna kill it,” he added, because if there was one thing he knew, it was that hyukjae always did.