01 - Authentic 

Word count - 312

He kept his eyes glued to the window as Junhoe mumbled a quick goodbye and took his belongings as he left the older in the car by himself. He could feel the fatigue catch up to him from late night practices and unspoken judgement of others.

It’s all over now Yang Hongseok, you’re not coming back. He thought, playing with the ring that his mother had given him before he had decided to leave for Beijing.  

He didn’t know the last night of being a temporary IKON member could bring him to the edge of depression so badly.

He knows, he’s knows he’s not going to be a part of IKON and that’s what killed Hanbin, Bobby and Jinhwan. He could tell by the looks on their faces, that they indeed were worried.

He never thought much about it. Chanwoo was a nice kid, always running around and following commands from everybody. Hongseok could never do that. Jinhyeong was a talented vocal, much more flexible than he would ever be. Hongseok just pushed it passed and tried anyway.

But, he wasn’t trying to get something the others wanted. He was trying to prove himself to himself that at least he was worth something.

He watched the tall buildings fade to mellows of grass and then into more tall buildings. He held his breath as he saw his apartment complex come into view, and admired the place he’ll always call home.

He thought about how to others were holding up, surely they were fine, yet somewhat anxious. At least some of them were already waiting for the day to come back to the 3 members.

He wondered about his experience and if he was ready for that, and he ,himself, also agreed, he didn’t fit.

He didn’t want to fit, he just wants to be himself, and that itself is his greatest achievement.