The living room of the new dorm was pitch black, save for the blue standby light of the television. The six members of TWS sat huddled together on the floor and the sofa, the air thick with a cocktail of anxiety and adrenaline. It was 11:59 PM. In sixty seconds, the first official MV teaser for "Plot Twist" would be released to the world.
"I can't look," Kyungmin said, burying his face in a throw pillow, though he kept one eye peeked toward the screen.
"My heart is actually beating at 140 BPM," Youngjae muttered, clutching his phone. "I checked my watch. This is medically significant."
Shinyu sat in the center, his posture straight but his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the coffee table. Dohoon and Hanjin were leaning forward, while Jihoon sat slightly off to the side, his hands folded. He felt like he was holding his breath, waiting to see if the "Disruptor" would finally look like he belonged.
"Ten seconds," Dohoon whispered.
9... 8... 7...
When the clock struck midnight, the screen flickered to life. The PLEDIS logo appeared, followed by a burst of bright, saturated colors.
The teaser was only thirty seconds long, but it felt like a lifetime. It was a montage of high-energy moments: the boys running through a school hallway, the splash of water in a swimming pool, and then, the choreography. The camera cut to Jihoon in the center, executing a sharp, gravity-defying spin that transitioned perfectly into a group shot of all six of them smiling under a summer sun.
The music faded with a playful synth hook and the words: TWS: Sparkling Blue.
Silence reigned in the room for exactly three seconds before Kyungmin let out a literal scream. "WE LOOK SO COOL! DID YOU SEE MY HAIR? IT ACTUALLY STAYED IN PLACE!"
"The transition from Jihoon-hyung's solo to the group part was incredible," Hanjin said, his eyes shining. "It looks... it looks like we’ve been together for years."
Shinyu let out a long, shaky breath, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. He reached over and clapped Jihoon on the shoulder. "You killed that center part, Jihoon-ah. The fans are going to lose their minds."
Jihoon smiled, a genuine sense of relief washing over him. "We did it. We actually look like a team."
The rest of the night was spent in a blur of excitement. They stayed up watching the view count climb—100k, 500k, a million in just a few hours. The comments were a tidal wave of positivity. The "last member" stigma seemed to be melting away under the heat of the "Sparkling Blue" charm.
However, as the sun began to rise over Seoul, Jihoon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He slipped away from the group, who were busy arguing over which fried chicken place to order from for a celebratory breakfast.
It was a notification from X (formerly Twitter). A new account with zero followers had tagged him. The handle was @PreDebut_Truth.
The tweet contained a single photo.
It was a grainy, candid shot of Jihoon from three years ago. He was standing in an alleyway, dressed in a dark hoodie, looking disheveled and angry. He was standing next to a group of older boys who looked like trouble.
The caption read: “Think the new boy is 'Sparkling'? Ask him about the 'Red Alley' days. TWS isn't as pure as PLEDIS wants you to think. #TWS #Jihoon #PlotTwist.”
Jihoon’s blood turned to ice.
He didn't recognize the photo. He remembered the neighborhood—it was near his old training academy—but he had never been part of a "crew." He was always the boy who went from school to the studio and back. This photo was taken out of context, framed to look like something it wasn't.
"Jihoon-ah! The chicken is here!" Youngjae called out from the kitchen.
Jihoon quickly locked his phone and shoved it deep into his pocket. His heart, which had been light only moments ago, now felt like a lead weight.
"Coming!" he shouted back, his voice sounding thin to his own ears.
He walked into the kitchen, where the others were laughing and jostling for the best pieces of drumstick. Dohoon was lecturing Kyungmin on the proper way to eat radish, and Shinyu was trying to coordinate a group photo to send to their parents.
Jihoon sat down, picking up a piece of chicken he didn't want to eat. He looked at his five brothers. They were on the precipice of their dreams. If a scandal—even a fake one—broke now, it wouldn't just hurt him. it would tarnish the "Sparkling Blue" image they had all worked so hard to build.
"You okay?" Shinyu asked softly, leaning in close so the others wouldn't hear. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Jihoon looked at the leader. He wanted to tell him. He wanted to show him the tweet and ask for help. But the fear of seeing disappointment in Shinyu’s eyes was stronger than the fear of the anonymous account.
"Just tired," Jihoon lied, forced a smile, and took a bite of the chicken. "The adrenaline finally wore off."
Shinyu nodded, though his eyes remained observant. "Get some sleep after this. We have the billboard reveal in Gangnam this afternoon."
A few hours later, the group was ushered into a blacked-out van. They drove to the heart of Gangnam, where one of the largest electronic billboards in the city was located.
"Ready?" their manager asked.
They stepped out of the van, hoods pulled low and masks on to avoid being recognized. They looked up.
High above the intersection, a massive, crystalline image of TWS filled the sky. It was the "Sparkling Blue" concept—six boys, bright eyes, looking toward the horizon. In the center of the frame, Jihoon stood tall, his hand on Dohoon's shoulder.
"Wow," Hanjin whispered. "We're really up there."
"We're huge," Kyungmin giggled, pointing at his own giant face.
Jihoon looked at his own image on the billboard. He looked so clean, so hopeful. But as he glanced down at his phone, a new notification appeared.
@PreDebut_Truth had posted another photo. This time, it was a shot of Jihoon entering a hospital’s emergency wing at night. The caption: “Why the late-night ER visit, Jihoon? Who were you fighting for? #TWS_TRUTH”
Jihoon felt the world tilt. That night... he remembered that night. But the truth was far from a fight.
He looked back up at the billboard. The "Sparkling Blue" was starting to feel like a mask that was beginning to crack. And he was the only one who knew that the storm was coming.
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