Counting on Stars // NCT Ten

Paradise

The crowd went insane after the music died out. Byeol wiped her face as she and Ten turned to face the audience and bow. The MC started praising them as he made his way on to the stage, which was their cue to exit. They parted ways and walked down the stairs on either end of the stage, just like they had practiced during rehearsal, but both were equally shaken.

Ten's mind was going crazy. What did his parents think of him? Of the performance? And Byeol; what happened to her? Was she okay? Why was she crying? Did she get hurt while dancing- was the music explosion too much for her? He needed to find her, and quick.

Byeol's sight was blurred with tears as she tried to walk properly, and the dark atmosphere of the theatre really wasn't helping. She passed by the boys and faintly felt them call out to her, complimenting her and their performance, but she could barely hear them. She needed Ten. Right now.

She ran out of the theatre, tears streaming down her face as she searched for the boy in white silk. She went down one of the hallways where they had said they would meet up after their performance. She decided to check another hallway, but she suddenly came face to face with a dead end. She tried to retrace her steps but found herself in a completely new wing; the hallways were like an insolvable maze to her. She started panicking and continued running forward, hoping she'd find something familiar. She didn't know where she was, she was loosing her mind, she wanted to find Ten and hide from the world and give up on her stupid life and-

Byeol turned a corner and suddenly crashed full-force into someone. She wiped her eyes and looked up to see...

Elaena.

"No! Get away from me!" She shouted with a sob and turned on her heels to run in the opposite direction. Elaena was much quicker than the exhausted girl and grabbed her hands, pulling the struggling girl into a smaller hallway.

"Please, just stop already!" Byeol cried as she tried to pry herself free from the harsh grip. But Byeol was weak, completely drained from the strenuous performance and all the tears she had shed.

Elaena was yelling something at her but Byeol couldn't even understand what was being said. She kept trying to pull away, but with each sob, she kept loosing energy and gaining frustration. She dissolved into an angry mess of tears and barely kept herself standing on her feet.

Ten couldn't find Byeol anywhere.

He ran through the place where they said they'd meet, but she wasn't there. He checked a million other places, but it was like she just disappeared into thin air. He ran through the same hallways and then took a random turn into the cosmetology wing. Did she get lost? He heard something like shouting a little ways ahead and quickened his pace.

"Let me go, Elaena, please!" Byeol screamed over Elaena's incomprehensible yelling. "Just give up! Stop!"

Elaena's grip on Byeol's wrists tightened, her nails digging into her skin. Byeol cried out, trying to free herself in a panic, shutting her eyes from the pain.

"Stop, please, stop..." She choked on her words as sobs took over.

"Elaena!" A loud voice boomed through the silent hallway and the two girls turned to look at the source. It was Ten, white silk and messy hair, running with an anger neither girl had ever seen before. He stopped right between them and ripped Elaena's hand off of Byeol's wrist, then moved Byeol to stand behind him as he faced a surprised Elaena.

"T-Ten-" she started to say.

"Shut up!" He yelled, cutting her off. Elaena closed her mouth, shaken from the sudden intervention. She didn't think anyone would find them there.