"I can't believe we're really done,"

The intro hit. The synth's heavy bass fell like rain, slamming into the stage with collAGE's stacked harmonies. In an instant every spotlight snapped to center stage where collAGE stood. Flooded in blue, the set glittered like a rippling sea, and the members fanned out across that water.

"Thought it was just another rerun."

As Si-an moved to his mark, Nat—hand to his ear in a phone gesture—slid into center.

"You hung up without a sound;

"It's so hard to turn this around."

Like a call cut off mid-sentence, Nat snapped his head, the invisible phone dropping decisively to his side.

"So where do we go from here?

"Feels like we were a mistake."

Youngest of the group, Cheol-seong sounded even more fragile on these lines, as if everything that had happened was beyond what he could grasp; in this moment, self-doubt felt like the only option left to him.

"The good old days have faded away."

"I'm just stuck in these days—"

As the drums tightened, Eunwoo's high notes drove both the feeling and the song toward a peak.

"'Cause forgetting you is walking on water.

"Please don't gimme the cold shoulder.

"We used to say it didn't matter,

"Even when we were fighting each other.

"I still believed it would get better—"

After Luke, Kaede, and Lan Yu finished their parts in turn, Jiho stepped into the center.

"For me forgetting you is walking on water.

"I've been looking over my shoulder."

Unlike Luke, Jiho's movements were more contained—not just because of years of traditional Korean dance training, but because his body seemed to stage the lyrics themselves; that twitchy anxiety showed in every controlled beat.

"Before long I'll be smothered

"By the fear of you finding another.

One of the vocal leads, Dohyeon cupped the mic along his cheek and sang as if telling a story, laying out the dread he carried inside this relationship.

"In the name of love's slaughter."

At the end Luke returned to center. All together, the nine of them drew their thumbs across their throats, as if the fangs of love had taken a hard bite out of everyone there.

"Thank you to collAGE for that performance." As the performance ended, the MC came on from the wings. "First, let's have collAGE say hello to the fans here in the venue and everyone watching on their screens at home."

"Two, three! Nine-cut—stack! Hello, we're collAGE!" All nine greeted the crowd in unison.

"That was collAGE's very first stage. How are you all feeling right now?"

"To be honest, we were a little nervous backstage just now. All of us have worked very hard for this debut, and we wanted everyone here and everyone watching to feel the seriousness and sincerity we prepared with. Our staff also poured their hearts into this; it is thanks to them that 'Walking On Water' could be presented so perfectly on this stage."

Luke took the first question exactly as they had rehearsed—steady, respectful, every bit the leader.

"You were all shining out there. Everyone here, did you enjoy collAGE's stage?" The moment the MC finished, the venue erupted. "Sounds like the fans are very satisfied. Speaking of, what do we call collAGE's fans?"

"The nine of us each have our own distinct colors—like a collage that only becomes what it is when all the pieces are pasted together. That's why we're collAGE. And for us, our fans are the artists who paste us into place, so we call our fans ARTist. We hope the name reminds us that collAGE exists because of our ARTist." As Luke's fluent answer rolled out, a fresh wave of screams crested from below the stage.

"The lead single this time is 'Walking On Water.' What did you hope to convey to ARTist by choosing it as the lead?"

"For us, 'Walking On Water' is a breakup song. At first it feels like one of those small fights you think will pass and the two of you will make up—but soon you realize it's actually the end. What's left is to accept that truth. And forgetting someone is like trying to walk on water—it doesn't happen; the past keeps following us."

"It sounds like a really sad breakup song, but what we just saw from collAGE on stage was incredibly high-energy."

"At its core it's still a dance-pop track. We wanted to use that energy to touch the kind of melancholy you can't avoid in a breakup. In life we gain and lose all kinds of relationships—not only romance—and each ending can feel like walking on water. In moments like that, how we live alongside that version of ourselves matters most. We hope 'Walking On Water' lets our ARTist move with it in those moments, and in that sway slowly come to terms with the sadness. If our ARTist can receive that intention from us, then we feel our effort on this stage has meant something."

Lan Yu delivered the line naturally, just as per the script he'd been given earlier—though when he finished, he could only roll his eyes inside. It was just a throwaway earworm; he didn't even know why he was standing here dressing it up with "meaning."

"We've heard collAGE prepared for the debut stage for quite a long time. Kaede, during that process, what stood out to you the most?"

According to the run of show, this was Kaede's turn to share a light story from the practice room—both to let fans see how hard the members had been working and, whether consciously or not, to steer everyone toward the recently uploaded practice-life episodes of the group reality show and give its promotion a boost. But when Kaede lifted the mic, he said something that shocked everyone: "It was when Lan Yu fell during the MV shoot and was seriously injured; even just now, before going onstage, he still needed pain-relief patches."

Kaede's off-script answer stunned everyone into several seconds of silence. The MC, startled but keeping a straight face, quickly flipped back and forth through the cue sheet in hand to verify the run of show, then realized Kaede really hadn't followed it. As the person at the center of Kaede's remarks, Lan Yu went rigid from head to toe; he had no way of predicting what Kaede would do next—this wasn't Kaede's usual style.

"This is the first time we're hearing this as well. In the audience just now, ARTist looked shocked and heartbroken. Could you tell us what happened at the time?"

Although this wasn't in the original rundown, the MC quickly reset; she knew this wasn't a topic that could be brushed past. The best move was to pick up Kaede's comment, see where he intended to take it, and respond accordingly.

"During the chorus of our MV, we dance in unison on a narrow platform set over the water. On set, Lan Yu lost his footing, slipped, and was seriously injured. After examining him, the doctor advised a period of rest, but he took a pain-blocking injection on the spot and returned to set to keep filming. All the way up through today's stage, he hasn't missed a single practice or rehearsal."

As Kaede spoke, pained sighs and calls went up from ARTist in the audience, as if they were aching over what Lan Yu had been through.

It wasn't only ARTist who couldn't help aching; Luke, too, found his gaze pulled to Lan Yu under all those eyes. It was the first time he truly grasped how bad the injury was. He'd known, back when it happened, that it couldn't be minor—but the seamless way Lan Yu had left no trace of it these past days had thrown up an "it's nothing" façade, and Luke had quietly let himself believe it. Hearing the words from Kaede, Luke felt that the only person who truly knew what Lan Yu was living through—besides Lan Yu himself—was Kaede. Apart from those early, almost perfunctory check-ins, he realized he hadn't really tried to meet Lan Yu where he was. The recognition went in like a needle, deep in his chest.

"It sounds like Lan Yu has really given a lot for this stage. I believe ARTist here shares that concern. Lan Yu, could you tell everyone how you're doing right now?"

"Uh—" Caught off guard, Lan Yu gathered his thoughts and answered, "As an idol, injuries are pretty much unavoidable during training—you could even say that if an idol has never been hurt, they may not have pushed hard enough. I know everyone is worried about my condition and afraid my stubbornness might make it worse. But as one member of collAGE, I'd rather our ARTist feel glad that we were able to present a perfect stage without me holding anyone back—that's the reason I grit my teeth and kept going."

"Lan Yu!!!" The cries from the audience rose in wave after wave. Even though his answer was off the cuff, Lan Yu knew it was a good account, and he let out a quiet breath. As he loosened up, he caught—out of the corner of his eye—Luke beside him watching and applauding for him in silence.

"Wow—what a truly moving answer! Let's all cheer for Lan Yu, who worked so hard to bring us this stage!" At the MC's lead, another crest of screams rolled up; but for some reason, what Lan Yu heard most clearly was Luke's applause woven through it.

Kaede's off-script detour was quickly guided back on track, and the rest of the interview proceeded smoothly according to the script. At last, their debut stage came to a close.

"niisan..." The moment they stepped off, Lan Yu walked straight to Kaede and looked him in the eyes. "Just now, you..." But the words clogged in his throat and wouldn't come out.

Kaede only shrugged, unfazed. "People should know what you've done."

"...niisan..." Hearing that, Lan Yu leaned into Kaede and hugged him.

Luke walked over to them then—and the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry."

Lan Yu lifted his head from where it had been resting against Kaede's chest. "Leader-nim, why are you apologizing to us?"

"I think I was too hard on you, Yu—and on you, Kaede. I handled everything from my own point of view without asking what either of you were really thinking." Luke lowered his head like a scolded puppy and stood there, apologizing with quiet sincerity.

Lan Yu and Kaede traded a glance, then stepped forward together and hugged Luke lightly.

"Leader-nim, please don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," Lan Yu said, holding Luke. "If anything, I should be the one thanking you for caring."

Kaede didn't say much; he simply patted the downcast Luke, quiet and steady.

"Anyway, we finished our first debut stage! We've got TV tapings again tomorrow, so let's go pack up, Leader-nim," Lan Yu said to Luke.

Luke lifted his head to meet Lan Yu's gaze. "Then let's hit the convenience store together."

"Sure—but I have a question." Lan Yu raised his hand.

"Mm? What do you want to ask, Yu?" Luke said.

"Why does Leader-nim always ask me and niisan to eat together?"

Luke looked puzzled for a few seconds—clearly the thought had never crossed his mind. After a moment he said, "Because I want more day-to-day overlap with you two?"

Lan Yu hadn't expected an answer like that; it felt a little odd. "I don't really get it, Leader-nim."

"It's just..." Luke searched for the words, "it feels like people only really talk when they're drinking or smoking—those aren't spaces we can be part of. But we can sit down and eat and chat together, so I want to ask you out for meals like that."

"So I can take it as Leader-nim wanting to get closer to us?" Lan Yu met Luke's eyes.

"I think so." Caught out, Luke actually looked a little shy and glanced away.

"Then let's go," Kaede said, taking the first step toward the TV station doors.

"niisan, wait for me—" Lan Yu hurried after him, then turned back to call to Luke, "Leader-nim, keep up—don't fall behind."

"Okay!"