Chapter Text
ACORN’S POV
Dear Diary,
Alien Stage was never meant to last. It was a one-night miracle, born from Till’s ridiculous secret mission. And now it’s over.
Or... it should’ve been.
The Farewell
We posted the announcement on Campus Thread:
Alien Stage thanks you for your support. But for now, we’re retiring to focus on exams.
The campus went into mourning like we’d just disbanded BTS.
Students cried. Someone started a candlelight vigil by the vending machines. Mizi actually signed autographs at lunch.
Ivan: “It’s not like we died.”
Hyuna: “Might as well.”
Me: “Finally, peace.”
But peace lasted about twelve hours.
The Message
Late that night, Till’s phone buzzed. He almost didn’t check it—he was buried under exam notes and highlighters—but he did.
The invite was short, sharp, and terrifying:
Invitation:
Alien Stage vs. Iron Claw.
One-night-only performance.
Underground Rock Festival.
Iron Claw. That’s the rival band we almost threw hands with. Big, scary, leather jackets, eyeliner thicker than their morals.
Ivan saw the text, grinned like he’d just been challenged to a championship game. “We’re in.”
Till: “We’re supposed to be studying.”
Ivan: “We can do both.”
Spoiler: we can’t.
Exams + Band Practice = Hell
Our days turned into pure chaos:
Morning: classes + study groups where Hyunwoo threatened to break kneecaps if anyone slacked.
Evening: underground practice sessions, instruments echoing like we were summoning demons.
Night: cramming formulas, Till scribbling notes until his eyeliner smeared.
The professors were done. Mr. Kim made us solve math problems on the board until Luka cried. Mr. Park muttered something about “discipline,” dragging Kim away again. Don’t ask. Still don’t ask.
Till Collapses
It happened during practice.
One second Till was strumming his guitar, hair falling in his face, voice cutting through the noise. The next—his knees buckled.
Ivan caught him before he hit the ground. “Till—hey, hey, look at me.” Panic in his voice, sharp and raw.
Till’s skin burned hot, his breaths shallow. Overworked. Exhausted. Sick.
We froze. Even Hyuna looked shaken. Mizi teared up instantly. Hyunwoo swore under his breath.
Ivan held Till close, like he could shield him from his own body giving out. “That’s it. No more. He needs rest.”
But Till shook his head weakly. “We... can’t stop now. Not yet.”
Ivan’s jaw clenched. For once, no jokes, no bravado. Just fear. “You idiot. I’d rather lose everything than lose you.”
And for once, Till had no comeback. Just closed his eyes, trusting Ivan to hold him up.
Campus Thread → Music → Breaking News
🎤 fangirl_88: Guys... Till COLLAPSED during practice?? Sources confirm Ivan carried him bridal style to the nurse’s office.
🍵 teaspiller22: Iron Claw better watch out, cuz if they make Till stress, Ivan’s gonna kill someone.
🐾 ibani_stan: Speaking of—Ibani hissed at the rival band poster on the bulletin board. Cat knows. Cat ALWAYS knows.
📚 cramqueen: If Alien Stage can beat exams AND Iron Claw, I’ll believe in miracles.
Cliffhanger
Till’s resting, pale but stubborn. The rest of us are scrambling between textbooks and instruments, torn between passing exams or passing as a band.
But one thing’s clear:
Iron Claw’s waiting.
And Alien Stage doesn’t back down.
Note to self:
I didn’t sign up to be in a rock band or a medical drama. But here we are.