14th member - SVT

It was supposed to be your day. As the 14th member of SEVENTEEN, you had grown used to long hours, sore muscles, and the constant spotlight that came with being an idol. But nothing could have prepared you for how crushing your birthday would feel this year. The morning began badly. Your alarm didn't go off, and by the time you rushed into the dance practice studio, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, you were already twenty minutes late. Seungcheol glared at you from across the room. "You're late. Again." His voice was firm, clipped, and far colder than it needed to be. You opened your mouth to explain, maybe even joke about your bad luck, but he cut you off. "Save the excuses. Get in formation." You nodded silently, biting your tongue as you took your place beside Hoshi, who refused to look at you. The music blasted through the speakers. You danced. And danced. And danced. Each mistake you made earned you another sharp look, another correction, another exhausting sigh. Hoshi didn’t hide his irritation. Seungcheol called you out in front of everyone. At the lunch break, you sat in the corner, nibbling on boiled eggs and celery, part of the strict diet the staff had forced you on. You were already battling insecurities. But the universe seemed especially cruel today. "Maybe don’t eat that," one of the stylists muttered, half-joking but cruel nonetheless. "You're already a bit bigger than the other girls. Don’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons." Your heart dropped. None of the boys said anything. Mingyu glanced at you awkwardly before looking away. Vernon avoided your eyes. Even Jeonghan, your usual safe space, seemed too caught up with his phone to notice. You thought maybe, just maybe, someone would remember. A hug, a smile, a whispered happy birthday. Anything. But nothing came. When the practice resumed, you fumbled. Seungcheol shouted. Hoshi snapped. And you snapped back. "I'm doing my best, okay?! It's not like anyone gives a damn anyway!" "Don't act like the world revolves around you," Hoshi shot back. "Yeah," Seungcheol added. "Everyone's tired. Everyone's stressed. It’s not just you, Y/N. Grow up." you walked out. Tears blurred your vision as you ran to the convenience store down the block. You stood in front of the small cake fridge for ten minutes before settling on a tiny chocolate one with rainbow sprinkles. Your fingers trembled as you picked up candles: a "2" and a "1." Your 21st birthday. Back at the dorms, you quietly lit the candles in the shared kitchen while the others were still at practice. You stared at the flickering lights. "Happy birthday to me," you whispered, voice cracking. No music. No smiles. No one. You didn’t even make a wish. Just blew the flames out before they melted too far and watched the smoke curl up into the air. The cake tasted like cardboard in your mouth. When the boys finally returned home later that evening, sweaty and loud, no one noticed the box on the counter. No one saw your swollen eyes. No one said a word. And when you finally mustered the courage to bring it up—one more time, your voice barely audible in the living room where they all gathered—you regretted it instantly. "I know everyone's tired," you said. "But it’s my birthday today. And... it kind of hurt that no one..." Jeonghan raised a brow. "Y/N, really? That’s what you’re upset about?" "You know we’re all dealing with stuff," Seungkwan chimed in. "You being dramatic won’t help anything." "The world doesn’t revolve around you," Seungcheol said again, his voice even colder than before. Someone even told you to shut up. You stood there, frozen. No one noticed the tears slipping down your cheeks. No one tried to stop you as you walked to the kitchen, grabbed the uneaten cake from earlier, and dumped it into the trash. The sound of the plastic container hitting the bin was louder than any scream. That night, you curled into a ball on your mattress, the sound of muffled laughter from the living room echoing in your ears. You had never felt more invisible.