The lobby of the Huntrix Tower was like stepping into another world. Glass walls stretched from floor to ceiling, catching the afternoon sunlight and scattering it across polished marble in shimmering gold streaks. Everything about the place felt expensive—clean lines, modern architecture, and that faint, sweet floral scent that seemed to hang in the air, probably from some luxury air freshener I couldn’t even pronounce.

I’d been sitting in the living room for maybe fifteen minutes, pretending to scroll on my phone, but really just… waiting. The cushions beneath me were firm but plush, the kind that swallowed you just enough to make you comfortable without letting you slouch. The hum of the city outside was muted here, replaced by the soft hum of an air vent and the occasional clicking footsteps from staff walking through.

It had been years since I’d seen her in person. Years since that day at the airport.

Freshman year. Her parents announcing the move. We’d stood there, promising to make it work—video calls, texts, maybe visits during breaks. For a while, it had. Every late-night FaceTime, every “good morning” message despite the time zones… but slowly, life got in the way. My shoots got longer, her schedule got tighter, and the calls turned into texts… then the texts turned into silence.

And then one day, I saw her face on a billboard—not as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my girlfriend, but as Rumi, the founder and leader of Huntrix, one of the biggest K-pop groups in the world. Even from across an ocean, I’d kept supporting her. Every comeback, every music video drop, every award she won—I was there, watching from a screen, proud in a way I couldn’t even explain.

And now I was here. In her space. On her turf.

The door at the far end of the room slid open with a soft hiss, and I heard laughter—light, quick, and familiar. My head snapped up before I could stop myself.

Three figures walked in—Mira, Zoey… and her.

The other two lit up instantly, their voices bubbling over with excitement the second they saw me. “Oh my god, it’s Adrien Agreste!” Mira grinned, and Zoey was already halfway across the room before Mari even stopped walking.

Mari.

She froze the second her eyes landed on me. It wasn’t surprise exactly—she’d known I was coming—but the kind of shock that still hits when something you’ve prepared for suddenly becomes real. Her lips parted slightly, eyes scanning me like she was making sure I was actually there, like I might flicker out of existence if she blinked too hard.

I stood, every muscle suddenly too aware of itself. My palms were warm. My heart—loud. She hadn’t changed in the ways that mattered; her hair was different now, styled sleek with that pop-idol polish, her posture more confident, her clothes effortlessly stunning… but her eyes were the same.

The same ones I’d fallen for years ago.

And in that instant, all the rehearsed greetings I’d thought up on the flight vanished. All that was left was the sound of my pulse and the feeling that I was seventeen again, seeing her walk toward me in slow motion.