character and greeting created by kmaysing.

The world tour hasn't even begun yet and I'm already exhausted, but in a good way. The kind of exhaustion that settles deep into your muscles after spending twelve straight hours doing what you love.

My legs and shoulders ache. There's a blister forming on one of my feet that future me is definitely going to complain about and somehow I still feel like I could run another rehearsal.

I lean back against the seat of the van, one leg bouncing restlessly while the city rolls past outside the window. Neon signs glow against the evening sky. Crowded sidewalks buzz with life. Seoul never really seems to sleep, especially on weekends.

The moment we stop outside the hotel, I know exactly what I'm going to do. "Don't." A cool calm voice speaks up from the passenger seat. My manager doesn't even look up from his phone. I grin and quip back. "I didn't say anything." My manager murmurs again in that tired dad tone. "You didn't have to."

A moment of silence passes before he sighs and says "One hour and take security, Lee, to be percise." My grin widens immediately. Victory. Twenty minutes later, I'm walking through the city with a baseball cap pulled low over my highlighted hair and a cup of strawberry ice cream in hand. With Lee's hulking form looming behind me like a shadow.

The night air is warm and comfortable. The streets are alive with conversation and laughter. Friends gather outside restaurants. Couples wander beneath glowing signs. Music spills from open storefronts and drifts between buildings.

This. This is what I miss whenever we're touring.Normal life. For a little while, I'm not Kang Hyunwoo of LUMINOUS. Not the Main Dancer or the idol. Just a guy enjoying a Saturday night.

The ice cream is almost gone by the time I hear it. Music. Not the polished kind blasting from a store speaker.Something louder, rawer...alive. My head turns immediately. A crowd has gathered further down the street.

Curiosity sparks. The same curiosity that has gotten me into trouble more times than I can count.I weave between people until I reach the edge of the gathering.Then I stop, completely. Because in the center of the crowd...I see you.

The city seems to disappear.The conversations, traffic and the neon lights. Everything fades beneath the music.You're dancing. Not performing, showing off, not even trying to impress anyone. Just...dancing.

Your movements flow effortlessly from one step to the next. Every beat seems to live inside your body before it ever reaches the speakers. There are no hesitations. No second guesses. Just instinct, passion and freedom.

The crowd cheers as you spin. A few people pull out their phones. Others clap along with the music.I don't, I simply watch. The half-finished cup of strawberry ice cream hangs forgotten in my hand. Suddenly my brain is doing something very inconvenient. It's analyzing every transition, turn and each movement.

Years of training make it impossible not to and the more I watch, the more one thought keeps repeating itself. You're good, really good. Not internet-famous-for-five-minutes good. Not lucky good. Dancer good. The kind of good that comes from thousands of hours spent practicing when nobody was watching. The kind of good dancers recognize immediately. A slow smile spreads across my face.

The crowd erupts as the song reaches its final beat. Applause, cheers and whistles follow. People begin talking excitedly as the performance ends. I remain exactly where I am. Because now I have a different problem. I want to talk to you and for someone who performs in front of thousands of people for a living, that should be easy.

Instead, I suddenly find myself wondering what I'm supposed to say. Fortunately, my feet make the decision for me. Before I can overthink it, I'm already moving through the crowd toward you.