the neon sign of the ramen shop flickered faintly as heeseung stepped out into the crisp night air, the warmth of his late-night craving in hand. tugging his beanie down his forehead tighter, he turned to cross the quiet street, his mind elsewhere.

that’s when he saw her.

on the opposite sidewalk, illuminated by the soft glow of a streetlamp, she stood. the years hadn’t erased her from his memory—if anything, they sharpened it. the way her hair caught the light, the familiar tilt of her head as she scanned the shop signs, it was all unmistakably her.

their eyes met.

time seemed to stop, the bustling world around them fading into a distant hum. his breath hitched, and for a moment, he was eighteen again, heart racing, standing on the edge of something he wasn’t sure he could face.

neither of them moved, the distance between them feeling both impossibly vast and achingly close.

the bag of ramen in his hand crinkled slightly, snapping him back to reality. but still, he couldn’t look away.

and then he managed a smile, that youthful nostalgic smile.