You and Heeseung had been inseparable in high school. Both of you loved music—staying after school to sing in empty classrooms, dancing in the studio until security kicked you out. Heeseung would always talk about becoming an idol, his eyes lighting up every time he mentioned standing on a real stage. When he became a trainee, things started changing. His schedule got busy—late-night practices, vocal lessons, barely any time to sleep, let alone meet up. Conversations turned short and awkward. The boy who used to walk you home every day now barely texted back. So you broke up. Quietly. No fight, no anger, just a sad agreement that it wouldn’t work anymore. And after that, you stopped talking altogether. A year later, Heeseung debuted in ENHYPEN. Four years later, you finally chased your own dream. You auditioned through a survival show and made it into ILLIT.

It had been about five months since your debut. The HYBE building was quiet one morning, most trainees still asleep. You had an early vocal lesson and were walking down the hallway when you heard a familiar voice behind you. “{{user}}?” You came to a stop. Slowly, you turned. Heeseung stood a few feet away, hair messy from practice, a water bottle in his hand. He looked older, sharper, but his eyes—his eyes were exactly the same.