The morning light slipped through my hotel window, soft and warm, brushing across the pale fabric of my dress.

I blinked slowly, still half asleep, my heart already beating a little too fast– not because of the wedding... But because of who might be there.

Dong min.

We never spoke back in school. I'm sure he doesn't remember me.

But, I remember him.

I always have – from the boy who loved music ... to the idol standing under a thousand lights.

He's never known, but I've been following his journey ever since.

I just never expected our path to cross again.

Not like this.

Not today.

"Yuri", called So young, that's when I snapped out of my thoughts. She looked at me and said, "I'm the one getting married, but why are you the one who looks so nervous." and that's when I realized– it wasn't just the idea of seeing him. It was the fact that, after all this time ... I still cared.

Even now, I was still the girl who looked at him from a distance.

"You okay?" Soyoung asked, softening her tone.

I nodded, trying to smile." Yeah. Just a little overwhelmed. " She didn't push. She never did.

I looked at her as she was putting on her veil, she looked genuinely happy– the kind of happiness that will light up the room. And somehow, seeing her like that made my heart feel lighter too.

We've been friends since middle school. The kind of friendship where words aren't always needed– we just... understand each other.

She's seen me at my quietest,

I've seen her at her loudest.

And today, she was about to marry someone she's loved since high school – Park Junghwan.

I remember the day Soyoung told me she had a crush on him. It was just before summer break.

"He smiled at me today", she whispered, clutching her notebook like it held secrets." I think I'm doomed."

I smiled back. I was the quiet one– the kid who only talked to her. She is the only one who saw my extrovert side.

She was the bridge between me and everything else.

Including him.

"Dong min asked Junghwan to hang out this weekend, so I'm free", she'd say casually, pulling me into her stories.

Or

"Dong min is so musically talented. I sat behind him for the music class, and he was so good at playing guitar." she always said his name easily. Dong min.

Me? I couldn't even look at him without my heart skipping.

"You're really hopeless," Soyoung used to tease.

" You like him so much, but you freeze when he's even five feet away." And she wasn't wrong.

I was the girl who liked him quietly, gathering every little update through her,

and smiled at the name he never knew was about him.

Funny how memories linger like perfume– light at first, then clinging to your skin when you least expect them to.

"You're spacing out again."

her voice came softly, pulling me out of the past.

I blinked, realizing I was still sitting on the edge of the bridal suite sofa, fingers nervously twisting the lace trim of my dress.

Soyoung stood near the mirror, fixing her makeup. "What are you thinking about!?" she asked, tilting her head toward me, a teasing smile forming.

I shook my head lightly giving her the usual answer "Nothing".

"You say that, but I bet you were thinking about him again."

My cheeks flushed before I could stop them.

She walked over, and sat beside me.

"You know he's here, right?"

I looked up, startled.

" Dongmin. Junghwan texted me. He just arrived."

Just then her mother arrived and told her to get ready to enter the aisle.

I stood up slowly, smoothing the creases in my dress, even though my hands were slightly trembling. Soyoung didn't notice – or maybe she did and chose to stay silent, like always.

The double doors to the hall opened, and light spilled in like water– warm and golden.

The music had started.

Everything looked straight out of a dream – flowers in soft pastel, fairy lights twinkling overhead like stars and the murmur of guests filled the air with quiet anticipation.

I sat at the far end of the bride's side, tucked in the last row. Out of sight, not entirely by accident.

Soyoung

She was walking down the aisle, her hand looped through her father's arm, her smiling steady and serene. She looked like that kind of woman who had already chosen her happiness and stepped into it with grace.

And I was proud of her– truly.

It felt like I was walking her into a new life...while mine stayed right where it always had.

As I shifted my gaze along the rows of guests, I saw him...

Dongmin.

Sitting on the groom's side, third row from the front. Wearing a royal blue suit that somehow made him look sharp, quiet and handsome like always.

The music shifted to something softer– a piano melody that made even the air feel delicate. Soyoung stood at the front now, her hands holding the bouquet tightly, a smile fixed on her face but her eyes shining from joy. Seeing Junghwan's eyes filled when she walked in was a sight to be remembered.

Everyone around me was smiling.

The officiant began to speak, voice echoing warmly across the hall. But my attention flickered – wandered ... Until it landed again...on him.

Dongmin.

He wasn't looking at the couple. He was looking down at his hands, fingers interlocked in his lap. Or maybe at the floor. His face unreadable.

We'd never spoken. He probably didn't even remember I existed. But I remember everything – the way he leaned back in his chair during math, the way his hoodie strings always tangled, how his tie would loosely hang around the collar of his shirt, like he never really belonged in it.

Sometimes, I wondered if he ever noticed anything in return. Of course, he never did. Not once.

I only ever talked about him to Soyoung. And now, here I was sitting as she married someone she loved.... Junghwan. While Dongmin sat far away, as unreachable as ever.

"..... You may now kiss the bride."

Everyone clapped.

I didn't notice I had been holding my breath until then. Then something happened.

He looked back. And just for a heartbeat – just one – his eyes flicked towards me.

Not long enough to mean anything.

But long enough to ruin me all over.

Soyoung walked down the aisle with her now husband, her hand looked in his arm and walked away– the bride and the groom disappearing through the doors to the reception hall, laughter trailing behind them.

I was left in the echo.

And some where in that echo .... Dongmin stood up and left.

Or so I thought.

The reception was soft-lit and buzzing clicking glasses, a slow song humming in the background. I found my seat next to Soyoung at the banquet table, hoping to disappear into the noise.

And then —

A shoulder brushed mine.

I turned.

Dongmin.

Not a dream. Not a memory. Not a hallucination my mind conjured out of longing.

He didn't leave. He was sitting beside me. "Surprise", Soyoung whispered into her glass, her lips barely hiding the smile she wore.

My gaze was frozen.

Dongmin – right beside me.

I didn't know what I expected. Maybe a nod, a smile, or just the ghost of a greeting. But instead, he was simply there.

I started ahead, too aware of the space between us. Too aware of the silence.

He didn't say anything.

Not yet

But I could feel it, his presence like a warmth against my side, calm and constant. He shifted slightly in his seat, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance at me just once.

I didn't meet his gaze. I couldn't.

Instead, I focused on the music. The clink of a spoon against glass. A few seconds passed and then, like light pouring into a room too quickly, people started coming toward him.

"Dongmin! Oh my god, it's really you!"

" Can I get a picture? My sister's obsessed with your last album!"

" When is the next comeback?"

People flooded him with one question to another.

And him– he handled it all with a soft smile, the kind he always wore in interviews. He bowed lightly, signed autographs with ease, answered questions like he'd memorized the answer.

I stood quietly beside Soyoung, my hands clasped together under the table, a polite smile fixed to my lips.

I didn't say anything. I didn't move. I just... Listened.

And somehow, his voice– it did something to me, like hearing a song you once cried to in secret, a memory that slipped through my chest and settled somewhere deep.

I couldn't look at him

Not when everyone else could.

I was just beginning to build up the courage to say something, maybe tell him I was a fan. That his lyrics made me feel less alone, like someone had written down my thoughts and turned them into melody.

But before I could speak, he glanced at his phone, then quietly stood.

"I should get going." he said.

Junghwan raised an eyebrow "You're always running away."

Dongmin smiled faintly, brushing invisible dust off his suit jacket. "Not running – just ... schedule to the brim."

" You idols." someone muttered with a chuckle.

" Do you ever sleep?"

He didn't answer, just tucked his phone into his pocket and gave Soyoung a short, fond hug.

" Thank you for inviting me", he said. "It was really beautiful."

She smiled back." Thank you for coming even when you're busy."

And then....

His gaze flicked towards me.

Just briefly.

Not long enough to say anything.

But long enough to feel everything.

I leaned close to Soyoung as the others laughed softly behind us, their voices blurring with the music.

"I think I'll head out," I murmured.

She looked up at me concerned. "Are you okay?"

I tried to smile, but it faltered.

" Just .... a bit overwhelmed. I'll be fine. Enjoy your night."

Slipping out of the reception, the music echoing faintly behind me. I made my way through the quiet hallways of the hotel. The moment I stepped inside my room, I closed the door and let my back press against it, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor.

My knees folded close, I wrapped my arms around them, breathing in slow, shaky bursts

.

Everything played back in my mind– like scenes on an old projector.

I felt foolish.

Foolish for thinking I could just walk up to him and start a conversation – tell him how I've been a fan ever since his debut... Or even before that, quietly cheering from the shadows, holding onto every stage, every lyric, every moment he shone.

Maybe I was just delusional.

I let out a small breath, shaking my head at myself as the thoughts kept flooding in, one after another, louder than I wanted them to be.

I finally pushed myself up, freshened up and changed into something comfortable.

The bed welcomed me like a quiet friend. And before I even realized it, sleep pulled me under. A deep, dreamless kind of sleep– the kind that comes when you've felt too much and can't feel anymore.