"It was just a blanket. But the world saw a story."
The morning after the awards night, Rian woke up to chaos.
His phone was buzzing nonstop.
Mentions. Tags. Messages.
#RianLiraBlanket
#BlanketBoyfriend
#WhenGentleMeetsGrace
The internet had caught fire overnight.
Clips of him glancing toward Lira, the blanket being handed discreetly by staff, her small grateful smile — every frame slowed down, analyzed, romanticized.
Fans flooded timelines with theories and edits:
> "He couldn't stop looking at her 😭💞"
> "That's not just kindness… that's history."
> "The way he protected her quietly?? Rian Lee, you're unreal."
By noon, the words Rian and Lira were everywhere.
---
At SOLIS's dorm, the members were gathered in disbelief.
Jinwoo was cackling, holding up his phone. "Hyung, you're trending in twelve countries!"
Rian groaned, pulling his hoodie over his head. "It's just a blanket."
"Yeah, and apparently a love declaration in cotton form," Minjae teased, scrolling through fan posts. "They're calling it the most respectful gesture in K-pop history."
The others burst into laughter.
But underneath the noise, Rian's chest felt tight — not from fear, but from something softer, quieter.
Because deep down, he didn't regret it.
---
Across the city, Lira's group was facing the same storm.
Their manager sighed, waving a tablet showing dozens of headlines.
> "Lira of LUNARIA and Rian of SOLIS — a secret friendship?"
> "The blanket moment that melted hearts."
Lira read them silently, cheeks warming.
Her members teased her relentlessly.
"Unnie, admit it!" giggled Hana, the maknae. "He was staring at you all night!"
Lira covered her face, laughing helplessly. "It's just fan imagination."
But when she was alone, she watched the clip again — the tiny moment everyone had turned into something larger than life.
And even she couldn't stop smiling.
---
A few days later, they both attended another music show taping.
This time, they were seated apart — different stages, different schedules.
Yet, when their eyes met backstage for a second, it was impossible to hide the warmth.
Not because of the cameras.
But because they finally understood something neither had dared to before:
Even after all these years, one act of quiet kindness could still bridge the distance between two stars.
---
That night, Rian scrolled through fan edits — soft music playing, captions like "The way he looks at her like she's the reason he made it"*l.
He chuckled under his breath.
Then, with a small smile, he opened his private account and typed one message to no one in particular:
> "Sometimes, silence says everything."
He didn't tag her. Didn't need to.
But Lira saw it anyway.
And when she liked the post — the world noticed.
---
The comments exploded again, louder this time.
The internet whispered in every language.
And somewhere beyond the noise, in two quiet hotel rooms lit by city lights, Rian and Lira were smiling at their screens — not as idols, not as global stars — but as two people who remembered a simple truth:
That even the smallest gesture, when given sincerely, could make the whole world believe in love again.