"Sorry… am I in the right place?"
The voice was low, almost quiet, but somehow it silenced the entire room.
The entire room went silent. Conversations faded and laughter stilled. Even the music seemed to give way to the voice, as though it itself wanted to listen.
Every head turned toward the direction of the door from which the voice came.
Only to see a young man standing next to the door, one of his hands resting lightly on the handle.
His sleeves were folded just below his elbows, and his white shirt was slightly open at the collar. A stunning aura that couldn't quite be defined. Paired with his face, he was like a prince charming from fairytales.
He calmly looked across the room with uncertainty, yet observant. His face, though beautiful, was like an open book, giving off worry—like someone who felt awkward just from standing there, especially with all the eyes staring right at him.
For some seconds, no one spoke, as though they had lost the ability. The ladies froze at his handsome face like that of an idol, and the men were shocked by his amazing physique.
Then—
"Oh my God, you actually came!"
The sharp-eyed woman who had previously mocked Anna suddenly sprang up from her chair like a coiled spring, her voice bursting with excitement as she waved both hands.
"Over here! Come in, come in!" Her voice was filled with so much joy, as if just his showing up was reason enough to be happy.
The room shifted.
People leaned toward each other, whispering among themselves.
"Who's that?"
"Wait… do we know him?"
"He's hot."
"Was he in our class?"
He walked in slowly, giving off a beautiful yet humble smile that struck the hearts of the ladies even more. Though many were still confused, they chose to keep their questions to themselves.
"I wasn't sure if I had the right place," he said as he took a seat next to Stephanie (the bully).
"You really are something," Stephanie replied quickly, her voice almost possessive, looping her arm through his as though trying to claim ownership.
"You're exactly where you're supposed to be." She smiled softly, resting slightly on his shoulder as though they were a couple.
"Stephanie, sorry—who is that?" one of the people finally spoke, asking the same question that was on everyone's mind.
> "Who could this model be?"
She turned dramatically to the others, smiling sweetly. "Have you all forgotten him already? Seriously? This is Francis."
"Francis?" Everyone still looked confused.
"Francis, our classmate from high school. Have you guys forgotten that quickly?"
Almost instantly, recognition struck their brains like lightning.
"No way."
"Wait, that's him?!"
"Damn…"
"You look so different!"
"You look amazing!"
Suddenly the crowd exploded, surrounding him with questions, compliments, and laughter, with a hint of curiosity mixed in between.
He smiled gently, nodding slightly and answering politely, calm with a hint of awkwardness mixed in.
Although he was calm and far from flashy, trying his best to avoid attention, the attention he deeply wanted to avoid just kept clinging to him.
Across the room, Anna was watching. Her chest tightened slightly—not out of pain, but a familiar feeling. A past feeling she always felt but hid.
Before she realized it, she stepped forward toward Francis as though her legs were caught under a spell.
"Hi."
She said calmly, her voice softer than the others', quieter but quite beautiful.
"Hey," he answered, turning toward her. At first it was just a usual greeting, nothing new nor special. Just polite attention and that was all.
Then—
His brows knit slightly, staring deeply at her face and oblivious to the surroundings. His thoughts filled with different facial images, trying to recognize her as seconds passed.
And then it landed.
"…Anna?"
Her lips curved faintly, as though excited that he remembered her. "You remember."
His expression changed—not dramatically, just calmly.
His eyes moved from top to bottom, scanning her beautiful outfit.
"You look…" he paused, like he was choosing the exact right word, "…beautiful."
The air between them grew warm, calm, and perfect.
"I love your dress," he continued, finally smiling in a way that looked far more genuine than before.
At that moment, it was as if time paused and the world slowed down. A perfect atmosphere was growing.
And Ben saw it. For unknown reasons, his chest suddenly felt tight, almost pained. It was as though their voices slowly started to become distant, and her smile right now hurt more than ever.
Before he could think straight, his body moved on its own, stepping forward with his hand extended between them.
"I'm Ben," he said smoothly. "Anna's partner."
Francis blinked once, then accepted the handshake. "Oh. Nice to meet you."
Anna's eyes widened.
"Partner?" she laughed lightly, nudging Ben's arm. "Ignore him, he's joking. He's just my best friend. My very best friend from childhood."
She said it easily, without hesitation, smiling naturally without a thought in the world.
Ben smiled stiffly, even though inside he was hurting. He still covered it up with a smile like always.
"Yeah," he chuckled. "Just best friends." His voice was filled with unnoticed disappointment.
Francis, on the other hand, nodded, relaxed again. "I see."
An awkward air was beginning to blow through the room, making the entire reunion unlike its previous self.
Clap!
Stephanie suddenly clapped her hands loudly, reclaiming the room's attention and bringing the awkwardness to a stop.
"Okay! Okay! Enough side conversations! Let's play a game!"
The others started laughing, yet curious.
"A game?" someone asked.
"Yes!" she answered. "Let's take turns talking about life after high school—what everyone's been doing since then. Jobs, relationships, scandals, everything."
People immediately agreed, and the entire restaurant was loud and lively once more. The attention went back to her—Stephanie—exactly like she had always wanted: the center of attention.
Minutes passed with different people taking turns talking about their stories and achievements, some boastful and disguised as humility, while others kept it real.
As more and more time passed, Anna's smile slowly faded. Her fingers tightened around her glass. Although the atmosphere felt right to others, for her it was suffocating.
The fake smiles, the fake laughter, the hidden malice, and the obvious jealousy were heavy on her.
Her chest felt tight and her breath grew shallow. Finally, she stood. Unnoticed by the multitude—not even Ben, who was fully immersed in someone's exaggerated story across the table, noticed her movement.
Anna slipped out, walking toward the balcony to finally get some peace and quiet and at the same time maybe watch the stars.
The balcony door closed softly behind her as the night air welcomed her with a cool breeze.
She inhaled deeply, looking toward the late-night sky, with the light from the stars and moon finally calming her down, the silence slowly wrapping around her shoulders like a shawl.
"…Better."
"You also felt suffocated, right?"
She froze in fear, turning quickly toward the voice.
He stood there, leaning against the railing of the balcony. One of his hands was wrapped around a glass of red wine, the other resting on the railing.
His eyes lifted toward the sky as if he had been stargazing before she arrived.
"You scared me," she said softly, her breath finally stabilizing.
"Sorry."
"You came out here too?"
"I'm not really good with people, as always," he said, sounding as though he were disappointed in himself. "Never was."
She tilted her head. "That's hard to believe."
He glanced at her. "Why is that?"
"You were literally the talk of entire school."
He blinked. "I was?"
She stared at him. "You're serious? Or are you just messing with me?"
"No! No, it's not like that. I just don't think anyone really noticed me," he said honestly. "I mostly slept through class and had almost zero presence."
Anna let out a quiet laugh.
"You have no idea, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Girls from other classes used to walk past our classroom just to see you."
"…You're joking."
"I'm very serious. You were literally the talk of the entire school. Among seniors and juniors combined."
He stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter—the realest laugh since the start. A warm, low, unforced laugh.
That laugh eased the tension between them slightly, creating a moment that felt strangely intimate.
They talked easily after that, just random conversation that flowed well—like a couple reconnecting after many years apart.
At some point she said casually, "Hey… can I have your number? We should catch up properly sometime."
He didn't hesitate. "Sure."
She handed him her phone for him to type it in, which he did. A simple and harmless gesture without any hidden intention from either side.
At least, she thought it was.
"Anna?"
A call for her from behind.
She turned, curious who it could be.
Ben stood in the doorway, his face covered with a smile that was slowly fading.
His gaze moved slowly from her face…
To the phone in Francis's hand…
To the awkwardly close space between them.
This time, his face didn't hide his emotions.
TBC~