[No-Ah]
The ride home was loud.
A little... too loud.
Yun-Ra had been talking nonstop for the past twenty minutes — replaying every second, every word, every breath Kei had taken in front of her.
"He remembered my name, Yun-Ra. My name. Do you understand how insane that is?"
"Mhm."
"And he read my letter!"
"Mhm."
"And when he smiled at me—"
"Keep your eyes on the road."
Yun-Ra gasped. "You're not listening!"
"I am. Unfortunately."
No-Ah leaned her head against the window, watching the city blur past.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Quiet.
Unbothered.
…except it wasn't, somehow.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
That moment— the way his smile dropped.
The way he looked at her.
Not like an idol looking at a fan.
Like someone who was… tired of being seen a certain way.
"Tch."
She clicked her tongue softly.
Why am I even thinking about that? I don't even like him.
"You know," Yun-Ra suddenly leaned closer, squinting at her.
"You're acting weird."
"I'm always weird, dummy."
"No, like… different weird."
No-Ah rolled her eyes. "Maybe standing for four hours killed my personality."
"Did you at least look at him properly?" Yun-Ra insisted.
"Like REALLY look?"
No-Ah paused.
For a second too long.
"...Yeah."
"And??"
"...He looked human."
Yun-Ra blinked. "What does that even mean??"
"Human." No-Ah turned to face Yun-Ra. "Maybe you're too dumb to understand."
☆☆☆
No-Ah slipped off her shoes near the door, not bothering to turn on the lights. The faint orange glow from the street outside bled through the curtains, stretching shadows across the floor.
For a moment, she just stood there.
Her hand came up to her head in frustration.
"...ugh!"
Her mind had been replaying that one scene for the pass seven minutes!
And she hated that.
She clicked her tongue, kicking her shoes aside a little harder than necessary as she walked in.
No-Ah dropped onto her bed face-first, groaning into the pillow.
"Get out of my head." She muttered, voice muffled.
Just a look.
Just a single, stupid look.
No conversation.
No interaction.
Not even a proper introduction.
So what was so... what was so special about it?
But, the more she tried to push it away...
The clearer it became.
"You're tired."
Her voice same out softer than she had anticipated.
☆☆☆
[Kei]
The moment the event ended, the smile dropped.
Completely.
Kei leaned back in his chair, eyes closing for a brief second as staff began clearing the table.
"Good job today," someone said.
"Mmm."
He didn't bother opening his eyes.
Fansigning events were always like this.
Faces blurred.
Voices blended.
Nothing stayed.
Nothing mattered.
Except—
His eyes opened.
That girl.
The one who didn't react.
Didn't smile.
Didn't try.
Just looked at him like…
Like he was a person she accidentally noticed.
"...Weird," he muttered under his breath.
"Did you say something?" a staff member asked.
"No."
He stood up, stretching slightly.
"Hey," he added casually, "that girl earlier—"
"Which one?" the staff asked, already distracted.
"There were hundreds."
Kei paused.
Right.
There were hundreds.
He didn't even know her name.
Didn't know anything.
"That...never mind."
Besides, he would just forget about her later. So why must he pry further? Why bother?
...Then why couldn't he stop thinking about it?
☆☆☆
The dorm was quiet.
Kei sat on the edge of his bed, thumbs hovering over the screen as notifications flooded in.
Clips from the fansign.
Photos.
Edits.
He tapped one.
And there it was.
His own face.
Smiling.
Perfect.
Fake.
The comment section loaded beneath it.
"HE LOOKS SO GOOD TODAY"
"THE WAY HE SMILED AT ME JUST NOW I'M GONNA CRY"
"K.E.I never fails to treat his fans right like omg"
"HE REMEMBERS EVERYONE I'M SOBBING"
"Protect his smile at all costs!"
"…"
Kei's expression didn't change as he watched.
Smile. Nod. Speak.
Smile. Nod. Speak.
Again.
And again.
His thumb scrolled.
More comments.
"He's so perfect wth???"
"NO ONE COMPARES TO HIM"
"He's literally always smiling "
He let out a quiet breath.
"...happy." he scoffed.
Something he hasn't been in ages.
He replayed the video slower this time.
Watching carefully
Not the fans.
Not the edits.
Himself.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
There.
A split second.
His smile slipped.
Barely noticeable.
So small it would've been swallowed by the crowd—
His thumb paused.
The comments kept moving.
"He looks so HOT today!"
"You can tell he loves being here"
"He's glowing omg???"
"Hmph."
"…She saw it."
The thought came instantly.
Certain.
His grip on the phone tightened just slightly.
His jaw tensed faintly.
"...What is wrong with you, Kei?" He muttered.
He locked his phone.
Tossed it onto the bed.
The screen dimmed—
but the comments lingered in his head.
"He looks so happy."
"He loves us so much."
"He looks so-"
Kei leaned back slowly, arm falling over his eyes.
"Tsk."
For someone he didn't even know—
her silence felt louder than all of them combined.
☆☆☆
[No-Ah]
The room was dark.
Too quiet.
No-Ah turned onto her side, staring at nothing in particular.
Sleep wouldn't come.
Of course it wouldn't.
"…So annoying."
She reached for her phone, unlocking it with a small sigh.
Notifications.
Mostly from Yun-Ra.
Spam.
She opened the chat.
Yun-Ra:
I'M STILL NOT OVER IT
I THINK I ASCENDED
No-Ah snorted softly.
Weirdo.
Another message.
Yun-Ra:
I sent vids WATCH THEM
No-Ah hesitated for a second—
then tapped one.
The screen lit up instantly.
Bright lights. Loud cheers.
And him.
Kei.
Smiling.
Perfect.
The comments flooded in beneath the video.
"HE'S SO HANDSOME I CAN'T BREATHE "
"THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HER??? I'M JEALOUS"
"K.E.I is literally an angel"
"HE NEVER LOOKS TIRED HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE??"
No-Ah's brows pulled together slightly.
"…Genuine?"
She replayed the video.
Once.
Twice.
Her eyes didn't follow the fans.
Didn't follow the excitement.
Just him.
Smile. Nod. Speak.
Smile. Nod. Speak.
"…It's the same."
Her thumb paused the screen.
She dragged the timeline back a few seconds.
Played it again.
Slower.
Watching more carefully this time.
Not the performance.
The cracks.
There.
That moment.
So small it could've been missed.
His hand paused.
His eyes dulled—just slightly.
The smile—
didn't quite reach.
No-Ah leaned closer to the screen.
"…There you are."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Soft.
Almost quiet enough to disappear.
The comments kept moving.
"He's so happy todayyyy"
"YOU CAN TELL HE LOVES HIS FANS"
"HE'S ALWAYS SMILING I'M CRYING"
No-Ah stared at them for a moment.
Then scoffed lightly.
"…You guys are blind."
Not harsh.
Just… matter-of-fact.
Her thumb hovered over the screen.
Then—
without thinking—
she typed.
"He looks tired." She stared at it.
A few seconds passed.
Her finger hovered over the post button.
Then—
she deleted it.
"…Not my business."
The phone dimmed slightly in her hand.
But she didn't lock it.
Didn't scroll away.
Instead, she tapped the video again.
Replaying that same moment.
"…Why do I even care?"
No-Ah let her head fall back against the pillow, eyes still fixed on the screen.
The room was quiet.
But somehow—
it didn't feel as empty as before.
☆☆☆