CHAPTER 32 — LIGHTS THAT NEVER WENT OUT
Los Angeles had been waiting for this night for weeks.
Outside the arena, the streets were filled long before sunset. Fans stood in long lines holding banners, lightsticks, and posters with Kang Jae-rin's name written in every style possible. Some were singing her songs, some filming videos, some just staring at the huge screen outside the stadium that kept replaying her tour trailer.
Inside, the arena lights were still dim, but the energy was already loud.
Backstage, everything was moving fast.
Stylists running.
Managers checking lists.
Dancers stretching.
Sound engineers testing microphones again and again.
In the center of the dressing room stood Jae-rin.
Her outfit tonight was bold — black and silver, covered in crystals that sparkled every time she moved. The top fit perfectly, the skirt short with a slit on the side, long boots reaching her thighs. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, waves falling down her back.
She looked powerful.
But the biggest difference tonight was her expression.
She looked happy.
Yuna walked around her in circles, inspecting every detail.
"Hair perfect. Makeup perfect. Outfit perfect. Face perfect. Life unfair."
Sora laughed.
"Stop flirting with her."
Jisoo looked up from the tablet.
"Five minutes."
Min-jae stood near the wall, arms crossed, watching her quietly.
She caught him staring and tilted her head.
"What?"
He shook his head.
"You look… excited."
She smiled slightly.
"I am."
Yuna gasped loudly.
"Everyone heard that right? Kang Jae-rin said she's excited."
Jae-rin rolled her eyes but laughed.
"Don't make it weird."
Ci-n and David stood near the door, both wearing backstage passes.
Ci-n whispered, "This feels illegal."
David smirked.
"We used to sit next to her in class. Now we're backstage at her world tour."
Before anyone could say more, the stage manager opened the door.
"Two minutes."
The noise from the crowd outside was already shaking the walls.
Jae-rin took a deep breath.
Min-jae stepped closer.
"Remember. If you feel tired, signal me."
She nodded.
"I know."
Then she turned and walked toward the stage entrance.
The lights in the arena went out.
The crowd screamed so loud the floor vibrated.
A deep bass sound started.
The screen lit up with flames and neon colors.
JAE-RIN WORLD TOUR
The beat dropped.
The platform lifted.
And Jae-rin appeared in the center of the stage.
The crowd exploded.
She started with a fast song, choreography sharp and powerful. Her movements were precise, confident, every step matching the beat perfectly. The dancers surrounded her, but no one could look away from her.
After the first song ended, she laughed into the mic, slightly out of breath.
"LA… you're loud already."
The fans screamed even louder.
She put a hand to her ear.
"I can't hear you."
The crowd shouted.
"I said I can't hear you!"
The entire arena roared.
She grinned.
"That's better."
Second song started immediately, faster, harder. She spun, jumped, moved across the stage like she owned every inch of it.
Ci-n watched from the side.
"She wasn't this good in school."
David shook his head.
"She wasn't this alive either."
After the third performance, she walked to the front of the stage, taking a bottle of water.
"You guys ready for tonight?"
Fans screamed.
"No, I mean really ready."
More screaming.
She laughed.
"I flew all the way here, you better not be quiet."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "WE LOVE YOU!"
She pointed toward the sound.
"I love you too."
Another fan yelled, "MARRY ME!"
She blinked, then laughed.
"Let me survive the tour first."
The crowd laughed with her.
She looked around the arena slowly, eyes shining under the lights.
"I missed this."
For a second, the words sounded real.
Not scripted.
Not rehearsed.
Real.
She took a breath.
"I have something special for you tonight."
The crowd screamed instantly.
"A surprise."
The lights dimmed.
The music changed to a softer beat.
Another spotlight appeared on the opposite side of the stage.
People started shouting before anyone even appeared.
Then a voice came through the speakers.
Smooth. Familiar.
SZA walked into the light.
The arena went insane.
Jae-rin laughed in disbelief even though she already knew.
"You made it."
SZA hugged her quickly.
"You thought I wouldn't?"
Jae-rin looked at the crowd.
"You guys ready for this?"
The fans screamed so loud the sound echoed.
SZA leaned toward the mic.
"This song drops tonight. You hear it first."
The beat started.
Slow at first, then stronger.
Jae-rin sang the first line, voice soft but steady.
SZA joined on the second verse, her tone blending perfectly.
The choreography for this song was lighter, more expressive. They moved around each other, sometimes singing face to face, sometimes back to back.
At one point Jae-rin laughed mid-line because the crowd was singing even though they didn't know the lyrics.
"You already know the song??"
Fans screamed.
SZA shook her head smiling.
"They're faster than us."
During the chorus, both stood side by side, singing together while thousands of lights waved in the dark arena.
The moment felt unreal.
When the song ended, the applause didn't stop.
Jae-rin bent slightly, catching her breath, then looked at SZA.
"You just made my concert ten times better."
SZA laughed.
"You invited me."
She looked at the fans.
"Take care of her, okay?"
The crowd screamed yes.
They hugged again before SZA left the stage.
The concert continued for another hour.
Song after song.
Dance after dance.
Jae-rin never slowed down.
She joked with fans, waved at every corner of the arena, even sat on the stage for one song while the crowd sang the chorus for her.
By the final performance, everyone was standing.
The last note ended.
Confetti exploded.
Lights flashed everywhere.
And the crowd kept chanting her name.
"JAE-RIN! JAE-RIN! JAE-RIN!"
Backstage later, everyone was loud and excited.
Yuna jumped on her.
"You killed it!"
Sora hugged her next.
"That surprise was insane!"
Jisoo showed her the screen.
"Trending everywhere."
Ci-n walked over, shaking his head.
"You're not human."
Jae-rin smirked.
"I told you."
David laughed.
"You broke the internet again."
They stayed in the lounge later, music playing softly while everyone talked and joked.
No alcohol.
Just food and laughter.
Ci-n and David stayed with them, telling stories about school, about Manila, about everything they missed.
For a moment, it felt normal.
The next morning, Ci-n and David went to their meetings.
At a café across the city, Keifer sat across from them.
"How were the meetings?" he asked calmly.
David shrugged.
"Good."
Ci-n nodded.
"Busy."
They talked about business, contracts, companies.
Nothing else.
After a while, Keifer stood.
"I'm flying back tonight."
"So soon?" Ci-n asked.
"Yes."
David nodded.
"Safe flight."
Keifer left the café.
Outside, he stopped for a moment, looking at the city.
Somewhere here, she performed last night.
He had seen her.
Just once.
He took a breath, then walked away.
Across the city, laughter filled the hotel suite again.
Yuna arguing.
Sora laughing.
Jisoo reading comments.
Ci-n and David joking.
Min jae sitting beside jae rin
For once,the past didn't hurt.
For once,everything felt…light.
Manila — Watson Enterprises Archive Floor
The archive room was not a place people visited often.
It was on the lowest floor of the building, behind two locked doors and a security system that most employees didn't even know existed. Old records, contracts, legal files, company history — everything that Watson Enterprises never threw away was kept here.
Keifer stood in front of the metal shelves, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the same thin file from yesterday.
It still bothered him.
Too thin.
Too clean.
Too empty.
He opened it again.
Same result.
Half-erased pages.
Missing signatures.
Wrong dates.
And that one line.
Guardianship authorization — Percy Rey Mariano
His eyes hardened.
"…Why is this here."
Behind him, the archive manager spoke nervously.
"Sir, we checked again. That record should not even be in this section."
Keifer didn't look back.
"Then why is it."
"We… don't know."
He turned another page.
Blank.
Another.
Blank.
Another.
Blank.
His jaw tightened.
"This file was deleted."
The manager hesitated.
"Yes, sir… but not completely."
Keifer closed the folder slowly.
"Show me the log."
The manager froze.
"…Sir?"
"The access log."
A few seconds later, the computer screen was open.
Archive access history.
Most entries normal.
Routine checks.
Old audits.
Then one line caught his eye.
11 years ago — manual edit
Authorized by: Percy Rey Mariano
Keifer didn't move.
Didn't blink.
"…He edited Watson records."
The manager swallowed.
"Yes, sir."
"And nobody reported it."
"No, sir."
Silence filled the room.
Then Keifer spoke again.
"Open the deleted files."
The manager shook his head.
"We tried. They're gone."
Keifer looked at the screen one more time.
Then said quietly,
"…Nothing disappears without a reason."
—
Manila — Mariano Residence
Percy Rey Mariano rarely got surprised anymore.
Years of business, politics, and power had taught him how to hide every reaction before it showed on his face.
But when his assistant walked into the office holding a tablet, his expression changed slightly.
"Sir… Watson Enterprises accessed the old archive."
Percy looked up slowly.
"…Which archive."
"The one from eleven years ago."
Silence.
The air felt heavier instantly.
Percy stood up.
"Who requested it."
"Direct order from Mark Keifer Watson."
His fingers tightened slightly on the desk.
"…So he finally found it."
The assistant hesitated.
"Sir… should we block the records?"
Percy shook his head.
"No."
He walked to the window, looking outside.
"If he only found the file, it means the rest is still hidden."
Pause.
"…Make sure it stays that way."
"Yes, sir."
"And watch the Korea side."
The assistant frowned.
"Korea, sir?"
Percy's voice lowered.
"If the past opens… it won't open from Manila."
"…It will open from her."
—
Los Angeles — Hotel Suite
Laughter filled the room again.
Yuna and Sora were arguing about choreography while music played from someone's phone. Jisoo was checking tour schedules, and David was trying to explain something about business that nobody was listening to.
Ci-n sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone, but his expression was different.
Too quiet.
Too focused.
Jae-rin noticed.
"You look like you failed an exam."
He looked up.
"…I didn't."
"Then why that face."
He hesitated.
"…Nothing."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're a bad liar."
David laughed.
"He always was."
Ci-n ignored him.
"Just work stuff."
Min-jae looked at him carefully but didn't say anything.
Jae-rin leaned back against the couch.
"You guys go back to Manila tomorrow, right?"
David nodded.
"Yeah."
"You'll miss my next concert."
He smirked.
"Send tickets."
She rolled her eyes.
"Shameless."
Everyone laughed.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
But Ci-n's phone vibrated again.
Same unknown number.
His chest tightened.
He stood up.
"I'll take this."
He walked to the balcony and answered.
"Yes."
The voice on the other side spoke quickly.
"They opened the archive again."
Ci-n froze.
"…Who."
"Watson."
His grip tightened on the phone.
"…Keifer?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then the voice added,
"They saw the guardianship record."
Ci-n closed his eyes.
"…How much."
"Only the first file."
He exhaled slowly.
"Keep it that way."
He hung up.
When he went back inside, David immediately noticed his face.
"What happened."
Ci-n spoke quietly.
"…He's digging."
David went still.
Min-jae looked up.
"Who."
Ci-n hesitated.
Then said,
"Keifer."
The room fell silent.
Jae-rin frowned slightly.
"…Why would he dig anything."
No one answered.
Ci-n forced a small smile.
"Probably business stuff."
She looked at him for a second longer.
Then nodded.
But something in her chest felt wrong.
Like a memory she couldn't see yet.
Like a door she had locked years ago…
was starting to open.
—
Manila — Watson Office — Night
Keifer sat alone in the dark office, the file open in front of him again.
He read the same line for the tenth time.
Guardianship authorization — Percy Rey Mariano
His voice was barely a whisper.
"…What were you hiding."
He flipped the page again.
Nothing.
Blank.
But at the very bottom, almost invisible, there was one more mark.
A Korean stamp.
Old.
Faded.
Half erased.
Keifer leaned closer.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Seoul."
For the first time since he found the file,
his expression changed.
Not confusion.
Not curiosity.
Something sharper.
Something dangerous.
Because now he knew.
This wasn't just business.
This was connected to the past.
And if the past was opening again…
then sooner or later,
it would lead back to her.