[No-Ah]
Morning sunlight filtered through thin curtains, landing directly across No-Ah's face.
She groaned and pulled the blankets over her head.
"NO-AH!!! We're gonna be late! WAKE UP GIRL!"
There was no need to ask who it was. You know too, right?
The door burst open before she could respond.
Yun-Ra stood there, dress already on, bag slung over her shoulders.
"To where?" No-Ah asked lazily.
"Fansigning, duh."
"People don't line up at six in the morning for these activities…" No-Ah groaned again, but this time into the pillow.
"What is wrong with you?"
Yun-Ra gasped. "It's literally K.E.I!"
"You said you'd support me!" She clutched her chest as if she'd been stabbed.
"I said i'll stand beside you. Not support you mentally."
No-Ah rolled her eyes and sat up on her bed.
"Get out. I'll get ready."
☆☆☆
At the fansigning event.
They had been waiting for 4 hours.
"My legs are dying…" muttered No-Ah, leaning against the barricade.
But beside her, Yun-Ra was vibrating with so much energy that it hurt No-Ah's eyes just to watch.
"We're almost there," Yun-Ra whispered. "He's right there. I can see him."
She followed her gaze.
At the long table under blinding white lights sat Kei.
He smiled, nodded, laughed softly — the perfect expression every few seconds, like flipping pages of the same book.
Smile.
Look up.
Smile.
Nod.
Repeat.
"He looks... exhausted." No-Ah kind of felt bad.
"What do you mean? He looks handsome!"
"He looks like he hadn't blinked in like, ten minutes."
Yun-Ra gasped. "Don't ruin this moment for me."
The line moved.
Closer.
And closer.
A staff member called out "Next!"
"Ahh! I'm so nervous." Yun-Ra squealed excitedly. "What should I say?"
"You rehearsed this for two weeks, Yun-Ra."
"That was different in my head!"
No-Ah gently pushed her forward. "Just go. Before you faint."
☆☆☆
Yun-Ra sat down in front of Kei while No-Ah stands outside by the barricade, encouraging Yun-Ra.
"I'm the one who gave you that letter, do you remember?"
"Of course. It was... Yun-Ra, right?"
"Oh my god, you remember my name?"
Just have to handle this for a few more minutes... hold on, Kei. He thought to himself.
"And you read it?"
"I read them all."
As No-Ah watched Yun-Ra interact with Kei, she raised her brows slightly.
He didn't sound touched... or happy.
He sounded tired.
For a brief moment, Kei looked up.
Not at the album.
Not at the line.
But at No-Ah
They locked eyes, and the smile he'd been wearing slipped — not completely, just enough to reveal the person underneath it.
No-Ah didn't react like the others.
No widened eyes.
No trembling hands.
No excitement.
She just looked back, steady and quiet, as if she were checking whether he was okay rather than meeting someone famous.
The thought came before she could stop it —
He needs a break.
Her brows softened slightly without realizing.
Kei paused.
It lasted barely a moment before a staff member spoke from the side, snapping the air back into motion.
"Next, please."
He lowered his gaze immediately, pen moving again across the page.
But the signature came out slightly crooked.
No-Ah stepped back into the crowd, unsure why her chest felt strangely heavy.
Not fluttering.
Just… lingering.
She didn't even know his songs.
But for the first time, she saw a person — not that dazzling idol who was always cheerful and bright.
☆☆☆
[Kei]
Just a few more minutes...
Kei felt bored. Bored as fuck.
All he had to do was smile, sign, smile, sign.
The next album slid in front of him.
"Thank you so much for coming," Kei said automatically. Pen already moving across the album.
Smile.
Nod.
Smile.
But the rhythm didn't settle back properly.
His signature tilted slightly off the line.
He adjusted it and continued.
Still — something felt off.
He looked up again before the next fan sat down.
The girl from earlier was already back behind the barricade.
Where did she go?
She wasn't watching him anymore.
She was talking to her friend, expression normal — almost bored — like nothing unusual had happened.
Kei frowned faintly.
Everyone else either stared too hard…
…or avoided his eyes completely.
But she had looked through the performance.
Not impressed.
Not nervous.
Concerned.
His fingers paused over the album page.
Weird.
He'd seen thousands of faces.
He never pay mind to any of them.
The staff member nudged the stack closer. "Next."
Kei blinked and smiled again, the practiced one returning easily.
Yet a few seconds later—
his gaze drifted past the fan in front of him.
Just briefly.
She was already turning away, being pulled along by the crowd.
For a reason he couldn't explain...
the silence she left behind felt louder than the cheering.
But for the very first time, he tried to remember someone.
☆☆☆