Two months before I returned to this city, I sent my résumé to an entertainment company.
At the time, I was working as a videographer and occasionally helping creative teams plan filming projects. Music had always interested me, so when I found an opening online, I applied without thinking too much about it.
Then I forgot about it.
Two months passed without a response.
Life continued as normal.
I assumed I hadn't been selected.
Then one Tuesday morning, an email arrived.
I was sitting at the kitchen table while Anna ate cereal across from me.
Half-asleep, I opened the email.
Then I saw the company name.
My hand froze.
Rider Entertainment.
I blinked.
Read it again.
And then a third time.
Surely I was hallucinating.
The same Rider Entertainment that managed Rider.
The same Rider that I had spent years following.
The same Rider whose leader still occupied an embarrassing amount of space in my heart.
I slowly placed my phone on the table.
Picked it up again.
Read the email one more time.
Then put it back down.
Across from me, Anna frowned.
"Appa, are you okay?"
I cleared my throat.
"I'm fine."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You look weird."
"I'm perfectly normal."
"You were staring at your phone."
"I was not."
"You were."
I sighed.
"Eat your cereal."
---
The day of the interview arrived far too quickly.
I stood outside Rider Entertainment's headquarters trying to convince myself not to panic.
I wasn't a fan today.
I was a professional.
A qualified videographer.
An adult.
A grown man.
A grown man who had once stood in the rain for three hours just to watch Charlie walk from a van into a building.
But that wasn't important.
The point was that I was professional.
I repeated that to myself several times before entering.
The building was beautiful.
Modern.
Elegant.
And absolutely covered with Rider posters.
Everywhere I looked, there they were.
Magazine covers.
Promotional photos.
Award ceremony pictures.
It felt less like a company building and more like a shrine.
I tried not to stare.
I failed.
Then I walked past a practice room.
And my entire brain stopped functioning.
Through the glass wall, I could see them.
Rider.
All of them.
Practicing.
Laughing.
Talking.
Correcting each other's dance moves.
They looked so normal.
That was the shocking part.
Not glamorous.
Not untouchable.
Just... normal people working together.
For some reason, that made them seem even more unreal.
Without realizing it, I pressed myself against the hallway wall.
Trying very hard not to be seen.
"Why are you hiding?"
I nearly died.
I spun around to find the receptionist staring at me.
"I'm not hiding."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You're literally glued to the wall."
"I was just..."
I searched desperately for an explanation.
"...stretching."
She looked unconvinced.
"Against the wall?"
"Very advanced stretching."
The receptionist laughed.
"Your interview room is down the hall."
I nodded.
Then immediately walked away before I embarrassed myself further.
---
The interview itself went surprisingly well.
The managers asked about my work experience.
My filming projects.
My ability to work under pressure.
I answered every question carefully.
Somehow, despite the chaos happening inside my head, I managed to sound professional.
At the end, one of the managers smiled.
"We'll be in touch."
I thanked them and left.
The second the door closed behind me, I released a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.
I survived.
Barely.
But I survived.
I headed for the elevator and pressed the button.
A few moments later, the doors opened.
I stepped inside.
The doors began closing.
Then suddenly, voices echoed down the hallway.
Loud voices.
Familiar voices.
Several people rushed into the elevator at the last second.
Laughing.
Talking over one another.
And instantly, I knew exactly who they were.
Rider.
My brain stopped working for the second time that day.
The members barely noticed me as they continued their conversation.
Then I looked up.
And found Charlie standing directly in front of me.
Close enough to touch.
Not that I would ever do that.
Obviously.
But still.
Close.
For seven years, Charlie had existed behind screens.
Inside interviews.
Inside music videos.
Inside photographs.
And now he was standing right there.
Breathing the same air as me.
My eyes widened.
I stared.
I knew I was staring.
I couldn't stop.
My brain had completely abandoned me.
Then Charlie looked up.
Our eyes met.
For a brief second, something flickered across his face.
Confusion.
Maybe discomfort.
To him, I was just some random stranger staring at him in an elevator.
And honestly?
Fair enough.
The elevator doors opened on the next floor.
The members stepped out together, still talking and laughing.
Charlie left with them.
And just like that, the moment was over.
The doors closed again.
My knees gave out.
I slid down the elevator wall.
"What is wrong with me?" I whispered.
A lot, apparently.
---
When I finally left the building, I stood outside under the afternoon sun.
Trying to process what had just happened.
I had seen him.
Actually seen him.
Not through a screen.
Not through a camera.
In real life.
A laugh escaped me.
Then another.
Before I knew it, I was standing on the sidewalk grinning like an idiot.
I even danced a little.
Just a tiny bit.
A completely reasonable reaction.
At least that's what I told myself.
Then a car drove past.
Straight through a puddle.
Dirty water splashed all over me.
From head to toe.
I stood there in stunned silence.
The driver didn't even stop.
I looked up at the sky.
"Okay," I said.
"I probably deserved that."
---
That evening, I met Ji-hyuk at our favorite café.
The second I sat down, he knew something had happened.
"You look like you're hiding a secret."
"I had an interview."
"So?"
"It was at Rider Entertainment."
His eyes widened.
"What?"
I told him everything.
The practice room.
The elevator.
Charlie.
All of it.
By the end, Ji-hyuk was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Wait."
He pointed at me.
"You were in the same elevator as Rider?"
"Yes."
"Charlie was standing right in front of you?"
"Yes."
"And you said absolutely nothing?"
I rubbed my face.
"I couldn't breathe."
Ji-hyuk slapped the table.
"You are unbelievable."
"I almost fainted."
"You should have fainted. At least that would've been memorable."
Before I could respond, my phone started ringing.
Unknown number.
Both of us stared at it.
My stomach dropped.
Slowly, I answered.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon. This is Rider Entertainment."
Everything around me suddenly felt distant.
"Yes?"
"We've reviewed your interview and would like to offer you a position with us."
My heart nearly stopped.
Across the table, Ji-hyuk leaned forward.
"Really?"
"Yes."
I couldn't stop smiling.
Then the caller continued.
"However, there has been a slight change regarding the role."
My smile faded.
"What do you mean?"
"You will not be joining us as a videographer."
I blinked.
"Then what position am I being offered?"
There was a brief pause.
Then the answer came.
"You will be joining Rider as their new manager."
The café disappeared.
The noise disappeared.
The world disappeared.
Rider's manager.
Charlie's manager.
The man who had unknowingly helped me survive some of the darkest years of my life.
The phone slipped from my hand.
Everything went white.