ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʟᴇʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚊

The One with the Unexpected 💕

A small smile tugged at Nara's lips as she relaxed. "Thank you. You have good taste in music."

The boy chuckled, stepping closer. "I'm Renjun. Huang Renjun. I'm a trainee."

"I'm Nara. I just joined." She gestured toward the keyboard. "Do you play?"

Renjun shook his head. "Not really, but I love music. I sing, though."

Nara's eyes lit up with interest. "Really? Then... do you want to sing something together?"

Renjun hesitated for only a second before nodding. "I'd like that."

Smiling, Nara shifted over on the bench, patting the space beside her. As Renjun sat down, she started playing again, the room soon filling with the harmony of their voices intertwining for the first time.

As their voices intertwined, a quiet harmony filled the practice room. Renjun's soft yet steady tone blended effortlessly with Nara's, creating something unexpectedly beautiful. Neither of them noticed when the door, left slightly ajar, began to attract an audience.

A few trainees passing by stopped in their tracks, drawn by the pure, melodic sound. One by one, they peeked inside, curiosity turning to admiration.

"Who's that singing with Renjun?" one whispered.

"I think that's the new trainee John 형 introduced earlier," another murmured.

A few staff members walking down the hall also paused, exchanging glances before stepping closer to listen. Their hushed voices didn't go unnoticed, and soon, more people gathered, the once-empty hallway now buzzing with quiet excitement.

Inside, Renjun and Nara remained lost in the music. It wasn't until the song reached its final note and silence settled that they noticed the quiet applause.

Nara turned, eyes widening as she realized they had an audience. Renjun, equally surprised, sat frozen beside her.

"That was incredible," a trainee said, stepping inside. "How do you two sound this good together already?"

Another nodded in agreement. "I got chills."

Nara flushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We were just... playing around."

One of the vocal coaches, who had been among the gathered staff, smiled approvingly. "Well, I'd love to hear more. There's something special about your voices together."

Renjun grinned, glancing at Nara. "I guess we make a good team."

She chuckled, the nervousness fading. "Yeah... I think we do."

---

After a week, Nara had slowly familiarized herself with the building, the various practice rooms, and her daily schedule. She had settled into the routine of balancing her training and studies, and with Johnny continuing to be her guide, she never felt lost or out of place. They had developed a comfortable friendship, often spending their free time together, whether it was sharing meals, practicing side by side, or just chatting between schedules.

Beyond her own training, Nara found herself naturally slipping into the role of a mentor for some of the younger trainees. She would help them with their schoolwork, offering tutoring sessions when needed, and assisting a few of the foreign trainees with translations whenever they struggled to understand the trainers' instructions. It gave her a sense of fulfilment, knowing that she could contribute in ways beyond just improving her own skills.

One afternoon, as she and Johnny walked down the hallway toward their practice room after lunch, he casually threw a question her way. "So... how's training at SM treating you so far?" He glanced at her with curiosity. "If you had to compare it to your time at JYP, is there a big difference?"

Nara took a moment to think before responding. "Honestly, training here is a little different, but a lot of it feels similar. The biggest thing is still balancing my time between training and studying," she said as they approached the door to their practice room.

Johnny, ever the gentleman, pulled the door open for her. She stepped inside and sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

"No problem," he replied before following her in.

As she set her things down, a small frown crossed her face. "There is something that's been confusing me, though."

Johnny tilted his head, intrigued. "What is it?"

Nara hesitated before voicing her thoughts. "I've noticed that I seem to be the only female trainee training with you guys most of the time. I only get to work with the other female trainees when you all are busy." She turned to Johnny with a puzzled expression. "Is that normal?"

Johnny simply shrugged, his lips curling into a smirk. "Maybe it's just a coincidence that your schedule lines up with ours."

Nara let out a small laugh, mirroring his shrug. "Maybe."

Their eyes met for a brief second before they both chuckled, the easy-going atmosphere between them returning as they prepared for their next training session.