After The Send-Off | Mingi x Reader Pairing

CHAPTER NINETEEN: The Light We Chose

Time passed.

Not like a blur, but like a slow stretch of seconds that you felt.

Day by day.

Week by week.

You pulled yourself out of the hole.

Sometimes with effort. Sometimes barely.

But always up.

The first real moment of light came months later, over breakfast with your sister.

You finally told her everything.

The entire story.

From the first date in Paris to all of the small moments in between.

You expected shock. Maybe judgment. Even disbelief.

But all she did was reach across the table, eyes glassy, and say, "You've been through so much. I'm just glad you're here."

You both cried. In public. Over pancakes.

After that came therapy.

Hard days.

Honest days.

You unpacked the things you kept hidden even from yourself. The childhood wounds. The imposter syndrome. The way you thought loving someone meant you had to become small enough to fit into their world.

You started going outside again.

Stopped shrinking in your own skin.

You danced a little in your apartment. Made playlists. Baked once and burnt the cookies but laughed so hard you made your stomach ache.

There were nights you still missed him.

Still heard his voice in your head.

But instead of hurting, it warmed you now.

You found goodness on your worst days - in sunrises, in coffee, in the fact that you woke up and kept breathing even when it hurt.

You did not contact Mingi.

You didn't try to find updates. You let the silence be what it was: sacred, as it had always been from the start.

You were building a life again - for you.

And then, one day, your sister texted you a post:

ATEEZ U.S. Fan Event Tour: Special Stop in L.A. 💫

You stared at it for a long time.

Then put your phone down.

Didn't even respond.

But at dinner that night, your sister nudged you. "You could go," she said, softly. "No signs. No expectations. Just... closure. Or peace. Or maybe just a chance to smile again."

You didn't decide right away.

You sat with it.

Slept on it.

Let the idea settle gently in your chest like a feather.

And three days later - you booked your flight.

---

L.A. was bright. Blinding.

The venue was massive.

Fans were buzzing everywhere - banners, chants, slogans in both English and Korean. Excitement hung thick in the air.

You stayed far back.

No fan sign.

No camera.

No makeup.

Just a hoodie, jeans, and a heart that was no longer broken - just quiet.