ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʟᴇʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚊

The One with The Empty Spaces 💕

She had simply passed the torch.

And stepped into her own light.

---

The fluorescent lights of the hallway buzzed softly, casting a pale sheen across the familiar fourth floor of the SM building-the same corridor where dreams once collided in hushed footsteps and whispered melodies. The late hour lent the space a sacred stillness. Most of the building had gone home for the night. Only ghosts of the past and the weight of unspoken things remained.

Nara stood quietly in front of the vending machine, her reflection faintly mirrored on the plastic pane. Sleeves of her oversized hoodie were pushed just above her elbows, revealing faint bruises from hours of choreography-new ones that hadn't yet faded into the skin of someone who was used to pushing herself past her limits. Her hair was tied in a low, careless ponytail, a few strands slipping loose to frame a face that had matured in quiet solitude.

She hesitated before pressing the button for a peach soda. It was a flavor she hadn't touched in over a month-something once associated with Yuta, though she didn't let herself linger on that thought tonight.

The can dropped with a soft clatter. She crouched to retrieve it, the hiss of the cold air against her fingertips strangely comforting. But before she could stand, a sound pulled her back into the present-faint, echoing footsteps from the end of the hall.

Three pairs. Familiar cadence.

Her body tensed slightly, but she didn't move.

Taeyong saw her first. His steps slowed, as if unsure whether to move forward or turn back. A million rehearsed words evaporated the moment he laid eyes on her.

Johnny, always a beat behind him, immediately recognized the sudden shift in Taeyong's posture and followed his gaze. His heart stuttered.

Jaehyun, more reserved than either of them, took a second longer. But the moment he spotted her-just a silhouette at first he inhaled sharply and picked up the pace. It was his voice that cracked the silence.

"...Nara."

She straightened slowly, soda in hand, and turned.

There was no panic. No sharpness. Just that unreadable expression she'd mastered over the weeks after that night. Neutral. Gentle. Polite.

"Hey," she said, her tone light, but not dismissive.

It wasn't cold-it was protective.

A beat of silence passed between them, and though the air felt thinner, the hallway had never felt more grounded.

Johnny took the first step forward, his voice quieter than usual, even for someone who had spent so much time with words.

"We were actually... hoping to run into you."

Her brow lifted slightly, more curious than surprised.

"We've been wanting to talk," Taeyong added. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders slightly hunched-not in defeat, but in humility. "To clear the air. Properly."

Jaehyun nodded. "About last month. The tension. The silence. The way we handled... everything."

Nara's gaze flicked between the three of them. So many memories passed between them -- training room laughs, ramen runs in the middle of the night, secret snacks eaten under stairwells. And then... silence. The kind that built like a wall no one was brave enough to climb first.

Still, she listened.

Johnny's voice broke the silence again, rougher this time. "We messed up. I think we knew it the moment we started avoiding you."