ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʟᴇʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚊

The One with The Unexpected Guest 💕

Bold - English
Normal - Korean
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The music thumped against the mirrored walls as Nara and the girls moved in perfect unison, the choreography flowing sharper with each run-through. Sweat beaded at her temples, but her mind was locked in-counting beats, adjusting her angles, feeling the rhythm thrum through her chest. Herin's laugh bubbled in between takes, Lami kept making silly faces in the mirror to keep morale high, and Koeun, ever the perfectionist, insisted they redo the last formation "just one more time" at least three times.

By the time the choreographer finally called it a night, all four of them were flushed and breathless, sprawled across the studio floor like marionettes with their strings cut.

"Water," Lami croaked dramatically.

Nara chuckled, tossing her a bottle from her bag. "Here, princess."

They slowly gathered their things-towels, sneakers, jackets-still chatting about small things: upcoming vocal lessons, a new café Koeun wanted to try, whether or not Herin's crush was still just "a study buddy."

Nara slung her bag over her shoulder and moved to open the studio door... only to freeze.

A tall figure stood just outside in the hallway, dressed in a black hoodie, bucket hat pulled low, and a mask hiding most of his face. He was leaning casually against the wall, hands in his pockets, but straightened immediately when she appeared.

Her brows knit together. "...Danny?"

The man tilted his head up slightly, his eyes crinkling as he gave a small nod. "Yeah..." His voice was low, almost shy. He reached up and pulled down his mask, revealing the faint smile she knew too well.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still half-surprised, half-trying to make sure she wasn't imagining him.

"Uh... Nathan 형 asked me to walk you home before his flight back to New York this morning." His tone was casual, but there was a hint of hesitance there-like he wasn't sure how she'd react.

From behind Nara, three sets of eyes widened in unison.

"Uuuuu..." Koeun, Herin, and Lami cooed in perfect harmony, immediately breaking into mischievous grins.

Nara turned halfway to glare at them, cheeks warming. "Don't start."

"See you tomorrow, 언니~" Koeun sang in a teasing lilt, already backing away toward the hallway.

"Bye, 언니," Lami added, covering her mouth to hide a giggle.

Herin didn't even bother to hide hers. "Have fun~" she chimed before darting out the door.

"Yah-!" Nara lunged, swatting playfully at them, managing to almost catch Lami by the hood. They squealed and scattered down the hall, their laughter echoing back until the sound faded.

When she turned back to Changkyun, he was smiling faintly, the kind of smile that warmed at the edges but didn't quite reach a full grin.

"Your friends are... energetic," he said.

"That's one word for it," Nara muttered, tugging her jacket tighter around her. "You didn't have to come all the way here. You could just call me."

"I know," he said simply. "But I wanted to."

The hallway went quiet for a beat-just the hum of the fluorescent lights above them and the muffled thump of music from another practice room down the hall. Nara felt the weight of her bag on her shoulder, the faint rush of cool air whenever someone opened a nearby door.