ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʟᴇʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚊

The One with The Unexpected Guest 💕

"Ready?" he asked, adjusting his mask back into place.

Nara nodded, though she still felt a strange flutter in her chest-surprise, warmth, maybe a little confusion. She stepped out into the hallway beside him, the two of them walking in quiet sync toward the elevators.

---

The boy's practice room door was half-closed, a faint beat of music still humming inside as the boys were sprawled in various corners-cooling down after hours of drills. Haechan, restless as ever, wandered over to get a sip of water when something in the hallway caught his eye.

He paused mid-sip, squinting through the narrow crack of the door. Two figures were walking down the corridor toward the elevators-one of them unmistakably Nara, her jacket draped over her arm, her bag slung casually over one shoulder. Beside her was a taller man dressed in dark clothes, head down under a bucket hat and mask, the kind of figure that would've gone unnoticed if not for how close he walked beside her.

Haechan blinked, leaning just far enough to confirm he wasn't imagining it, before running back to the practice room and his voice rose an octave.

"형... some dude is walking together with 누나."

The reaction was instant.

"What?" Jaemin's head snapped up like someone had just yelled "free food."

"Who?" Johnny asked, already on his feet.

Jeno's brow furrowed. "Some dude?"

"Yah, move," Renjun said, practically tripping over Haechan to get to the door.

It was like a chain reaction-the older trainees, once slouched and tired, suddenly came alive. Chairs scraped, water bottles rolled, sneakers squeaked as everyone shuffled toward the door to get a peek.

But none moved faster than Yuta.

He was at the door in three long strides, nudging Haechan aside as he pressed one hand against the frame and peered out. Sure enough, there was Nara, walking in that easy, unhurried way she had when she wasn't rushing to the next schedule. The guy beside her carried himself in a quiet, steady way-no awkward shuffling, no overcompensating strides-like they'd walked together before.

"Who is that?" Renjun whispered, practically breathing in Yuta's ear.

"Can't tell," Yuta murmured. The man's mask and hat hid most of his face, but every now and then, when they passed under the light, Yuta caught glimpses of sharp features, the curve of a faint smile when Nara glanced up at him.

"Is he from another team?" Jaemin guessed. "Yet.. I never see someone with his traits before." Jisung nodded behind him.

"Or a manager?" Jeno offered, though his tone said even he didn't believe it.

"No manager walks that close to her," Haechan muttered under his breath.

That earned him a round of pointed looks.

In the hallway, Nara laughed at something the man said-a soft, genuine laugh they all recognized-and the sound carried faintly to the door. Yuta's jaw tightened ever so slightly. It had been weeks since he'd seen her outside of passing hellos, and now here she was, smiling like that at someone else.

The guy shifted his bag higher on his shoulder as they stopped at the elevator. Nara turned slightly toward him, their heads dipping closer to talk as they waited for the doors to open.

"That's... not just some random guy," Johnny said finally, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms.

The elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside. Nara looked ahead, while the man pressed the button, the doors sliding shut between them and the boys' view.