ᴘᴀʀᴀʟʟᴇʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ | 𝚈𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚊

The One with The Unexpected Guest 💕

For a beat, no one moved.

Then Haechan broke the silence. "So... are we just not gonna talk about that?"

"Talk about what?" Yuta said evenly, though he still hadn't moved from the door.

"That we don't know who he is," Jaemin said. "Or why he's picking her up."

Renjun crossed his arms, half-pouting. "All I know that I missed a chance to see her today."

Johnny chuckled, ruffled the younger boy's hair, but his eyes stayed on Yuta. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Yuta finally stepped back into the room, tossing his towel over his shoulder. "Maybe," he said, voice casual but eyes unreadable. "Or maybe we just let her tell us... if she wants to."

But the image of Nara's easy smile in the hallway lingered in his mind long after he picked up his water bottle.

---

The glass doors of the building slid open with a soft hiss, letting in the cool night air. Nara stepped out first, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders, her breath clouding faintly in the chill. Changkyun followed, the brim of his bucket hat dipping low as if to hide from both the wind and the occasional curious passerby.

For a moment, they just walked in silence, the muted hum of the city around them-cars rolling past, a distant honk, the rhythmic click of her boots against the pavement.

"I didn't think I'd see you today," Nara said finally, glancing up at him. Her tone was light, but her eyes held something softer.

Changkyun shifted his bag strap, his free hand stuffed into his hoodie pocket. "Nathan 형 didn't want you walking alone after practice." He gave a faint shrug. "Figured I'd step in."

Her lips curved into a small smile. "You didn't have to. I'm used to walking home alone."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "But it's better if you don't have to."

The way he said it-steady, almost offhand-made her glance at him again. He wasn't looking at her, his gaze fixed somewhere ahead, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he knew she was studying him.

"You've been busy," she said after a beat. "I saw clips of you from the last music show. You've been working hard."

He huffed a quiet laugh. "Coming from you, that's rich. You've probably tripled my hours these last few weeks."

Nara gave a half-shrug, eyes drifting to the rows of dim shop windows they passed. "It's... different now. Everything feels like it's on a timer. Like if I don't give everything right now, I might miss my only shot."

He slowed just enough to look at her. "You won't miss it. Like what Nathan 형 said, you've been building toward this for months. For all I know you already are ready."

She didn't answer right away. Compliments always made her flustered, and coming from him, they felt heavier-more real somehow. "You're too nice to me," she murmured, pretending to examine the pavement.

He smiled faintly, the kind you could miss if you weren't watching closely. "No. I'm honest with you. There's a difference."

They reached a crosswalk, the red light glowing above them. A cold breeze swept past, and without thinking, Changkyun shifted closer, shielding her from the wind. She noticed-of course she noticed-but didn't say anything.

"So," he said, glancing sideways at her as the pedestrian light finally turned green, "what's the concept?"

"Hm?"

"For the debut. You've been keeping it a secret from everyone."

She grinned a little. "Maybe I like the mystery."

"Or maybe," he teased, "You don't trust me not to spill it."

Her laugh bubbled out, soft and genuine. "You? The guy who barely speaks unless someone asks you to? No, I trust you. I just... want you to see it when it's ready."

That made him look at her longer than necessary, his expression unreadable under the shadow of his hat. "Then I'll wait."

They fell into an easier rhythm after that-talking about small things, like how the weather was shifting, the coffee shop that closed down near the dorms, and stray cats that had been hanging around their old route to the station. Every now and then, her shoulder would brush his, and neither of them moved away.

When they finally reached her building, she stopped at the entrance, turning to face him. "Thanks for walking me home."

He tilted his head. "Anytime."

"You mean it?"

His gaze held hers for a moment, something quiet but certain in it. "Yeah. Anytime."

She felt her chest warm in a way that had nothing to do with the jacket she was wearing.

"Goodnight, Danny," she said softly.

He gave a short nod, stepping back toward the sidewalk. "Goodnight, Nana."

She watched him go for a few steps before heading inside to the elevator, the echo of his words-Anytime-following her all the way up to her apartment.