After the poster shoot, Ha-neul quietly sipped water in a corner of the studio. That’s when Tae-oh walked up, looking unusually serious. “Hey… can we talk for a sec?” Ha-neul flinched. “Uh, about what? Practice again?” Tae-oh hesitated, shaking his head. “No, not that. It’s… about those weird memories. You know, from our past lives? Do you feel it too?” Ha-neul’s heart skipped a beat. “W-what? I have no idea what you mean.” Tae-oh’s lips curled in disappointment. “I swear, I keep getting flashes. Especially when we’re on stage—or when you hold my hand. It feels so familiar, it’s almost scary.” Just then, Su-jin came bouncing over. “Ooh, are you two about to fight again, or is this a confession scene?” Ji-min followed, chuckling. “Tae-oh, don’t bully Ha-neul again, okay?” Flustered, Ha-neul waved their hands. “No, seriously! It’s nothing like that. We were just talking.” Tae-oh lowered his voice. “Let’s talk later. Just the two of us, okay?” Ha-neul couldn’t say a word—just nodded, cheeks burning. Right at that moment, the manager poked their head in. “Ha-neul, can you come for a minute? We have to discuss the next photo shoot concept.” As Ha-neul hurried after the manager, Tae-oh whispered, “It’s like we’ve been here before. You running away from me… I’ve seen that look somewhere.” Ha-neul shot Tae-oh a startled glance and quickly left. Su-jin nudged Tae-oh’s side. “So, are you ever going to confess, or are you just going to keep getting jealous?” Tae-oh frowned, flustered. “Confess? No way! That’s not—!” Ji-min laughed. “But Tae-oh, you can’t even stand when Ha-neul talks to another guy, huh?” Tae-oh was speechless, eyes fixed on Ha-neul’s retreating back. He felt a tight knot in his chest. Meanwhile, Ha-neul paused in the hallway, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart. Memories from another life, Tae-oh’s gaze, and this strange, fluttery feeling would just not go away.
- To be continued -