Attachment changes people in strange ways.
At first, she only waited for messages.
Then she started checking notifications more often.
Then suddenly— someone’s absence could affect her entire mood without warning.
And honestly?
That realization terrified her.
Tonight her room felt unusually quiet.
Rain had stopped for once, leaving behind cold wind and distant traffic sounds outside the balcony.
She sat wrapped in their blanket while scrolling mindlessly through Instagram instead of studying like a responsible person.
Which meant:
She were procrastinating professionally again.
Her thumb paused suddenly.
New post.
Kairo .
Concert rehearsal photos.
Millions of likes already.
Thousands of comments.
Edits.
Heart emojis everywhere.
She stared at the screen longer than necessary.
And unfortunately— that familiar uncomfortable feeling appeared again.
Not anger.
Not possessiveness.
Just…
distance.
Because sometimes she forgot.
Forgot that he belonged to a world so huge that millions of people loved him at the same time.
Millions.
And she ?
She were just one girl sitting in another country pretending in her heart stayed normal whenever his name appeared on her screen.
Her chest tightened softly.
Stupid.
This was stupid.
She locked her phone immediately before her thoughts became worse.
Unfortunately—
Her phone vibrated again seconds later.
As if the universe enjoyed emotionally attacking her personally.
> @Kairo.97:
> “You vanished.”
She stared at the message quietly.
Then typed:
> “Just scrolling.”
Seen instantly.
> “Dangerous activity.”
A tiny smile almost appeared.
Almost.
She leaned back against her bed while staring at the ceiling silently.
Her mood still felt strange.
Heavy.
And somehow— he noticed immediately again.
> “Bad thoughts?”
Her eyes widened slightly.
How did he keep doing that?
> “Maybe.”
Seen.
Then silence.
A few minutes passed.
Then suddenly—
Her phone started ringing.
Her heartbeat betrayed her instantly again.
Call from:
@Kairo.97
She hesitated this time.
But eventually answered quietly.
“Hi.”
His voice sounded softer tonight.
More tired.
And strangely…
that immediately made her chest hurt less.
“Hey,” she answered softly.
Silence settled for a few seconds.
Then:
“You sound sad.”
Straight to the point.
Always.
She looked toward the balcony quietly while cold wind moved from the curtains slightly.
“It’s nothing.”
A pause.
Then softly—
“You say that a lot when it’s actually something.”
Her throat tightened immediately.
Because honestly?
He was right.
Again.
She sighed quietly before speaking.
“Can I ask something stupid?”
“Depends.”
“You know millions of people love you, right?”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Her heartbeat became painfully loud.
Wonderful.
Now she sounded insane.
She quickly continued before overthinking destroyed her completely.
“I don’t mean it badly,” she said softly.
“It’s just… sometimes I suddenly remember how big your world actually is.”
The line stayed quiet.
Not awkward.
Thoughtful.
Then finally— his voice came quietly through the phone.
“And?”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“And sometimes it makes me feel… replaceable.”
The moment the sentence left from her mouth—
She regretted it instantly.
Because now she sounded vulnerable in the worst way possible.
She waited for awkward reassurance.
Maybe pity.
Instead— a quiet sigh came from the other side.
“You know what’s strange?”
She frowned slightly.
“What?”
“I talk to thousands of people every week.”
His voice stayed calm.
Gentle.
“But there’s only one person who notices when I sound emotionally tired before I even say it.”
Her breathing slowed slightly.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
“There’s only one person who asks if I ate properly because they genuinely worry,” he continued softly.
“And there’s only one person who makes me feel normal instead of famous.”
Her chest hurt painfully now.
Not sadness.
Something warmer.
Something terrifyingly soft.
“You.”
Silence filled in her room instantly.
Because somehow— he always answered her insecurities in the gentlest possible way.
She looked down at the blanket quietly while trying to calming her heartbeat.
“That still doesn’t change reality,” she whispered.
“And what reality is that?”
“That your world is too big.”
This time his answer came immediately.
“Maybe.”
A pause.
Then softly—
“But somehow you still became important inside it.”
Her eyes filled unexpectedly.
Again.
She hated how emotional he made her lately.
The line stayed quiet afterward.
Not because there was nothing to say.
But because some words needed space after being felt properly.
Outside, cold wind moved through her balcony while city lights glowed softly in the distance.
And for the first time tonight—
Her chest didn’t feel painfully small anymore.
Meanwhile, far away in Seoul, Kairo leaned back against the dorm balcony railing while holding his phone carefully.
The city below looked bright.
Busy.
Loud.
Yet somehow— this conversation felt quieter than everything around him.
He understood insecurity more than people realized.
Fame never erased loneliness.
It only made it harder to trust people sometimes.
But with her…
things felt simple.
Safe.
And lately— that safety had started mattering more than he wanted to admit.
“You still there?” he asked softly.
She smiled faintly while staring at the night sky.
“Yeah.”
A tiny pause.
Then quietly—
“Good.”
And somehow…
that single word stayed in herchest long after the call ended.