Some nights made distance feel poetic.
Like shared moonlight.
Late-night calls.
Soft voices through headphones.
And some nights?
Distance felt cruel.
Tonight was one of those nights.
Rain clouds covered Seoul.
**Saloni’s** city stayed unusually warm.
And somehow— both of their schedules kept missing each other completely.
She had college presentations all day.
**Kairo** had rehearsals, interviews, and endless meetings.
By the time **Saloni** checked **her** phone properly— there were only scattered messages left between both of them.
> @kairo.97:
> “Eat properly today.”
Three hours later—
> “Good luck for your presentation.”
Then another after midnight:
> “You disappeared again.”
**Her** chest tightened softly while reading them.
Because lately…
she had started missing him even during normal days.
And honestly?
That realization felt embarrassing.
She sat near **her** balcony while city lights glowed below quietly.
**Her** migraine had returned slightly because of stress and lack of sleep.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
She rubbed **her** forehead tiredly before finally replying.
> “Sorry. Today was exhausting.”
Seen instantly.
Which meant— he was awake.
A few seconds later **her** phone rang softly.
She answered almost immediately now.
That fact alone scared **her**.
“Hey,” **Kairo’s** tired voice came quietly through the speaker.
**Saloni’s** chest softened instantly.
“Hey.”
Silence settled for a moment.
And strangely…
both of them sounded emotionally exhausted tonight.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
She looked toward the dark sky quietly.
“Just tired.”
A pause.
Then quietly—
“Liar.”
She smiled weakly.
“I hate that you know that.”
“I hate that you hide it.”
**Her** throat tightened slightly.
Because lately…
Less careful.
More real.
And somehow— that made **her** feelings even harder to control.
Meanwhile, far away in Seoul—
**Kairo** stood alone near the practice room balcony while cold wind hit softly against **his** hoodie.
The building behind him stayed loud.
Busy.
Endless.
But right now—
**Saloni’s** quiet breathing through the phone mattered more than everything else around him.
“You sound sad today,” he said gently.
She stayed quiet for a few seconds too long.
Then finally—
“Do you ever think this is weird?”
**His** eyebrows frowned slightly.
“What?”
“This.”
Silence.
She stared at the city below while **her** heartbeat slowly became heavier.
“Sometimes I suddenly remember we live completely different lives,” she admitted quietly.
“Different countries. Different worlds. Different everything.”
The line stayed silent.
Not cold.
Just thoughtful.
She continued softly before fear stopped **her**.
“You’re surrounded by people constantly. Cameras. Fans. Schedules.”
A painful laugh escaped **her** lips.
“And I’m just… me.”
The moment the words left **her** mouth— regret immediately followed.
Because vulnerability always felt uncomfortable afterward.
But this time— he answered instantly.
“Don’t do that.”
**Her** breathing paused slightly.
“Do what?”
“Talk about yourself like you matter less.”
Silence filled **her** room immediately.
Because somehow— he always noticed the exact sentences hiding **her** insecurities.
Outside, wind moved softly through **her** curtains again.
And suddenly—
**her** chest hurt in that familiar emotional way.
Not because of sadness.
Because of being understood too clearly.
“You don’t get it sometimes,” she whispered quietly.
“You’re someone people admire.”
A pause.
Then softly—
“And you’re someone who makes me feel human again.”
**Saloni’s** eyes widened slightly.
The city lights outside blurred softly now.
No compliment had ever affected **her** the way **his** honesty did.
Not beauty.
Not flirting.
Just…
being needed emotionally.
The line stayed quiet afterward.
And somehow— both of them understood this conversation had crossed somewhere deeper again.
A few minutes later, **Kairo** suddenly laughed softly.
She blinked.
“What?”
“You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“I had thousands of people screaming my name yesterday.”
**Her** heartbeat slowed slightly.
“But right now,” he continued quietly,
“I’m standing outside in the cold at 2 AM because one girl on the other side of the world sounded sad.”
**Saloni’s** breath caught painfully.
And suddenly— the distance between countries didn’t feel quite as large anymore.
Because somehow…
he still chose to be here.
With **her**.
Back in **her** room, **Saloni** pulled **her** blanket closer while emotions settled heavily inside **her** chest again.
Dangerous emotions.
The kind that slowly started becoming impossible to hide from **herself**.
“Can I admit something embarrassing?” she asked softly.
“Always.”
She smiled faintly.
Then quietly—
“I think my days feel incomplete now if I don’t talk to you.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
**Her** heartbeat immediately panicked.
Too honest.
Way too honest.
She almost took the words back instantly.
But then— very softly— she heard him exhale.
Like **her** confession affected him too.
And finally—
**Kairo’s** quiet voice reached **her** ears again.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
“Mine too.”
**Saloni’s** eyes closed slowly.
And somewhere between the silence, distance, exhaustion, and late-night honesty— both of them finally realized something terrifying:
this connection was no longer temporary anymore.
✨
> *”Distance stops feeling impossible when someone consistently chooses you, even from far away.”* 🌙