The rain had stopped by morning.
For the first time in weeks, sunlight filled Seoul.
Inside LUNA5’s dorm, the atmosphere was unusually cheerful.
Sora danced around the kitchen while making breakfast.
Yuri was reading comments from fans aloud.
“Hana!
Listen to this one.”
She laughed.
“‘LUNA5’s comeback made me decide to chase my own dream.'”
Hana smiled warmly.
“That’s exactly why we became idols.”
Minji listened quietly.
Only a few months ago, she had been the one writing encouraging comments to other artists online.
Now people were finding hope because of her.
It felt unreal.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Mr.
Kang.
I found something important.
Please come to the academy today.
Her heart skipped.
She immediately called the security team.
An hour later, accompanied by company staff, Minji and Joon arrived at the abandoned music academy.
The building looked even older in daylight.
Dust covered the windows.
The once-colorful murals had faded.
Yet as soon as Minji stepped inside, another memory returned.
Children laughing.
Piano notes drifting through the hall.
Teachers applauding after performances.
This place had once been full of life.
Now it was silent.
Mr.
Kang was waiting inside the old recital hall.
On the stage stood a grand piano covered with a white cloth.
“I’ve been searching for this for years,” he said.
“What is it?” Minji asked.
Instead of answering, he walked to the piano and gently removed the cloth.
The polished black instrument shimmered beneath the dusty lights.
Minji stared.
“It still looks beautiful.”
“It belonged to Project Starlight,” Mr.
Kang said softly.
“Jiho practiced on this piano every day.”
Minji slowly walked toward it.
As her fingers brushed the keys, another memory surfaced.
“You’re too serious.”
A twelve-year-old Jiho laughed as Minji frowned at a difficult dance routine.
“If you keep making that face, people will think dancing hurts.”
“It does hurt.”
“Then smile anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because music isn’t about showing people how tired you are.”
“It’s about showing them hope.”
Young Minji rolled her eyes.
“You sound like an old teacher.”
Jiho grinned.
“My grandma says that all the time.” New chapters come out on g.com first.
He placed both hands on the piano.
A bright melody filled the room.
Without thinking, Minji began dancing.
Not because anyone asked her to.
Because the music made her want to.
The other children clapped along.
Their teachers smiled proudly.
It had been one of the happiest afternoons of her childhood.
The memory faded.
A tear landed softly on one of the piano keys.
“I remember…”
Mr.
Kang nodded.
“I hoped you would.”
He opened a leather folder.
Inside was a program from Project Starlight’s final showcase.
Every participant’s name was printed neatly.
Except one.
Han Jiho’s name had been crossed out in black ink.
Minji’s heart tightened.
“Who did this?”
“We don’t know.”
“But look closely.”
Beneath the crossed-out name was a handwritten note.
Performance canceled by family request.
Mr.
Kang sighed.
“That wasn’t true.”
“You know it wasn’t?”
“I was there.”
“Jiho came to rehearsal that morning.”
“He was excited.”
“He told me he had written a new piano piece just for the final showcase.”
“What happened?”
Mr.
Kang closed his eyes.
“I never saw him again.”
The investigator stepped forward.
“We checked school records yesterday.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“There was no transfer.”
“No graduation certificate.”
“No official record that Jiho attended another academy afterward.”
Minji frowned.
“It’s like he disappeared.”
“Exactly.”
The investigator hesitated.
“Until yesterday.”
He placed a recent document on the table.
It was a hospital employment record.
At the top was a familiar name.
Han Soo-jin
“Jiho’s mother?” Minji asked.
“Yes.”
The room fell silent.
“She’s alive?”
Mr.
Kang whispered.
“We’ve confirmed her identity.”
“But…”
The investigator looked uncomfortable.
“She has refused every interview request.”
“Did you ask about Jiho?”
“We did.”
“And?”
The investigator slowly shook his head.
“She only said one sentence.”
Everyone waited.
“‘Please don’t make my son relive the past.'”
Minji’s heart pounded.
Relive the past?
Those words meant only one thing.
Jiho was alive.
That evening, Minji stood on the balcony of the dorm, staring at the city lights.
She could hardly breathe.
All these years…
He had been alive.
Not gone.
Not forgotten.
Alive.
The balcony door slid open.
Hana stepped outside carrying two blankets.
“It’s getting cold.”
She wrapped one around Minji’s shoulders.
Neither spoke for a while.
Finally, Hana smiled.
“You know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think your promise isn’t broken.”
Minji looked at her.
“I think…”
“…you still have a chance to keep it.”
Across the country, in a quiet neighborhood in Busan, a young man sat alone in a small apartment.
A piano stood beside the window.
Sheets of unfinished music covered the floor.
The television quietly played highlights from LUNA5’s latest concert.
On the screen, Minji smiled brightly while thanking her fans.
The young man stopped writing.
He looked up.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
“You finally made it.”
He reached into a drawer and removed an old friendship bracelet, faded from years of wear.
The same bracelet he had promised never to throw away.
Then he whispered softly to the empty room,
“Congratulations, Minji.”
Outside, the ocean waves rolled against the shore.
For the first time in ten years…
The distance between two childhood friends had begun to disappear.
Neither of them knew that fate was already preparing to bring them together again.
And when they finally met…
The truth about Project Starlight—and the reason Jiho vanished—would finally be revealed.