Three days after discovering that Jiho might still be alive, LUNA5’s schedule became even busier.
Their comeback was a nationwide success.
Their title track had reached No.
1 on several music charts.
Their dance challenge had gone viral around the world.
For the first time since their debut, the members could truly feel how much their lives had changed.
One morning, their manager entered the practice room holding a folder.
“I have exciting news.”
The members immediately gathered around him.
“LUNA5 has been invited to perform at the Korea Dream Music Festival.”
Yuri gasped.
“The Dream Music Festival?”
“The one held in Busan?”
The manager nodded with a smile.
“It will be broadcast live across the country.”
“Many senior artists will also perform.”
Sora’s eyes grew wide.
“Who else is going?”
The manager glanced at the schedule.
“Aurora.”
Minji tried her best to hide the smile that immediately appeared on her face.
Hana noticed.
She nudged Minji gently with her elbow.
Minji quickly looked away, pretending to study the performance schedule.
Hana simply smiled to herself.
She wasn’t going to tease her.
Not this time.
The following week passed in a blur of rehearsals.
The company wanted LUNA5’s performance to be unforgettable.
New choreography was added.
Live vocals were practiced until late at night.
Even after everyone else left, Minji often remained in the studio.
One evening, she was practicing alone when the music suddenly stopped.
She turned around.
Joon stood in the doorway, holding two bottles of water.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here.”
Minji laughed softly.
“Am I that predictable?”
“A little.”
He handed her a bottle.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”
“So have you.”
He smiled.
“I guess we’re both guilty.”
For a few moments, they sat on the floor of the practice room.
The silence between them was comfortable.
Outside, rain tapped gently against the windows.
“I’ve been thinking about Jiho,” Minji admitted.
“I know.”
“What if he doesn’t remember me?”
Joon looked surprised.
“After all this time…”
“What if I’m the only one holding onto that promise?”
Joon shook his head.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Why?”
“Because promises made with your whole heart don’t disappear.”
Minji looked at him.
His words always seemed to calm the storm inside her.
Before leaving, he stood and smiled.
“When we get to Busan…”
“…don’t spend all your time searching.”
She frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going there as Minji from LUNA5.”
“Remember to enjoy the stage too.”
She smiled.
“I will.”
Meanwhile…
In Busan.
A young man unlocked the doors of a small neighborhood music studio.
Sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating rows of pianos and guitars.
Children slowly began arriving for their afternoon lessons.
The young instructor greeted each of them warmly.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
“Teacher Jiho!”
The children ran inside happily.
Jiho smiled.
“Who’s ready to make some music today?”
“I am!”
“Me too!”
The room quickly filled with laughter.
One little girl raised her hand.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Can I play the song from LUNA5?”
Jiho paused for only a second.
Then he smiled.
“Of course.”
The little girl proudly began playing the opening melody of LUNA5’s latest hit.
Jiho listened quietly.
He never told his students why that song meant so much to him.
Or why he smiled every time he heard Minji’s voice.
Across town, Mr.
Kang arrived in Busan to continue his investigation.
He carried a worn leather folder containing everything they had discovered about Project Starlight.
As he stepped out of the train station, his phone rang.
It was the investigator from Seoul.
“We found another file.”
“What does it say?”
“It confirms that Jiho’s family didn’t leave voluntarily.”
Mr.
Kang stopped walking.
“What?”
“They were placed in a witness protection program after reporting financial crimes involving a private sponsor connected to Project Starlight.”
Mr.
Kang’s eyes widened.
“So the project didn’t end because of funding…”
“No.”
“It ended because someone was stealing scholarship money meant for children.”
The investigator lowered his voice.
“They disappeared to protect their lives.”
Mr.
Kang slowly closed his eyes.
“So they were protecting him all along…”
“Yes.”
“But someone has recently started searching for the old files again.”
“And we don’t know why.”
The day of the Dream Music Festival finally arrived.
Thousands of fans lined the streets outside the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
Colorful banners waved in the breeze.
Light sticks shimmered like stars even before sunset.
Inside the venue, artists prepared for rehearsals.
LUNA5 stepped onto the massive stage for their sound check.
Minji looked out at the sea of empty seats that would soon be filled.
“It’s beautiful.”
Hana smiled.
“Tonight those seats won’t be empty.”
“They’ll be singing with us.”
After rehearsal, Minji wandered backstage to clear her mind.
As she turned a corner, she heard the sound of a piano.
It wasn’t loud.
Just a simple melody drifting through an open rehearsal room.
She stopped.
Her heart skipped.
The tune was familiar.
It was the melody from the old music box.
The very same melody Jiho had played for her years ago.
Without thinking, she followed the music.
The closer she came, the louder it became.
She reached the doorway.
A young man sat at the grand piano with his back to her.
His fingers moved effortlessly across the keys.
The melody filled the empty room.
Minji stood frozen.
Something deep inside her heart stirred.
Not a memory.
Not yet.
Just a feeling.
A feeling that somehow…
She had heard those hands play before.
The music suddenly stopped.
The young man slowly stood.
Before Minji could speak, a stage manager rushed into the hallway.
“Minji!”
“We’re ready for your rehearsal interview!”
She looked away for only a second.
When she looked back…
The room was empty.
The pianist had disappeared.
Only the final note of the melody still echoed through the hall.
And somewhere else inside the stadium, Jiho quietly smiled to himself.
For the first time in ten years…
He had stood only a few meters away from the friend he had never forgotten.
Yet neither of them knew that before the festival ended…
Their lives were about to cross again.