The rehearsal room was plunged into darkness.
Only a thin strip of light from the hallway slipped beneath the door.
Minji could hear her own heartbeat.
Outside, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
“Search every room!”
“No one leaves this floor until we know what’s happening!”
The voices grew louder.
Jiho instinctively stepped in front of Minji.
“Stay behind me.”
She looked at him, surprised.
“Jiho…”
“It’s okay,” he said quietly.
“Those are security guards.
They’re searching because someone entered the backstage area without permission.”
Another voice came over a radio outside.
“Unauthorized person last seen near the rehearsal wing.”
The footsteps moved farther down the hall.
The silence that followed felt almost louder than the shouting.
Jiho slowly exhaled.
“I think we’re all right.”
At that moment, the lights flickered back on.
The room was bright once again.
For the first time in ten years, Minji could finally see him clearly.
He looked older, of course.
His hair was slightly longer than it had been as a child.
His shoulders were broader.
His once-round face had become more defined.
But his warm brown eyes…
They hadn’t changed at all.
Neither had the gentle smile that always seemed to calm everyone around him.
Minji couldn’t believe it.
“So it really is you…”
Jiho laughed softly.
“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t recognize me.”
“I almost didn’t.”
“You’ve changed.”
“So have you.”
They both laughed.
The awkwardness disappeared almost instantly.
For a brief moment, it felt as though the ten years between them had simply melted away.
Minji looked down at Jiho’s wrist.
The faded blue friendship bracelet was still there.
“You kept it.”
Jiho smiled.
“You did too.”
Minji nodded.
“It’s at home.”
“I couldn’t wear it after I became an idol.”
“I was afraid I’d lose it.”
Jiho looked relieved.
“So you never threw it away.”
“Never.”
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Neither knew where to begin.
There were simply too many years to fit into a single conversation.
Finally, Minji asked the question that had lived in her heart for so long.
“Why did you disappear?”
Jiho’s smile slowly faded.
“It wasn’t my choice.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
He walked toward the piano and rested his fingertips on the keys.
“My mother worked as a nurse.”
“You already know that.”
Minji nodded.
“She discovered that money donated to Project Starlight wasn’t always reaching the children.”
“Some sponsors were honest.”
“But a few people were stealing scholarship funds.”
“They changed records.”
“They hid payments.”
“They made it look as though children had received support when they hadn’t.”
“My mother reported everything.”
Minji listened without interrupting.
“The police opened an investigation.”
“But before they could finish…”
“…someone began threatening the families who had spoken up.”
Minji’s eyes widened.
“So your family…”
“We were moved.”
“New city.”
“New schools.”
“New phone numbers.”
“My mother wasn’t allowed to contact anyone connected to the case.”
“Not even you.”
His voice became quieter.
“I wrote letters.”
“So many letters.”
“But none of them could be sent.”
Minji felt tears gathering again.
“I thought you forgot me.”
Jiho shook his head immediately.
“Never.”
“I watched every dance competition I could find.”
“I watched your trainee evaluation videos whenever they were released.”
“And when LUNA5 debuted…”
He smiled proudly.
“I knew you’d kept your promise.”
A knock on the rehearsal room door interrupted them.
“Minji?”
It was Hana.
“You in there?”
Minji quickly opened the door.
Hana looked relieved.
“There you are!”
“The staff has been looking everywhere.”
Then she noticed Jiho.
For a second she looked confused.
“Oh…”
“I didn’t realize you were talking to someone.”
Minji smiled through her tears.
“Hana…”
“This is Jiho.”
“My childhood best friend.”
The surprise on Hana’s face quickly turned into warmth.
“So you’re Jiho.”
Jiho blinked.
“You’ve heard about me?”
Hana laughed.
“Only for the last several weeks.”
The three of them shared a laugh.
For the first time in days, Minji felt genuinely happy. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Later that night, after the festival ended, Joon waited near the artists’ exit.
When Minji arrived with Hana and Jiho, she smiled.
“Joon.”
“I’d like you to meet someone.”
Joon stepped forward politely.
“You must be Jiho.”
Jiho bowed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Joon returned the bow.
“The feeling is mutual.”
There was a brief silence.
Then Jiho smiled.
“So…”
“You’re the one who’s been cheering Minji on all these years.”
Joon looked slightly embarrassed.
“I’ve tried.”
Jiho laughed.
“Thank you.”
“For looking after my friend.”
Joon glanced at Minji.
“It wasn’t difficult.”
“She’s stronger than she thinks.”
Minji rolled her eyes.
“You both talk like I’m not standing here.”
Everyone laughed.
The tension melted away.
Across the parking lot, hidden inside a black sedan, someone lowered a pair of binoculars.
“So…”
“They’ve reunited.”
The driver nodded.
“What now?”
The passenger closed a thick folder labeled PROJECT STARLIGHT.
“We’re finished hiding.”
“It’s time for the final truth.”
He placed a flash drive on the dashboard.
Inside it were scanned documents.
Financial records.
Witness statements.
Court files.
And one video recording that had never been shown to the public.
“If this reaches the media…”
“…the people responsible will finally be exposed.”
The driver started the engine.
“But they’ll do everything they can to stop us.”
The car quietly pulled away into the night.
Unaware of the danger, Minji looked back at the brightly lit stadium one last time.
Years ago, she and Jiho had promised to stand on the biggest stage together.
Tonight, they finally had.
Not as performers side by side.
But as two friends who had found each other again after ten long years.
Their promise had survived distance.
It had survived silence.
And it had survived time.
But the biggest challenge still lay ahead.
Because the truth about Project Starlight was no longer just a forgotten mystery.
It was evidence.
And someone powerful was determined to keep it buried forever.