The music show building was more crowded than usual.
Managers rushed through hallways.
Idols moved between waiting rooms.
Staff members carried cameras, microphones, and costumes in every direction.
Minji followed her group’s manager while trying not to get lost.
“Stay close,” he warned.
She nodded.
Then someone accidentally bumped into her shoulder.
“I’m so sorry!”
Minji stepped aside quickly.
“It’s okay—”
Her words stopped.
Completely.
Her brain stopped working.
Standing only a few feet away was BTS.
For a second, she simply stared.
Not because they were celebrities.
Not because they were famous.
But because these were the faces she had been watching since childhood.
The faces from countless music videos.
The faces on posters hanging in her room.
The faces that had inspired her to become an idol.
And now they were standing right in front of her.
Real.
Not on a screen.
Not in a photograph.
Real.
“Minji?” Hana whispered.
Minji blinked.
“Oh.
Right.
Sorry.”
She bowed respectfully, trying her best to act professional.
Inside, however, she was screaming.
I can’t believe this.
Since I was a child, I’ve watched their performances over and over.
And now I’m standing in the same hallway as them.
One of the members smiled politely and wished LUNA5 good luck on their promotion activities before continuing down the hallway.
The interaction lasted less than a minute.
Yet Minji remained frozen.
“Are you okay?” Sora asked.
“No.”
“What happened?”
Minji looked at her group members with wide eyes.
“I think my soul just left my body.”
The girls burst out laughing.
For the rest of the day, Minji couldn’t stop smiling.
Years ago, she had been a fan watching idols from the audience.
Now she was an idol walking the same hallways.
For the first time, the dream truly felt real.