The celebration lasted long after the cameras stopped rolling.
LUNA5’s waiting room was filled with laughter, flowers, and congratulations from staff members.
Their first trophy sat proudly on a table in the center of the room.
Every few minutes one of the members would pick it up and stare at it again just to make sure it was real.
“We actually won,” Yuri whispered for what felt like the hundredth time.
“We won,” Sora repeated, grinning.
Minji smiled as she watched them.
For years she had imagined this moment.
Yet somehow reality felt even better.
When the room finally became quiet, she slipped away to the hallway for a breath of fresh air.
The building was nearly empty now.
Most idols had already left.
As she walked toward a vending machine, she heard footsteps approaching.
Her heart skipped.
Lee Joon.
He stopped a few feet away and smiled.
“Congratulations, Minji.”
The words were simple.
But hearing them from him made her happier than she wanted to admit.
“Thank you.”
“You earned it.”
“We got lucky.”
Joon shook his head.
“No.
You worked for it.”
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was comfortable.
The kind of silence that only existed between people who understood each other.
Joon glanced toward the trophy room.
“I remember our first win.”
“What was it like?”
“I cried.”
Minji laughed.
“You?”
“I know.
Very embarrassing.”
She laughed even harder.
For the first time all day, the pressure disappeared.
No cameras.
No managers.
No expectations.
Just two people talking.
Then Joon’s phone rang.
Reality returned instantly.
He sighed.
“I should go.”
Minji nodded.
Before leaving, he looked at her.
“Don’t let success change who you are.”
She smiled.
“I won’t.”
Neither of them noticed the person watching from the corner of the hallway.
Cha Yuna.
The following week was chaos.
LUNA5’s schedules doubled.
Then tripled.
Interviews.
Fan signings.
Radio shows.
Dance practices.
Photo shoots.
Variety programs.
Some days Minji slept less than four hours.
At first she loved every second of it.
Then exhaustion arrived.
Dark circles appeared beneath her eyes.
Her muscles constantly ached.
Yet she kept smiling for cameras.
Because that was what idols did.
One evening she returned to the dorm after midnight.
The other members were already asleep.