The storm didn’t arrive immediately.
For two weeks, everything seemed normal.
Almost suspiciously normal.
The rumors faded.
The headlines disappeared.
Fans moved on to other topics.
And for the first time in a long while, Minji felt like she could breathe again.
LUNA5 threw themselves into work.
Dance practices.
Recording sessions.
Photoshoots.
Interviews.
Their popularity continued growing faster than anyone expected.
One afternoon, the members were gathered in the practice room when their manager burst through the door.
He looked unusually excited.
“Hurry.
Conference room.
Right now.”
The girls exchanged confused glances.
“What happened?” Yuri asked.
The manager only smiled.
“You’ll see.”
Minutes later, all five members sat around a large table.
Several company executives were already waiting.
The CEO himself was present.
That alone was enough to make everyone nervous.
The CEO smiled.
“I have some good news.”
The girls straightened immediately.
“We’ve received an invitation.”
An invitation?
The members looked at one another.
“To what?” Hana asked.
The CEO slid a document across the table.
Minji picked it up.
Her eyes widened.
Then widened even more.
“No way.”
“It can’t be.”
The members nearly shouted at the same time.
The company had been invited to send LUNA5 to one of the largest international music festivals in the world.
Artists from dozens of countries would attend.
Millions of viewers would watch.
For a rookie group, it was an unbelievable opportunity.
Minji felt dizzy.
Years ago she had dreamed about performing outside Korea.
Now it was actually happening.
“You leave in three weeks,” the CEO announced.
The room exploded into excitement.
That evening the dorm was chaos.
Nobody could sit still.
Sora danced around the living room.
Yuri spent two hours researching the festival online.
Even calm and reliable Hana couldn’t stop smiling.
Looking at the city lights.
Thinking.
Her phone vibrated.
A message.
Joon.
Heard the news.
Congratulations.
A smile instantly appeared on her face.
Thank you.
I’m still trying to believe it.
A few moments later another message arrived.
You deserve it.
Three simple words.
Yet they meant more to her than he could ever know.
The following week, preparations became intense.
The company wanted everything perfect.
Every dance move.
Every vocal line.
Every camera angle.
The members practiced until late at night.
Sometimes until sunrise.
One evening Minji remained behind after everyone else left.
She stood alone in front of the mirror.
Sweat covered her forehead.
Her legs ached.
Yet she continued dancing.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Just like she had during her trainee days.
Eventually she collapsed onto the floor.
Exhausted.
“You never change.”
The familiar voice made her look up.
Joon stood in the doorway.
Minji laughed softly.
“You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
He entered the room carrying two bottled drinks.
He handed one to her.
“Thanks.”
For a while they simply sat on the floor.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
The comfortable silence returned.
The kind they always seemed to share.
Finally Joon spoke.
“You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
Minji looked away.
“What if I’m not ready?”
“For what?”
Joon stared at her.
Then he laughed.
Not mockingly.
Warmly.
“Do you know what I think whenever I watch LUNA5 perform?”
“What?”
“I think you’re all forgetting how good you are.”
Minji blinked.
Joon continued.
“You’re so focused on becoming better that you never stop to appreciate how far you’ve already come.”
For a moment she couldn’t answer.
Because part of her knew he was right.
She was always looking ahead.
Always chasing the next goal.
The next stage.
The next dream.
Maybe she had forgotten to celebrate the dreams she had already achieved.
Meanwhile, someone else was watching.
Cha Yuna.
She had become obsessed with uncovering the truth.
The clue she discovered weeks ago still bothered her.
The matching friendship bracelets.
Tiny.
Almost impossible to notice.
But visible in old backstage footage.
One bracelet on Joon’s wrist.
Another on Minji’s.
Most people wouldn’t think twice about it.
Yuna did.
Now she wanted answers.
And she had started asking questions.
Questions that were getting dangerously close to the truth.
A few days before the festival, LUNA5 attended another music program.
Everything went smoothly.
Until Minji received a note.
No name.
No explanation.
Just one sentence.
Be careful who you trust.
Her smile disappeared instantly.
A chill ran down her spine.
She looked around the crowded backstage area.
Managers.
Idols.
Staff.
Security.
Hundreds of people.
Any one of them could have left the note.
But who?
And why?
Far across the room, hidden among the crowd, Cha Yuna watched quietly.
Smiling.
The game she had started was only beginning.
And Minji had no idea she was already a part of it.