It started with one phone call.
"The director wants you, Yuna," Minji said, holding her tablet like it might combust. "It's not a rumor this time. He wants you for the lead role."
"I haven't acted in five years."
"Exactly. That's why it's trending on every search engine."
Yuna sipped her tea, calmly scrolling through headlines.
"Saeki Yuna: Return of the Ice Queen?"
"Former Top Star to Join Musical Film Opposite… Kang Rin Kiyama?!"
Her hand paused.
"...Excuse me?"
Minji blinked.
"Oh right. I forgot to mention that part."
⏳ Time skip: One week later — THE CONCERT
Yuna wasn't supposed to be there.
She was "just visiting the venue" where her upcoming movie with Rin would be filmed.
Except there was a full crowd.
And Rin was center stage, lights painting his body gold and silver as he danced like he was made of fire and heartbreak.
And then—
The music changed.
The lights dimmed.
The crowd buzzed.
A hush fell.
And the MC's voice rang out:
"Tonight… a surprise performance. One the industry's been waiting five years for. Ladies and gentlemen… Yuna Saeki."
The entire arena lost its mind.
🌟 On Stage
She walked out in black silk and high heels, eyes like thunder, voice like velvet.
Rin froze.
He didn't know.
He hadn't been told.
And when she looked at him on stage, the corners of her lips curled—
"Try to keep up, Kiyama."
And she sang.
Her voice hit the first note, and the crowd screamed, but Rin couldn't hear anything but her.
He stared.
She didn't just sing. She owned it.
She stood still and the world bent around her.
(Rin's POV)
The second Yuna stepped onto the stage, the whole arena shifted.
It wasn't the heels.
Or the silk dress.
Or the way the lights clung to her like they were begging for her attention.
It was that she didn't try.
She didn't have to.
Yuna Saeki existed on a different level.
And Rin—golden boy, center of Asia's top idol group—felt like a child watching a goddess descend.
"Try to keep up, Kiyama," she said, and smiled like ice on fire.
He tried.
God, he tried.
But when she sang the first note, something in his chest ached.
Not from love.
From longing.
From self-hate.
From the ugly, quiet truth that whispered:
You'll never be this good.
Not this graceful.
Not this calm.
Not this powerful just by existing.
Rin sang his lines perfectly.
But inside, he was a mess of—
She's better than me.
She doesn't need me.
She could ruin me with one look.
And I'd thank her.
When the song ended, the crowd roared.
And Yuna bowed with her usual elegance, like none of it touched her.
Rin was still standing there, a heartbeat too late.
Still trying to breathe.