Early evening slowly descended. The streetlights began to flicker on, casting a pale yellow glow across the wet sidewalk left behind by the afternoon rain. Rami walked alone along the roadside. His clothes were wrinkled, and his hair lay flat from getting soaked. His thoughts wandered. The brown folder was still clutched in his hand.
He chose to take a short rest on the bridge he was crossing. Every breath sounded heavy. His eyes remained fixed on the river below. He needed some peace while recalling everything in this city—including where he lived. At a time like this, his phone had to run out of power.
His chest tightened again. How had he ended up back here?
Back in the past. Everything felt real, yet it was still so hard to believe. Then why had he been able to meet Wooan—the person he had only ever been able to look at through a screen? Did that mean all his pain would happen all over again?
Rami closed his eyes. The streets felt deserted, but his thoughts were anything but quiet.
A while later, he started walking again. Each step felt strange and familiar at the same time. His eyes kept moving, searching for signs he recognized. His memory tried to dig up the past—the small rental house he had once shared with Aluna, his best friend. It wasn't a luxurious apartment, just a modest building in a narrow alley, its painted walls beginning to fade. That was where they had once pooled their money to pay the rent and pieced together a makeshift life.
The farther he walked, the clearer the image became in his mind. At the same time, however, the unfamiliarity tightened its grip. Every detail felt real—the shop lights beginning to turn off, even the sound of a TV coming from a house with its windows open. And yet, he still found it hard to believe.
His steps finally stopped in front of a small alley. Rami turned, making sure his memory wasn't wrong. The alley was still the same—narrow, with the houses' walls pressed close together. The dim streetlight could illuminate only part of the road; the rest sank into shadow.
He walked inside. Then, at the end of the alley, his eyes finally found a building that was so familiar. A two-story rental house with walls whose paint had begun to fade—exactly as he remembered it.
Rami stood frozen in front of the door. His breath caught. A feeling both warm and bitter swept over him. This place had witnessed his old life—laughter, complaints, and the struggle they had endured to find work and support themselves, including paying the rent on this house.
His hand rose, almost touching the doorknob. “I really did come back …” he murmured softly.
The door opened from inside before he could touch it. A girl his age smiled at him.
Rami froze. His eyes immediately welled up, and his chest trembled violently. His hand shook as he finally raised it, as if trying to make sure the person before him was real.
“Aluna …” he whispered hoarsely, the word scraping out of his throat before he lunged forward and wrapped Aluna in a tight embrace.
“Hey, what's wrong? Rejected again?” Aluna asked, startled and worried as she looked at Rami.
Aluna gently rubbed his back, soothing him as she had in the past. “Giving up already? Going back home?”
At the words going back home, his body immediately tensed. That had been his weakness back then: giving up, never knowing that life would break his heart. He should have thought twice before making that decision. Aluna had been willing to survive alongside him in this admittedly shabby house, even though she could afford to rent a better one. The only reason was him.
Rami released her and shook his head quickly. “No. I'm not giving up or going back home.”
Aluna furrowed her brow. Something was different. But she only nodded, respecting what she felt was a good decision from her best friend.
Suddenly, Rami gripped Aluna's shoulders with a serious expression. “Al, I want to work at your company.”
Aluna stared at him in disbelief. “Stellar Entertainment?”
It was so sudden. She had offered Rami the job several times since there was an opening. That morning had been the last time she'd brought it up, but Rami had flat-out rejected it. He'd said the entertainment industry wasn't for him. And now …?
“You … you're serious?” Aluna asked, just to make sure.
Rami nodded firmly. I was such an idiot back then, he thought. Since he had returned to the past, he wouldn't repeat the same mistake. Not this time.
Rami stepped inside with Aluna. The damp air of the narrow alley was immediately replaced by the familiar scent of old wood. Every corner of the house stirred old memories—the rickety bookshelf in the living room, the scattered sandals, even the creak of the wooden floor as he climbed to the second story.
When he reached the bedroom, Rami gazed around with longing. Nothing had changed. A small table, a narrow bed, bare walls, and a dim lamp glowing softly. Though small and simple, this room felt like heaven. Not like his parents' house, which had felt like a prison.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror. So beautiful, only to be ruined in the future. “From now on, I'm the one who decides what happens to my life.”
For a moment, he remembered meeting Wooan. It still felt like a dream, yet Wooan was truly his idol. Wooan had been his gateway into the world of K-pop. That was how he came to know Starlight—the boy band Wooan belonged to. Now Starlight was his home. The place where he could feel alive.
Now I have a chance to change everything. To protect my home.
Knock, knock.
Rami opened the door and found Aluna standing there with a wide smile and two plastic bags full of food.
“Let's have a mukbang!” she invited brightly.
Rami smiled, deeply moved. He wasn't alone anymore. He had Aluna.
“Ram, come on!” Aluna urged, a little more forcefully this time.
Rami nodded in response.
They immediately cooked several dishes: ramen, fried snacks, and sweet drinks. They also planned to eat while watching a romantic drama. Oh, right—they were both single, too.
As they watched, they immersed themselves in every scene. Laughter erupted whenever something funny happened, they blushed at the sweet moments, and tears spilled when the drama wrung out their emotions.
Every so often, Rami smiled at Aluna. They had rarely shared moments like this in the past because they had been so busy with work. Even their days off were spent sleeping for nearly an entire day, waking only to eat. But now, he wanted to make up for all that lost time together.
Working at Stellar Entertainment was the best path forward.
That way, he could stay closer to Aluna and Starlight.
“Ram, are you sure you want to work at Stellar?” Aluna still couldn't believe it. She knew very well how much Rami hated exhausting work routines.
“I'm serious, Al. They're hiring right now, aren't they?”
Aluna nodded. “Yeah. In artist management.”
Silence settled between them for a few moments.
“Want me to help you apply by email?”
Rami smiled. “Thanks.”
If I get in there, I can see them up close. Maybe … I can save them before everything happens. This time, I'm the one who'll protect you all …