Next day at night, the sky above Bled was unusually clear. The kind of sky that made you believe in wishes again.
Eira sat on her windowsill, wrapped in a blanket, legs tucked close. Her tiny apartment was quiet, the only sound the distant hum of wind brushing against the old glass.
She had tried to sleep. Really, she had.
But something felt... *restless*. Like the universe was holding its breath.
So she opened her phone.
Not to scroll. Not to distract herself. Just—instinct. Like fingers moved before thought.
Her thumb hovered over the usual apps. She wasn't looking for anything. And yet, there it was. A notification. A livestream from an account she didn't even remember following.
**@AresOfficial is live.**
She frowned.
"Wait… Ares?"
She had heard the name before. A pop star. Global. Massive. But she didn't listen to that kind of music usually. Too polished. Too perfect.
Still, something tugged at her. A thread she couldn't see—but couldn't ignore either.
She clicked.
The screen blinked to life.
And there he was
The neon lights of Seoul cast a dreamy glow against the windows of the luxury studio. Inside, the soft hum of monitors filled the air, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw and the exhaustion in his eyes of Ares—the global pop sensation with millions of fans across continents.
But sitting in a softly lit studio, hair tousled, hoodie slightly askew, guitar resting in his lap like an old friend. Almost wrapped up another late-night livestream.
He looked... tired.
Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes.
The kind that lives in your bones.
"Okay, last song, promise," he murmured into the mic, leaning back. "I'll disappear after this—like a vampire at dawn."
Then he again started performing. Singing "miss universe" song. His voice was low, not performing, just singing. Like he forgot the world was watching.
And in that moment—Eira forgot too.
She wasn't watching Ares, the global phenomenon.
She was watching a stranger unravel in real time.
Something inside her stirred. Not pity. Not awe.
Recognition.
Like two lonely stars, drifting in separate skies, had suddenly aligned.
Thousands of hearts floated up the screen, hundreds of comments per second—
"I love you, Oppa!"
"Marry me, Ares!!"
"Not fair! You read everyone's but mine!"
And in between the flood of messages she typed. Without knowing why, without knowing if it mattered.
"Hi. I don't wanna scream or ask you to love me. I just hope you're smiling today, even if nobody asked."*
She hit send. Exhaled.
Not expecting anything.
Just... hoping it reached him.
Somewhere across oceans, cities, and silence—hoping
*She clicked out of curiosity. He sang out of habit. Neither of them knew destiny was quietly pressing "play."