Chapter Text
Sol had always thought that their paths would cross again, but not like this. Not in a posh hotel ballroom, surrounded by a sea of glittering gowns and tailored suits, with the weight of years between them like an unfinished sentence. Yet here she was, her fingers gripping the stem of a half-empty wine glass, staring across the room at someone she hadn’t seen in over ten years.
Sunjae.
It was impossible not to recognise him. His face was everywhere these days—billboards, magazine covers, advertisements for whatever he endorsed that week. Lead vocalist of Eclipse, the hottest boy group in South Korea. And an actor too. A star, shining bright enough to eclipse every shadow of their past.
But right now, under the soft, dim lighting of the ballroom, he just looked like Sunjae. Not the idol. Not the actor. Just the boy she used to know. The boy she used to dream about. The one she made promises with under the stars.
Sol’s heart beat faster as his eyes caught hers. For a second, the noise of the crowd fell away, and it felt like they were back in high school, sitting on the rooftop of their school building, laughing about the future like it was some distant, faraway place.
Then the moment passed. She turned back to Hyunjoo, her best friend and colleague at Bon Cinema Productions, hoping she hadn’t noticed her staring.
“So,” Hyunjoo was saying, her voice tinged with excitement, “you think you can get Sunjae for our next project? I heard his schedule’s packed for the next year, but maybe if you ask—”
“Hyunjoo, we haven’t talked in years," Sol cut in, the words spilling out faster than she intended. She took another sip of wine, more for courage than anything else. "Besides, he’s way too high-profile now. He probably wouldn’t even—"
"Sol." Hyunjoo nudged her with an elbow, her voice teasing. "Are you sure? Because he’s been staring at you for the past five minutes."
Sol felt her chest tighten, but before she could respond, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.
“Sol?” The voice was unmistakable.
She turned around slowly, forcing herself to breathe evenly as Sunjae stood in front of her, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He looked exactly like she remembered, yet different. Sharper, more mature, with the confidence of someone who had lived under the spotlight for years. But his eyes… his eyes were the same.
“Sunjae,” she greeted, her voice betraying her surprise. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah,” he said softly, his smile widening. “Too long.”
They stood there for a moment, the noise of the party fading into the background as they took each other in. It felt surreal, like the years hadn’t really passed, like they were still teenagers, standing under the stars, talking about their dreams. Except now, those dreams had come true.
“Well,” Hyunjoo cut in, her voice playful, “I’ll leave you two to catch up. Sol, I’ll see you in the morning.” She shot Sol a wink before disappearing into the crowd.
Sol was grateful for the distraction, though it left her standing face-to-face with Sunjae, feeling the weight of everything unsaid between them.
So,” she began awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. “How’s life as the nation’s top star?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “You know, it’s not as glamorous as people think.”
“Liar.” She smirked, some of the old banter slipping back in. “You’re living every teenager’s dream.”
“Maybe. But I miss being just me sometimes. Like right now, talking to you.” His eyes softened as he spoke, and the sincerity in his voice caught her off guard.
Sol shifted on her feet, not sure how to respond.
Talking to Sunjae again felt familiar but strange, like revisiting an old favourite book and realising you’d forgotten all the little details that once meant so much. They used to be so close, but so much had changed.
“How’s Bon Cinema?” Sunjae asked, breaking the silence.
“Busy,” Sol replied. “We just wrapped a project. I’m working on pitching a new one. That’s why I’m here, actually. Networking.” She gave him a wry smile, then added, “I didn’t expect to run into you.”
“I didn’t expect to see you either,” he admitted, his tone gentle. “But I’m glad we did.”
Sol felt her pulse quicken at his words, and she wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the nostalgia, but before she knew it, she was asking, “Do you want to get out of here? Maybe grab a drink somewhere quieter?”
His smile widened, eyes twinkling. “I thought you’d never ask.”
An hour later, they were seated at a dimly lit bar downtown, far from the glitz of the hotel. Sol was a little tipsy, her cheeks flushed from both the alcohol and the unexpected rush of memories. Sunjae, on the other hand, seemed calm, nursing his drink as he watched her with that same easy smile.
The soft murmur of conversations and the clinking of glasses surrounded them, but to Sol, the world seemed to shrink down to just the two of them. The dim lighting cast a warm glow across Sunjae’s face, making his features seem even more familiar and yet so distant at the same time.
She took a sip of her drink, the alcohol warming her insides, loosening her tongue just enough for her to ask, "Do you ever think about… back then? When everything was simpler?"
Sunjae tilted his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. "Yeah, sometimes," he said. "Those were good days."
Sol smiled, a little wistfully. "You used to come over all the time after school, remember? My mom would always complain about how you ate all the snacks."
Sunjae laughed softly, the sound low and warm. "She always made the best food. I couldn't help it."
They shared a moment of quiet laughter, the years between them momentarily fading away as memories of their high school days resurfaced. Sol felt a tug of nostalgia in her chest, but it wasn’t just about the past. It was about the way she had felt back then—about him.
“Do you remember,” Sol began, the words slipping out before she could stop them, “that promise we made when we were kids?”
Sunjae raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Which one?”
She laughed, feeling the warmth of the wine settling in. “The one where we said if we were both still single in twenty years, we’d get married.”
Sunjae’s expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face for a brief second, as if the memory caught him off guard. He quickly composed himself, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Ah, that one. How could I forget?”
“Well,” Sol said, her voice playful but tinged with something deeper, “it’s been what… ten years since high school? We’re both still single.”
Sunjae’s gaze didn’t waver. “So?”
“So… why don’t we just get married then?” She laughed, though it came out shakier than she’d intended. Half-joking, half-serious. She wasn’t sure which half she meant more.
Sunjae’s smile faded slightly, his expression becoming unreadable. For a moment, she thought she’d said too much, crossed a line she couldn’t uncross.
Then, he spoke. “Sure.”
The word hung in the air between them, heavy with possibility. Sol blinked, unsure if she’d heard him correctly. “What?”
“Let’s get married,” Sunjae repeated, his voice soft but certain. “We made a promise, didn’t we?”