𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘆 || 𝒌𝒑𝒐𝒑 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒕 ᴮᵒᵒᵏ ¹ [MAJOR REVISIONS👷]

❝𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗲?❞(✔︎)

Interlude:

The glow of the M Countdown stage still lingered on Kala's skin long after the lights had dimmed. As the van hummed down the darkened Seoul streets, her fingers absently traced the raised ink on the signed albums stacked in her lap. Shinhwa. VIXX. SISTAR. Teen Top. Infinite. So many faces, so many smiles, so many voices that had paused in their whirlwind lives just to meet her—an eight-year-old girl with tired eyes and a heart too big for her chest.

And yet, beneath the joy, a whisper tugged at her ribs: This won't last.

She glanced out the window, neon lights dancing in her reflection. The city looked like a dream blurred by motion, too fast to hold, too bright to live in. Kala rested her forehead against the cool glass and quietly exhaled.

Why do they love me?

It wasn't a question rooted in self-pity. It was a real one. Honest. Heavy. 

She had always felt like two people. The girl the world adored—bubbly, disciplined, gifted beyond her years. And the girl in the mirror late at night—bruised, exhausted, scared to breathe too loudly in case her pain betrayed her perfect smile.

And tonight, she was both.

Her family was still chatting in the front of the van. Mom was gushing over Eric-oppa's signature and how he wrote her name in all caps with a heart. Dad was teasing Jihyun-oppa about the way he kept trying to act calm in front of Hyorin. Manager-nim scrolled through tomorrow's schedule while muttering about backup rehearsals.

But Kala's thoughts were elsewhere. Still in the echo of a hallway backstage where idols—rookies and legends alike—lined up for a moment with her. Some called her sunbae. Some asked if she was really just eight. Some simply bowed with reverence in their eyes, as if she held some secret they wanted to learn. 

But why?

When they looked at her, what did they see?

She hugged the albums tighter to her chest. Then leaned back against the seat, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep. But when she woke, the van was still and quiet, parked outside their hotel.