Mirae. A girl who has been a trainee at JYP Entertainment, for nine years; or should we say, the ONLY trainee left without debuting for some mysterious reason.
She was the girl who tried so hard to be famous, she was the girl who wanted to follow h...
Today was the day of the SKZ Code shoot, and for the first time in days, I actually felt relaxed. The boys were in a good mood, everyone was buzzing with excitement, and I found myself laughing along with them for what felt like the first time in a while.
"Hyunjin, are you sure those pants aren't too tight?" I teased, leaning back against the couch, watching as Hyunjin inspected his outfit in the mirror.
"Pff, tight? They're perfect!" Hyunjin shot back with a smirk, striking an exaggerated pose. "I'm serving looks today."
"More like you're about to rip your pants," Changbin joked, making everyone burst out laughing.
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Just don't break anything during the shoot, alright?"
"That wasn't me!" Hyunjin said defensively. "Changbin's the one who knocked over the camera last time."
"Hey! Don't blame me," Changbin said, hands up in mock surrender. "That was an accident."
"Sure it was," Lee Know chimed in with a grin, rolling his eyes.
The teasing continued, and for a moment, I almost forgot about the mess that had been my mind the past few days. Almost.
Ever since that night with Mirae, everything had been... off. I'd been keeping my distance, trying to convince myself that it was the right thing to do. That whatever weird tension had bubbled up between us had to be pushed aside, forgotten. She was our assistant, after all. Just part of the team. Nothing more.
At least, that's what I kept telling myself. But now, even when I tried to joke around with the guys, there was always this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. That moment between us—when I'd caught her in my arms, when our noses brushed—it hadn't left me. No matter how hard I tried to push it away.
Just then, the room went quiet. I blinked, confused at the sudden silence. Everyone was staring in the same direction—at Changbin, whose expression had completely changed. His mouth was slightly open, eyes wide, like he'd just seen something unexpected.
"What..." I started, but then I followed his gaze.
And there she was. Mirae.
She was standing there in the doorway, wearing a white dress that fell just above her knees, a soft greyish-blue cardigan draped over her shoulders. Her hair was loose, wavy, cascading down her back. She had on big sneakers, and a crossbody bag rested against her hip. She looked... she looked stunning.
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I couldn't breathe.
I didn't know why, but seeing her like that, so effortlessly beautiful, something inside me shifted. My heart was pounding, and my throat felt tight. I couldn't take my eyes off her, no matter how much I wanted to look away. How had I not noticed before? How had I been so blind?
For the first time in days, everything else seemed to blur out of focus, and all I could think about was her.
She looked a little surprised at all the attention, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Hey, everyone," she said, clearing her throat.
The guys were stunned for a second, but then they snapped back to reality, showering her with compliments.
"Noona, you look amazing," Seungmin said with a grin.
"Seriously, like straight out of a magazine," Hyunjin added.
"You could totally be the lead in a drama," Han chimed in, his voice full of admiration.
Felix beamed at her. "You look so cute, Noona! That outfit is perfect."
Changbin finally recovered from his shock, shaking his head with a laugh. "Yeah, Mirae, you look beautiful. Really."
"Wow, Mirae, you really know how to pull off a look. Stunning as always. Don't let it go to your head though," Lee Know said with his usual playful undertone, flashing a small, teasing smile to make her laugh.
"Noona, you look really beautiful today. I mean, you always look great, but... this outfit really suits you!" Jeongin said in admiration.
Each compliment made her blush a little more, and she smiled shyly, thanking them all. My heart raced faster with every second, watching her take in their praise. But I couldn't say anything. I just stood there, frozen, completely overwhelmed by how stunning she looked.
How had I treated her so coldly these past few days?
The way I'd distanced myself, the way I'd given her all those pointless tasks... I couldn't even remember why I'd done it anymore. Standing there, looking at her now, every bad thought, every reason I'd convinced myself to keep my distance—it all disappeared. It felt like a mistake. A stupid, pointless mistake.
I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, how I couldn't stop thinking about her, how sorry I was for everything. But the words wouldn't come. I just stood there like an idiot, unable to make a sound.
Mirae looked at me, and for a second, our eyes met. There was hope in her gaze, like she was waiting for me to say something, to break the silence between us. But I didn't. I couldn't. My throat was dry, and my heart was racing too fast for me to even think straight.
Her expression faltered, and then she looked away, huffing softly in what I could only guess was disappointment. The sight of her turning away from me made my chest tighten painfully.
I screwed up.
Her phone rang, snapping everyone out of the moment. "The cars are here," she said, her voice steady, though I could hear the faint edge of sadness in it. "Let's go."
The guys all stood up, grabbing their things and heading out, still buzzing about the shoot. I followed after them, but my mind was elsewhere.
I couldn't stop thinking about her. About how I'd treated her these past few days.
But the only thing I’m sure of is that every time my heart races, it just means I have to pull away even more. I don’t understand what this feeling is, or why it’s happening, but the closer I get, the more lost I feel... and it scares me.
