Sasaeng Sister [In big roles: Sunghoon, Lee Know, skz, Ateez, Jungkook]

Epilogue

The camera flashed as Sunghoon wrapped his arm around me, hunching and leaning closer to bring his face level with mine.

A photo strip emerged from the vending machine, with five small pictures of us smiling, grinning, and twisting our faces.

He scrutinized the finished product.

"The photo booths are better in Korea."

I took the pictures from him.

"But it's still a nice memory."

We walked out of the kiosk into the buzzing hall of a big mall. People didn't recognize us as often here in the U.S. as in Korea. The average American had forgotten the faces of the Asian idol kidnapping case in about three years. Still, Enhypen fans occasionally approached us.

"OH MY GOD! I'm a huge fan!" a teenage girl with bright pink hair and dark eyeliner squealed, practically jumping up and down, clutching her phone in both hands like a squirrel holding a prized nut. "Can I take a picture with you?"

Sunghoon bowed his head politely.

"Nice to meet, but I can't selfies. Only in concert."

The girl turned her expectant eyes to me.

"What about you, Filina? You're literally my role model. Like, I think you're such a strong woman."

I couldn't say no to her, though it felt a little strange since I wasn't exactly a celebrity.

After the selfie, she hugged me, glancing at Sunghoon as if she wanted to hug him too but didn't dare to ask.

"You two are honestly my favorite celebrity couple. I wish you all the best." She flashed a thumbs-up. "Have a lovely time here!"

She lingered a moment as we smiled and thanked her. Then, she dashed back to a group of young people, flapping her hands excitedly. High-pitched screams erupted from their direction as she shared her experience with her friends.

It was refreshing to meet people who supported me and Sunghoon. The beginning of our relationship had been difficult, as some so-called fans made it their mission to break us up or get Sunghoon kicked out of ENHYPEN. However, as time went by, I realized more people were accepting of our relationship. Some fans had even shipped us during True RealiTy. Others had only discovered ENHYPEN after the kidnapping and saw me and Sunghoon as a couple from the start. At the end of the day, the delusional fans who boycotted ENHYPEN over our relationship didn't make much of an impact. All they could really do was send death threats and slander us online.

Because of the trauma from True RealiTy, Sunghoon was treated differently from other idols in BeLift Lab. He was allowed to turn down more solo activities, giving him far more free time than the other members of ENHYPEN. It wasn't just special treatment—it was essential for his well-being. He hadn't had a proper hiatus after the kidnapping, since he was the only idol who had continued activities immediately after leaving the hospital. I knew better than anyone how he still struggled sometimes.

This road trip in the U.S. had brought us closer again, after a month of hardships.

We visited my hometown and my mother's grave.

"Hey, Mrs. Young, I'll take good care of your daughter," Sunghoon said as we cleaned her gravestone, planting fresh flowers at its base. "Does she know Korean?"

"Not much," I answered. "But I think she'd understand that. And she would definitely like you."

Hearing those words brought out such a joyful smile on his face that it caught on to me, too.

Usually, I cried at Mom's grave, but this time, I felt she was somewhere up there, watching over me proudly.

It took two days to drive from my old neighborhood to LA, and toward the end of the trip, we could only stop for restroom breaks and gas, to make it to KCON on time.

The sun blazed down, making me break into a sweat as we ate ice cream outside a gas station.

Sunghoon's shirt was damp on the back.

"Isn't it too hot for long sleeves?" I asked.

"I shouldn't get tanned," he replied, though I knew it was also because of the scars on his arm.

He had assured me that he never blamed me for them, but it was something I felt guilty about. I still had nightmares about it, and he knew.

"But it really is so hot," he complained, rolling his sleeves.

Maybe I was reading too much into it again.

Yes, there were scars and bad memories, but they hadn't broken us or torn us apart.

"Let's go," he said, heading toward our rental car.

A day after arriving in LA, we sat in the KCON audience in a premium section reserved for celebrities. We had more privacy and security yet still a great view.

I scrolled through the lineup for that night. We hadn't looked it up beforehand, since we'd mostly come to see ATEEZ and Stray Kids' collaboration stage.

"Did you see this?" Sunghoon asked.

I paused my finger on a familiar face.

"Yeah. Lucas will perform here."

Lucas had recently debuted as a soloist and built a sizable international fanbase. He hadn't quite made it big in Korea, though.

Sunghoon peeked over at my phone.

"Oh... that's nice. But I'm talking about this news."

He handed me his phone.

"A convicted hacker helped police track down government officials connected to the infamous idol kidnapping case from 2021..."

It was Rat. He'd helped the police after all. In 2021, they had set in motion a covert operation to weed out corruption in South Korea. According to the news, they had succeeded in exposing those who ordered the human experiments to develop a VR torture weapon.

I was too cynical to believe all the bad people were caught, but I didn't need the world to be perfect. It was perfect for me, right there, beside my boyfriend, as we watched my brother walk onto the stage with his idol group.

"Boom, boom, chk, chk, boom!"

Minho danced in the center, then jumped to the side to let Felix take the spotlight.

Felix's deep vocals sent the audience into a frenzy. He didn't really dance, but he lit up the stage, clearly enjoying every moment.

ATEEZ appeared during a crazy dance break, and I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Sunghoon gave me a playful side-eye.

"What?" I asked. "I'll scream at your concerts too, I promise."

He laughed.

"They're good. I get it."