starlight | choi soobin.

epilogue.

 a year had passed since that quiet afternoon in the hallway, and soobin found himself standing at the same spot, the familiar weight of the stars above him, their light still as constant as ever. but now, there was something different. a sense of peace that had come with time, with understanding, with the knowledge that the stars were no longer just a distant thing to admire—they were a part of his world, just as she was.

the night was cool, the breeze carrying the faint scent of the autumn air. it felt like a new season, not just in the world around them, but in their lives as well. there was a quiet beauty in the moment, a reflection of everything they had been through, everything they had grown into.

soobin's fingers brushed lightly against hers, and he smiled as they walked side by side. their hands fit together perfectly now, a small, familiar gesture that had come to mean so much. there had been awkward moments, of course—times when they weren't sure how to navigate the changes in their relationship. but those moments were part of the process. they had both learned to grow, to change together. and through it all, they had learned to trust each other in ways they hadn't imagined before.

they were on their way to the rooftop, their favorite place to spend time together, to look up at the stars. it had become their ritual, one they cherished more than anything. the stars had always been a shared dream, a quiet place where they could both feel understood without the need for words. but now, with her beside him, soobin realized that the stars didn't seem so far away anymore.

they reached the rooftop, and soobin looked up at the sky. the stars were bright tonight, scattered across the darkness like tiny pinpricks of light, each one holding a story of its own. he remembered the first time he had shared his love for them with her, how uncertain he had been about everything. now, those same stars felt like a part of his life, a symbol of how far they had come together.

he turned to her, his gaze softening as he watched her take in the night sky. her presence beside him was the most grounding thing in his life now. the way she looked at the stars, the way she had always understood what he meant when he talked about them—it was as if they had always been on the same wavelength, like they had been meant to find each other.

"you know," soobin said, breaking the silence, his voice gentle but full of meaning, "i used to think the stars were just... something to look at when i needed to escape. but now, i realize they've always been a reminder of what i have with you."

she turned to him, her expression soft, her eyes glowing in the starlight. "i used to think they were a way to feel connected to something bigger. but now, i feel like they're a part of us—part of our story. like they're watching over us, guiding us, even when we don't know where we're going."

soobin smiled, his heart swelling with something he couldn't quite name, a feeling that was equal parts awe and warmth. "i don't think i've ever been more certain of anything in my life," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "we were always meant to find each other. just like the stars. they were always there, even when we couldn't see them clearly."

she stepped closer to him, her fingers tightening around his. "i feel the same way. i never knew what i was waiting for, but i think i was waiting for this. for you. for us."

they stood there for a moment, side by side, hands intertwined, eyes turned to the heavens. it was a quiet kind of magic, the way everything in the world seemed to align in that moment—the stars, the night, the quiet of the city below, and the warmth of their shared connection. it was as though the world had stopped just long enough for them to understand that this was where they belonged. together.

and as they stood in silence, the world seemed to hold its breath. soobin, for the first time in his life, didn't feel the need to escape to the stars. because he had everything he needed right here, in this quiet space beside her. she was his universe now. and with that thought, the weight of everything—of the lonely nights, the unanswered questions, the longing for something more—seemed to melt away.

and beneath the same stars they had always loved, soobin realized that sometimes, the most beautiful things in life were the ones you never had to search for. because they had always been there, waiting for you to find them. just like the stars, she was his sanctuary.