When the stars align

Pihu Needs Oxygen (And So Do I!)

"Step one: Secretly love a celebrity.

 Step two: Accidentally become his friend.

 Step three: PANIC when he confesses!"

San pulled away from the embrace slowly, almost hesitantly, as if reluctant to part. The warmth that had pressed against Taehyung's chest faded with the growing distance between them, leaving behind an emptiness that settled deep within him. The silence that followed felt heavy, thick with unspoken emotions. Neither of them spoke right away, their eyes flickering away from each other, finding solace in the ordinary details of her apartment—the walls, the cushions, the soft hum of the refrigerator. These small things suddenly felt louder, filling the quiet that hung between them.

Taehyung's heart continued to pound, but now for a different reason—uncertainty, longing. He had held her when she was vulnerable, absorbing her pain without question. But as the space between them returned, he could see it more clearly—the guilt she carried. It clung to her like an invisible weight, as if she believed she was to blame for what had happened to her. That thought sparked something in him, not anger at her, but at the world that had made her feel this way.

His gaze softened as he watched her wipe away the last traces of her tears. She replaced them with a small, practiced smile—not one of happiness, but of habit. He knew that smile well. It was the kind people wore when they wanted to convince others, and maybe even themselves, that they were fine. His chest tightened. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close again, to shield her from all the pain she carried. But something held him back—a fragile boundary neither of them had dared to cross.

And then, another thought struck him—the messages. The late-night confessions from a nameless soul who had unknowingly left a mark on his heart. He had found them by chance, but they had stayed with him, revealing a side of her she had not shown to him face to face. In those messages, she had poured out her heart, her struggles, and, most of all, her silent love—for him. She had never asked for anything in return, never sought recognition. She had been there, a voice in the dark reaching for him.

And now, that very person stood before him, still quiet, still hiding the part of herself that had once dared to love him.

The weight of the truth settled heavily upon him. He recalled her words—the hesitancy she had expressed about marrying Aakash, the confession that her heart had always been belong to someone else. To him. She had entered that engagement not out of love, but out of obligation, an attempt to align her life with societal expectations. And now, she was shattered—not for losing Aakash, but for enduring a journey she had never chosen. Her heart had been his all along.

A knot formed in Taehyung's throat. Does she still feel the same? After all this anguish, after investing her hopes into a future with someone else, did her heart still carry his name? Or had the chaos of life extinguished the flame she had once guarded so closely? The need to know gnawed at him—a desperate yearning for clarity.

His voice, though tentative, carried the weight of his vulnerability. "Umm... San... you must have had someone... before all this... right? Someone you liked, or dated?" His question was wrapped in feigned casualness, but the tremor in his tone betrayed him.

She blinked, surprised by his sudden inquiry. "Hmm?"

He forced a nervous smile, attempting to steady himself. "I mean... a crush? Someone you thought about... before Aakash?"

Her confusion softened into something more guarded—yet beneath that veil, there was pain and longing. Her heart whispered his name in response. You. Always you.