Love , Again ?? || RM

Part 53 - Practice Before the Parting

Hannie's POV

The moment I heard her voice, I knew it was her. Y/N. There was no mistaking it. My heart raced as I turned to look at her, standing at the door, her gaze locked on me. A smile had crept onto my face, but it quickly faded, replaced by a cold knot in my stomach.

I glanced down at myself—me, hugging Geum Hi. No, no, this isn't right. My mind raced, fighting the instinct to explain everything, to push any misunderstanding out of the way. I didn't want her to think something was going on that wasn't. She was standing there, and all I could think about was making sure she didn't get the wrong idea.

I gently pulled away from Geum Hi, my feet already moving toward Y/N. But before I could get close, the boys rushed forward. They surrounded her in a flurry of laughter and excitement, all eager to see her again after so many days apart. They didn't miss a beat, chattering about the mistakes they'd made in practice and all the things they'd missed while she was gone.

As I stood there, I took a deep breath, pushing all my worries aside. Y/N wasn't the type to jump to conclusions, to misunderstand. She knew me well enough to know there was nothing more to what she'd seen. And as she stood in the middle of the group, smiling, laughing with the boys, I felt a little more at ease.

Then, as the noise settled, she turned to look at me. Her eyes met mine, and for a split second, time seemed to slow down. The room around me faded away, and all I could focus on was the way her gaze softened when it landed on me.

I held my breath, waiting for whatever she would say or do next.

Y/N's POV

As soon as my eyes met Hannie's, something in his expression hit me. It was as if I caught him in the middle of something—like he was caught between a lie and the truth. His face was tense, and for a split second, I saw something flash in his eyes, worry, maybe? He was worried that I would misunderstand whatever was going on, and it made my chest tighten. Does he still have feelings for her ?

Before I could ask or even say anything, the others came rushing toward him, their voices filled with excitement and joy. The way they circled around me, laughing, made everything feel so normal again. It was like I never left. It was like nothing had changed, and the warmth between us all flooded back in an instant.

As they continued their happy chatter, I noticed Hannie standing off to the side, still silent. Behind him, just a little apart, was Geum Hi, I realized that this was the first time I was meeting Geum Hi. She seemed a little taken aback by my presence, almost as if she wasn't sure how to react. Her gaze was fixed on me, and she looked at me with an unreadable expression.

I felt a strange tension between me and Hannie. I could see it in his eyes, but he said nothing, as if he didn't know what to say.

I walked toward him, a small frown forming on my face.

Y/n - "Just because we see each other every day at home, doesn't mean you can't talk to me, right?" I said, trying to sound teasing but also a little hurt. "I thought you'd be the most excited to see me, but..."

Before I could finish what I was saying to Hannie, Seungkwan jumped in with a mischievous grin, "Hannie hyung didn't even mention your name these past few days! He was so focused on practice, like robot mode activated."

"Exactly!" Vernon added with a chuckle. "We'd be dying during rehearsals, and he'd just be like—'Again from the top'—no distractions, no emotions. Cold-blooded choreo machine."

Joshua leaned closer and whispered loudly, "We even joked that maybe he forgot you."

"Come on," Woozi cut in, smirking softly, "don't tease him too much. Every day, the moment practice ended, he'd rush to change and say he's heading home. We all knew exactly why—he just couldn't wait to get back and see you."