The airport was packed. And I don't just mean the usual flurry of arrivals and departures. No—every inch of the terminal pulsed with fans. Some wore Nocturne shirts, others held up shaky handmade signs or smartphones like torches in the dark. Say what you will about them, but they were efficient. I had no idea how they got the info about the bands depature—but once it spread, it spread fast.
The air buzzed with overlapping voices, the clack of luggage wheels, and somewhere in the background, the low, persistent hum of airplanes taking off. With every passing second, everything blurred. Faces, cameras, voices—melted together into one blinding, chaotic mass of light and noise.
And I stood in the middle of it all.
Not at the front, not among the screaming crowd, but off to the side—near a tall advertisement board outside one of the airport cafés. I wore a dark jacket and jeans, hair pulled back loosely. If you didn't look too closely, I could've passed for an airport employee.But I was so much more than that.
Suddenly, the noise shifted—voices rising, a ripple of anticipation cutting through the air like a warning. The first bodyguards appeared through the glass doors. Broad shoulders, sharp eyes, earpieces. They moved like one body, one shield—parting the sea of chaos before the band like trained ghosts.Then came the silence. That one eerie second before it all broke loose.
The scream was deafening.
One by one, the band stepped through the corridor. Despite the riot around them, they moved with a strange calmness, like none of it could touch them. Dae walked at the front, the leader, his expression framed by that charming yet untouchable smile. Tae followed, hands in his pockets, eyes alert but never lingering. Min brought up the rear, wide-brimmed hat tilted just enough to say he knew how to command attention.
And then—Jhio.
He walked through those doors like he owned the damn world. Slower than the rest, deliberate in every movement. Not a single thing about him happened by accident. His hair was slicked back, black sunglasses reflecting every frantic flash from the cameras. No smile. No nod. Nothing.The fans screamed his name. Some cried. Others stretched their hands over the barricades, as if they could reach him—touch him—feel something back.
But he didn't acknowledge a single one of them.
His gaze swept over the crowd without anchoring anywhere. The band moved forward, shadowed by security, gliding like a separate species above the chaos. The noise grew louder. Louder. It felt like the glass doors would crack under the pressure of it all. A girl leaned into the barrier, crying, holding up a photo like it might earn her a second of his attention.
And then it happened.
A flicker of his gaze touched mine.Just for a moment. Maybe two.Long enough to freeze the air in my lungs.Did he see me?Or was I imagining things?
I didn't move. I stood still, like I hadn't noticed a thing.Maybe it was nothing.Maybe it was everything.
The band vanished through a side door, swallowed by their entourage. Slowly, the crowd began to dissolve. I stayed a moment longer. Just watching. Then turned and walked away.
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Thank you all so much for reading! Since today's chapter was a little on the shorter side… I'll be dropping another one later. Stay close.🖤