Under the stars
The night had settled over the village, a blanket of soft darkness that seemed to hold everything in a gentle embrace. The air was cool, carrying the scents of earth and water, and the only sounds were the distant chirps of crickets and the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Jungeun and Jiyoon sat side by side on the grassy knoll near the river, the same spot where they had spent countless moments in silence, their thoughts intertwined in a way that words had often failed to capture.
Jungeun’s fingers brushed against the notebook in her lap, where she had been attempting to write lyrics, but her thoughts were far away. Her gaze was lost in the twinkling sky above, the stars scattered across the velvet blackness like scattered diamonds, each one seeming to pulse with a quiet rhythm of its own. She had always been fascinated by the stars; they felt so distant, so eternal, yet somehow they always felt close enough to touch on nights like this.
But tonight, it wasn’t the stars that held her attention. It was Jiyoon—sitting beside her, not saying much, yet so present in the way her energy seemed to fill the space between them. The quiet was comfortable, but it was laced with a tension neither of them could escape. Jungeun stole a glance at her, watching the way Jiyoon’s face was illuminated by the gentle glow of the moonlight, her features soft, almost ethereal. The way her hair fell across her face, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in the cool night air—it all made everything feel so real, so significant.
She had never seen Jiyoon quite like this before. It wasn’t the girl who hummed along to the songs they created, nor the one who would laugh freely with her in the kitchen as they cooked together. It wasn’t the carefree Jiyoon who would sit in silence with her, sharing fleeting moments of peace as they worked on their music. This Jiyoon was different—still the same, yet somehow more. Like she had become something more than just a girl from a quiet village, more than just a friend. She was the missing piece of a puzzle Jungeun hadn’t realized she was trying to solve.
The silence between them was thick, almost tangible, as if everything they had been avoiding was coming to the surface. Jungeun’s heartbeat quickened when she thought about it. She had spent so long fighting the feelings that were slowly taking root in her heart, but now, sitting here with Jiyoon, it was impossible to ignore them any longer. There was something in the air tonight—something that made everything feel different. The night was too still, the stars too bright, and Jiyoon’s presence too overwhelming for her to keep pretending she didn’t feel what she did.
Jungeun’s fingers gripped the grass beneath her, grounding herself as if the earth beneath her could offer some kind of stability for the storm brewing inside her. She wanted to speak, wanted to break the silence, but the words felt stuck in her throat. Every time she tried to voice what she was feeling, it seemed to get lost in the overwhelming rush of emotions. How could she confess something so big, so terrifying, without ruining everything they had built?
"Jiyoon," she whispered, her voice barely carrying above the soft rustling of the trees. She didn’t expect an answer, didn’t expect anything at all, but when Jiyoon’s gaze shifted toward her, their eyes met, and for a moment, the world felt like it had slowed down.
For a fleeting second, Jungeun thought she saw something in Jiyoon’s eyes—something soft, something understanding. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving Jungeun wondering if she had imagined it.
Jiyoon turned her body slightly toward Jungeun, her expression unreadable, but her gaze was steady and warm. "Is something on your mind?" she asked, her voice gentle, inviting.
Jungeun opened her mouth to respond, but her words faltered, caught in the web of her own hesitation. She had never been good at this—at being vulnerable, at opening up. But tonight felt different. Tonight, she could no longer hide from the truth.
"I—" Jungeun began, but the words seemed to evaporate into the night. "I don’t know if I can explain this... but... I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About us. About everything."
Jiyoon didn’t interrupt, didn’t push. She simply watched her, her expression softening as she waited for Jungeun to continue.
"It’s just... you," Jungeun said, her voice trembling slightly. "You make everything feel so... real. So easy. And I keep wondering why I feel this way, why it feels like there’s something more between us than what I thought. Why I can’t stop thinking about you, even when I should be focused on the music or... anything else."
Jiyoon’s gaze remained steady, but there was a flicker in her eyes, a recognition that made Jungeun’s heart skip a beat. Her words were slow, measured. "Jungeun," she said softly. "I think... I think I know what you mean."
Jungeun looked at her, the words she had been holding onto bubbling up inside her, desperate to be set free. "I don’t know what to do about it," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "I’m scared, Jiyoon. I’m scared of how I feel, and I’m scared of what will happen if I say it out loud. What if it changes everything between us?"
Jiyoon’s eyes softened further, and she reached out, her fingers brushing against Jungeun’s hand. The touch was small, but it was enough to send a wave of warmth through Jungeun’s chest.
"Jungeun," Jiyoon said, her voice steady, "maybe it already has. Maybe what we have is already changing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. We don’t have to figure it all out right now. We just have to be honest about what we feel."
Jungeun’s breath caught in her throat as she processed Jiyoon’s words. The weight of her confession, the way she had understood everything without needing to be told, made something inside Jungeun shift. Maybe it wasn’t as scary as she had thought. Maybe what they had was worth exploring, worth taking a chance on.
She turned her hand over, her fingers curling around Jiyoon’s as she finally allowed herself to feel the warmth of her touch, the connection that had been there all along, waiting for her to notice it.
"I... I think I’m falling for you, Jiyoon," Jungeun said, the words leaving her lips with a surprising clarity. "And it scares me, but it also feels like I can’t ignore it anymore."
Jiyoon smiled, a soft, quiet smile that made Jungeun’s heart flutter. "You don’t have to be scared," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "I’m falling for you too."
The moment hung in the air between them, a breathless pause as the weight of their shared confession settled in. Jungeun could hardly believe it—could hardly believe that, after all the uncertainty, all the hesitation, Jiyoon felt the same way. The fear that had held her back for so long seemed to melt away in the warmth of Jiyoon’s words, in the tenderness of her touch.
Jungeun took a deep breath, as if the air itself had shifted, and smiled softly. "Then maybe we should see where this goes, together."
Jiyoon’s smile widened, and for the first time that night, Jungeun felt a sense of peace settle in her chest. Whatever the future held, whatever challenges they might face, she knew they could face them together. And for the first time in a long while, Jungeun felt like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
. “Me too,” she whispered. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone. It’s like... like I’ve been waiting for this, for you, without even realizing it.”
They sat in silence for a while longer, their hands still intertwined, gazing up at the stars above. The night no longer felt heavy with uncertainty; instead, it felt full of possibility. And as they sat there, side by side, Jungeun knew that whatever happened next, they had already taken the most important step—they had spoken the truth, and in doing so, they had opened the door to something beautiful.
The weight of the confession hung in the air, but there was no fear now, no uncertainty. There was only the softness of the night, the warmth of their hands, and the quiet promise of something new, something beautiful, unfolding between them.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Jungeun let herself believe in something beyond the confines of her idol life. She allowed herself to imagine a future where she wasn’t just an idol, but someone who could love and be loved in return. And with Jiyoon, that future seemed possible, even if it was uncertain.
The minutes passed in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. A silence filled with understanding, with the unspoken words that hung in the air between them, words that didn’t need to be said because they had already been spoken in their hearts.
Jungeun turned her gaze back to the stars, her hand still holding Jiyoon’s. The stars above seemed brighter now, as if they too were watching them, witnessing this moment. And for the first time in a long time, Jungeun felt like she belonged—not just in the world, but to someone.
“I’m glad it’s you,” Jungeun said quietly, her voice full of warmth. “I’m glad it’s you, Jiyoon.”
Jiyoon squeezed her hand, leaning her head against Jungeun’s shoulder, her eyes closed as she let herself feel the truth of what they had just shared. “Me too. I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.”
They sat there for a while, wrapped in the quiet companionship of the night, and for the first time in a long time, Jungeun felt at peace. Whatever the future held, whatever challenges they would face, she knew one thing: they would face them together.
---
Later, as they walked back to the house in the soft moonlight, the world seemed a little brighter, a little kinder. The uncertainty that had once plagued Jungeun’s heart was gone, replaced by the warmth of a truth that she could no longer deny. The stars above them seemed to shine a little brighter, as if the universe itself had given its blessing to their newfound connection.
And as they entered the house, the door closing softly behind them, Jungeun knew that this was just the beginning. The road ahead would be uncertain, and the world would continue to turn, but for tonight, under the stars, everything felt right.
And that was all that mattered.