Genre: Romance, K-pop AU, Slow Burn
Setting: Modern-day Seoul, inside the glamorous and pressure-filled K-pop industry
Main Characters:
Yuna – a rising solo artist, humble and reserved, known for her heartfelt ballads
Kai – member of the globally famous K-pop group "STORM," confident but secretly lonely
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CHAPTER 1: The First Encounter
Yuna's POV
It was supposed to be a normal rehearsal day at the SBS studio. I had just finished performing the new song I wrote—something soft, emotional, about a love I hadn't experienced yet. The crew clapped politely. I bowed and left the stage, wiping sweat from my neck with a towel.
Then I saw him.
Kai.
Of course, I knew who he was. Everyone did. He was the face of STORM, the group with millions of fans worldwide. Sharp jawline, perfect skin, presence that filled the room.
He was standing by the hallway water dispenser, headphones on, mouthing lyrics to what I assumed was their upcoming comeback track.
I wasn't supposed to stare.
But I did.
And then—he looked up. Right at me.
And smiled.
"Nice performance," he said.
I blinked. "Y-You saw that?"
He nodded, removing one earbud. "You write your own stuff, right? It's real. I liked it."
No one had ever told me that before. Not like that.
"…Thanks," I whispered.
Then the staff called him, and he left like it never happened.
But I stood there, holding my breath—because something inside me shifted.
---
Kai's POV
I wasn't supposed to say anything to her. We were told to keep it professional around rookies and soloists—especially pretty ones.
But when I heard her singing in the next studio, I paused my rehearsal. Her voice had this raw ache in it, like she knew loneliness by name.
Then I saw her in the hallway.
She looked fragile but strong, like someone who had walked through storms and still kept her head up. She didn't pretend. She didn't giggle or act starstruck.
Just "Thanks," in this quiet, honest voice.
I wanted to say more. Ask about her music. Tell her I understood that feeling she put in her song.
But then my manager waved me in.
So I left.
But I kept thinking about her.
The girl with the sad eyes and beautiful voice.
---
CHAPTER 2: Eyes That Remember
Setting: MCountdown backstage area, a few days later
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Yuna's POV
I didn't think he'd remember me.
It had been four days since that hallway moment—just one compliment, a single glance—but it had replayed in my mind every night like a broken record.
Now I was back at another music show, this time at MCountdown. My manager handed me my lineup card and guided me to the waiting area.
And guess who was right across from me?
STORM.
Kai.
He was leaning back on a couch, surrounded by the other members. Lights bounced off his silver-dyed hair, and he looked impossibly cool—even in sweatpants and slides. I turned quickly, pretending to look at my phone.
Please don't look at me. Please look at me.
I stole one more glance—
—and he was already looking.
I froze.
Then, to my complete shock…
He stood up and walked toward me.
"Hey," he said, softly.
I blinked. "Oh. Hi."
"Yuna, right?" he said, and my stomach flipped. He remembered.
"You remembered my name?" I asked.
He gave a small grin. "Of course. I don't forget voices like yours."
---
Kai's POV
I saw her the second I walked into the waiting room.
Yuna.
Hair tied in a low ponytail, black hoodie oversized on her frame, in her own world—but I saw her eyes flick toward me. Just for a second. She looked away too fast.
But I saw the blush.
And damn… it made me smile.
I excused myself from the guys and crossed the room before I could second-guess it. My heart shouldn't be pounding. I've met international stars, stood on world tours, but this… this rookie girl with that voice?
She had me nervous.
"Yuna, right?" I asked.
Her eyes widened. "You remembered my name?"
"Of course. I don't forget voices like yours," I said, and that wasn't even a line. I meant it.
We stood awkwardly for a moment, the noise of other idols buzzing around us. I wished the world would quiet down just so I could hear her speak again.
"Want to grab coffee after the show?" I asked suddenly, too fast.
Her lips parted in surprise.
But before she could answer—her manager called her name.
She hesitated.
"I—I'll let you know."
And just like that, she was pulled away.
But I smiled to myself anyway.
Because maybe this wasn't just a passing moment.
Maybe this was the start of something.
CHAPTER 3: Coffee & Quiet
Setting: A hidden café in Hongdae, late evening after the music show
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Yuna's POV
I almost didn't go.
My manager dropped me off at the dorm, and I stood at the door for a long time. Bag on my shoulder, hand on the doorknob, heart beating out of rhythm.
Was I really going to meet Kai—the Kai from STORM—for coffee?
It sounded insane.
But then I remembered how he looked at me earlier. Like I wasn't just another rookie on the lineup. Like I was someone who mattered.
So I turned around, pulled my hoodie up, mask on, and took the train to Hongdae.
He sent the café pin through a private DM. "It's quiet. No fans," he wrote.
I spotted him instantly—cap pulled low, black sweatshirt, sitting by the window.
He looked up. And smiled.
"You came."
I nodded, sliding into the seat across from him. "I didn't want to. But I did."
He chuckled. "That makes two of us."
---
Kai's POV
I kept checking the door every time someone walked in.
It had been 40 minutes since I messaged her. I told myself it was fine if she didn't come. I wouldn't blame her—who in their right mind would go have coffee with a guy who barely knows her, especially when that guy has paparazzi following him like shadows?
But when she walked in…
Everything else faded.
She looked tired, but effortlessly beautiful. No makeup, just her eyes—those quiet, observant eyes—and a tiny nervous twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"You came," I said.
Her voice was soft. "I didn't want to. But I did."
We both laughed.
And then silence.
But not the awkward kind. The kind that feels… safe.
We talked.
About music, trainee life, the loneliness of it all. I told her about how I used to cry in the practice room when no one was watching. She told me she writes lyrics in the middle of the night, hoping someone will understand them.
"I think I do," I said quietly.
She looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Your songs. They feel like mine."
And for a moment, we just stared.
Not as idols. Not as public figures.
Just two people who knew what it felt like to home.
---
💙 CHAPTER 5: Exposed
Setting: One blurry photo. A million consequences.
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Yuna's POV
It happened on a Wednesday.
I was halfway through vocal training when my manager barged into the room—eyes wide, voice tense.
"Check Twitter. Now."
My heart dropped.
I opened my phone and saw it.
#WhoIsHeWithYuna
#STORMKaiDatingRumor
And then… the photo.
Blurry. Grainy.
But it was us.
Outside the convenience store. My banana milk. His ramen.
Our shoulders touching.
My hands started shaking. "Wala pa tayong ginagawa. Wala pa ngang label," I whispered.
But it didn't matter.
The world didn't care.
The comments came fast:
> "Is this real?"
"She's using him for clout!"
"He can do better."
"I hope this ruins her."
And suddenly, everything I worked for felt like it was cracking beneath me.
---
Kai's POV
I was in the middle of a dance shoot when the photo blew up.
Staff started whispering. My phone vibrated non-stop. The members looked at me with wide eyes. Our leader pulled me aside.
"Bro… what's going on?"
I didn't answer.
Instead, I scrolled. Saw the photo. Saw her name trending.
Saw them attacking her.
That's when my blood boiled.
Why her? Why always the girl?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell everyone it was my fault, not hers. That I was the one who texted first. That I fell first.
But I couldn't.
Because if I did…
I'd ruin her career.
And mine.
So I texted her instead:
> [Kai]: I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
Her reply took forever.
> [Yuna]: No. But I will be.
I wanted to hold her.
But all I could do was watch the chaos unfold from a distance.
---
Yuna's POV
My agency called an emergency meeting. PR staff, CEO, my manager—everyone in one room, all staring at me like I committed a crime.
"Is it true?" they asked.
I couldn't lie.
"It's not serious yet," I said. "We're just… getting to know each other."
My manager looked pained. "That's serious enough."
They drafted a statement.
"The artists are close colleagues. Nothing more."
It felt like someone erased the truth with one sentence.
Kai texted me again that night:
> [Kai]: Do you want to stop? Just say it, and I'll walk away.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then I typed back:
> [Yuna]: I want to fight. But I'm scared.
> [Kai]: Me too. But let's be scared together.
And I cried.
Because in a world full of cameras and lies—
He still choose us.
Yes! Here's Chapter 6 of When Our Stars Collide — emotions deepen, hearts collide, and they take their biggest risk yet.
This chapter will stay in Taglish (Tagalog-English) to capture the emotional intimacy between them.
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💙 CHAPTER 6: Sa Likod ng Lahat
Setting: A quiet rooftop, weeks after the scandal — away from the cameras, but not from the fear.
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Yuna's POV
I thought that after the rumors, we would drift apart.
Pero hindi.
We stayed. We texted. We waited.
Until one day, he messaged:
> [Kai]: Can I see you tonight? Just for a little while. Rooftop, same place.
My heart started pounding.
That same rooftop behind the studio building—our secret place. No CCTV. No staff. Just the stars above us and the city lights below.
I wore my simplest clothes. Cap. Mask. Hoodie.
And when I climbed the stairs and saw him waiting there…
I almost forgot how to breathe.
"Kai," I whispered.
He looked at me. Pagod, pero buo.
"Yuna," he said, voice soft. "You're still here."
---
Kai's POV
I didn't know if she would come.
But when she did, something inside me settled.
Parang… the world stopped spinning for a while.
She walked toward me slowly, like she wasn't sure if this was real.
So I spoke first.
"I missed you."
She looked away, blinking fast. "Hindi ko alam kung worth it pa 'to."
"Worth it ka," I said without hesitation.
She looked at me then. Eyes filled with things she couldn't say out loud.
Silence.
Then I reached out—very slowly—and touched her hand.
She didn't pull away.
---
Yuna's POV
He held my hand like it was something fragile. Parang kapag binitawan niya, mawawala ako.
"Kai," I whispered. "What are we doing?"
"I don't know," he said. "But whatever this is, it's the only thing that feels real right now."
I looked at our hands. His thumb tracing circles on my skin.
Then he stepped closer.
So close I could hear his breath.
"Puwede ba?" he asked.
I nodded.
And then…
He kissed me.
---
Kai's POV
It wasn't like in the dramas. Walang background music. Walang slow motion.
It was real. Fast heartbeat, shaky hands, lips that tasted like fear and truth.
Yuna kissed me back—slowly, carefully—like she was learning how to breathe again.
When we pulled apart, I rested my forehead against hers.
"No matter what happens," I whispered, "this… us… I'll protect it."
She didn't say anything.
But her eyes did.
They said, I believe you.
Even if the world didn't.