The green room lights had dimmed. The noise faded. The post-show chaos was behind you. But Chan... he was still holding your hand. Still tethered to you.
He glanced down at your fingers laced in his, then up into your eyes. "You're not ready to go, are you?"
You hesitated. "Not even close."
He gave you a soft, knowing smile, then leaned in slightly, fingers brushing yours before taking your hand with intention. "Come on," he murmured, voice low. "Let's go back to the rooftop we were at last night."
The car ride was quiet, but the air between us pulsed with something unspoken. Chan sat close, his fingers laced with mine, warm and steady. Every bump in the road seemed to draw us nearer. Our breaths slowed, syncing, deepening—charged with anticipation.
I turned to him, eyes searching his. There was no need for words. The way he looked at me, the way I held his gaze... it was all there.
The car finally arrived and we made our way up to the rooftop. It was quiet this late, the city lights twinkling across the skyline like distant stars. The air was warm, laced with the echo of faraway music and the smell of summer.
Chan let the silence sit for a moment before he broke it. "When are you leaving?"
You leaned on the railing, heart heavy. "I'm supposed to fly back tomorrow."
He turned toward you, voice quiet but full. "And when do you have to be back at work?"
You sighed, rubbing your arm. "Two days."
He nodded slowly. "So you could stay. Just one more night."
You looked at him, really looked. "I want to," you whispered. "But it's not just about missing a flight. It's about what this is. What we're doing. What comes after."
He stepped closer, his hand brushing yours on the railing. "I've been thinking the same thing. Every second of today."
You turned your head, and there he was—right there, eyes reflecting the city lights, chest rising with something deeper than post-show adrenaline.
"I don't want to wake up tomorrow and wonder if this was just a moment we leave behind," he said.
Your throat tightened. "I've been thinking that too."
Then he reached up, fingers gently brushing your cheek as he took a step closer. "So don't leave yet."
You blinked.
"Stay one more night," he whispered. "Let me spend time with you. No crowds. No stage. Just... us. Let's figure out what this is—together. I'll get you home in time. I promise."
You looked up at him, heart trembling. And then?
He pulled you into him. No hesitation. No pressure. Just a quiet, grounding embrace like he'd been needing it all night. You sank into his arms, his chin resting on the top of your head, one hand cradling the back of your neck like he never wanted to let go. Neither of you said a word. There was no need. Because in that moment—above the city, beyond the stage, and far from anything expected—you both silently agreed: This was real.
And it was only the beginning.
You stayed wrapped in his arms longer than you expected to. Neither of you spoke. His warmth, the steady beat of his heart, and the safety in his embrace were enough.
But eventually, your voice broke the silence—quiet, but clear. "Chan... what about Hyunjin and Lee Know?"
He tensed just slightly. You felt it in the way his breath caught—how his hand stilled against your back.
"I care about you," you continued, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "But I don't want to hurt them. I saw what was in their eyes too. I felt it."
Chan looked at you, and something shifted behind his gaze. Not anger. Not jealousy.
Just... honesty. "I know," he said softly. "They felt something. So did you. I could see it... and yeah, it got to me."
You held his gaze, afraid of what came next.
"But I also saw the way you looked at me," he continued, brushing your hair from your face. "Not because I was on stage. Not because I was Bang Chan. You saw me. And when I looked at you?" He swallowed. "I didn't see a fan. I saw something I didn't think I'd ever get."
You felt your chest tighten.
"I'd never ask you to ignore how you connected with them," he said. "But this? What's happening right now? It's not one-sided."
You let your hand rest on his chest, right where his heart was.
"I know I felt something with Hyunjin. With Minho," you whispered. "But with you... it's different. It's rooted."
He leaned in, just enough for your foreheads to rest together again, the warm night breeze slipping between you.
"I don't want to pretend this isn't complicated," you added. "But I also don't want to walk away from something real because I'm afraid of it."
His arms wrapped around you again, tighter this time. "Then don't."
You stayed like that for a moment, pressed to him under the stars, your heart steadying with each word spoken.
Then his voice dropped again—deeper now. "Tell me what you're scared of," he asked. "And I'll tell you mine."
You hesitated.
"I'm scared this is just a dream," you admitted. "That I'll wake up back home and it'll feel too far away to believe."
He nodded slowly, resting his cheek against your hair.
"I'm scared," he said, "that I'll let you walk away because I've always told myself this kind of connection wasn't meant for me."
You pulled back to look at him. "That's not true."
He searched your face. "It feels true when I hold you."
You reached for his hand and laced your fingers with his.
"Then hold me tonight," you whispered. "And let's stop pretending we don't already know what this is."
He looked at you like you were gravity itself. And then, he kissed you again—slow and reverent, like sealing a promise between two souls that met by accident but found meaning anyway.
The breeze on the rooftop had cooled. The city lights flickered quieter now, like even the skyline was ready to rest.
You leaned into Chan's chest, eyes fluttering shut briefly. "I should head back," you whispered. "Today was... a lot."
He nodded, arms still around you. "Yeah. The good kind of 'a lot.'"
You smiled, pulling back gently, your hands still resting on his sides. "But before I go, there's something I need to ask you."
"Anything."
You hesitated, your voice soft. "Will you talk to them? Hyunjin. Lee Know. I don't want to avoid it. I don't want to pretend it didn't happen. But I also... I don't want to hurt them."
Chan looked down, nodding slowly. "I will. I owe it to them too."
You met his gaze. "Can we all have breakfast tomorrow? The whole group? I want to tell them I'm staying one more night. I want it to come from me, not just from whispers."
His eyes warmed instantly. "You're staying?"
You nodded. "Just one more night. You were right. I don't want this to end just yet."
A slow smile spread across his face, something soft and proud and deep behind it. "You just made this day even better."
He kissed your forehead gently, then leaned in to press his lips to your temple—longer, more grounding. "I'll text the guys in the morning," he murmured. "We'll find a quiet place. No pressure. Just honesty."
You exhaled against his chest. "That's all I want."
The car ride back to your hotel was quiet. Comfortable. He sat with you, his fingers resting gently on your knee the entire time, rubbing small circles that said more than words could.
At your hotel door, he didn't rush. Didn't pull you in for one more kiss. He just looked at you like the night still had more to give.
"I'll see you in the morning?" he asked.
You smiled. "I'll be ready."
And as the door closed softly behind you, your heart didn't sink. It stayed steady—because this wasn't an ending. It was the calm between two incredible days.