After coming back to Busan from Seoul, everyone became busy again.
The semester had just started, and the pressure at university was already exhausting. Assignments, attendance, presentations—everything suddenly felt overwhelming.
Even though the memories from Seoul were still fresh in their hearts, reality had quickly pulled them back into their routines.
Jeon.J already knew the girls were back in Busan.
He had even texted once or twice, asking if they had settled in properly, but because of TBS's packed concert schedule and nonstop rehearsals, none of them had been able to meet again.
And today… Busan itself felt different.
Because tonight was the TBS concert.
From the morning, the entire city seemed more alive than usual. Posters, banners, excited fans everywhere—people were talking about nothing except the concert.
Even the university atmosphere had changed.
Usually, classes dragged on until evening, but today the administration released students early. Everyone knew that if TBS was holding a concert in Busan, the entire city would practically turn upside down tonight. Roads would be crowded, cafés filled with fans, and students too distracted to focus anyway.
So for once, the university actually gave everyone time to prepare.
The moment the girls entered their shared house after classes, the peaceful atmosphere instantly turned into chaos.
"Girls hurry up!" Ruhi shouted while rushing toward the wardrobe. "We already wasted enough time at university!"
Hana dropped her bag dramatically onto the couch. "It's not my fault the professor suddenly decided to revise the entire syllabus today."
Minji laughed softly while taking off her earrings. "Honestly, even the professors looked distracted. Half the class was secretly booking concert taxis."
Sophia opened the curtains, letting the golden evening light fill the room. Outside, distant music and cheering could already be heard from nearby streets.
The city was preparing for TBS.
And so were they.
Ruhi was already standing in front of the mirror with three different outfits spread across the bed.
"I swear this is stressful. Why does choosing concert clothes feel harder than exams?"
"Because your priorities are questionable," Hana replied while sitting cross-legged on the floor, fixing her hair.
Ruhi ignored her dramatically. "Main character energy takes effort."
Minji shook her head with a smile before opening her own closet. Her outfit was simple but elegant, exactly the kind of effortless style that somehow made her stand out even more.
Meanwhile, Sophia noticed Ruhi staring at her shoe options again.
"Wait…" she walked closer and picked up a pair of grey sneakers. "You should wear these."
Ruhi frowned. "These? Really?"
"Yes. They'll look perfect with your outfit, and you'll survive the concert without crying about your feet."
Hana immediately burst out laughing. "Please wear comfortable shoes. We are going to a TBS concert, not a wedding ceremony."
Ruhi narrowed her eyes. "You people never support me emotionally."
"We support you physically," Minji replied calmly. "By preventing you from falling in front of thousands of people."
The room instantly filled with laughter again.
For a moment, the stress of university, assignments, and busy schedules disappeared completely.
Tonight wasn't about pressure or responsibilities.
Tonight was about TBS.
"Zoya isn't coming?" Hana suddenly paused while adjusting her bag and looked toward Minji and Sophia.
Since the three of them were classmates, they had all come back from university together, and Zoya was supposed to be with them too.
Sophia glanced at her phone before answering.
"I don't know… she said, Ji-ho sent her an address. She went there for a job interview."
Hana's expression changed instantly.
"She shouldn't go alone like that. Ji-won still hasn't been arrested. I spent the whole day in classes checking around… making sure she wasn't anywhere nearby." Ruhi, who had been fixing her bracelet, looked up seriously.
Hana sighed and folded her arms. "But we can't keep sitting in fear either."
Minji finally spoke, her voice calm as always. "And stopping Zoya from going out alone because we're scared…" She looked between them before continuing quietly, "That would be like making her helpless. She's trying to stand on her own. We can't take that from her."
Ruhi nodded slowly. "That's true… but we still shouldn't be careless on our side."
A brief silence settled.
Then Minji looked toward the door unconsciously before speaking again. "Since she came back… haven't you all noticed she feels different?"
Sophia raised a brow. "Different?"
"She feels more confident now." Minji's voice softened. "It's been five days since we got back from Seoul, and every single day she's gone out looking for jobs. She's trying so hard to build something with her own hands."
A small smile touched Minji's lips. "Isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't we let her?"
Hana suddenly smirked. "Yeah… we know she's been going out alone for job searching for the last five days…"
Minji looked at her.
"…but it's funny how every time Zoya leaves the house, someone else also leaves at the same time."
Ruhi immediately covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"And somehow," Hana continued dramatically, "five minutes after Zoya comes back… that same person returns too."
Sophia instantly turned toward Minji with a knowing smile.
Minji visibly stiffened. Like she had been caught stealing.
"Guys—"
"So it was you." Hana crossed her arms in victory. "I knew it."
Ruhi laughed.
"You were following her?"
"I was not following her."
"Minji."?
"…I was just making sure she was okay."
Hana grinned wider.
"Exactly."
Minji looked away, suddenly interested in fixing the strap of her bag.
Because it was true. For the past five days, Zoya had gone out alone every morning.
And every time… Minji had quietly left after her.
Keeping enough distance so Zoya wouldn't notice.
Because she didn't want to damage her confidence by making her feel watched.
But deep inside… Minji was still afraid.
Afraid Ji-won might try to hurt Zoya again.
Afraid of being even a second too late.
Her expression turned serious. And the others noticed immediately.
Even after reassuring everyone again and again…
That fear had never really left her.
The worst part was— Zoya had found out.
Today.
And before leaving, she had firmly stopped Minji.
"Don't follow me this time." Her voice had been soft…
but serious enough that Minji couldn't ignore it.
And right now, Minji couldn't risk upsetting her.
Not today.
Not when Zoya had looked at her with that steady expression… as if asking her to trust her.
So Minji stayed silent.
Trying to look calm.
While inside…
The worry still refused to leave.
"I'm calling her. Hurry up—the cab is here."
Minji stepped out of the house first, the others following right behind her. The evening streets were already packed with fans heading toward the Asiad district. Purple banners, glowing signs, people carrying lightsticks—Busan was fully alive tonight.
Minji immediately called Zoya.
The line connected after a moment.
"Hello?"
"Zoya, where are you?" Minji asked the second she heard her voice.
At the bus stop, Zoya adjusted the strap of her bag and glanced up at the station sign.
"I'm at the Sports Complex Station bus stop… near Exit 9."
Minji instantly looked up.
Hana, Ruhi, and Sophia moved closer.
Ruhi blinked.
"She's here?"
Minji looked toward the road leading to the station, then spoke quickly into the phone.
"You're nearby."
"I know," Zoya said. "I just got here."
"Then don't go back home."
A pause.
"What?"
"Meet us on the way," Minji said while opening the cab door. "You're literally next to the arena. Why would you go home alone"?
"But I don't even have a ticket." She was trying to find excuses not to go with them.
Sophia leaned close enough for Minji to hear and whispered—
Sophia practically seemed one second away from hanging onto Minji's shoulder.
Minji shot her a sharp look.
She immediately bit her lip between her teeth and gave her a quiet, apologetic "sorry."
"Jeon.J already arranged everything," Minji said.
Zoya went quiet.
Minji continued,
"He told Jae earlier that if we came, she should hand us the guest passes."
"Guest passes?" Zoya repeated softly.
"Yeah," Hana called loud enough for the phone to catch it. "Wao, our protocol tickets are basically waiting for us."
Ruhi grinned.
"And if you try going home alone right now, we're dragging you back ourselves."
That finally made Zoya laugh.
A real one.
Minji felt her shoulders relax a little.
"Where are you?" she said. When already decided to move forward, why upset the people she loved along the way? Zoya thought, so she finally decided to go with them.
"We'll be there in two minutes." Minji Hana said.
"…Okay."
By then, the bus had arrived.
The doors opened.
People stepped forward one after another and got on.
But Zoya stayed where she was.
She stood there, watching everyone board.
Then the doors closed again.
And she let the bus leave without her.
Because tonight… she chose her friends.
Friends who had done everything for her.
Friends who protected her in ways they thought she didn't notice, but she always did.
Minji—who quietly followed behind her every day but never walked beside her, afraid that being too obvious might break the confidence Zoya was trying so hard to build.
Hana and Ruhi—who kept finding excuses between classes to leave and circle their department, just to make sure Ji-won wasn't anywhere nearby.
Because Ji-won had been their classmate too.
And Sophia and Minji in class, distracting her with random little conversations, trying to keep her relaxed whenever they saw her thoughts drifting too far.
So why would she leave behind people this precious?
Why keep pulling away?
A soft breath escaped her lips.
No.
She would go. Wherever they asked her to go.
She would go with them.
And from now on…
She would laugh with them.
Live with them.
Actually, let herself breathe.
There had already been enough tears.
Enough sleepless nights.
Enough carrying pain in silence.
Because she wouldn't spend all her days crying anymore.
Happiness belonged to her, too.
Yes… Some things never came back.
Some things were never meant to stay.
But the things she had been given—
the people still standing beside her—
Those deserved gratitude.
And she wanted to hold onto that.
No more only looking at what she had lost.
No more forgetting the blessings she still had.
And no more letting pain make her ungrateful.
Her eyes softened as she looked up for a second.
A quiet prayer settles inside her heart.
She didn't want to disappoint her Allah by drowning in sadness anymore.
She wanted to trust.
To be thankful.
To keep walking forward.
And for the first time in a long while…
That didn't feel impossible.
So when Minji's cab turned the corner—
Zoya smiled softly…
and stepped toward them.
The entire Asiad district looked unreal.
Fans crowded the sidewalks.
Street vendors sold drinks and unofficial banners.
Large digital screens around the stadium displayed TBS visuals.
Her bag was still over one shoulder.
Hair moving lightly in the evening breeze.
She looked tired from running around for interviews all day…
But she was happy.
Ruhi opened the door first.
"There she is!"
Hana got out right after her.
"You seriously thought we'd let you go home?"
Sophia reached Zoya and lightly fixed a loose strand of hair.
"And miss this concert? Impossible."
Zoya smiled, but Minji noticed the exhaustion still sitting in her eyes.
Minji stepped in front of her.
"You okay?"
Zoya gave a quiet nod.
"The interview went well."
"That's good."
Then Minji held her gaze another second.
"And now no more going around alone."
Zoya smiled faintly.
"Minji—" "I'm serious."
Ruhi dramatically interrupted.
"Please continue this protective emotional conversation later because if we're late, I'll personally cry."
That broke the tension immediately.
They all laughed.
By the VIP guest entrance, Jae was already standing near the side gate, checking his phone.
The moment he saw them, he lifted a hand.
"There you are."
He reached into a black pass holder and handed over five official guest lanyards.
"Jeon.J told me earlier—if Minji and the others arrive, give these to them immediately."
Ruhi stared at the pass in her hand like it was unreal.
Sophia smiled.
Hana looked ready to scream.
And Zoya stopped for half a second when she saw Jeon.J's name printed on the backstage guest card.
Jae noticed.
Then smiled knowingly.
"He made sure you'd all get in safely."
The lights around the stadium suddenly brightened.
A loud wave of cheering rose from inside.
TBS was about to start.
Minji looked at the girls.
Then at Zoya.
"Ready?"
This time, Zoya gave a soft smile and said,
"Minji… I'm here with all of you, but I don't want to go inside the stadium. I have assignment work to do. If it's allowed… can I sit backstage?"
Minji shot her a look—slightly strict, slightly worried.
But she didn't force her.
Instead, she turned toward Jae.
Jae nodded once.
Yes. Zoya could stay backstage.
Minji exhaled.
"Fine. Go with Jae. We'll go to our seats."
The group slowly started moving toward the entrance.
Jae walked beside Zoya and, while stepping forward, said,
"Give me the pass."
Zoya still had it in her hand.
"What will you do with this pass?" she asked.
"Nothing. It's useless now," Jae replied casually.
Zoya frowned slightly.
"And if someone else uses it instead?"
Jae looked at her, confused.
Zoya didn't explain further.
Instead she said,
"Wait here. I'll come back."
And before anyone could react, she turned and walked back outside—toward the same road they had just come from.
Jae followed her immediately.
Outside the Busan stadium, the atmosphere was intense.
Lights everywhere.
Fans rushing in.
Security tightening as opening time approached.
Jae stood slightly behind her, watching as people around started recognizing him—whispers spreading because he was Jeon.J's PA.
Zoya ignored everything and kept looking around.
After five minutes, she returned.
But this time… she wasn't alone.
A young couple stood with her—nervous, shy, holding hands.
Jae's eyes widened.
Zoya leaned closer to him and said quietly,
"They are newly married. It's their honeymoon. The husband wanted to bring her to the TBS concert as a gift, but he couldn't afford tickets… so I gave them the guest pass."
Jae froze.
His mouth slightly opened in shock.
"You… gave Jeon.J's guest pass to them?"
Zoya nodded simply.
Jae immediately shook his head.
"We can't take them inside like this—"
Zoya's eyes turned firm.
"Why not?"
Jae tried to explain.
"It's a single-pass system. You brought two people—"
Zoya cut him off.
"The pass is mine. I decide what to do with it."
Then, more sharply:
"Stop making excuses. Opening announcement is starting. Let them in."
The couple stood silently, confused but hopeful.
Jae hesitated again.
"Zoya… Jeon.J—"
"I will talk to Teahun later," she said immediately.
A pause.
Then Jae finally gave in with a stressed breath and took the couple toward the entrance.
Zoya stayed behind for a moment.
Then turned to Jae again.
"One more thing."
Jae stopped.
Zoya looked at him seriously.
"Where exactly can I sit backstage? I need to finish my assignment."
Wait a minute. Jea said and went with them inside the stadium.
After a few minutes, he came and pointed her toward a side corridor.
"Follow me."
The moment she entered backstage, the atmosphere completely changed.
Noise from the crowd became distant.
Staff rushed everywhere with earpieces and schedules.
Lights, cables, screens—everything felt like controlled chaos.
Jae guided her through restricted corridors until they reached a side-stage viewing zone.
It wasn't the dressing room.
It wasn't inside the main artist area.
It was a quiet production-side balcony and most importantly—
a sidewalk where artists would pass during entrances and exits.
Jae stopped.
"You can sit here."
Zoya looked around.
A small table.
A chair.
Perfect, she nodded softly.
"This is fine."
Jae looked worried. "Don't move from here."
Zoya already opened her laptop. "I won't."
Then casually added,
"And I need tickets for the next two days too."
Jae froze mid-step.
"…What?"
Zoya didn't even look up.
"Minji and the others will come again. So I'll need access."
Jae stared at her in disbelief.
Before he could respond—
A loud sound exploded from inside the stadium.
The opening announcement started.
The crowd roared.
Lights dimmed.
TBS was about to appear.
Jae exhaled sharply and left.
Zoya sat backstage calmly.
Opened her laptop.
And started working.
The stage lights exploded.
The crowd screamed.
TBS appeared on stage.
And from Zoya's position.
It could be understood from the fans' voices.
The energy shook the entire stadium.
For a moment, Zoya paused.
Then she smiled slightly and whispered to herself,
"So this is what everyone was waiting for…"
To be continued...
Regards
ZK