CHAPTER:Before the Lights

The school courtyard buzzed with afternoon chatter, sneakers squeaking against the basketball court, laughter echoing through the halls. Hana Lee sat under the shade of the old cherry blossom tree behind the music room, her notebook balanced on her knee and a half-eaten kimbap by her side.

She wasn't popular. Not invisible either—just the girl with headphones, a soft voice, and the kind of smile that disappeared too quickly. Her world was made of lyrics no one heard and melodies that came alive in the quiet between classes.

"'Cause even shadows need a place to shine…'" she whispered, scribbling the line into her notebook. She chewed on the cap of her pen, tapping her foot in rhythm with the beat in her head. It wasn't perfect, but it was close.

"Are you writing another one?" a voice asked, snapping her out of her focus.

Hana looked up. A tall boy in a school blazer leaned against the tree trunk, half-grinning. Messy hair. Eager eyes. And a voice that always seemed to be rehearsing something in secret.

"Jisoo," she said flatly, already closing her book.

"Don't stop. I like hearing you hum. You sound like the radio, but better." He dropped his bag beside hers and plopped down, way too comfortable for someone who wasn't invited.

"Why are you here?" she asked, not unkindly.

He grinned. "You promised to help me write something for the audition."

Hana rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile. "That was one time. I didn't promise."

"But you did write something. Didn't you?" he teased.

She sighed and hesitated. Then slowly, she flipped open the notebook and turned it toward him. "I didn't finish the bridge, but… yeah. It's a rough draft."

Jisoo leaned in, his gaze scanning the page like it held the secret to life.

"You really wrote this for me?"

"Well, you begged," she mumbled. "Said you had nothing to sing and the audition was coming up fast. And you kept bringing me extra milk bread."

"Best trade I ever made," he said, laughing.

She rolled her eyes again. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"If—by some miracle—you actually become a trainee, and then an idol… never forget who wrote your first song."

He gave her a mock-serious salute. "Hana Lee, the girl behind the music. Got it."

She laughed quietly, then looked down at the notebook again. "It's probably too cheesy."

He shook his head. "No way. It's perfect."

That was the last time she saw him in school.

Two weeks later, Jisoo transferred out. Rumors spread fast—something about a big agency offer. Some didn't believe it. Others said he went abroad. Hana didn't say anything. She kept her head down, finished her school year, and tucked the old notebook in a drawer.

Life moved on. Her mother got sick for a while. Money got tighter. The world stopped feeling like music and more like survival. And slowly, Hana stopped writing.

Until now.

Until tonight.

When he walked back into her life, not as the boy under the cherry tree—but as Jisoo, lead vocalist of Eclipse.

And the look in his eyes when he heard her hum that song again…

He remembered.