Mah-e-Tanha 

Between Two Hearts

Sherri was never meant to be part of the story.

At 31, she leaves behind a life of routines and expectations, boarding a one-way flight to Seoul with nothing but a suitcase and a dream — not of stardom, but of proximity. To the stages, the music, the voices that once lifted her through the darkest seasons of her life. Seoul, she believes, will be her sanctuary. A quiet chapter where she can finally breathe, finally feel, finally live.

But fate, as always, has other plans.

It begins with a chance internship at SKY Entertainment, the powerhouse behind global sensation Slay Kids — eight young idols lighting up the world with synchronized perfection and smiles that hide more than they reveal. Sherri keeps her head down, grateful just to be close to the music. Until a late night in the practice room changes everything.

There, beneath flickering fluorescent lights and trembling breaths, she meets Hyunjin — the group’s most magnetic performer. Beautiful, intense, unknowable. He sees her, really sees her, in a way that startles them both. And behind Hyunjin stands YoungBok, steady and observant. A soft-spoken soul who watches every move Hyunjin makes like it could be their last.

As days turn to weeks, the truth begins to shimmer at the edges of her reality. There’s something between Hyunjin and YoungBok — something old, something sacred, something the world isn’t meant to see. A touch too lingering. A gaze too charged. Sherri feels the weight of it long before she understands it. And when Hyunjin starts looking at her the same way… she knows she's stepped into something dangerous.

She never meant to be the reason Hyunjin hesitates.

She never meant to stir the still waters between two people bound by more than just music.



Between the hearts

The moment the sun peeked gently through the pale curtains, Sherri stirred. Her body was warm beneath the blanket, her face nestled close to the figure beside her. As her eyes adjusted to the soft morning light, Hyunjin was in the middle, his long frame curled protectively between her and YoungBok. 


His brow was faintly furrowed even in sleep, lips parted slightly as he breathed in slow, even rhythm. A soft smile touched her lips. Carefully, so as not to wake him, she leaned forward and pressed a delicate kiss to his forehead. 


Her hand moved instinctively, fingers brushing through YoungBok’s soft hair on the other side of Hyunjin, smoothing the strands that had fallen across his temple. Both lay peaceful, tangled in quiet dreams, wrapped in the warmth of their shared affection and were deep in sleep, their faces serene, breathing even. The comfort of their presence was like a balm. 


Chapter 14: Breath Between the Moments