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 apartment had fallen into a comforting silence. 


Behind her closed door, Sherri was fast asleep — curled into her blanket, her breathing even and deep after a long day of fittings, planning, and the rollercoaster of emotions that had come with it. The weight of the upcoming Nikkah lingered in the air, like the scent of jasmine after a storm — delicate, heavy, and somehow grounding. There had been laughter earlier, teasing remarks about who would cry first, playful nudges, and moments where even the softest gaze felt like it could split the earth open with its intensity. 


In the next room, Hyunjin stood silently by the window, hands tucked into the sleeves of his oversized sweater, his long hair brushing his cheek as the breeze from the slightly cracked glass touched his skin. The city was still alive — neon signs blinking, cars moving in rhythmic pulses, life continuing in the vast distance — but inside, everything had stilled. 


Chapter 25: Between Their Promises and Pillows