It had been three years.

Not that I counted, but some things just stayed in your head whether you wanted them to or not.

Life turned out... normal.

I graduated, found a job at a media company, moved into a small apartment that was way too expensive for what it was. 

Work, deadlines, coffee, sleep. Repeat.

Nothing special.

And for the most part, I stopped thinking about that night.

The livestream.

Him.

At least, I tried to.

"Hey, are you even listening?"

I looked up, blinking. Minji was standing next to my desk, holding two cups of coffee.

"I am."

"You're not."

She put one down.

"Anyway, deadline in two hours."

"I know."

I went back to my screen, but the words didn't stick. They blurred for a second before settling again.

It had been happening more often lately.

Small things.

Forgetting what I was about to say.

Feeling like I'd been somewhere before when I hadn't.

Sometimes even hearing a voice that felt familiar, but never clear enough to understand.

I told myself it was just stress.

It had to be.

By the time I got home, I was too tired to think about anything properly. I dropped my bag, sat down on the couch, and stared at my phone for a while without unlocking it.

Then, almost without thinking, I opened the app.

I hadn't checked it in months.

Maybe longer.

His profile loaded instantly.

Kim Taehyung

Still the same.

Still perfect.

Still... completely out of reach.

I scrolled for a bit, then stopped when I saw the live icon.

He was live.

My thumb hovered over the screen for a second.

This was stupid.

I should just close it.

But instead, I tapped.

The stream opened, and the viewer count climbed fast.

Millions, as usual.

The chat was a blur of messages I couldn't even read.

He was sitting there casually, hoodie on, hair slightly messy, talking about something I didn't catch.

It felt strangely familiar.

Like I'd seen this exact moment before.

I almost laughed at myself.

Of course it felt familiar. He'd done hundreds of lives like this.

I leaned back against the couch, letting the sound play in the background.

I wasn't even really watching.

Just... there.

Then suddenly—

he stopped talking.

It wasn't obvious at first.

But something shifted.

His eyes moved, not across the chat like before, but slower... like he was actually looking for something.

For someone.

My fingers stilled on the screen.

No way.

He tilted his head slightly, squinting a little like he wasn't sure.

Then he smiled.

Not the usual perfect smile.

Softer. Almost amused.

"...oh."

My heart skipped.

The chat exploded, but I couldn't read any of it.

Because he wasn't looking at them.

"...you came back."

Everything in me froze.

No.

That didn't make sense.

He let out a small breath, like he'd just confirmed something to himself.

"I was wondering how long it would take."

My grip on the phone tightened.

This had to be coincidence.

There were millions of people watching.

There was no way—

His gaze shifted slightly, then settled again.

Too still.

Too focused.

"Don't just watch and leave this time. You've always left before I can finish talking."

A quiet pause.

Then, with the faintest hint of a smile:

"Stay for a bit."

My heart was beating way too fast now.

This was ridiculous.

He couldn't see me.

He couldn't know.

And yet—

I didn't close the stream.

I didn't move.

I just stayed there, staring at the screen like if I blinked, something would break.

On the other side, he leaned back like nothing happened, continuing the livestream as usual.

Talking, laughing, reading comments.

Perfect again.

Like those few seconds never existed.

But right before he looked away completely,

his eyes flickered once more.

And this time, his voice dropped just enough that it almost got lost under the noise of the chat.

"...there you are."

I stopped breathing.

W-wait, I'm not that delusional... right??