Before the last song

Mrs. Kim’s high school classroom.

The quiet hum of the classroom was suddenly shattered by a low, persistent buzz. Sitting near the back row, Rei froze, her hand instinctively snapping over her phone screen to hide the bright green notification glowing against her desk.

Beside her, Nova leaned over, dropping her voice to a sharp whisper. "Is it open now?''

“I don’t know, I haven’t checked,” Rei hissed back, glancing nervously toward the front of the room.

Before she could slip the phone into her bag, a shadow fell across her desk. Mrs. Kim stood over her, chalk dust clinging to her dark blazer, her arms crossed over her chest. The entire room fell dead silent.

“What is so important, Miss Rei, that you find yourself looking again and again at your lap instead of paying attention to this board?” Mrs. Kim asked, her voice calm but razor-sharp.

Rei felt the heat rush to her cheeks as thirty pairs of eyes turned toward her. Nova quickly looked down at her notebook, pretending to write furiously to avoid dragging more attention to their corner.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Kim,” Rei said, swallowing hard. “It’s... it’s kind of important.”

Mrs. Kim raised an eyebrow, adjusting her glasses. “More important than your mid-term review?”

She stepped back and gestured toward the door with an open palm. “If whatever is happening on that screen is truly that urgent, you are more than welcome to step out. In fact, if it is more important than my class, you may leave right now.”

Rei gripped her stomach, squeezing her eyes shut to pull off her best performance. “Mrs. Kim... my stomach is hurting really bad. Can I please go to the nurse’s office? I’m feeling really sick.”

Nova jumped in without missing a beat, looking genuinely concerned. “I can walk her there, ma’am! She really doesn’t look good.”

Mrs. Kim sighed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes slightly. “Fine. I know you both just want an excuse to skip anyway, so go wherever you want. Just don’t cause trouble in the halls.”

The moment they cleared the classroom door, Rei dropped the dramatic act. The two girls rushed down the hallway, dodging past open doors until they reached the quiet school garden. Sunbeams filtered through the high oak trees, illuminating a pair of wooden benches hidden away from the main building.

Nova slumped onto a bench, breathing heavily. “Okay, spill! Did the queue open yet?”

Rei pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she tapped the screen. The site was loading a bright countdown timer. “It opens in five minutes!”

“Oh thank goodness, we made it right on time!” Nova gasped, leaning over Rei’s shoulder.

They stared at the screen, watching the seconds tick down: 00:03... 00:02... 00:01.

The button turned bright green—BUY TICKETS NOW.

Rei smashed her thumb against the screen, refresh wheel spinning endlessly as she aggressively selected two general admission seats. “Come on, come on! Load!”

Nova gripped Rei’s arm, terrified to even breathe. “Did it go through?!”

The page flickered, white space filling the browser, until a bold red pop-up smashed their hopes: SOLD OUT.

Rei’s thumb froze in mid-air. She refreshed the page three times, but the bright red warning stayed put. Her stomach dropped for real this time.

Nova dropped her head into her hands with a heavy groan, while Rei stared blankly at the screen, completely crushed. All that risk for nothing.

Later that day, after the disaster at school, Rei and Nova finally made it back to their co-ed student house.

Rei’s bedroom walls were a shrine dedicated to the five-member group. Hyunjin looked regal in the center as the charismatic leader and oldest, flanked by Jay’s powerhouse vocal teasers, Kai’s dynamic dance stills, and Sunwoo’s bright maknae smile. But Rei’s eyes naturally drifted to Minho—the group’s ultimate all-rounder, and her absolute favorite.

Nova slumped onto the floor, clutching an official lightstick. “Look at Hyunjin, Rei. He worked so hard preparing for this tour, and we’re going to miss seeing him live because the site crashed in three seconds.”

Rei collapsed onto her bed, groaning as she stared at her ceiling. “Don’t remind me. I literally risked Mrs. Kim failing me on mid-terms today. We suffered for nothing.” She pointed a dramatic finger at Minho’s framed concept photo. “If he only knew the emotional damage I am experiencing right now.”

Before Nova could answer, a heavy thud echoed through their floorboards.

The sound was followed by loud footsteps, boisterous laughter, and the distinct scrape of heavy furniture dragging down the hall right outside their room.

Rei sat up, her eyebrows furrowing. Being on the fourth floor of the student house, they were used to standard noise, but this sounded like a full crew moving in.

“What is going on out there?” Nova asked, standing up.

Rei swung her legs off the bed. “The manager said no one was moving onto this floor until next month.”

Curious, the two girls crept toward the entrance. Rei pulled the door open just an inch, peeking into the brightly lit corridor.

Standing right outside the neighboring unit was a tall guy holding a massive plastic storage bin. He had his back turned, tossing a roll of packing tape to his friend, who was currently wrestling a full-length mirror past the narrow doorframe.

The friend turned around first, pushing dark bangs out of his eyes. “Theo, grab the other end before I break this thing!”

Nova gasped quietly behind Rei. “Wait... is that Theo?”

Rei’s eyes widened as the guy holding the bin finally turned around, wiping sweat from his forehead.

It was Noah.

Noah. The most arrogant, popular guy in their school—and the absolute last person either of them wanted as a neighbor.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Rei whispered, stepping back into the shadows of her doorway.

“Has management lost their mind?” Nova hissed, grabbing Rei’s sleeve. “They let him move in right next door?!”

Neither girl had any idea that the guy currently kicking a cardboard box into his new room was not only their worst nightmare, but also shared the exact same blood as the idol on Rei’s wall.