In this vast universe, where every soul plays a hidden role… there were those who searched, and those who hid.
Detective Kim did not stop.
The threads of the case were tightening before him, and the identity of the "girl with pink hair" haunted him like an uncatchable shadow.
But…
In another part of Seoul, precisely at ten in the morning, a completely different world was preparing to ignite.
Bright lights, massive mirrors, overlapping noise…
The scent of makeup mixed with the heat of styling tools, while the constant hum of hair dryers droned on endlessly like an unbroken chant.
Backstage, the five members of the group XYZ sat together.
Lee Jun-ho… laughed loudly, breaking the tension as usual.
Choi Hyun-woo… silent, watching his reflection in the mirror with sharp eyes.
Jung So-jin… fiddled with his pen, drawing random lines across the paper in front of him.
Park Ji-hoon… clasped his hands calmly, as if saving his energy for the moment on stage.
And Park Min-soo… sat upright, calm… like a center of balance amid the chaos.
"Ready?"
It was a simple question from one of the staff members, but its echo felt like the signal for the beginning of the show.
The doors opened.
And with them… the sound exploded.
Screams, cheers, names being called with devotion, as if the entire hall was beating with a single heart.
The members sat behind a long table.
In front of them were five microphones, bottles of cold water, and stacks of photos of the group.
The names began to be called.
One by one, fans stepped forward.
"Hello! Is this your first time?"
Jun-ho's voice was full of excitement.
He signed quickly, adding a small heart next to the name, then raised his hand with a wide smile: "High five?"
Laughter, applause… a fleeting moment, but enough to be remembered.
"Your name is beautiful…"
Hyun-woo said in a soft tone, his eyes fixed on the girl in front of him.
"Does it have a special meaning?"
He wrote slowly, as if his words were a message, not just an autograph.
"You waited all this time for me?"
So-jin laughed, leaning forward, then drew a funny face on the album.
The girl laughed despite her nervousness, and that was exactly what he wanted.
"Thank you… truly."
Ji-hoon's voice was low, but the warmth in it reached easily.
He extended his hand shyly, a light touch… then a sincere smile.
Then came Park Min-soo's turn.
"I'm grateful you're here."
He didn't need to raise his voice; his tone alone was enough.
He leaned slightly forward, carefully writing, then handed the photo back as if offering something more valuable than an autograph.
Time passed.
Minutes dissolved into noise and laughter, everything going as it should…
Until a girl appeared.
A teenager… maybe sixteen.
She wasn't crying. She wasn't shaking.
But her eyes…
They moved unnaturally fast, as if searching for something… or escaping something.
Her steps were slow.
Steady… but hesitant.
She sat in front of Lee Jun-ho.
"Hello!"
He smiled at her, but she did not smile back.
A part of his excitement faded immediately, and his autograph became shorter than usual.
She moved to Hyun-woo.
He looked at her for a long moment.
"What's your name?"
Silence.
Something in her eyes unsettled him.
So-jin tried to make her laugh, but even his smile slowly faded.
Ji-hoon lowered his gaze unconsciously, his fingers slowly interlocking.
And finally…
She stopped in front of Min-soo.
He raised his head toward her.
He smiled…
Then his smile disappeared for a fraction of a second.
A strange feeling crept into him.
"Hello…"
He said softly.
"Are you okay?"
Silence.
"What's your name?"
Her voice came after a delay, weak:
"Can I… hug you?"
A one-second hesitation filled the space.
He glanced quickly toward the security guards.
Everything seemed normal.
He stood slightly, leaned over the table, and opened his arms.
She approached slowly.
Whispers.
Suddenly…
Min-soo's pupils trembled.
The pen fell from his fingers.
Time slowed.
From the side, So-jin froze completely.
The girl pulled away quickly from the hall, a faint smile on her lips…
A smile like a snake that had just released its venom into its prey.
Min-soo barely managed to sit again.
His hand trembled as he tried to hide it.
So-jin leaned toward him and whispered: "Hyung… are you okay?"
Min-soo forced a smile with difficulty.
"I'm completely fine… don't worry."
Fans kept coming one after another, but Min-soo's breath, trapped in his chest, began to suffocate him.
He resisted the urge to leave the event, and despite the crushing anxiety, he somehow managed to finish the fan meeting naturally…
At least in everyone's eyes.
Inside him, something else was brewing in the dark.
The blame began.
Overlapping voices, distant, unclear.
"Why did you hug her?"
"You know the rules well."
"No excessive physical contact."
But those voices were too far away to fully grip his attention.
He drifted away in silence.
Only the girl's voice kept echoing in his head without stopping:
"The smell of guilt… is all over you."
His body swayed like a drunk man, barely managing to get into the car.
In the front seat, his manager sat.
He turned toward him, eyebrows furrowed with concern.
"Min-soo, you came back early…"
But he stopped abruptly.
Min-soo was struggling to unbutton his shirt, sweat pouring down his body as he leaned heavily into the back seat.
"Oh my God… you don't look well. Should I take you to the hospital?"
Min-soo raised his hand weakly, signaling him to stop talking.
His voice came out trembling, breathless:
"Take me home… please."
All the way, the girl's voice never left his ears.
"The smell of guilt… is all over you."
They weren't just words.
They felt like something embedded inside his chest, slowly crushing his breathing.
The car stopped in front of his house.
Min-soo stepped out with difficulty, his movements unsteady.
The manager hurried out to support him, but Min-soo pushed his hand away immediately.
"I'm fine… just go."
The man hesitated for a few seconds, then reluctantly returned to the car.
He drove off, still watching Min-soo through the mirror.
Min-soo entered the door, hands trembling as he typed in the code.
The moment the door opened, he froze.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Who are you…? What are you doing in my house?"
A figure dressed entirely in black, face hidden behind a dark mask.
He gave him no time to react.
He rushed forward.
A white blade flashed in his hand.
A scream.
Then…
Drops of blood.
One by one, falling slowly onto the floor in horrifying silence.
Min-soo staggered backward before collapsing like a tree cut from its base.
In that moment, everything vanished.
Pain. Sound. Fear.
Only one image remained in his mind.
Himi.
Her smile… the warmth of her hands… her unwavering presence.
Am I… going to die?
His vision began to fade, while his manager's voice grew distant and distorted.
"Min-soo! Stay with me!"
"Oh my God… how did this happen?!"
But even in his weakest moment, he did not think of himself.
He thought of her.
Himi…
The only person in this world who saw Park Min-soo the human… not the idol.