They said, causing Heeyeon to whip her head around in lightning speed, thinking that she must have become paranoid at this point. But when her eyes landed on the person that had blocked her way, she needed to stop a gasp from escaping her throat. You. If she hadn’t felt detached from reality before, she was certainly doing so right now. What were the odds that she was running into you out of all people tonight? With her mouth slightly ajar, she stared at you, realizing that no matter what she did tonight, the rumors would only be worse tomorrow. If she was unlucky -which she definitely was- she might even have to give you an award which would surely make the mob go livid.

Was this the universe telling her that she should flee now? This would probably be her last chance to. As soon as she would show her face in the venue, people would definitely gossip even more. Heeyeon’s brain worked at full stretch. She needed to contemplate which behavior would cause the least amount of damage. If there even was such an option.

“Are you...ok?”

Your voice snapped Heeyeon out of her trance, while also managing to make her cheeks glow bright red. How long had she been staring at you?

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She smiled, but your intense gaze seemed to melt right through her mask.

“Are you sure? I’m sorry if my joke was inappropriate. I didn’t mean no harm. I just think it’s ridiculous that we’re entangled in this mess although we haven’t even talked with each other prior to today.”

You chuckled, making Heeyeon feel understood for the first time today.

“Right?! It’s so frustrating. All your life you work on living decently and then you still end up being in a scandal through no fault of your own.”

She huffed in frustration, glad to finally be able to talk to a person that could comprehend her anger.

“I know. But I’m not even surprised anymore at this point. Aren’t we the puppets of the public anyways? It’s not really in our hands which picture they paint of us in the media.”

You shrugged with a tired sight, making Heeyeon wonder whether you could read her mind.

“Exactly! It’s so scary. Is there even someone on this planet who knows me? Like, do you ever feel like you’re far away no matter where you are? Because no one really knows the real you?”

The second Heeyeon had closed her mouth, she regretted having opened it in the first place. Hadn’t this been a little too much information? You were a complete stranger after all. But when she looked into your face, she could see that you were genuinely thinking about her question, and she felt relief washing over her. At least you didn’t seem like you took her for a complete weirdo.

“Hm...yeah, I think I get what you mean. It’s easy to feel isolated in this industry. Everyone thinks they know the real version of you although it’s just an illusion created by the media, so it’s hard to form real connections.”

Heeyeon nodded eagerly while hanging on your every word, realizing that this short talk with you had probably been more sincere than the ones with half of her so-called “friends” in the past years combined.

“But there are also some good people out there that would be happy to meet the real you.”

You eventually added and when your gazes met, a cold shiver ran down Heeyeon’s spine. Something about the way you looked at her just made her feel like the tabloid press had been right after all and the two of you had known each other for an eternity already. Your gaze completely entrapped her and for a moment she forgot all about the chaos out there. If you would ask her, she would probably run away with you right now. But unfortunately the real world seemed to have other plans and nibbed any crazy idea that she might have had in a bud before she could say it out loud.

“Hani!”

The voice of her manager echoed in the hallway, reminding Heeyeon of the award show that was depending on her presence as the MC. Bashfully, she shook her head to rid herself of her trance and cleared her throat.

“It was nice meeting you, but I need to go now.”

She bowed her head, still feeling a little dizzy when looking at you.

“Of course. Good luck tonight! And don’t worry too much, the rumors will die down in no time.”

You smiled encouragingly, causing a warm feeling to spread in her stomach.

Without wasting any more of her time, you turned on your heel to go your way, inciting instant regret to wash over Heeyeon. Wasn’t it foolish to let someone like you go after what you had just said? It truly wasn’t easy for her to form connections with other people, yet, she had instantly felt connected to you. Torn between her panic to cause any more drama and her desire to get to know you more, she watched you walk further and further away from her until she couldn’t suppress the voice in her head anymore that screamed at her to not forgo this one in a lifetime chance.

“Y/N, wait!”

She yelled a little louder than necessary, making you stop dead in your tracks before looking at her with wide eyes. Ignoring her embarrassment, Heeyeon quickly bridged the distance between the two of you while rummaging through her small clutch, searching for some sort of pen, and eventually finding her eyeliner. When she finally stood before you, you looked at her with your head tilted to the side in confusion as you noticed the eyeliner in her hand. But Heeyeon didn’t give you any time to protest before grabbing your hand to write her number on your arm.

“I know this might be terrible timing, but if you ever feel like talking some more, I would be happy to grab a cup of coffee or something with you.”

She explained hastily, not daring to look into your eyes.

“I’d love that. I’d be happy to get to know the real you more.”

You replied, a smile clearly being audible in your voice. When Heeyeon finally dared to look up, you were grinning brightly, making her feel dizzy all over again.

“Well then it’s settled.”

She giggled sheepishly, wondering since when she was such a shy, giggling mess.

“I’m looking forward to it...jagi.”