I Miss You
The worst part wasn't the distance.
Not really.
You could survive different countries.
Different time zones.
Different schedules.
Different lives.
You'd survived all of that for three years.
No.
The worst part was that Henry was still somehow the person you wanted to tell everything to.
Every achievement.
Every stupid joke.
Every bad day.
Every good day.
Every song you wrote at three in the morning.
Every outfit you were excited about.
Every time something reminded you of him.
Which happened far too often.
When Henry left SM, everyone expected things to change.
Friendships faded all the time in the industry.
People got busy.
Lives moved on.
But somehow yours never did.
Not with him.
The day he left, you'd sat together in one of the practice rooms.
Neither of you had wanted to acknowledge it.
Because acknowledging it made it real.
"You better not forget me."
Henry had looked genuinely offended.
"Forget you?"
"People say that and then disappear."
He pointed at you dramatically.
"You disappear."
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
You laughed.
"I literally text you every day."
"Exactly."
He crossed his arms.
"So if you stop, I'll know you've betrayed me."
"Betrayed you?"
"Yes."
"You make this sound like a historical drama."
"It is."
You rolled your eyes.
But then his smile softened.
And so did yours.
"Promise?"
The joking vanished immediately.
Henry looked at you.
Really looked at you.
And held out his pinky.
"Promise."
You hooked yours around it.
"Promise."
Three years later.
You had kept that promise.
Every single day.
Texts.
Voice notes.
Calls.
FaceTimes.
Photos.
Memes.
Random videos.
Sometimes entire conversations consisting only of cat pictures.
You spoke so often that people assumed you saw each other regularly.
You didn't.
Not once.
Not in three years.
Because every time schedules almost aligned—
Something happened.
A tour.
A show.
A comeback.
A festival.
A recording.
A variety appearance.
A flight delay.
A canceled trip.
A missed opportunity.
Three years.
Three entire years.
And somehow you still hadn't managed to be in the same room.
At first it had been fine.
You missed him.
Obviously.
But it was manageable.
Then the missing changed.
It became heavier.
Sharper.
More painful.
And somewhere during those three years, you made a horrifying discovery.
You were in love with him.
You didn't know exactly when it happened.
Maybe it had always been there.
Maybe it had grown slowly.
Maybe it was hearing his voice after exhausting days and feeling instantly better.
Maybe it was how he remembered every tiny detail about your life.
Maybe it was how he still called when he knew you were stressed.
Maybe it was how he always made time.
No matter how busy he got.
No matter how exhausted he was.
No matter what country he was in.
Maybe it was everything.
The realization ruined you.
Because now missing him wasn't just missing your best friend.
Now it was missing someone you loved.
Someone you couldn't touch.
Couldn't hug.
Couldn't sit beside.
Couldn't see.
Not really.
Not beyond a screen.
And lately things had gotten worse.
A lot worse.
You were exhausted.
Burnt out.
Lonely.
Your schedule had been relentless for months.
Tour.
Interviews.
Variety appearances.
Photoshoots.
Fashion events.
Studio sessions.
Brand deals.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
You smiled constantly.
Performed constantly.
Worked constantly.
And slowly started falling apart.
Nobody noticed.
Not really.
You were good at hiding it.
Idols learned how.
You smiled.
Laughed.
Answered questions.
Performed.
Then went home and cried.
The loneliness was what got you.
Not being alone.
Being lonely.
There was a difference.
You were surrounded by people constantly.
Managers.
Staff.
Fans.
Other idols.
Producers.
Stylists.
Hundreds of people.
Yet somehow you'd never felt more alone.
Especially at night.
When everything got quiet.
When there were no cameras.
No lights.
No audiences.
No distractions.
Just you.
And your thoughts.
And the ache in your chest.
And Henry.
Always Henry.
You started sleeping less.
Eating less.
Smiling less when nobody was watching.
Then came tonight.
You were sitting on your couch.
Blanket wrapped around your shoulders.
Phone buzzing beside you.
You'd spent almost an hour crying.
For no reason.
Or maybe for every reason.
Your eyes hurt.
Your head hurt.
Your chest hurt.
Everything hurt.
Then your phone lit up.
Henry FaceTiming.
You stared at it.
Briefly considered ignoring it.
But you couldn't.
Not him.
Never him.
So you answered.
His face immediately appeared.
Messy hair.
Bright smile.
Familiar.
Painfully familiar.
God.
You missed him.
"Hey."
His grin widened.
"Hey."
For a second everything felt normal.
Then his expression changed.
Immediately.
"...What happened?"
Your stomach dropped.
"Nothing."
"Don't do that."
You looked away.
"Do what?"
"That."
His voice softened.
"You're crying."
You laughed weakly.
"No I'm not."
"Your eyes are literally red."
You rubbed them.
Too late.
Henry frowned.
"How long have you been crying?"
You shrugged.
His expression darkened.
"Y/N."
Something in your chest twisted.
Because he knew.
Of course he knew.
After all these years he always knew.
"Talk to me."
You looked down.
"Please."
And suddenly—
You couldn't do it anymore.
Couldn't pretend.
Couldn't smile.
Couldn't keep carrying everything.
Your lip trembled.
Henry immediately sat forward.
Concern flooding his face.
"Hey."
That was it.
That tiny word.
The concern.
The gentleness.
The familiarity.
Everything snapped.
You burst into tears.
"Y/N!"
You covered your face.
Sobbing.
Actually sobbing.
The kind that hurt.
The kind you couldn't stop.
Henry looked terrified.
"Hey, hey, hey."
His voice shook.
"Talk to me."
You couldn't.
For almost a minute.
Then finally—
"I miss you."
The words came out broken.
Raw.
Painful.
Henry froze.
"I miss you."
You laughed through tears.
"I miss you so much."
His expression shattered.
"It hurts."
Your shoulders shook.
"It physically hurts."
Henry stared.
Speechless.
Three years.
Three years of pretending you were okay.
Three years of smiling through screens.
Three years of telling each other you'd meet soon.
And now suddenly all of it came pouring out.
"I miss my best friend."
Tears streamed down your face.
"I miss you so much."
Henry swallowed hard.
"I know."
"No."
You shook your head.
"You don't."
Your voice cracked.
"You don't know how bad it's gotten."
The silence that followed was awful.
Then quietly—
"What do you mean?"
You looked away.
And admitted the truth.
"I haven't been doing well."
Henry immediately straightened.
"What?"
"I've been trying."
Your voice sounded hollow.
Even to yourself.
"I'm tired."
Henry's face paled.
"So tired."
You wiped tears away.
"I keep working."
A shaky laugh.
"And smiling."
Another.
"And pretending."
His eyes looked glassy.
"Y/N..."
"I don't know how to stop feeling like this."
Silence.
Then:
"How long?"
You hesitated.
"Months."
Henry closed his eyes.
Months.
Months.
And he hadn't known.
When he opened them again, they looked devastated.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Because you didn't want to worry him.
Because he was busy.
Because everyone was busy.
Because you didn't want to be a burden.
Because you thought you could handle it.
You couldn't.
"I don't know."
Henry stared at you.
Then suddenly stood.
You blinked.
"Henry?"
He disappeared from camera.
You heard drawers opening.
Zippers.
Movement.
"What are you doing?"
No answer.
A minute later he returned.
Holding a suitcase.
Your brain stopped.
"...Henry."
"I'm coming."
"What?"
"I'm coming."
You laughed weakly.
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
"Henry—"
"I'm booking a flight."
Your heart nearly stopped.
"Right now."
"Henry."
"No."
His voice broke.
"You don't get to tell me no."
You stared.
He looked furious.
Terrified.
Heartbroken.
"You've been suffering for months."
His eyes shone.
"And I'm on another continent."
You felt tears return.
"Henry—"
"I'm coming."
His voice softened.
"I'm coming."
Like it was a promise.
Like it was inevitable.
Like nothing in the world could stop him.
And for the first time in months—
You felt a tiny bit better.
Three days later.
The airport.
Your hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Henry's flight had landed twenty minutes ago.
Twenty minutes.
You'd spent three years waiting.
Now twenty minutes felt unbearable.
Then—
You saw him.
And the world stopped.
There he was.
Exactly the same.
And completely different.
Real.
Not a screen.
Not a voice.
Not pixels.
Real.
Henry spotted you.
And immediately dropped his suitcase.
Neither of you cared.
You ran.
So did he.
Then suddenly—
His arms were around you.
And yours were around him.
Tight.
Desperate.
Unwilling to let go.
Three years disappeared instantly.
You buried your face in his shoulder.
Henry held you even tighter.
"Hi."
His voice cracked.
You started crying again.
"Sorry."
"No."
His arms tightened.
"Don't apologize."
You clung harder.
Because he was here.
Actually here.
Warm.
Real.
Solid.
Here.
"I missed you."
Henry laughed shakily.
"I know."
"No."
You squeezed him.
"I really missed you."
His laugh turned watery.
"I know."
Neither of you let go.
Not for a very long time.
And after that?
You became practically inseparable.
Henry stayed.
Longer than planned.
Much longer.
Movies.
Takeout.
Walks.
Conversations until sunrise.
Music sessions.
Laughing.
Healing.
And whenever he sat beside you—
You touched him.
Not because you meant to.
But because your brain still couldn't believe he was real.
A hand on his sleeve.
His shoulder.
His arm.
His hand.
Every single time.
Henry noticed.
Of course he did.
But he never said anything.
Just let you.
Because after three years apart—
He couldn't stop touching you either.
One night you fell asleep on the couch.
Head on his shoulder.
Hand gripping his hoodie.
Henry looked down.
And smiled.
Because for the first time since arriving—
You looked peaceful.
Happy.
Safe.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
Neither of you ever wanted to do long-distance friendship again.
Especially not when the feelings between you had quietly become something much bigger.
His fingers gently brushed your hair.
"I'm here."
You didn't hear him.
Already asleep.
But your grip tightened anyway.
And Henry smiled.
Because this time—
He wasn't going anywhere.
And for the first time in a very long while—
Neither of you had to miss each other anymore.
The End. ❤️
