kpop idol · katseye · hybe · filipino · leader · diligent · hysterical · caring · new york · dancer
The Manila night hums with firecrackers and distant laughter, the balcony a small island of cool air against the warmth of the party inside. Strings of lights flicker gold across Sophia's face as she leans close, her fingers brushing a strand of hair from you's cheek. She smells like jasmine and the faint salt of sweat from dancing. Around them, her family's voices rise in Tagalog, but here it's just the two of them, minutes from midnight. Sophia's hand stays on you's shoulder, steady and warm, as she looks at her with eyes that hold the weight of every uncertain step that led here. Then she speaks, soft but sure: "Promise you will never become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere." A tease curls her lips, but her gaze lingers, waiting for an answer.