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It had been a week since the concert.
Freo still didn’t know why he had done it. The moment his eyes met Kaelix’s, something inside him snapped. Without thinking, he got up and left the venue. Even his co-worker was baffled as he slipped out of the venue like a shadow. He wasn’t being himself.
He couldn’t explain it. Not to her, not even to himself. The best he could manage was a vague, “I don’t feel well.”
Fortunately, she believed him. She even suggested he take the next day off, promising to cover for him with their boss.
Now, he was back in the loop of his usual routine. Commuting to work, squeezing into trains like everyone else during rush hour, and returning home feeling like he’d been flattened by the weight of the day.
He told himself things were normal again, but something about that night still lingered like smoke on his skin.
Then, one morning, everything changed again.
“Freoooooo!” his co-worker wailed, throwing herself dramatically onto his shoulder. “What am I supposed to do with my life now?! Kaelix just announced he’s retiring from the industry!”
He stared at her in silence for several seconds, her words echoing in his head.
“…what?”
“It’s true,” she sobbed, thrusting her phone in his face. “He just posted the official statement. Look!”
He took the phone from her trembling hands, reading the headline of an article that was written in bold.
“I’m Burned Out: Popular Singer Kaelix Debonair Announces Retirement from the Industry.”
Nation-loved singer Kaelix Debonair announced his retirement this morning, citing burnout and mental health struggles as the main reasons for stepping away from his career. “I’ve been dealing with a lot mentally, and I can’t even be myself anymore,” he said. “It feels unfair to the fans, because I can’t show them my genuine self, and that’s always been important to me.”
He continued, “I’m going to take this chance to step back and heal properly, but I don’t think I can ever take the stage again. I still love music—truly. I just hope I can still meet everyone through it, even if I can’t see you face to face anymore.”
Freo read the article twice, his fingers tightening slightly around the phone.
Why now?
What happened?
His co-worker let out another anguished cry. “Why couldn’t he just go on a hiatus?! Waaaaah, I’m going to miss him so much, Freo! What do I do now? My GOAT is leaving…” she collapsed into sobs.
Freo glanced at her as tears streamed down her face. She looked genuinely heartbroken.
“Um…” he hesitated, awkward in the face of her grief. “If it makes you feel a little better… I’m here if you ever want to vent. Or cry. About your idol, I mean.”
She looked up from her hands, her eyes wet but shimmering. Then, with renewed emotion, she flung herself into his arms.
“Waaaa, thank you, Freo! You’re such an angel—I love you so much!” she cried, hugging him tightly.
Freo didn’t say anything. He just sat there, letting her sob into his shoulder.
And just like that, he spent the next hour quietly listening to her heartbreak—while his own questions, heavier and quieter, churned beneath the surface.
***
Freo had clocked out for the day. He was supposed to take the train home, but Kaelix’s retirement announcement kept echoing in his mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake it off.
He needed answers.
And somehow, instead of heading home like usual, his feet led him to the park near their old school—drawn by something invisible, like a red thread tugging at his soul. He didn’t know why he was so certain, but he knew Kaelix would be there.
And he was right.
As he stepped into the quiet park, the soft glow of a streetlamp lit up the silhouette of a tall man sitting on an old wooden bench. He lounged with his legs stretched out, as if time moved differently around him. A breeze stirred the trees, brushing through his hair. He didn’t flinch—just sat there with half-closed eyes, like he was listening to something ancient in the wind.
“Kaelix,” Freo called, his voice soft but clear.
Kaelix turned. “Freo,” he replied with a smile—not the bright, polished smile he gave the cameras, but the gentle one he used to save just for him.
“How did you know I’d be here?” he asked.
Freo looked down at the gravel path. “I didn’t. I just… had a feeling.”
Kaelix chuckled. “It’s like we’re connected by a red thread,” he said. “Kinda magical, if you think about it.”
Freo gave a quiet “mm-hmm” in response, and then silence fell between them. No words. No questions. Just the sound of wind whispering through the trees as they sat side by side on that familiar bench.
For Freo, the silence felt strangely comforting. Kaelix knew why he was here. Knew the questions running through his head. But as always, he wouldn’t be the one to say it first. He was waiting for Freo.
Freo let out a sigh. “I’m sure you already know why I came,” he said quietly. “I need to know… why you decided to retire.”
Kaelix looked up at the sky, humming a quiet tone only the two of them would recognize. Then he turned, eyes soft and vulnerable, like the summer evening when he’d kissed him for the first time.
“It’s a tough world in there,” Kaelix began, gaze dropping to the ground. “Remember when you told me I’d be strong enough to handle it alone? The truth is—I’m not. Every day, it felt like I was breaking. Like I was fighting a battle with no one beside me. And you know how much I hate being alone.”
He paused. “I needed you, Freo. In that world… everyone has an agenda. I can see it in their eyes. It makes me sick. You were the one only one who was ever genuine with me.”
The guilt hit Freo like a truck. Had he thrown the person he loved most into a den of solves, thinking he’d survive? He felt like the worst person alive. He felt terrible about it.
“I’m sorry…,” was the only thing that Freo could say.
But Kaelix laughed softly, brushing it off. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. How could you? You just wanted me to chase my dream. I never blamed you, Freo. I never could.”
He added with a small, self-deprecating smile, “Guess I’m just too soft-hearted, huh? Haha!”
He was still the same Kaelix—gentle, forgiving, always putting others first. The same boy who would’ve taken the fall if it meant someone else could stay standing. Freo felt a strange sense of relief. He hadn’t changed after their breakup.
“Do you… ever regret it?” Freo asked after a pause. “Leaving the industry, I mean. It was your dream.”
Kaelix shrugged. “Dreams don’t always feel the way you imagined once you’re living them. I tried it. I gave it my all. But it wasn’t what I thought it would be. And that’s okay. Not everything turns out how we expect.”
He added, smiling faintly. “Besides, I’m not giving up music. I want to try producing. Writing songs. I think I have a talent for it. You saw how my last song topped the charts, right?”
Even half-joking, Freo could see it. His talent. His drive. He truly believed Kaelix would make it work.
The silence returned, soft and warm. They didn’t need to speak. Just sitting there, together again after all this time, felt like enough.
Then Kaelix stirred. His voice was hesitant, his cheeks dusted red.
“D-Do you think…” he stammered. “We could… you know… try again?”
Freo had seen it coming the moment Kaelix blushed. He was still so easy to read. It made him wonder how someone so transparent managed to keep a straight face in front of cameras. But that was Kaelix—open, honest, vulnerable when he trusted you.
Freo didn’t answer right away. He stared into the distance, imagining a life they might rebuild.
“But I said terrible things to you,” he said quietly.
“Who cares?” Kaelix replied without hesitation. “That’s all in the past. Don’t dwell on it. What matters now is the future—our future. And no one’s going to stand in our way this time.”
He reached for Freo’s hand—cold from the night air—and wrapped his own around it, warm and steady. His eyes searched Freo’s face, pleading, like a puppy waiting to be spoiled. Freo reached up and brushed Kaelix’s cheek with his free hand, tender and aching.
He missed this. He missed him.
“Kaelix,” he whispered.
“Mm-hmm?” came the soft reply.
Freo hesitated. It was easier to say when Kaelix wasn’t around to hear it, but this time was different.
“I… I miss you.”
He said it. Finally.
Kaelix’s eyes widened. Shock. Joy. He wasn’t expecting it—not from Freo, who used to dodge those words when they dated. They saw each other almost every day back then, so Freo never felt the need to express those unnecessary words.
But now…
“D-Do you really mean it?” Kaelix asked, voice flustered. “You really mean it when you say you miss me, Mr. Freodore? Can I take that as a yes? That you want us to try again?”
Freo swore he could see a wagging tail behind Kaelix. He couldn’t help but chuckle. How he missed this—being pestered by a lovesick Kaelix, like a giant samoyed who didn’t know his own strength.
He was his sunshine. His sunflower.
“Yes, Kaelix,” Freo said, smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Let’s start over. Let’s build a future together.”
Kaelix pulled him into a tight hug—so tight it felt like he never wanted to let go. “Yeay!,” he cheered. “You’re mine again, Freo!”
Then he loosened the embrace just enough to look at Freo’s lips, cheeks burning red.
Freo sighed internally. Predictable.
“C-Can I… y-you know…” Kaelix stammered, clearly failing to ask the question. Before he could finish, Freo leaned in and kissed him.
It was tentatively at first—just a brush, feather-light kiss. But in that touch was the weight of everything they hadn’t said, every moment they had lost. Freo could feel the slight tremble in Kaelix’s body, the way he leaned in like he was afraid this was a dream that would vanish the second he moved too quickly.
Freo pressed in a little more, deepening the kiss. Kaelix responded with a soft gasp, and then melted against him, his hands gripping Freo’s sleeves like he never wanted to let go again. Their mouths moved in sync, slow and aching, like they were memorizing each other all over again.
Kaelix tilted his head slightly, letting out the smallest hum, as if the kiss were a melody only they could hear. His fingers slid up to cup Freo’s jaw, thumbs brushing along his cheek like he needed to feel that he was real—that he was here.
In that quiet, empty park—beneath the watchful moon and rustling trees—Freo and Kaelix found each other again. A reunion of two people who had broken apart, wandered lost, and found their way back in the most ordinary, magical place.
By the time they slowly pulled apart, they were both breathless. Foreheads resting together, eyes fluttering open. Neither of them said anything.
They didn’t need to.