Chapter Text
“Falasol Returns to New York: K-Pop Boyband to Light Up Madison Square Garden on May 20, 2026”
“Eonnieeeeee, please go with me?” Chu Minha pleaded, flashing the same sad puppy eyes that never failed whenever she wanted a favor from her friends or family. Today was no exception.
The moment she saw the news about her favorite Korean band, she was instantly determined to attend the concert. But more than anything, she wanted her best friend, Chae Songhwa, to come with her.
The two had become close after Minha arrived in New York for her specialization training. Songhwa was the very first person she met, and from that day on, they quickly became inseparable. Five years older than Minha, Chae Songhwa was a brilliant neurosurgeon who had previously worked at Yulje Hospital before receiving an offer to continue her studies in New York. Though gentle by nature, Songhwa was meticulous and strict in her work. However, her generosity in sharing her knowledge and her excellent teaching technique made her one of the most sought-after mentors among younger doctors.
Chu Minha, on the other hand, was an OB-GYN doctor. Her bubbly, optimistic personality and deep sense of empathy had made her one of the most well-liked physicians among patients and colleagues alike. Though still relatively new in the field, everyone could already see her strong potential to become an exceptional doctor.
“But I don’t even know their songs, Minha,” Songhwa said softly.
Although she had heard of the band, she had never really listened to their music. Most of Songhwa’s time was consumed by hospital duties and research work. On the rare occasions she found free time, she preferred going camping or taking quiet road trips alone.
“You don’t have to know their songs. I’ll even pay for your ticket,” Minha insisted. “Please come with me, eonnie. You know you need a break from the hospital.”
And honestly, Minha had a point.
Songhwa, the hospital’s ever dependable doctor, rarely took a day off. In fact, people at the hospital had started calling her a ghost because she was almost always there.
“Okay, fine, Minha,” Songhwa finally sighed in defeat. “But only if you treat me to samgyeopsal afterward.”
“Deal!” Minha exclaimed instantly, nearly jumping from excitement.
“Ikjun-ah, are you ready? We’re outside your apartment,” Gyeoul said over the phone. Jang Gyeoul, the group’s manager, had been with them since the very beginning. Without her, the group would have been an absolute mess.
“Ne, I’m ready to go, Gyeoul. I’ll be right down,” Ikjun replied as he finished packing his luggage.
“Hyung, let me help you,” Ahn Jeongwon offered, stepping closer to Ikjun.
Jeongwon, or Andrea, was the youngest member of the band. Despite his soft and gentle appearance, he was actually the heir to the Yulje Group. He had once dreamed of following in his siblings’ footsteps and devoting his life to serving the Lord, but his mother strongly opposed the idea. To keep him away from the church, she eventually agreed to let him pursue music instead.
“Thanks, Andrea. Where are the others?” Ikjun asked.
“Oh, Kim Juwan will meet us at the airport while the bear is in the car. He was too lazy to come down to the lobby to see you off.”
“Jeez, that old lazy bear.”
The “bear” they were referring to was none other than Yang Seokhyeong. He was the band’s keyboardist and was known for his quiet nature, sharp observation skills, and unexpected warmth, often noticing first when someone wasn’t feeling well or was in a bad mood.
He owned a chain of bakeries and loved baking, though he rarely had time for it ever since the band’s schedule took over his life.
“Let’s go, boys. Juwan won’t stop calling me and asking where we are,” Gyeoul said, sounding slightly annoyed.
Kim Juwan, the band’s second guitarist, was Ikjun’s childhood friend. He might come off as strict and unfriendly at first, but he had a warm, loyal, and surprisingly soft personality that only a few people truly knew.
Their band, Falasol, started as nothing more than a hobby. They all met in high school, where their friendship first began to form through a shared love for music. Ikjun pursued a degree in music, Junwan and Seokhyeong studied business together, while Andrea went on to study medicine.
Despite their different academic paths, their passion for music never faded. They were discovered when they joined a contest for fun, and that unexpected moment marked the beginning of their career as artists.
From there, Falasol rose far beyond anything they had ever imagined. What started as a small passion project in South Korea had grown into a global phenomenon, placing them at the very peak of their careers, with fans across continents and sold out shows wherever they went. Now, they were on their way to their third world tour, with its first stop in New York, USA.
But the success came at a cost. After two straight years of relentless touring both locally and internationally, the excitement that once fueled them had slowly begun to wear thin, replaced at times by exhaustion they rarely admitted out loud.
The flight ahead was long and familiar, yet an unspoken heaviness lingered between them, quiet but undeniable, as if each of them was running on different levels of tiredness they no longer knew how to name.
Because even at the peak of everything they had worked for, something in them was beginning to quietly strain beneath the weight of it all.
And as they traveled toward New York, they had no idea this chapter would challenge more than their music, but also everything that kept them close.