Epilogue - A Name of My Own

Epilogue: A Name of My Own

Suwei had promised it would be a chill night.

“Just a few friends, some drinks, nothing wild,” she said, tugging Xinyi’s wrist as they stepped into the cozy bar just off the university campus. “Besides, you never get to hang out like a normal person anymore. You’re always rehearsing or filming or being fabulous.”

Xinyi laughed, a scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, long dark hair tumbling down in soft waves. “You’re the one who insisted I wear sunglasses into the café last time.”

“Because you are famous,” Suwei grinned. “And now you’re mine for the night.”

The group was already seated when they arrived–half-familiar faces, mostly classmates of Suwei’s, mixed with some upperclassmen and strangers. The table buzzed with chatter, the scent of grilled food and cheap soju in the air.

As soon as Suwei introduced her, the tone shifted.

“Wait, you’re Xinyi? THE Xinyi?”

“From Starlight Dream? No way.”

“Suwei, how are you friends with her?!”

“Since forever,” Suwei said proudly. “She used to practice singing in my room before livestreaming. I basically raised an idol.”

Xinyi laughed, cheeks tinged pink from attention. The guys at the table leaned in closer, their admiration thinly veiled behind too-long glances.

A few rounds of drinking games later, Xinyi was beginning to sway ever so slightly. Her tolerance had never been strong, and the dares had started escalating.

“Okay! Truth or drink! Xinyi, if you weren’t an idol, who here would you go on a date with?”

She blinked, tipsy and confused, looking from face to face. Before she could answer, someone passed her another shot.

“Here, let me take that one for you,” one of the guys offered, his smile just a little too slick. “You look like you’ve had enough.”

His hand reached toward her glass–

–but another hand got there first.

A calm, steady hand.

“She has a boyfriend,” said Minjae, tone flat but final. “And that person is me.”

The table fell quiet.

Xinyi blinked, tilted her head, then lit up.

“Oh!” she grinned, cheeks flushed with alcohol. “My cute boyfriend is here!”

She reached out and tugged at Minjae’s sleeve like a sleepy child, giggling as she leaned into him.

Suwei choked on her drink.

The guy who’d offered the shot quickly backed off, laughing awkwardly.

Minjae didn’t smile. Not for them.

But when he looked down at her, his expression softened.

“Come on, let’s get you some water.”

Later, as they waited outside for a cab, Xinyi rested her head on his shoulder, eyes half-lidded.

“I’m not just drunk,” she murmured.

“I know.”

“I’m happy.”

He looked down at her–no longer the trembling trainee hiding behind a camera lens, but a woman who had made her name, her voice, and her truth into something permanent.

“I am too,” he said.

And under the yellow glow of streetlights, she whispered, “I’m glad it’s you.”

Her name was Xinyi.

And she had everything she once thought she’d never be allowed to have.

A stage.

A voice.

And someone who called her his–with no shame, and no condition.