Stage Kiss: When Stars Align

Practice Room 12

The clock struck midnight as Luna slipped through the music building's side entrance, using the key Professor Kim had given his advanced composition students. After the disastrous family dinner, she'd spent hours driving around the city before ending up here—her sanctuary.

Practice Room 12 looked different at night. Moonlight filtered through the small window, casting piano-key shadows across the floor. Luna had missed her meeting with Paulo earlier, unable to face him after everything with the Jungs and her father.

She settled at the piano, fingers hovering over the keys. The melody that had been haunting her since dinner—a song about masks and expectations—needed to come out.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Luna nearly fell off the bench. Paulo stood in the doorway, still in his practice clothes from earlier. His hair was slightly messy, as if he'd been running his hands through it.

"How did you—"

"Kenny mentioned this was your thinking spot." Paulo stepped inside, closing the door softly. "And after what happened at dinner..."

Luna stiffened. "You know about that?"

"Mina has a talent for spreading news quickly." He moved closer, moonlight catching his features. "She told everyone how the mayor's perfect daughter ran out on an important family dinner."

"I'm not—" Luna started.

"Perfect?" Paulo's smile was gentle. "I know. That's what makes your music so real."

He sat beside her on the bench, careful to leave space between them. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with coffee made Luna's heart skip.

"Play it," he said quietly. "The melody you've been holding back."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can." Paulo's fingers found the keys, playing the opening notes of "Midnight Dreams"—her song that someone else had claimed. "Like this melody. It feels familiar, doesn't it?"

Luna's hands trembled. Did he know?

"I..." She swallowed hard. "That's not my song."

"No?" Paulo turned to face her fully. "Then why do you look like that every time you hear it? Like someone's stolen your voice?"

Before Luna could respond, voices echoed from the hallway. Her eyes widened in panic—no one was supposed to be here this late.

Paulo reacted instantly, pulling her into the small storage closet at the back of the practice room. They barely fit in the tight space, pressed together between music stands and old sheet music.

Luna held her breath, hyper-aware of Paulo's heartbeat against her back. His arm was around her waist, keeping her steady as footsteps approached.

"I swear I heard piano," a security guard's voice said.

"Probably just the wind," another replied. "These old buildings make weird sounds at night."

The footsteps faded, but neither Luna nor Paulo moved. The closet was dark except for a thin strip of moonlight that caught Paulo's jaw and the curve of his neck.

"Your heart's racing," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear.

"Because we almost got caught," Luna whispered back.

"Is that the only reason?"

Luna turned slightly, intending to create space, but instead found herself face-to-face with Paulo. Their noses almost touched. At this distance, she could see the tiny scar above his eyebrow—a detail never captured in STELLAR 5's perfect photos.

"Why did you really come here tonight?" she asked.

"Because," Paulo's voice was barely audible, "every time you play, I remember something I lost. A competition, years ago. A girl who played like her soul was made of music, then disappeared."

Luna's breath caught. He couldn't possibly...

A loud bang from somewhere in the building made them both jump. Luna stumbled forward, and Paulo's other arm came around her instinctively.

For one endless moment, they stood wrapped in each other's arms in the moonlit closet, the air electric with unspoken words.

Then Luna's phone buzzed, shattering the moment. A text from Rosa: "Dad's sending his assistant to check your dorm. Get back NOW."

"I have to go," Luna whispered, pulling away from Paulo's warmth.

"Wait." His hand caught hers in the darkness. "Your notebook—you left it on the piano."

Luna's heart stopped. Her composition notebook with all her secrets lay open on the piano, moonlight illuminating the pages of her original songs—including "Midnight Dreams."

They emerged from the closet, and Paulo reached the piano first. His eyes scanned the open page, widening slightly.

"These notations..." he started.

Luna snatched the notebook, but not before Paulo had seen enough. His expression shifted from surprise to something deeper, more intense.

"Luna—"

"Please," she cut him off, backing toward the door. "Just... forget what you saw."

"How can I?" Paulo's voice was strained. "When everything makes sense now? The competition, the missing composer, your reaction to our songs—"

A car horn blared from outside—Min-ji's signal that she was waiting.

"I'm sorry," Luna whispered, then fled, leaving Paulo standing in the moonlit practice room with the truth hanging in the air between them.

She practically flew down the stairs, nearly colliding with someone at the building's entrance.

"Whoa!" Kenny steadied her. "Luna? What are you—" He looked past her toward the practice rooms, understanding dawning. "Paulo?"

Luna couldn't speak, just nodded once before rushing to Min-ji's waiting car.

"That bad?" Min-ji asked as Luna collapsed into the passenger seat.

"Worse." Luna buried her face in her hands. "He saw my notebook. He knows."

"Knows what exactly?"

"That I'm—" Luna's phone buzzed with multiple messages:

Kenny: "He's still in Practice Room 12. Never seen him like this."

Rosa: "Assistant's been delayed. You have 20 minutes."

Paulo: "We need to talk. About the competition. About everything."

Then a final message that made Luna's world tilt:

Paulo: "I never forgot your melody, Luna. I've been looking for you since that day."

Min-ji read the text over Luna's shoulder and whistled low. "Well, this just got interesting."

"Drive," Luna pleaded. "Before I do something crazy like go back there."

As they sped away, Luna caught a glimpse of Paulo emerging from the music building, his silhouette outlined by moonlight. He was holding something—a sheet of music that had fallen from her notebook.

Her phone buzzed one last time:

Paulo: "Your secret's safe with me. But Luna? Stop running. Please."

Back in her dorm room, Luna paced while Min-ji kept watch for her father's assistant. Her notebook lay open to the song she'd started writing tonight—about masks falling away and truths coming to light.

A soft knock made them both freeze.

"Luna?" Kenny's voice came through the door. "I brought something you dropped."

She opened the door to find Kenny holding her fallen sheet music. Behind him stood Jay and Joshua, STELLAR 5's rapper and dancer.

"Paulo told us everything," Jay said quietly.

"Well, not everything," Joshua corrected. "Just that you need protection from someone trying to steal your songs."

Luna stared at them. "He didn't tell you...?"

"That you're Midnight Composer?" Kenny smiled gently. "He said that's your story to tell when you're ready."

Fresh tears pricked Luna's eyes.

"We have a plan," Jay announced. "But first—" He pulled out his phone, showing a message from Paulo:

"Practice Room 12. Dawn. Just us."

Luna looked at her unlikely allies—STELLAR 5 members minus their leader, her best friend keeping watch, and somewhere in the mansion across town, a sister covering for her absence.

Her phone lit up with one final message from Paulo: "The piano's yours until sunrise. I'll wait."

Min-ji grinned. "Go. We'll handle the assistant."

"But—"

"Luna," Kenny said softly, "some secrets are worth sharing with the right person."

As if on cue, the first notes of "Midnight Dreams" drifted from Jay's phone—Paulo was in Practice Room 12, playing her song. Playing it the way only she had written it, with all the hidden emotions she'd poured into every note.

Luna made her decision.

"Min-ji, I need to borrow your car again."