Chapter 3: The Impossible Search
The night was long, and insomnia haunted me like an old enemy. Since that encounter, the image of **Seo Ji-ah** continued to invade my mind, and with every passing hour, the void in my chest grew deeper. Who was she, really? Why did I feel this irrational need to find her, even though I only knew the echo of her name?
After spending hours scrolling through social media tags under the blue light of my phone, I decided to do the unthinkable. The next morning, in the agency's meeting room, I approached my manager.
—**"Are you looking for someone in particular?"** —Mr. Kim asked skeptically, setting his coffee on the table as he watched me pace restlessly.
—**"Yes. A girl from the last fansign. Her name is Seo Ji-ah,"** —I blurted out, trying to keep my voice steady—. **"I need to find her, Hyung. I need to know who she is."**
My manager frowned deeply. It wasn't normal for me to ask for something like this; a K-pop idol couldn't go looking for a fan without risking a scandal that could destroy years of hard work. At that moment, **Do-yun** walked into the room, catching part of the conversation.
—**"Min-jae, think about this carefully,"** —**Do-yun** intervened with his calculating and protective tone—. **"Tracing a fan using company resources is crossing a dangerous line. If the press finds out, they'll say you're stalking your followers."**
—**"It's not like that,"** —I replied firmly, looking directly at my manager—. **"I just want to... thank her for something. Please."**
Mr. Kim saw something in my eyes—a spark of genuine desperation he hadn't seen in all my years as a trainee. He sighed and gave a slight nod to the staff. The initial searches, however, were frustrating. Neither the security footage nor the pre-registration lists showed a profile that fully matched.
—**"Cross-reference the attendees who bought the album in that section, check every slow-motion frame,"** —I insisted as my anxiety rose—. **"She has to be somewhere."**
Three days passed, feeling like months. Uncertainty weighed on my shoulders like a persistent shadow. Meanwhile, in a small cafe on the other side of Seoul, **Ji-ah** tried to focus on her work, unaware that her best friend, **Ha-rin**, was watching her curiously.
—**"You've been distracted since Saturday, Ji-ah,"** —**Ha-rin** said while wiping the counter—. **"Is it about the Eclipse guy? I told you those eyes were going to haunt you."**
Ji-ah couldn't answer. The void I felt was shared, even if she didn't know it yet.
Just as I was about to give up and accept that she would be nothing more than a ghost in my memory, my phone vibrated. It was a message from my agent.
*"We might have a lead. An email record linked to a last-minute purchase."*
My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I was closer to her than I had ever been.