It was a rainy day. The sound of raindrops tapping against our dorm windows echoed gently through the room, wrapping us in a quiet kind of comfort.
My best friend, Xuan Ye, was standing near the window, arms crossed, enjoying the weather with a calm smile.
Just then, I burst through the door, my expression glowing with excitement. I was grinning at my phone like I'd just won the lottery.
Xuan Ye turned around, eyebrows raised.
"What happened? Why are you smiling like that?"
I held up my phone.
"Look!" I said, practically bouncing on my feet.
She took one glance — and immediately screamed.
"Is this real, Nian?! Are SEVENTEEN really holding a concert?"
"Yes!" I shouted back.
"They are! And guess what—it's near our college! This time, Xuan Ye, we have to see them!"
She clutched my shoulders, her eyes shining.
"It's been my dream to attend their concert. We've missed every chance so far, but now... now it's finally happening!"
I nodded, determined.
"I'll try to book tickets right now. You should too! And ask our friends. Even if one of us manages to get just one ticket, at least someone will see SEVENTEEN!"
She placed her hands firmly on my shoulders, nodding.
"Let's give it our all!"
We stared at each other for a moment before both screaming and hugging, spinning in circles like crazy people. The rain outside didn't matter. That day, it felt like the sun was shining just for us.
---
The next morning, we woke up early, had breakfast, and rushed to class. But our focus wasn't on lectures — it was on our phones.
Xuan Ye and I sat at our desks, anxiously refreshing the ticket site, eyes locked on the countdown. We barely noticed the classroom door open.
Our professor walked in.
The whole class stood up and said in unison,
"Good morning, sir."
…Except us.
Our friends nudged us hard under the desk. We both looked up in horror, then scrambled to our feet.
"G-Good morning!" we said nervously.
The class burst into quiet laughter. Our professor raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"What's this? Trying to stand out, are we?" he said, walking to the front.
Then his smile disappeared.
"If I catch you two on your phones again, I'll make sure you're buried in assignments. In fact…"
He paused dramatically.
"You can start now. One project. Due this week. Congratulations."
Our jaws dropped.
As he began the lesson, we sat down, stunned.
Xuan Ye placed her head on her desk and groaned.
"We've been caught. And not only that… we missed the ticket window."
I sighed deeply and leaned back in my seat.
The dream was slipping through our fingers.
Under the desk, we both kicked our legs in frustration and glanced at each other — two heartbroken Carats who had been so close, yet so far.