The Perplexed Fate

The parade had ended, the fireworks had faded, and the park had slipped into a softer, dreamier version of itself.
Only a few scattered lights illuminated the paths now, and the air felt cooler, almost velvet-like against their skin.

"Hey, look!" Sunghoon pointed toward a gathering crowd near the central lake.

A voice over the loudspeakers crackled to life.
"Tonight, Everland invites you to join our special Lantern Festival. 抖阴社区 a wish on your lantern and let it drift into the sky!"

Instantly, Sunoo's eyes lit up.
"We have to do it!" he said, practically dragging Chaewon and Sunghoon toward the registration booth.

Eishi smiled, feeling a little bubble of excitement rise inside her chest.
It was the kind of moment that felt like it only happened in movies - and tonight, for once, it was theirs.

Each of them was handed a delicate white lantern and a small piece of parchment to write their wish.

They sat in a loose circle on the grassy slope by the lake, markers and wishes in hand.

Sunoo immediately started scribbling.
"I'm wishing for unlimited food!" he declared with a cheeky grin.

Sunghoon shook his head, chuckling. "Typical. I'm wishing to get into the national ice skating team."

Chaewon twirled her marker between her fingers. "I'm wishing to always have my friends around me... and to ace every exam, obviously."

Jungwon leaned back on his hands, grinning lazily. "I'm wishing to grow taller. At least two more centimeters, please!"

Everyone burst into laughter, even Eishi.

Heeseung, ever quiet, bent over his paper without a word.
He simply wrote a few lines - no one saw what he wished for.

Then there was Eishi.
She held the marker above the parchment for a long, long moment, staring at the empty space, her heart oddly heavy.

What should she wish for?

There were a million things she could write.
Good grades. A great future. Happiness.

But as she glanced around - at Chaewon's bright laughter, Jungwon's messy hair, Sunoo and Sunghoon bickering, Heeseung's calm, steady presence -
her heart whispered something deeper.

Something she hadn't realized until now.

Slowly, she bent over and wrote:

"I wish... we could all stay like this forever."

Simple.
Small.
But truer than anything she had ever said out loud.

She folded the parchment carefully, tucking it into the base of her lantern.

"Finished?" Jungwon peeked over her shoulder playfully.
She quickly pulled the lantern closer to her chest.

"Not telling," she said with a smile that was softer than usual.

"Bet it's something cheesy," Jungwon teased.

"Maybe," she replied, voice light, even though her heart was beating strangely fast.

Heeseung, sitting just a few steps away, watched silently.
He didn't ask what she wrote.
He didn't tease.
But for a fleeting second, when their eyes met, Eishi had the odd feeling that he somehow already knew.

The staff lit their lanterns for them one by one, a small flame that grew into a golden glow inside the delicate paper.

"Ready?" the announcer called.

They all stood together, six bright orbs of light in their hands, feeling the slight tremble of excitement in the air.

"Three... two... one...!"

They released them into the sky.

A thousand lanterns floated up at once, painting the night with shimmering golden stars.
It was breathtaking - the reflection of the lights shimmering across the lake, the dark silhouettes of the trees swaying gently in the breeze.

Eishi tipped her head back, her jacket slipping from one shoulder as she watched her lantern rise higher, higher, until it was just a tiny point among many.

A part of her heart floated away with it, invisible and unspoken.

Please, she thought silently.
Please let this moment last.

Around her, her friends were laughing and taking pictures, yelling silly things at their floating wishes.

Sunoo tried to jump and catch his again.
Chaewon was pretending to chase hers.
Jungwon made a big show of "waving goodbye" dramatically.

Heeseung just stood quietly, hands deep in his jacket pockets, his dark figure outlined by the soft light.

Eishi watched them all - her heart full and aching at the same time, though she didn't understand why.

Not yet.

But someday, she would look back on this night and realize:
this was the last time everything was still perfectly, beautifully whole.