Children.
Tiny little creatures you can never truly understand.
They get mad at you, only to forgive you moments later.
They cry, then laugh right after.
Overflowing with energy, like they were born carrying little suns inside them.
Maybe I've grown too old to understand them.
Or maybe that's exactly why I can't stop myself from smiling.
Because the girl in front of me—surrounded by fragments of fading memories—was somehow telling a story about the future.
I didn't know.
Maybe I had sunk too deeply into my role.
Maybe I had forgotten my own brokenness far too quickly.
But why did it suddenly feel like none of that mattered?
As if excitement had quietly come alive inside my veins and carried me away with it.
"Doctor, how long are you planning to keep smiling?"
She frowned at me, puffing out her left cheek before sitting down on the bed with exaggerated annoyance.
I didn't know what to say.
Truthfully, I didn't even understand why I was smiling myself.
Maybe changing the subject would be smarter.
That was what I thought—
Until I noticed a faint buzzing sound coming from near the bed.
Turning my head, my eyes landed on the television.
The first thing that caught my attention—
was her smile.
Wide. Bright.
A smile so radiant it felt as though sadness had never even touched her world.
Then came her hair.
Long and shining beneath the stage lights.
Maybe she was a singer. Or an idol.
It was hard to tell from this distance.
But whoever she was—
she looked impossibly flawless.
Even at first glance, it was obvious.
Her movements were sharp and confident, her expressions vivid, her clothes fitting her so perfectly they almost looked made for her alone.
"Mm… who's this?"
Without realizing it, I had spoken my thoughts out loud.
Florence heard me instantly.
"Hehehe—don't tell me you fell for her too? She's amazing, right?"
She laughed, as if she had already forgotten the irritation from a few seconds ago.
"Who is she?"
I asked quietly.
Maybe curiosity had gotten the better of me.
"She's the most famous Chinese actress! And the way she sings…"
Her smile softened.
"…it feels like she actually lived every single song."
There was warmth in her expression.
But hidden beneath it—
a quiet sadness.
"I love her so much," she continued with sparkling eyes. "One day, I wanna see her in person. Talk to her. Take a picture together… maybe even get an autograph."
The excitement in her voice felt painfully genuine.
I sat beside her on the bed.
Maybe this was a good place to start.
"Then tell me about her," I said, meeting her gaze. "I wanna know her too."
"Really?" she asked, smiling.
Then she started talking.
And somehow—
every word felt alive.
She told me how she first found her videos at school.
How the moment she saw her, something in her chest had started beating differently.
How that smile gave her hope.
How she wanted to learn to smile like that too.
And before I realized it—
I had slowly drowned in her stories.
At some point, the orange glow of sunset began wandering through the window, spilling softly across the room.
Then she looked at me with a wide grin.
"Today was really fun," she said quietly. "Like… really fun."
Without thinking, I found myself smiling back.
"Yeah," I said. "It really was."
"Doctor…"
Her expression suddenly turned serious.
"Can I ask you for three favors?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Whenever someone says that, it usually ends badly for me."
She burst into laughter.
"Will you go outside with me tonight?"
The request caught me off guard.
"Why?" I asked with a teasing smile. "You asking me out on a date?"
Her cheeks turned slightly red.
"O-Of course not!"
Then she lifted her hand toward the sky.
"I want to catch the stars."
Her eyes sparkled.
Brighter than before.
And in that moment—
I saw something blooming inside them.
A flower, newly blossomed.
The longer I looked at her, the more it felt like I was taking one step closer to something I had long forgotten.
As if the hope in her eyes had awakened something sleeping inside my heart.
A distant voice.
A forgotten feeling.
Something blurry—
finally becoming clear.
And for the first time in a very long while—
I wanted to know someone better.
I wanted to hold onto something—
just a little tighter.