Anniversary Special: Two years of Parallel

A chaotic mess of food covered every inch of Jiwon's dining table—fried chicken, tteokbokki, pizza, ramen, cake, and a frankly alarming amount of french fries that Jieun was already stealing off of I.N's plate like it was her legal right.

The screech of chairs, the clinking of cutlery, and the overlapping sound of way too many conversations happening at once filled the room in a beautiful, brain-melting cacophony.

Jiah suddenly stood up, banging a spoon against her glass so hard it was a miracle it didn't shatter "ATTENTION. ATTENTION! Everyone shut up for five seconds!"

Hyunjin groaned, clutching his ears "Jiah, please. My eardrums"

"Oh, cry about it, pretty boy," she shot back

Felix, ever the peacemaker, clapped his hands with that signature sunshine smile "Okay, okay, let's not start a war. We're here to celebrate, remember?"

"Yeah!" Han grinned, throwing both arms in the air "Two years, baby! Two whole years of Parallel being alive. Somehow"

"Barely," Seungmin deadpanned, sipping his drink like this was a business meeting "It's honestly a miracle we've survived this long"

"Wait... two years of what?" Soori blinked, chopsticks frozen halfway to her mouth

"Seriously?" Jiah gasped, smacking her palm against the table "Our story, woman! Parallel! Two years since it started!"

"Ohhh..." Soori hummed, chewing thoughtfully "I thought this dinner was just 'cause we were hungry"

"I am very hungry," Changbin mumbled beside her, lifting a shrimp to his mouth with both hands like it was sacred

For a beat, everyone fell strangely quiet—glancing around at each other, realization dawning in varying degrees. Confusion. Existential dread. Maybe a little betrayal.

"Wait," Soori blinked, eyebrows creeping up "You mean... we're fictional?"

"You're just figuring that out now?" Minji sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose

"Honestly," Hyunjin scoffed, folding his arms, "It explains a lot. Like why we've had, what, eleven emotional breakdowns in forty-six chapters?"

"Twelve, actually," Yuna muttered, raising her hand weakly like it was roll call at trauma club

"And why some of us had to wait a criminally long time for our happy endings," Han jumped in, dramatically flinging a hand over his heart "Author, what was that about, hm? Care to explain why Minji and I were sent to purgatory for months?"

Minji nodded, solemn as a judge "I would also like to file a formal complaint"

"My poor baby has been put through so much," Han whined, pulling Minji closer as if she was about to crumble into dust

Minji crossed her arms, lips pressing into a pout "Yeah. Not to be dramatic but... if I ever meet her in person, I'm throwing hands"

"Too bad you can't," Jieun said casually, sipping her drink like this wasn't the most insane conversation ever "You know... with the whole being fictional thing and all"

"It must suck to be fictional like that," Seungmin chuckled under his breath

"You're also fictional," Jiah frowned, squinting at him

"Half fictional," he corrected, completely unbothered "Us guys were based on actual people. You? You're a brain fart"

"You're a fart!" Jiah shot back, half-rising from her chair

"Angel, calm down" Felix pulled her back by the wrist, smoothing a hand through her hair like he was taming a feral kitten

"In any case," Han cut in, waving a hand before things could spiral further, "Fictional or not, what the author made Minji and I go through was just uncalled for"

"Oh, come on," Chan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck "You both know it was for character development"

"Character development my ass," Han snapped "All I developed was trust issues. I thought this was supposed to be a romance story!"

"Well..." Nari chimed in hesitantly, twirling her fork, "It was originally supposed to be a compilation of romance one-shots, but then the author started connecting our chapters... and now it's, like, a romantic drama"

"You're so smart," Seungmin murmured, the softest smile tugging at his lips as he quietly sliced a piece of cake for her

"You're disgustingly sweet to her," Jiah groaned, flopping against the backrest "Why don't the rest of us get that treatment?"

"Because I don't like you," Seungmin replied flatly, not even looking up

Laughter burst like fireworks around the table.

As the chuckles faded into softer smiles, Chan straightened up. His gaze swept over the table—at every familiar face, every mischievous grin, every pair of intertwined fingers, every bond forged in chaos, heartbreak, and healing.

"...In all seriousness..." his voice dipped, quieter but sure, as he raised his glass. His dimples deepened "Jokes aside... two years. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for everyone who's read our story. Cried with us. Laughed with us. Stayed with us"

"Aww, that's cute," Yuna piped up, grinning "Almost as cute as you thinking about having kids"

The table exploded.

"WAIT, WHAT?" Han screeched

"Bro, for real?" Hyunjin nearly fell out of his chair

"That man's been nesting," Jiah cackled "Don't lie. Nobody likes doing laundry that much"

Chan's ears turned the color of ripe strawberries "Don't look at me like that!" he groaned, flinging a napkin at Jiwon, who was laughing so hard she nearly fell sideways "It's... not... well—moving on!"

Felix, bless his heart, clapped "Sooo... what's everyone's favorite moment from the story so far?"

"Easy," Changbin puffed his chest, slipping immediately into brag mode "My picnic scene. Obviously"

"Oh, here we go," Soori sighed, but her lips tugged up anyway

"Tell me it wasn't peak boyfriend behavior," Changbin pressed "Surprise date? Private venue? Your favorite snacks? Blanket under the stars? Surrounded by candlelight? Come on"

"It was romantic," Soori admitted, nudging his side "Except when I pulled up to the middle of nowhere and thought I was about to get murdered"

The table absolutely lost it.

"I still can't believe you went," Han wheezed

"It's Changbin," Miyeon shrugged "Golden retriever energy. Nobody suspects him"

"Exactly," Changbin beamed, looking disgustingly proud

Hyunjin stretched his arms overhead with a groan "Y'know... if I had to pick my favorite moment... definitely bringing Miyeon as my date to Soori's birthday"

Miyeon groaned, hiding her face behind her hands "I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I was terrified"

"But you looked gorgeous," Hyunjin said simply, without an ounce of shame. His voice was so soft it made half the table groan.

"Gross," Jiah fake-gagged "Disgusting"

"Says you, who spent a whole chapter flustering poor Felix to death," Seungmin sniped

Felix flushed pink but bit back a grin "Yeah, well... my favorite part was finally feeling comfortable enough around her to show my... uh... full self"

"Oh, we all know what that means," Lee Know smirked, sipping his drink

Jiah shrieked, whacking Felix's arm like he'd confessed to something illegal "STOP. You're gonna make me cry"

"Or combust," Yuna grinned

"Or both," Hyunjin deadpanned

Yuna snickered "I still think my favorite was watching Minho realize he was in love with me. Man looked at me like I was an unsolvable math equation"

Lee Know groaned, promptly shoving an entire breadstick in his mouth.

"Oh no, don't hide now," Jiah grinned "We were all there for your existential crisis. Iconic"

"But you weren't the only one having a crisis," Han added, waggling his brows "Let's not forget Yuna's moment of realization"

"Shut up," Yuna groaned "Do not remind everyone. I have a reputation"

"Too late," Han grinned "We've all seen you go soft for Lee Know"

"Speaking of going soft..." I.N cleared his throat, his cheeks burning "I think my favorite moment was realizing... Jieun actually liked me back. Even though, apparently, I was the last one in the entire story to figure it out"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A BABY," everyone yelled at once

"I AM NOT—" I.N started but got completely drowned out by chaotic laughter

Minji lifted her glass, her voice quieter but firm "But seriously... my favorite moment wasn't even mine. It was when Han told me he loved me. After everything. After... all of it. That meant everything"

Han melted, his hand finding hers under the table, thumb brushing her knuckles "Same, babe. Same"

"To the comeback of Han and Minji!" Jiah whooped, raising her glass high

Glasses clinked, voices cheered, and chaos reigned.

As the noise softened, Jiwon's voice slid in, gentle but full of warmth "I guess... what we're trying to say is... thank you. To everyone who's read this story. Who's loved us. Rooted for us. You made us real. And I hope we've given you something in return"

"Whether it's laughter... comfort... or a distraction from a bad day," Felix added, smile soft

"Or relationship goals," Changbin winked

"Or just chaos," Hyunjin smirked

"Or proof that the quiet ones win in the end," Seungmin said, nudging Nari, who flushed immediately

Chan let out a long, steady breath, his smile so tender it could've cradled the whole room "You stayed with us. Through everything. And... maybe we'll see you at year three. Who knows if we'll make it there—"

"The author better not be plotting anything," Han interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling like it held answers

Everyone glanced up.

"She's always plotting," Yuna groaned "I don't trust her"

"Neither do I," Lee Know muttered

"Yeah, she's a sick freak. No wonder she just got dum-" Han started—then jolted mid-sentence, eyes bulging "Wait... what the—"

"What was that?" Changbin frowned

"No. No fucking way" Han scrambled back, peeking down the waistband of his pants "SHE JUST MADE MY FUCKING DICK SMALLER!"

"What?!" Minji gasped

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. THAT FUCKING—" Han lurched forward, only for Minji to slap a hand over his mouth

"Don't!" she hissed "Don't antagonize the author. She'll just punish us worse!"

"I don't think she's that petty," Lee Know scoffed

"Say that to my dick she just shrunk!" Han barked

"Not in this universe, Hannie," Lee Know grinned

"Anyway..." Minji groaned, dragging a hand over her face "Even if things get messy... I hope we get to keep growing. Together"

"That's right," Chan nodded "It's already incredible that we made it to two years. Two years of laughing, crying... screaming at the author"

"Plot twists we didn't approve of," Yuna grumbled

"Character arcs that made us stronger," Jiwon added

"Or traumatized," Han chimed, grinning sarcastically

"Both," Seungmin said with a chuckle

Chan's gaze softened again "None of this... none of us... would exist without the readers. You brought us to life. Every time you clicked a chapter, left a comment... shared it... or simply kept reading"

"Yeah," Felix nodded, voice like sunlight filtering through clouds "You're the reason we got to fall in love. With each other... and with ourselves"

"Thank you," Nari added softly

"Seriously," Soori grinned, lifting her glass "From the bottom of our chaotic, fictional hearts"

"Here's to hoping we get to celebrate a third anniversary," Lee Know said, raising his drink

"Assuming none of us get killed off before then," I.N muttered

"Or broken up," Miyeon sighed

"Or emotionally wrecked again," Jiah groaned

Laughter rippled through the room.

"Cheers," Chan said, raising his glass "To love. Chaos. And you, the reader"

And in utterly perfect chaos, sixteen voices raised their drinks—some with soda, some wine, someone with iced coffee (probably Jiah)—and shouted as one:

"THANK YOU FOR READING!"

⊹˚₊‧─────≽ ^ • ⩊ • ^ ≼─────‧₊˚⊹

I don't even know where to begin. Two years ago, Parallel was just this little idea sitting quietly in the back of my head. I never imagined it would turn into something this big, this meaningful — not just to me, but to all of you. You've read, commented, cried, laughed, and screamed with me (or at me). You've loved these characters the way I do. You've stayed.

And that means everything. Truly.

There were days I wanted to give up. Days I doubted my own writing, my own voice. Days I felt like this story wasn't good enough, or that no one would care. But then, one of you would leave a comment that made me cry. Or send a message that reminded me why I do this. Why I write. Why I tell stories.

It's not just for me anymore. It's for all of us.

For every person who's ever found comfort here. For everyone who's seen themselves in these characters. For everyone who's felt less alone because of something they read in these pages — you are the heart of this story. You made it real.

Thank you for trusting me with your time, your emotions, and your hearts. Thank you for holding space for my words, my characters, my messy plots, and my terrible jokes. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for staying.

I hope Parallel has made you smile when you needed it. I hope it's given you comfort on the bad days and something to look forward to on the good ones. And more than anything, I hope it's shown you that love — in all its forms — is always worth fighting for.

From the bottom of my heart — thank you. I love you. Truly.

—Gee ♡