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Midnight on the Stage

We closed out the year with a final show—one last electric night before the calendar flipped. The crowd was massive, voices rising with ours in a chorus that felt like it could crack the sky. As the final notes faded and the countdown began, Nam-Joon reached for my hand, and Raven joined us on stage, glowing under the lights.

Just off to the side, our kids were bundled up in oversized jackets, eyes wide with wonder as the fireworks began to burst above us. They didn’t care about the size of the crowd—they were too busy shouting “Happy New Year!” and pointing at every spark in the sky.

Nam-Joon leaned into me, his voice low, “This is it, huh? This moment.”

And it was. The kind you want to bottle up.

Just as the last firework cracked and the stage lights dimmed, my phone buzzed. A video call—from Yumeko and Noor. I stepped away for a moment and answered, their faces lighting up the screen.

Yumeko was all smiles, cheeks flushed from dancing somewhere far away, Noor behind her making a silly face with a sparkler in his hand.

“We’re watching you guys on stream,” she said breathlessly. “You killed it!”

Noor added, “Your daughter’s got Raven’s stance—arms crossed, judging the whole show. Legendary.”

We laughed, promised to catch up properly soon, and exchanged “I love yous” that carried more weight than usual.

Back on stage, I scooped up our son and Nam-Joon held our daughter, the four of us swaying gently to the music playing as people began to head out. Raven was waving to fans, tears in her eyes.

The sky was still glowing. The air buzzing with everything we’d done and everything waiting ahead.

It was loud, it was soft, it was messy and perfect.

A new year had begun—right here, together.

– JK