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October 22, 2026, 79th Tony Awards

"Miss Park-Miya, look over here!"

Twenty-six year old Park-Miya Izumi turned to the source of the call. A bright smile plastered onto her dusky pink colored lips. She lifted the skirt of her fancy skirt and turned to the reporter. "Samuel Thompson from Musicals and Me for Berklee College of Music" the reporter introduced himself, "how are you feeling about your nomination tonight?"

Izumi smiled—a dashing smile—the flashing of the cameras around her didn't even make her nervous anymore. "I think it's a big deal!", she said in perfect English, "I mean it's not everyday that you get nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress on your second year on Broadway" she grinned and Samuel nodded. 

"We've been watching your career ever since you graduated from our university" Samuel spoke and Izumi nodded. "The team of Musicals and Me did a little research on you and we found out you actually lost a scholarship for Julliard when you were in your sophomore year in college" the young man spoke and Izumi chuckled.

"You really dug that deep, huh?", she grinned and shifted her weight remembering the day her old drama teacher Miss Lee told the drama class which two students won the try-out-days for Julliard. Izumi wasn't even surprised.

"So", Miss Lee said and walked up and down the stage. "Julliard contacted me this morning with the documents for the two students of our school that won the try-outs for the scholarship." She looked at the cast and ensemble in front of her. "I'm sorry for everyone who worked their butt off but Julliard decided and there was nothing I could do to change their mind." She looked at Izumi who was sitting in the first row, next to Donghyuck. They were holding hands.

"Miss Lee opened a white envelope and took out a sheet of paper. "I don't know who won the try-outs either so it's a surprise to all of us." She slowly opened the letter and started reading. "Julliard School of Performing Arts in New York is proud to invite Song Mina and Huang Renjun for the try-outs at our school." 

Izumi widened her eyes. Miss Lee didn't read her name. Or Donghyuck's name. Song Mina was a senior in their department—she had played Nessarose in their rendition of WICKED. Izumi wasn't shocked that Mina was picked. She was a nerd. What shocked Izumi to the core was the fact that her friend Renjun had caught Julliard's interest.

She looked over to the slim Chinese lad that was staring at Miss Lee that continued to read more details of the letter. 

"At first I was very sad I didn't get the chance to study at Julliard" Izumi told Samuel and chuckled. "But only a few months later I got a scholarship from Berklee and decided to take this chance." She smiled and gently pushed a black curl behind her ear.

Samuel nodded. "How are your hopes for tonight? You're the first nominee for the role of Elphaba ever since Idina Menzel won in 2004. Isn't that pressuring?", he asked and Izumi pursed her lips. "It's not. I am more than happy with getting nominated in the first place. I don't need to win. These are my first Tony Awards and I'm already content to be here."

A commotion was starting at the beginning of the red carpet. Izumi smiled. She knew who just arrived. "Oh my!", she grinned, "this is the star of today!", she grinned and waved the handsome man that was walking up to them.

Samuel introduced himself quickly and gasped. "I can't believe I managed to interview thee Huang Renjun!", he grinned and watched Izumi and Renjun hug each other. "Oh my" Renjun chuckled, "it's a pleasure to be interviewed by Izumi's junior."

"So, Mr Huang" Samuel started, "how does it feel to be nominated for multiple Tony's tonight?" 

While Renjun was answering, Izumi took a step back and got her photo taken by the reporters. She smiled brightly. Especially when she saw a handsomely dressed man walk up the red carpet, posing for photos. His ginger hair was styled beautifully. 

Izumi gave him a quick wave and the ginger haired man walked up to her. Immediately the flash of a thousand cameras were on them. 

"Hi love" the ginger spoke and gently kissed Izumi's knuckled. "Hi Donghyuck" she grinned. "How's the woman of the hour?", he asked and posed with her. "I'm okay. I'm not nervous or anything, if that's what your implying."

"My fiancé? Nervous? I don't know her." He laughed and waved at some fans, waving magazines and pictures in their direction. The couple made their way over to the fans, signing some things. 

Lee Donghyuck was also twenty-six and a newcomer on Broadway. He wasn't sad that he wasn't nominated for anything tonight. He was just happy he could be here with his best friend and his fiancé. 

Donghyuck was currently playing Orpheus in the musical Hadestown and was pretty popular on TikTok for his gorgeous bridge of Come Home With Me. His fanbase wasn't as huge as prodigy Huang Renjun or naturally born actress Izumi but he was well known in the Hadestown fandom. They loved him.

Renjun had a massive fanbase. Even Izumi's fanbase wasn't as huge as Renjun's and Izumi was playing Elphaba on Broadway—it was already her second year playing that role. 

Renjun finished his interview and caught up to his friends. They immediately switched into Korean as they walked into the building and started to look for their seats. Donghyuck grabbed Izumi's hand.

"How are you feeling?", he asked quietly. Izumi chuckled. "Donghyuck, I'm on the second trimester" she smiled, "I'm fine." She gently kissed his jaw. Donghyuck nodded. "I'm just worried. I don't want you to overwork yourself, love."

Izumi smiled. "It'll be fine. I won't win anyways. I'll be sitting the whole evening and cheering on the nerd there" she kicked her leg in Renjun's direction who hissed at her. "Stop hissing you feral cat" she grinned and sat down at her table.

Renjun and Donghyuck joined her.

"I can't believe we're here" Renjun said. "I remember the rehearsals for our schools rendition of WICKED as if they were yesterday." He shook his head. "This is big. Three noobs from South Korea and China making it big in thee New York City."

"Just because of WICKED." Donghyuck smiled. Izumi grinned.

"As someone told me lately" she sang quietly, "everyone deserves a chance to fly." She grinned at the two boys. "We're always defying gravity, huh?", Donghyuck asked and Izumi nodded. "It was our fate to be cast as Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero" she said and put her hands on both of the mens shoulders.

"And I'm so happy to be defying gravity with the two of you" she added and tilted her head. No matter how tonight Tony Awards would end. Izumi had gotten two best friends thanks to Elphaba and Co. Two people she loved more than life itself.

And she was happy. Genuinely and truly happy.

And Jaemin and Giselle? 

After Izumi moved to the US with Donghyuck, to study at Berklee, the two of them fell in a hole. They missed Izumi dearly. Especially Giselle. The Japanese woman didn't want to confess it, but Jaemin knew she was missing her best friend.

He tried his best to cheer her up. He was always there for her. And both of them knew they were only friends because Izumi had brought them together. Now that she was gone there wasn't any reason for them to stay friends.

But there had always been a tension between them. So they tried dating each other. But after two months of being a couple, they quickly broke it off and decided to stay friends.

After graduating, Jaemin got scouted by a Argentinian volleyball club and moved to Argentina so he and Giselle grew apart. 

Giselle started working as a Stylist for an Idol group after graduating. In 2026 she opened up her first beauty salon in Itaewon and started working there. 

— 🎶 —

Izumi and Donghyuck tied the knot on February 27, 2027 and welcomed their first daughter Lee Ichika on April 14, 2027. On December 25, 2031 their son Lee Akira was born.

Renjun stayed single for a long time until he married his co-actress Lydia Green in 2030. Two years later their son Declan Huang was born.

Jaemin never got married but decided to try a single adoption when he was 34 years old. He adopted four year old Matías and was the happiest man on earth when he was able to give little Matías his surname. Na Matías would grow up to become a volleyball player, just like his dad.

Giselle got married to one of her clients in 2032. He was an Idol and they soon welcomed their daughter Baek Yuki to the world.

Izumi, Donghyuck, Renjun, Jaemin and Giselle tried to meet up as often as possible. Their children all befriended each other and Donghyuck almost freaked out when his daughter Ichika introduced Na Matías as her boyfriend when they were in their twenties.

These five families were scattered all across the world, but managed to find a way to meet and stay close knit all this time. They were defying gravity all their lives. And their children carried on the legacy.

THE END.

— 🎶 —

A/N: Hi, hello, annyeong and welcome to the last chapter of "Defying Gravity". I started this book on May 9, 2021 and now one year and five months later I am finally finished! I actually planned the outcome of this book completely differently, but since it kinda flopped I decided to stop it before I get frustrated with it, haha.

I hope everyone of you had as much fun reading, as I had writing this story. Musicals theatre is such a big part of my life so I wanted to write a story about it. I enjoyed this very much. I hope y'all did too! 

I am really thankful for everyone who left a comment or even read this book. Without your continuous support I don't think I would continue writing.

Thank you for everything. And maybe we'll see each other in a new book.

— Inês, 2022.10.21