diff --git a/.changeset/preload-redraw-after-seek.md b/.changeset/preload-redraw-after-seek.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba9de81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/preload-redraw-after-seek.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@karnstack/kino": patch
+---
+
+Scenes: a paused seek into a scene that is still preloading now draws it when the load lands. Stage preloads the next scene with no callback, so when a seek (often a `?t=` deep link) landed in that scene before its preload finished, the redraw callback for the current scene was dropped because the id was already pending. Paused, nothing else re-renders the stage, so it stayed empty until the next play or seek. Every caller of a pending scene now joins its waiters and each one runs when the load resolves. The `timeupdate` workaround around `loadScene` can be removed.
diff --git a/src/scenes/host.test.tsx b/src/scenes/host.test.tsx
index 9c5f53b..3d63db7 100644
--- a/src/scenes/host.test.tsx
+++ b/src/scenes/host.test.tsx
@@ -643,3 +643,28 @@ test("scenes keep loading while hidden, so the stage is not blank on return", as
   expect(scenesInDom(h.container)).toEqual(["03"])
   act(() => h.host.destroy())
 })
+
+test("a seek into a scene still preloading draws it once the load lands", async () => {
+  // Scene 02 resolves only when the test says so, so its preload is still in
+  // flight when the seek arrives.
+  let resolveTwo!: (m: { default: typeof SceneTwo }) => void
+  const two = new Promise<{ default: typeof SceneTwo }>((r) => {
+    resolveTwo = r
+  })
+  const h = makeHost({
+    loadScene: (id) =>
+      id === "01" ? Promise.resolve({ default: SceneOne }) : two,
+  })
+  await flush()
+  // Scene 01 drew, which started the preload of 02.
+  expect(scenesInDom(h.container)).toEqual(["01"])
+  // Paused seek into 02 while its preload is pending: no clock ticks follow.
+  command({ type: "kino:seek", time: 7 })
+  await flush()
+  await act(async () => {
+    resolveTwo({ default: SceneTwo })
+    await two
+  })
+  expect(scenesInDom(h.container)).toEqual(["02"])
+  act(() => h.host.destroy())
+})
diff --git a/src/scenes/host.tsx b/src/scenes/host.tsx
index 7df19c2..19e68c2 100644
--- a/src/scenes/host.tsx
+++ b/src/scenes/host.tsx
@@ -269,16 +269,25 @@ export function createSceneHost(opts: SceneHostOptions): { destroy(): void } {
   // cached after first load; the next scene preloads while the current plays.
   // Failures are memoized too: Stage calls ensureLoaded on every clock tick,
   // so without this a broken scene would retry and re-post at frame rate.
+  // A caller that asks for a scene already in flight joins its waiters: a
+  // preload (no onDone) can still be running when a paused seek lands in that
+  // scene, and with no clock ticks to follow, the waiter is the only thing
+  // that draws it when the load lands.
   const moduleCache = new Map<string, ComponentType>()
-  const pending = new Set<string>()
+  const pending = new Map<string, Set<() => void>>()
   const failed = new Set<string>()
   const ensureLoaded = (id: string, onDone?: () => void) => {
-    if (moduleCache.has(id) || pending.has(id) || failed.has(id)) return
-    pending.add(id)
+    if (moduleCache.has(id) || failed.has(id)) return
+    const waiters = pending.get(id)
+    if (waiters) {
+      if (onDone) waiters.add(onDone)
+      return
+    }
+    pending.set(id, new Set(onDone ? [onDone] : []))
     loadScene(id)
       .then((m) => {
         moduleCache.set(id, m.default)
-        onDone?.()
+        for (const done of pending.get(id) ?? []) done()
       })
       .catch(() => {
         failed.add(id)