diff --git a/src/core/renderer.typ b/src/core/renderer.typ
index fde03d0..1bb3297 100644
--- a/src/core/renderer.typ
+++ b/src/core/renderer.typ
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@
 }
 
 /// Compute remaining widths for longer sequences (spanning multiple columns)
-#let long-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths) = {
+#let long-seq-min-col-widths(participants, cells, widths) = {
   let widths = widths
   let multicol-cells = cells.filter(c => c.i2 - c.i1 > 1)
   multicol-cells = multicol-cells.sorted(key: c => {
@@ -228,13 +228,23 @@
   })
   for cell in multicol-cells {
     let m = measure(cell.cell)
+
+    let i1 = cell.i1
+    let i2 = cell.i2 - 1
+    let i = i2
+    if cell.i1 == 0 and participants.at(0).name == "[" {
+      i = 0
+      i1 += 1
+      i2 += 1
+    }
     let width = (
       m.width / 1pt +
       COMMENT-PAD -
-      widths.slice(cell.i1, cell.i2 - 1).sum()
+      widths.slice(i1, i2).sum()
     )
-    widths.at(cell.i2 - 1) = calc.max(
-      widths.at(cell.i2 - 1), width
+    
+    widths.at(i) = calc.max(
+      widths.at(i), width
     )
   }
   return widths
@@ -307,7 +317,7 @@
   widths = notes-min-col-widths(elements, widths, pars-i)
   widths = simple-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
   widths = self-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
-  widths = long-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
+  widths = long-seq-min-col-widths(participants, cells, widths)
   widths = col-widths-add-lifelines(participants, widths)
   widths = process-col-elements(elements, widths, pars-i)
   return widths
diff --git a/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png b/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png
index 1259a7e..cce43e8 100644
Binary files a/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png and b/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png differ