The soft hum of conversation filled Meena's café that afternoon. The scent of fresh pastries danced in the air, mixing with the comforting aroma of brewed coffee. A few students were scattered across the tables, buried in books or sipping their lattes quietly.
Choen sat near the back, typing something rapidly on her laptop. Her sharp eyes flicked between her screen and her phone, the atmosphere unusually tense around her even though she was in a place that once felt like home.
The bell above the door jingled lightly.
She didn't look up—until a familiar voice, soft and teasing, rang through the calm.
"Did you forget I know your hideouts, Choen?"
She blinked, slowly raising her eyes.
Standing in front of her, effortlessly stylish in a long coat and sunglasses, was him—the second male lead, the idol heartthrob of Glitter, the man once wrapped in both the spotlight and her heart.
"Y-you—" she stuttered, surprised. "How did you—"
"I have my ways." He pulled off his sunglasses with a smirk, slipping into the chair across from her. "You're not easy to find these days."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're a K-pop idol. What are you doing casually walking into my mother's café like a normal person?"
"Maybe I missed the coffee." He grinned, but then his smile faded slightly as he observed her. "Or maybe… I missed you."
Her eyes lowered, and she focused back on her laptop, though the flutter in her chest betrayed her calm façade.
"I just wanted to check on you," he added more gently, voice lower. "You look… different. Like you're somewhere else."
Choen didn't respond right away. But something in his gaze was too sincere, too warm to ignore. She met his eyes. "A lot has happened."
Before he could say more, loud shrieks pierced the street outside. The windows rattled slightly from the sound.
"Oh no…" he muttered, glancing behind him.
Choen followed his gaze—and saw a swarm of fans gathering outside the café. A few had already spotted him through the glass.
"They found you," she said calmly.
"Of course they did," he groaned. "They're basically bloodhounds."
The café door suddenly swung open as a few excited girls rushed in.
"Oppa!!!"
"Run," Choen muttered under her breath.
"Huh?"
"Run!"
She grabbed his hand, bolted out the side door, and—without thinking—led him up the emergency stairs to the rooftop. The city air hit them in a burst of wind, and the noise below was drowned in the height.
They stopped, breathless and laughing. He leaned against the railing, still catching his breath.
"Are you always this dramatic when saving people?"
"Only the idiots who walk into cafés without a disguise."
He chuckled, then glanced at her. "Thanks… for pulling me out of there."
Choen smiled softly and sat down on the edge of the rooftop wall, legs swinging slightly. The wind played with her hair as silence settled over them—comfortable and oddly nostalgic.
He sat beside her.
"For a moment, I forgot how peaceful rooftops can be."
"For a moment, I forgot how loud you are," she teased.
They both laughed. He looked at her, something tender flickering behind his playful gaze. "You've changed… but I still see her. The girl who made me want to write songs differently."
Choen's phone vibrated, cutting through the moment.
She looked down.
A message from Dokkaebi.
Just his name on the screen was enough to shift her mood. The rooftop, the laughter, the past—it all suddenly collided with the complex, present web she was trapped in.
The idol followed her gaze. His smile faltered as realization dawned.
"That name… Dokkaebi?"
She nodded slowly, lips pressed in a tight line.
He leaned back slightly, thoughtful. "That's… Ne Eun's son, isn't he? My company CEO."
Choen said nothing.
The wind picked up, carrying the weight of unspoken truths.