Morning.
Lim Cha-yeon barely opened her eyes at 5 a.m. and dragged herself out of bed.
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To get to the flower shop, she had to transfer trains twice — a two-hour commute. No time to waste.
Throwing on clothes in a panic, she stepped outside.
The ground was still wet. The rain from last night had left the air thick with humidity.
Then, light raindrops began falling again from the grey sky.
People without umbrellas paused and looked up, annoyed.
"Haha, surprise~"
A familiar voice inside her head giggled playfully.
"Seoul weather is just… untrustworthy."
Cha-yeon responded with a slight smirk.
"That's why I came prepared."
She rummaged through her coat pocket and pulled out a neatly folded white umbrella.
A matching white trench coat wrapped around her figure. For a brief moment, even in the rain-soaked city, she looked… elegant.
She quietly sat on a bench in front of a luxury hotel window, took out her phone, and called her parents.
"Hey, it's me. I left home early today."
She spoke softly, her back to the hotel.
"I wanted to breathe in the morning air. Clear my head a bit. Seoul mornings are refreshing."
Truth? That hotel wasn't where she lived.
It was just a fancy building she passed by on her way to work — part of the 'Seoul Life' she crafted.
Her parents chuckled, pleased. Cha-yeon smiled and hung up.
Lying had become second nature.
But today… the glimmering lobby behind that glass felt farther away than ever.
She barely made it to the shop on time, breathless and sweating.
"Whew… almost late again."
Why?
She'd lost track of time filming content for her blog — pretending to sip coffee, posing like she belonged in that lobby, mentally sketching out her video edits.
Nothing was real, but on screen, Cha-yeon looked like she had it all.
And that was what mattered — keeping up the image of "Popular Blogger Lim Cha-yeon."
The moment she stepped into the shop, the manager stood waiting, arms crossed.
"Miss Lim, late again. That's the third time. Three minutes today."
Cha-yeon bowed politely.
"I'm sorry…"
But in her head?
"Three minutes? You could hold your breath that long! What's with the death glare, huh? Did I kill someone?"
Her inner voice boiled.
Outwardly, she nodded with a frosty smile.
"I'll be more careful next time."
Her day began in icy silence.
The morning rushed by in a blur.
Trimming roses. Arranging petals. Cleaning glass jars.
Customers came and went. Each one a character:
"This bouquet is too big! How am I supposed to carry it around?"
"It's too small. Is this worth the money?"
"This is way too expensive. It's just a few flowers."
One woman even threw the bouquet at her.
"You gave this to my husband?! What a joke!"
Cha-yeon flinched but kept her smile.
"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. I'll redo it right away."
Then another customer.
Adult voice, five-year-old logic.
"Is this even pretty? Why don't you have pink? My fiancée likes pink! Show me everything again! From the beginning!"
She forced a smile, swallowing a sigh.
Lunchtime brought another kind of flood — messages from her so-called "friends."
The usual lines:
"How are you doing these days? Is it tough? Hanging in there?"
What they really wanted?
To see if she was struggling. Failing. Maybe even… pitiful.
And deep down, they just wanted to confirm:
No matter how hard they had it, Cha-yeon must have it worse.
Inner Cha-yeon:
"Ha. As expected. Such children. 'Is it hard?' You don't even know what I do all day…"
Still, she smiled and replied:
"Doing alright. Just keeping busy. Had something important this morning, actually."
One of them asked:
"Oh? Business going well?"
Inner Cha-yeon:
"Business? What business? What fantasy are you living in?"
She chuckled to herself.
Then, she thought for a second and typed:
"Yes, I've been busy with something big. Actually… I went out to buy ramen. They had a discount today."
To her, even that was something important.
Even if everything was a lie — to her, it still mattered.
That bowl of ramen held her whole world.
Then, out of nowhere — a man in a sharp suit collapsed at her feet.
Cha-yeon blinked, startled.
Inner Cha-yeon:
"Wow. Handsome and clumsy. Great combo. Guess I'm the only one who'll help."
She crouched to check on him but realized — taking him home might not be smart.
Cha-yeon: "Maybe I should call a taxi?"
Inner Cha-yeon:
"Sure. And he better pay for this. I didn't save him for free."
She smiled slightly and pulled out her phone.
The taxi arrived.
Cha-yeon walked to the driver's window.
Cha-yeon:
"This man. Please take him to a six-star hotel. And when you arrive, ask the staff to escort him to the Presidential Suite — under my name."
The driver nodded silently and gently loaded the man into the back seat.
Cha-yeon called the hotel.
Cha-yeon:
"Yes, I'd like to book your Presidential Suite for tonight. Under the name Lim Cha-yeon. It's urgent."
After hanging up, she slipped her business card into the man's chest pocket.
The taxi disappeared into the night.
Inner Cha-yeon:
"We spent 15 years saving that money… just to send some random guy to the Presidential Suite? Are you serious? That hurts."
Cha-yeon:
"If his reputation means anything to him… he'll pay it back. With interest. No way I'm letting this slide."