Chapter 1
“WAIT— WAIT FOR ME!!”
I screamed while running through a crowded street in Japan with one shoe missing, my hair looking like a bird’s nest, and three pieces of bread somehow stuffed inside my bag.
“WHY IS EVERYONE RUNNING SO FAST HERE?!”
The moment I tried crossing the road—
BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP!!
A giant truck suddenly appeared in front of me.
I froze dramatically.
“This is it… I’m too young to die…”
But instead of hitting me, the truck stopped and a man leaned out of the window.
“MISS! YOUR PASSPORT IS FALLING!”
“…my what?”
I looked down.
My passport was floating away in a puddle.
“NOOOOOOOO—!”
I ran after it, slipped on the wet road, accidentally crashed into a random man holding coffee, and both of us fell to the ground.
Hot coffee spilled everywhere.
People gasped.
The man slowly looked up at me with the coldest expression imaginable.
And somehow…
I slapped him.
“…WHY DID I DO THAT?!”
Before he could say anything—
📞 RRRRIIIINGGGG!!
My eyes snapped open.
I sat up on my bed breathing heavily while my blanket was somehow wrapped around my neck like a snake.
“What kind of stupid dream was that…?”
My phone kept vibrating beside me.
Caller ID: ✨ Yoo Jimin ✨
I answered sleepily.
“What…”
“DON’T ‘WHAT’ ME,” Jimin shouted dramatically. “YOU LEAVE FOR JAPAN TOMORROW AND YOU’RE STILL SLEEPING?!”
I groaned and buried my face into the pillow.
“Jimin… I just had the weirdest dream ever.”
“What happened this time?”
I stayed quiet for a moment.
Then suddenly—
…the memory hit me.
The crowded street.
The spilled coffee.
The slap.
The terrifyingly handsome stranger.
Oh.
OH NO.
“That wasn’t a dream…”
“What?”
I slowly sat up, horrified.
“The dream was about last night.”
Silence.
“…Reayun.”
“I think I was actually a little drunk.”
And then Jimin started laughing so hard that I had to move the phone away from my ear.
"Unfortunately for me… every single part of it was real."
✨ One Night Earlier — Seoul ✨
The streets of Seoul were unusually crowded that night.
Cold air brushed against my face as I stumbled out of the convenience store holding ramen, snacks, and absolutely no self-respect.
“Jimin…” I muttered while talking on video call, “I still don’t understand why you made me drink before my flight.”
From the phone, Yoo Jimin laughed shamelessly.
“Because tomorrow you’re leaving me and moving to Japan!”
“I’m not moving forever…”
“Still dramatic enough.”
I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
Honestly, I only drank a little.
…Okay maybe not a little.
Suddenly Jimin gasped loudly from the phone.
“LOOK FORWARD!”
“Huh—?”
BUMP.
I walked straight into someone.
Coffee spilled everywhere.
My snacks fell dramatically onto the road.
For a few seconds, my brain completely stopped working.
Slowly…
I looked up.
Black coat.
Cold eyes.
Tall.
Same strange face
The man glanced at the coffee stain on his shirt before looking back at me.
“…Seriously?”
My drunk brain completely stopped working.
And before I could think—
✨ SLAP ✨
The sound echoed through the street.
Even Jimin screamed through the phone.
“REAYUN?!”
The man slowly turned his face back toward me.
“…Did you just slap me?”
That’s when my survival instincts activated.
So naturally—
I ran.
“REAYUN!” Jimin shouted. “YOU CAN’T JUST HIT SOMEONE AND ESCAPE!”
“I PANICKED!”
I kept running dramatically through the street until suddenly—
…I froze.
My eyes widened.
“…my bag.”
“What?”
“I LEFT MY BAG.”
“YOU WHAT?!”
Horrified, I turned around and ran back.
And somehow—
HE WAS STILL STANDING THERE.
The same cold expression.
The same ruined coat.The same annoyingly calm face.
I quickly grabbed my bag from the ground without making eye contact.
Then bowed so fast I almost lost balance again.
“I’M SORRY!”
And before he could say anything—
I ran away again. 🌙✨
“Stop laughing so much.” I frowned. 😑
That only made Yoo Jimin laugh harder.
“Reayun, you slapped a random man and ran away TWICE.”
“I said I panicked!”
“Poor guy probably thinks Seoul is dangerous now.”
I groaned dramatically and pulled the blanket over my head.
“Okay okay,” Jimin finally said while still giggling. “Leave that for now. Do you remember today’s plan?”
I froze for a second.
“…What plan?”
“OUR DATE.” she shouted. “Before you leave for Japan tomorrow?!”
“Ohhh.” I slowly sat up. “THAT plan.”
“Yes, THAT plan.” Jimin sighed dramatically. “Today we’re going to enjoy together properly before you abandon me.”
“I’m not abandoning you.”
“You literally are.”
I laughed quietly.
“Fine, fine.”
“Good. Now get out of bed and get ready. I’ll wait outside the coffee shop.”
“Already?”
“Yes already. Hurry up.”
“Okayyy. Bye.”
“Bye. And please don’t slap anyone today.”
“…No promises.”
“REAYUN!”
I quickly hung up before she could yell more.
✨ Meanwhile ✨
The meeting room remained silent except for the sound of papers turning.
Seo Suho sat quietly at the end of the table, his expression unreadable.
“…Sir?”
No response.
“…Sir, are you listening?”
Suho blinked slightly before finally looking up.
“Hm?” he said calmly. “Continue.”
The employees exchanged awkward glances before continuing the presentation.
But even while staring at the screen in front of him…
his thoughts remained somewhere else.
Back on that crowded street from last night.
✨ SLAP ✨
His jaw tightened slightly.
The meeting finally ended nearly thirty minutes later.
As everyone slowly left the room, the assistant from yesterday walked toward him with an amused expression.
“You’re still thinking about her, aren’t you?”
Suho glanced at him coldly.
“I’m thinking about how insane she was.”
Cha eun (his assistant) laughed.
“To be fair, she was drunk.”
“She slapped me.”
“And then apologized.”
“And then ran away again.”
“…Okay that part was a little funny.”
Suho sighed tiredly and loosened his tie slightly.
Cha eun smiled.
“You should forgive her already. The poor girl looked terrified.”
Suho looked toward the window quietly as memories he couldn’t properly remember brushed against his mind.
“…She felt familiar.”
“Not her face?”
“…No.”
“Then her voice?”
Suho stayed silent for a moment.
“…I don’t know.”
🌙 End of Chapter 1 🌙
