Ha Ri (POV)
Daylight was supposed to make things safer, or so I thought. Yet here I was sitting all by myself, around the cup I had not touched in ten minutes. Sunlight spilled across the street outside, very warm but ordinary, painting the world in the colors of normal life.
It was just like a normal day, normal people walked past, normal conversations floated through the air, normal problems existed here. Yet I didn't feel normal and my pulse refused to slow down.
I chose this place carefully, it was a crowded place that had glass walls and no blind corners. The kind of café Idols were photographed in all the time. I make sure it was public enough to discourage violence and visible enough to feel protected.
Despite all these preparations, I still kept checking the door. At exactly 2:03 PM my phone buzzed.
"I'm here"
I held my breath, but I didn't reply, I didn't need to, because the café door opened and Jin walked in, alone.
If I didn't know him better, I would not have recognized him, because this was not Jin the idol, he didn't have no oversized sunglasses, no entourage, no forced brightness or any of his celebrity charms. Just a black baseball cap pulled low, a casual jacket, his hands in his pockets.
But I did know him, more than the other people did and suddenly the room felt smaller.
His eyes found mine immediately and For a brief second, time stood still. Neither of us moved, I don't think we even breath.
Then he crossed the room and sat across from me, setting his cap on the table between us like a boundary.
"Hi," he said quietly.
I swallowed hard, feeling my voice go dry. "Hi.", I replied hoarsely.
Looking at him up close, he looked worse than I'd expected, yes he was not injured, he was not messy either he was,
Just… tired.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes and the careful calm he was forced to wear felt thinner in daylight. Like a mask that had been slept in and put back on too quickly.
"I won't stay long," he said. "They're watching."
I nodded earnestly, grinning. "I assumed."
A mild, humorless smile tugged at his lips. "You're calmer than I thought you'd be."
"I'm not," I replied honestly. "I'm just pretending."
That earned a soft exhale, almost a laugh, or something like that, I saw in his eyes.
"Yeah," he said. "Me too."
Seo Yul (Jin) POV
I shouldn't be here, I knew it, every instinct screamed it, every lesson beaten into me since childhood warned me to desist this moment. Meeting her again wasn't smart. It wasn't safe, not for her or even for me. This was stupid.
But after last night, after watching the sedan disappear, knowing she'd been one wrong step away from becoming a collateral to something she might never fully grasp, I couldn't just vanish, I needed to see her.
To make sure she was real, To make sure she was alive.
"You shouldn't have come," I said, lowering my voice. "Not after what happened yesterday."
"You asked me to," she replied.
I held her gaze for a while, for the first time, i thought she was beautiful.
"That was selfish." I said.
"Then we're even," she said. "I shouldn't have followed you the first night."
A subtle pause settled between us, threatening to linger.
I studied her properly for the first time. there were no camera between us, no crowd and more importantly, no danger immediately breathing down our necks, at least, not visibly, not that we know of yet.
She looked… human, just like everyone else. Not fearless, nor reckless. Just determined in a way that didn't fade even in the face of fear. That, to me was new.
"What do you want from me?" I asked finally.
She didn't hesitate.
"The truth."
My jaw tightened, but I forced myself to say, "You already know too much."
"Not enough," she said. "I know you're being controlled. I know your father is involved in something dangerous. I know people are watching you. But I don't know why," and I really need to know.
Then she leaned forward slightly. "And I don't know how close you are to breaking."
That hit too close, it made me want to tear up.
I looked away, my gaze drifting to the window where the sunlight spilled freely across the pavement.
"Breaking isn't an option," I said, after a long thought.
"It is when someone pushes long enough." she replied dryly and detached.
Silence followed her statement like a talisman lookin for what he does not see.
I glanced back at her. "If I tell you everything, you'll never be able to unknow it, because they who know, can never unknow."
She met my eyes squarely and uttered some strange words. "I already crossed that line."
Ha Ri POV
He looked like a man standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down and weighing the fall.
I felt it then, the weight of what he carried. It was not just fear, it was responsibility, it was guilt. A kind of exhaustion that came from living two lives and owning neither.
"Start small," I urged him gently. "Why did you choose music?"
His lips curved faintly.
"Because it was the only thing my father didn't want."
His answer got me blinking hard. But he went on.
"He wanted soldiers, Lawyers, Enforcers. He wanted someone to inherit his empire without hesitation." He paused. Then said, "But I wanted out."
"So you became an idol." I blurted out.
"I became leverage," he corrected. "A public asset that is untouchable in daylight."
My stomach twisted at the sound of that.
"And the debt?" I continued asking.
He curled his fingers against his knee.
"My freedom," he said. " It is priced per performance."
I felt anger bloom hot and sharp in my chest.
"That's not freedom." I almost yelled.
"No," he agreed. "It's a countdown."
Outside, a car slowed near the café.
Seo Yul noticed instantly, as his posture shifted from relaxed to guarded and alert.
"We should stop," he said in a whisper.
I followed his gaze, then looked back at him. "This doesn't end if we stop talking."
"No," he said. "But it ends if you get hurt, or killed."
I hesitated… then reached across the table, not touching him, Just close enough to make my presence known.
"Then let's be careful," I said to him. "Together, let's be careful."
For a moment, Seo Yul didn't move.
Then as slowly as one can be, he nodded.
Seo Yul (Jin) POV
Did she just say careful?
The word echoed in my head as the café door opened again, letting a burst of laughter and sunlight come in. I carefully watched reflections in the glass more than the people themselves, I looked out for anything out of the ordinary. People who lingered too long, or who glanced twice, or even who pretended not to look at all.
this was how I have always lived my life for years. Ha Ri was just learning.
"I can't give you names," I told her quietly. "Or locations. Or proof."
She nodded. "I didn't ask for those." she chipped in.
I studied her, more intently now. "Then what do you want?" I asked confused somewhat.
She thought for a moment. "Patterns."
Patterns ?, that made me crawl back and take a pause for a bit.
"Schedules. Triggers. What changes before things go bad," she continued. "I don't need to expose him. I need to understand you."
That was worse. What exactly is she asking me for ?. Understanding meant closeness and closeness meant weakness.
"You're not supposed to understand me," I said to her.
"And yet," she replied softly, "here we are."
I exhaled slowly, my gaze dropping to the table. "Every time I disappear at night, it's because something went wrong. Someone didn't pay or someone talked or someone crossed a line."
Her fingers tightened around her cup when I said this.
"And you?" she asked
"I'm sent as reassurance," I replied flatly. "My face opens doors. My presence calms people down." I added with a smirk.
She stared at me. "That's sick."
"It's efficient." I tried to argue.
Her jaw clenched. "And dangerous."
"Yes."
The word landed heavy between us and none of us made an attempt to lift it.
Ha Ri POV
I think I could see it now, exactly how the dual life worked. The idol image wasn't a mask, It was an armor, a shield crafted from fame and public affection.
But armor do crack, if I'm not mistaking.
"And these people watching me?" I asked carefully. "Yesterday."? I squeaked
Seo Yul didn't answer right away, it seemed he was crafting his words carefully.
"They wanted to know if you were a threat," he said finally.
"And am I?"
He looked deep into my eyes and said,
"That depends on whether you decide to become one."
I managed not to flinch. "I'm a journalist. Truth is literally my job."
"That's what scares them." he said casually.
I absorbed that in silence.
Across the café, a man stood up from his seat, adjusting his jacket. Seo Yul's gaze flicked to him instantly.
Time was running out, this I could notice in his flaring gaze.
"I have one week," I told him truthfully. "After that, my editor pulls me off this beat."
Seo Yul stiffened. "And then?"
"Then someone else might take over," I said. "Someone less careful."
That did it, Jin became agitated. He leaned forward slightly. "You don't publish. Not yet."
"I already said I wouldn't." I replied calmly.
"I mean it," he pressed. "Even if you lose your job."
At the sound of that, something in me clicked. I met his intensity head-on. "Are you asking me… or telling me?"
He hesitated, then I felt all his agitation dissipate.
"Asking," he replied quietly.
I studied him for a long second… then nodded. "Okay."
I noticed relief flicker across his face before he could stop it.
Seo Yul (Jin) POV
I noticed the man by the door glance in our direction. My instincts flared up, "too long" was the only thing screaming in my head.
I stood instantaneously, slipping my cap back on.
"We're done," I announced with a voice lined with finality. "For today."
Ha Ri rose as well. "Same time tomorrow?"
"No," I replied immediately. "That would be predictable."
She frowned slightly. "Then how"...
I didn't let her finish, "I'll contact you," I told her, "When it's safe."
Did I say Safe?
The word felt too hollow to be real.
I wanted to turn, to leave, but I paused, then added, in a softer almost endearing tone, "Thank you. For listening."
She smiled, a small, real, gorgeous smile. "Thanks For trusting me." she replied.
I almost smiled back, almost.
Ha Ri POV
We exited separately, that was his rule. He says it will be safer that way.
I waited five full minutes before leaving the café, my heart still racing. When I stepped outside, the street looked normal again, almost too normal.
But I felt different, I felt seen and chosen.
My phone buzzed as I walked.
"Delete our messages, Memorize this instead: trust no one who offers protection too easily."
I stopped walking, the road felt too thin.
I gathered enough energy to type
"Does that include you?"
I stood there and waited, the reply came after a long pause.
"Especially me."
I slipped the phone back into my pocket, and turned my face to the bright sky above the city. Today, Daylight lied, but tonight…the truth would start hunting back.