Minji didn't say yes.
She didn't say no, either.
But at 8 PM sharp, she stepped into the rooftop restaurant, breath caught somewhere between nerves and something sweeter.
She wore midnight black—sleek, simple, stunning. The kind of dress that didn't need to try.
Minho looked up from the table.
His eyes widened, just for a second.
"You came," he said, standing.
"You invited," she replied.
The table was small. Round. A candle flickered between them like it had a heartbeat of its own.
"Not a work dinner," she said, sitting.
"Nope," he said. "Unless you plan to pitch a design between courses."
She raised an eyebrow. "You'd probably approve it just to argue."
That made him smile—really smile. The rare one. The one that reached his eyes and made her forget how to breathe for a second.
They ordered.
Talked.
Laughed—softly at first, then real.
The air between them warmed. Unfolded.
Minho leaned back, swirling the wine in his glass. "You're exactly how I remembered."
Minji looked up. "From fifteen years ago?"
He nodded. "Back then, I thought you were fearless. Still do."
She sipped slowly. "I was terrified that day. It was raining. I forgot my umbrella. My friends left me behind."
"And I showed up," he said.
"You were a skinny boy with messy hair and a yellow umbrella."
"You smiled like it was the sun."
That silenced her.
Because it wasn't a compliment.
It was a memory.
Real. Lived. Etched.
"You remember that?" she whispered.
"I remember everything."
A beat passed.
Minji exhaled, long and soft. "Why now, Minho?"
He looked at her—really looked.
"Because I thought forgetting you would be easier than feeling something I didn't know what to do with."
Her heart thudded.
"I'm not a kid anymore," she said quietly.
"I know."
"And this…" she gestured between them, "complicates things."
He nodded. "Only if we let it."
She paused. "And if I don't let it?"
He smiled faintly. "Then I'll take the next dinner as just dinner. And the next."
"You're assuming I'll say yes."
"I'm hoping you won't say no."
Minji looked away, hiding the tiny, traitorous smile tugging at her lips.
For the first time in a long time, the city lights weren't the brightest thing around her.