Underneath the Noise
The café was quieter than usual just a few students with laptops, a couple on a date, and the soft clinking of cups behind the counter. Hana sat near the back, fingers wrapped around a warm mug of vanilla latte. She kept checking the door, pretending not to.
He was late.
She tapped her phone screen. No new messages. She wasn't even sure if he'd show up.
Then, the bell above the door jingled.
He came in, dressed like any other Seoul boy in oversized hoodie, baseball cap, mask. But she knew it was him from the way his eyes searched the room, anxious yet soft. When they met hers, his shoulders relaxed a little.
Minji slid into the seat across from her. "Sorry I'm late."
Hana smiled. "I figured it wasn't easy for you."
He glanced around. "I took the long way. Avoided a few spots. Someone might've followed."
"That must be exhausting," she said quietly.
Minji hesitated, then slowly removed his mask.
This time, he wanted to be seen.
"I wanted to be here as me. Not… the version they post on fan pages."
Hana met his gaze. "Then just be Minji. That's okay with me."
He exhaled a shaky breath, as if those words gave him permission to breathe.
"I haven't had coffee with someone without a team, a camera, or a schedule in years," he said. "It feels… unreal."
She tilted her head. "Want me to tell you a story? That's what I do when life feels too big."
He chuckled. "Only if it has a dragon. And a quiet girl who saves the world without anyone noticing."
Hana smiled. "Then I'll make one up, just for you."
And as the sun slanted through the windows, catching motes of dust and soft light, the two strangers spoke like old friends, their voices weaving something gentle into the noise of their lives.
While Minji and Hana laughed quietly in their corner of the world, another screen lit up across the city.
Yoon Seo-jin, lead reporter for StarTeller Dispatch, clicked through a blurry photo of Minji, entering a café. Another, seated across from a girl. No clear view of her face, but that wasn't the point.
She leaned back in her chair, frowning. "So it is dating season."
Her editor's voice crackled through the office speaker. "You've been tracking him for weeks. You think this girl's real?"
Seo-jin narrowed her eyes. "She's not a trainee. Not from the industry. That's the story."
"Then dig. Fast. Before someone else grabs it."
The screen glowed brighter as she opened her files. One photo caught her attention that of Hana, blurry but recognizable, walking out of the bookstore with a sketchpad in hand.
No one knew her name yet. No one knew where this story would go.
But soon… they would.
The air felt heavier that evening.
Hana walked home with her sketchpad pressed tightly to her chest, headphones in, but no music playing. She needed the world to quiet down. The night lights of Seoul flickered like tiny stars scattered across concrete, but something about them felt… off.
She paused at the curb, the crosswalk blinking red.
Why did it feel like someone had been watching her lately?
Not in the obvious way—no one lurking behind corners, no suspicious footsteps. Just a soft shift in the air. The same feeling she got as a child when a thunderstorm was coming—heavy clouds building even before the sky turned dark.
Her phone buzzed.
Minji: Did you get home safe?
She smiled despite the tension. Almost. Just passed the bookstore. You?
Minji: Back at the dorm. Long day. Thinking of that story you promised me.
She typed: I'll send you a dragon sketch soon. You need a quiet hero, remember?
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❄️🌹🌹🌹❄️
"She painted dreams in forgotten colors.
He carried sadness in silent songs.
Together, they found a fleeting spring — before the winter took it all."