Yuna is halfway down the hallway, dragging a sniffling Mina behind her like a duffel bag full of drama and conspiracy theories, when the door swings open behind them.
"Yuna!"
She turns.
Big mistake.
J-Min is jogging toward her, chest rising and falling from dance practice, hair still damp, skin dewy like a deviously adorable skincare ad and worst of all...he's got That Look. That soft, soulful, K-drama lead running after his soulmate look.
Mina gasps. "He's literally chasing you like the final episode cliff hanger. I can't breathe."
Yuna grabs her best friend's face and shakes it. "Inhale! You are not passing out. If you collapse, Raejin is the only one who knows CPR and he'll turn it into a TikTok."
J-Min stops a few feet away, panting. "You...forgot your amethyst."
He's holding it like it's the crown jewels or the last nugget in a McDonald's 10-piece box.
Yuna hesitates. "Oh."
Their fingers brush as she takes it back. Terrible idea. Touching J-Min is like getting electrocuted by cinnamon sugar wrapped in chaos and emotional confusion.
"I know it's just a rock," he says softly, "but... I hope it helps. You know. With whatever cosmic nonsense Ari was talking about."
"You're weird," she mutters.
"You like it."
Unfortunately, she does.
Yuna tries to remember her life before all this started. It was so peaceful. Just her, coffee, obscure indie playlists and a healthy avoidance of romantic complications.
Now? She's one muffin away from starring in a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers fanfic.
"Tell Sori she owes my friend an apology next time," she says, voice steady despite her rising internal temperature.
"Noted," he says without hesitation.
Behind them, the practice room door creaks open again.
Raejin's voice blasts like a foghorn. "J-MIN, SORI IS READY TO QUIT. AGAIN. AND THIS TIME SHE'S THROWING SHOES."
Yuna does not wait around.
"BYE!" she shouts, yanking Mina like a misbehaving puppy into the elevator.
In the cab...
The silence lasts a solid twenty seconds.
Then Mina turns to her, eyes sparkling with a terrifying mix of smugness and romantic glee.
"You're in so much trouble."
"Tell me something I don't know," Yuna mutters, forehead pressed to the window.
"No, like...heart trouble. You've got the slow-burn, secretly-obsessed, slow-dancing-under-the-stars kind of trouble. He held your hand like you were the only girl on Earth, kind of trouble."
"That's very specific."
"I have fanfic references."
"Of course you do."
"And don't forget! Sori threatened our existence, Ari gave you a magic rock and Raejin called you noona like fourteen times. You've been hazed into chaos. You're basically HWAON's honorary girlfriend now."
"I'm NOT..." Yuna flails..."This is still fake. Mostly. Like 88%."
Mina arches a brow. "Is it? Because that boy was about to kiss you like he was deploying to war and you were the only one who remembered his blood type."
"I...ugh. Can we not?"
Her phone buzzes.
[Incoming Video Call: MOM]
"OH MY GOD NO..."
Too late. Mina answers it like the traitor she is.
Her mother's face fills the screen, eyebrows drawn in a perfect arch of scandal.
"YUN-AAAAAA! Why didn't you tell us you were dating a CELEBRITY?!"
In the background, her dad yells, "ASK IF HE'S DONE MILITARY SERVICE."
"I'm not dating a celebrity!" Yuna shrieks.
"You were HOLDING HANDS on a ROOFTOP!"
Mina leans into the frame. "Hi Mrs. Han! Your daughter is thriving in chaos!"
Her mom gasps. "MINA! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
"Technically? It's fate."
"TECHNICALLY I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK," Yuna screams, trying to end the call.
Her dad grabs the phone. "What's his salary? Is he insured? Does he know how to fix a leaky pipe?"
"DAD!"
"I'm just saying, if he's going to marry my daughter..."
"We are not getting married!"
"Yet," Mina whispers dreamily.
Yuna ends the call so violently her phone considers pressing charges.
The cab driver glances up through the mirror. "Good luck with that," he says, deadpan.
Back home...
Yuna faceplants onto her bed, clutching the amethyst like a protective talisman.
Mina sprawls dramatically across the floor like she's been emotionally assassinated. "So. When's the next fake date?"
"Hopefully never," Yuna moans.
Her phone buzzes again.
[Text from J-Min]
Hey. Sorry about the chaos today. I owe you a proper apology. Maybe with muffins this time? Tomorrow?
She stares.
Mina, reading over her shoulder, screeches, "OH MY GOD. HE'S FLIRTING VIA BAKED GOODS."
"Do I ignore it?"
"Have you seen his arms? You do NOT ignore muffins with arms."
The next day at HWAON's Studio
It's not so much a café as it is an aesthetic warzone. Neon signs. Beanbag chairs. A suspicious number of pastel-coloured succulents. Raejin once said the vibe was "what happens when a K-pop group and IKEA have a love child."
J-Min is already seated when Yuna walks in.
Hoodie on. A box of muffins in front of him like an edible truce.
"You came," he says, voice weirdly bashful.
"You bribed me with carbs."
"I regret nothing."
He slides the box toward her. There's a note taped on top in what looks suspiciously like Raejin's glitter pen.
Sorry I made you fake-date me. Still hoping it turns real. <3
She blinks. Once. Twice. Her ears go hot.
"Is this a joke?" she asks.
J-Min shrugs. "Only if you want it to be."
Somewhere in the back room, Raejin's voice echoes:
"MY SWITCH BATTERY IS DEAD AND SO AM I."
Yuna doesn't even flinch. "Why is it always him?"
They eat muffins in companionable silence. The chocolate chip one is borderline illegal in flavour.
"Okay," Yuna finally says, "What now?"
"There's...an event next week. A charity gala," J-Min says, playing with a muffin wrapper. "Management wants me to bring you."
She chokes.
"It's black tie. CEOs. Cameras. Small talk with people named Winston."
"I don't belong there!"
"Neither do I," he admits. "But if you're there, I might not implode."
Yuna narrows her eyes. "You're terrible at being fake."
"I know," he says, not looking away. "Because I don't want to pretend with you anymore."
And just like that, the air between them changes.
His eyes flick to her lips.
Her heart hiccups.
He leans in. Closer. Her breath catches.
Then...
BAM.
Raejin kicks open the door.
"YUNA NOONA! I FOUND A FILTER THAT MAKES US LOOK LIKE POTATOES...WANNA SEE?"
Yuna screams. "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS HERE?!"
Taewon trails in behind him, sipping a cup of herbal regret.
"He lives here. Like a chaos goblin."
"I'm a sexy chaos goblin," Raejin corrects.
Taewon ignores him. "Your coffee shop boss called. You missed two shifts. He says he's 'gathering muffins as evidence.'"
Yuna gasps. "I forgot! Oh my god!"
"I told him you were off saving the country. With your eyebrows," Taewon adds helpfully.
"TAEWON!"
"Relax. Raejin covered for you."
"I did?" Raejin blinks. "Oh yeah. Sent him a thirst trap of J-Min. Said it was an emergency."
"RAEJIN!!"
"You're welcome."
Later that night at Yuna's Apartment.
She's curled up on the couch in a hoodie and existential dread, scarfing spicy chips, when her phone pings.
[Video Message: From J-Min]
It's only seven seconds.
J-Min's face appears on screen, hair a sleepy mess, hoodie collar loose around his collarbone.
"Good night, Yuna. Don't let the gossip demons bite."
He winks.
The video ends.
Yuna drops the phone directly onto her face.
From the bathroom, Mina's muffled voice calls, "Did he just send you a bedtime video?!"
"I hate him."
"You love him."
"I HATE...ugh, maybe."
Mina steps into the living room in full panda face mask mode. "You're in too deep."
"Why are you even here?" Yuna groans.
Mina grabs a chip. "I live two doors away. But this is more entertaining."
Yuna groans into a throw pillow.
Outside, the city glows like a promise she's not sure she's ready for.
Inside, her heart's already halfway to falling.
And the next muffin? Might just break her entirely.