It's still early enough that the city hasn't fully woken up, but the sky's beginning to glow lavender around the edges when Yuna steps outside, breath visible in the cool morning air. She's wearing a hoodie, a baseball cap pulled low and an enormous pair of sunglasses, hoping nobody recognizes her as half of the internet's favourite accidental couple, Yumin™.
Her phone pings.
[J-Min]
I'm outside. No Raejin. I swear.
She scans the quiet street until she spots a sleek black sedan pulled up to the curb. J-Min's leaning against it, wearing the world's least subtle disguise: a hoodie pulled up, a medical mask covering his face and sunglasses bigger than hers. He looks like an undercover spy...or a very suspicious avocado.
When he sees her, his eyes crinkle. He pushes down his mask and grins.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself," she says, climbing in beside him.
The door shuts and suddenly they're cocooned in silence.
J-Min exhales. "I can't believe we pulled this off. No one tailed me...yet."
She arches her brow. "Yet."
He bumps his shoulder into hers. "Have some faith in my stealth skills."
"You're a 6.5-foot-tall celebrity whose hair practically glows under streetlights. Your stealth skills suck."
"...Okay, fair."
They drive to a little diner tucked under a railway bridge. It's one of those places with sticky menus and cracked leather booths and the waitress calls everyone "hon." Yuna slides into the seat, pulse thrumming.
J-Min orders enough food for a small army: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and two iced Americanos. The second he sips his coffee, he visibly relaxes.
"God, I missed this. Just...normal stuff."
Yuna stirs sugar into her cup. "I've never seen you look this happy with eggs."
"It's not the eggs," he murmurs, eyes on her. "It's you."
Her face goes nuclear. She's about to throw a napkin at him when her phone buzzes.
[Group Chat: Mina, Sori, Raejin, Taewon, Ari]
Mina: WHERE ARE YOU. ARE YOU ALIVE.
Raejin: If you're in a ditch I'm calling ONARI™ to look for you.
Taewon: Bring back muffins.
Ari: The stars say today is a day for love. Proceed cautiously.
Sori: I'm still sorry for everything. Have fun!
Yuna sighs. "Our friends are gonna kill us."
J-Min slides his phone across the table. She sees his wallpaper...her goofy selfie from the studio, eyes crossed, mouth open mid-laugh.
"Our fans might kill me first," he says lightly. "ONARI™ is...intense."
"They're divided," she admits. "Half of ONARI™ loves me, half wants me catapulted into the sun."
He winces. "Same. Some people say I'm happier than ever. Others say you're ruining HWAON™."
Yuna pokes her straw at him. "Am I?"
J-Min's eyes soften. "You're saving me."
They leave the diner and walk the waterfront, wind off the water whipping Yuna's hair. J-Min shoves his hands into his pockets and admits, in a quiet voice:
"Sometimes it's so loud around me...but I've never felt lonelier."
Yuna stops. "J-Min..."
He shrugs. "I've been doing this since I was a kid. Everyone talks about me. Looks at me. But I wonder if anyone really knows me. And sometimes I'm scared nobody ever will."
He glances at her, eyes vulnerable. "Except...you keep looking at me like I'm just...me. Not J-Min from HWAON™. Just...Min."
She wants to say something comforting, but all she manages is, "I feel invisible most of the time."
He frowns. "You? Invisible?"
"I work in a coffee shop. People spill drinks on me and forget my name. I'm nobody. And now suddenly...everyone's watching me. It's terrifying."
J-Min reaches out, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You're not nobody. You're the person who tells me the truth. Who makes me laugh. Who's not afraid to call me out when I'm an idiot."
Yuna stares at him. "You're gonna make me cry at sunrise."
Suddenly, a distant shout slices through the air. A man with a giant camera comes running toward them.
"J-Min! Yuna! Over here!"
"Oh god," Yuna hisses.
J-Min grabs her hand. "RUN."
They bolt down the promenade. The paparazzi pursues, snapping photos, yelling questions:
"Are you dating?"
"Is Yumin™ real?"
"Is HWAON™ breaking up?!"
They duck into a side alley. Another photographer pops out of nowhere.
"Oh my god, we're in an action movie," Yuna gasps, wheezing.
"Focus!" J-Min shouts. "LEFT!"
They sprint around a corner and slam into a door. Without thinking, J-Min shoves it open, yanks Yuna inside, and slams it shut.
They're in... a supply closet.
Brooms. Buckets. The distinct aroma of pine cleaner.
Yuna's back is pressed against the wall. J-Min's body is pressed against hers, breathing hard. Their faces are inches apart.
Outside, they hear shouting. Footsteps pounding past.
Yuna tries to steady her voice. "We're hiding in a broom closet. This is peak romantic comedy."
J-Min's eyes flick to her lips. "Is it bad that I don't mind?"
"Depends how you feel about mop water."
He laughs. "I'd hide with you anywhere."
The silence stretches. His fingers slide down her arms.
Yuna tries to look away, but his voice drops low. "Yuna...I keep thinking about kissing you."
Her entire body goes still. "You...what?"
"I thought I'd be scared," he whispers. "But...with you...it feels like the only thing I want."
Yuna opens her mouth...to deny, to deflect, to run.
But instead...
She kisses him.
It's soft at first. Curious. Testing. Then he makes a quiet, strangled sound in his throat and pulls her closer, mouth slanting over hers with sudden urgency.
Her hands curl into his hoodie. His fingers slide up to cup her jaw.
There's pine cleaner. And dust. And distant paparazzi yells. But none of it matters because J-Min is kissing her like she's the only thing keeping him upright.
When they finally break apart, he's panting, eyes wide.
"Holy...I..."
"That felt..." she whispers.
"...like breathing," he finishes.
They stand there, forehead to forehead, laughter bubbling up because it's all too ridiculous.
Outside, someone bangs on the door.
"HEY! WHO'S IN THERE?"
A little bit later...
They sneak out the back and pile into J-Min's car, breathless and dishevelled. He grips the wheel, eyes wild.
"I kissed you," he says, stunned.
"You did."
"And you...kissed me back."
"I did."
He blinks. "I'm...I'm not okay. I might combust."
She pats his shoulder. "Get in line."
He looks over, eyes shining. "Does this mean...Yumin™ is officially real?"
She groans. "God help me. Yes."
J-Min beams so hard she's worried his face might crack.
Back at the Studio
When they finally arrive at HWAON™'s studio, the chaos is in full swing. Mina's pacing, waving her phone. Ari is meditating in a corner. Taewon is stress-eating popcorn. Seo looks like he aged ten years overnight.
Raejin bursts in. "I KNEW IT. YOU GUYS KISSED. I CAN SMELL THE HORMONES."
Mina shrieks. "IS IT TRUE?! DID YOU KISS?!"
J-Min looks at Yuna and smiles soft and devastating. "Yeah. We kissed."
The room explodes.
Mina's phone starts buzzing with ONARI™ updates:
"OH MY GOD YUMIN™ IS REAL!!!"
"This is the love story of the century!"
"I feel betrayed."
"I want to be happy...but I'm also crying in the shower."
Sori slips in, clutching muffins. "I made peace offerings. For...everything."
Taewon groans. "We're all doomed."
Seo rubs his temples. "My blood pressure. My career. My sanity."
Yuna just sits beside J-Min, quietly laughing as he laces their fingers together.
Later that night.
They're alone in the studio lounge, lights low. J-Min plays with a loose thread on her sleeve.
"Can I...show you something?" he asks shyly.
He pulls out a battered notebook and opens it. Inside are scribbled lyrics:
When the world is noise
And my soul's undone
Your laugh is my quiet place
My shelter from the sun.
Yuna stares, throat tight. "That's...beautiful."
He meets her eyes. "It's about you."
She kisses him again. Just a soft brush of lips.
Outside, fans scream in delight as ONARI™ trends worldwide. Inside, J-Min looks at her like he's found something he's been searching for forever.
And Yuna finally lets herself believe it might be real.