Saturday Evening.
The luxury black van rolled into the underground garage of a high-rise building, carrying Jinwoo and his fellow actor bros.
As soon as the doors slid open, Minseok stepped out first and took a deep breath.
"Dude. What the hell—this new car smell is insane. I feel like I'm inside a spaceship."
Taejun shot him a judgmental look.
"You country bumpkin. Jinwoo, keep an eye on this guy tonight."
Minseok playfully smacked Taejun's shoulder.
"Oh please, weren't you the one moaning about how amazing the massage seat was ten minutes ago?"
Steve, waiting at the garage entrance, gave a polite nod to the building security, then led the group to the elevator. With swift, practiced movements, he scanned his access card and pressed the button. As the doors opened, he stepped aside, motioning Jinwoo and the others to enter.
19th floor.
As the elevator doors slid open again, the trio stepped out—only to freeze at the sight of the double-entry security setup.
"…Yo. What is this place? Are we visiting someone's house or the headquarters of the CIA?"
Steve calmly walked ahead and pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner on a thick glass security door. With a soft click, the doors opened. He gave Jinwoo another polite nod and disappeared down the hallway.
Jinwoo approached unit 1902.A facial scanner and fingerprint pad lit up as he stepped closer. With a soft chime, the door finally opened.
"What the hell… Yo, is this dude actually a secret agent?"
Minseok joked, shaking his head. Jinwoo just chuckled in response.
As soon as the front door swung open, the real shock hit them.
The entire living room was already set—a full-course catering service laid out across the massive dining table.
From hors d'oeuvres to desserts, it looked less like a housewarming party and more like a five-star hotel launch event.
Minseok's jaw dropped as he scanned the lavish spread.
"…Bro. This is insane. This house is ridiculous."
Kihyun, standing near the appetizers, chimed in.
"I've been to a lot of housewarming parties in my life, but this one? This is unreal."
Just then, Celeste emerged from the kitchen, having just finished chatting with Margot. She removed her apron and approached them with a soft, composed smile.
"Hello. I'm Celeste… Jinwoo's girlfriend."
The three men quickly straightened and bowed politely.
"Th-thank you for having us."
"Please come in. You guys must be hungry. There's plenty, so help yourselves."
Everyone took their seats around the living room and dining area—clinking wine glasses, picking up finger foods—the party had officially begun.
Meanwhile, two maids moved quietly in the background, checking last-minute details. Margot, the household manager, calmly oversaw everything.
"All dishes are at proper temperature. Dessert setup confirmed."
"Extra napkins and wet towels placed."
"Please enjoy your evening. If you need anything, just press the call button on the side panel."
With a graceful bow, Margot and the maids disappeared down a hallway. She walked toward a barely noticeable panel beside a decorative column and tapped a hidden elevator button.
Ding—
They stepped into the elevator and vanished silently as the doors slid shut.
The room went still.
"…Bro," Minseok muttered, lowering his fork.
"Did they just leave through… an elevator? Inside the house?"
Taejun slowly turned, still holding his wine glass.
"This place has a private elevator?"
Kihyun clutched his head with a groan and laughed.
"Dude. My apartment door still uses a key. Like, an actual metal key. I can't process this."
Taejun placed his glass down and looked up at the ceiling, murmuring like he'd just had an existential awakening.
"There are too many worlds we know nothing about. Today is... educational."
Jinwoo just smiled sheepishly.
The soft clink of wine glasses filled the air, and the party slowly gained warmth and rhythm.
Minseok was already slicing into a tender steak, groaning in satisfaction.
"Okay, this… This is better than a restaurant. Actually, no joke, this beats most restaurants I've been to."
Kihyun was hovering over the dessert station, eyes wide at the sight of the tiramisu.
"Is it bad if this tastes better than the one I had in Italy? I think I'm going to cry."
The terrace doors slid open, letting in the cool summer breeze. Smooth jazz flowed in the background, and the ambient lights danced in deep hues of wine and gold.
Celeste moved from guest to guest with ease—filling glasses, offering food, gently smiling. There was no arrogance in her presence, only grace. A quiet kind of elegance.
Jinwoo watched her silently. The way she belonged—how naturally she fit, not just in the space, but among the people he cared about.
There was pride in his eyes, and something softer too. A quiet contentment.
"Jinwoo…"Kihyun slid over with a knowing look and nudged his arm.
"You do realize… this is marriage material, right?"
"Bro! come on. We haven't been together that long…"
Jinwoo smiled, but his ears turned a little pink.
Meanwhile, on the side, Minseok was poking around the home's smart diffusers and high-end sound system.
"This place is basically a model home. Do actual people live here?"
Celeste, placing down a cheese plate, laughed playfully.
"Well… Jinwoo does. About couple hours a day. The rest of the time, he's off filming somewhere."
Everyone burst into laughter.
At that moment, someone called out from the terrace.
"Yo! Come check out this view!"
The guys slipped into indoor slippers and headed out. From the 19th floor, Seoul's night skyline stretched out in glittering perfection.
They raised their glasses in awe.
Kihyun pulled out his phone.
"Wait, wait. This is memory material. Let's take a pic. Everyone gather!"
They crowded around the railing with Jinwoo in the center—arms slung over each other's shoulders, laughing.
"Dude, smile a little. You look like you're about to go to war."
"I am smiling! This is me, emotionally overwhelmed!"
Click—
Just as the photo snapped, someone shouted:
"Celeste! Come join!"
She blinked, a bit flustered, then placed down her plate and smiled shyly.
"Me? Um… okay."
Brushing her hair behind one ear, she stepped forward. Minseok quickly made room.
"Here, right next to our leading man!"
Celeste carefully stood beside Jinwoo, who gently draped an arm around her shoulder. She lifted her glass, smiling.
Even without a flash, the moment shimmered.
"One, two, three—cheese!"
Click.
Under the Seoul night sky, in the soft breeze and city glow, five people smiled like it was the simplest thing in the world.
And in that single photo, Jinwoo and Celeste's not-so-secret love finally left its first trace in the real world.