The day passed in a quiet, golden blur.
After a cozy breakfast and a long, lazy afternoon spent wrapped in each other's company with soft touches, lingering glances, and quiet words that didn't need answers.The sun began to set, casting a warm, peach-colored glow through the windows of Minji's apartment.
Hana stood by the door, adjusting the scarf around her neck. "Are you sure this is okay?"
Minji, already slipping into his hoodie and mask, looked up. "This area is discreet. No fans. No cameras. Just you, me, and the world pretending not to know us."
She nodded, still uncertain. But the way he reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as naturally as breathing, reassured her.
Hana and Minji walked side by side down the quiet street. Neither said much, their phones forgotten in their hands, screens dimmed ,conversations paused while holding each other. They didn't need words right now.
Minji wore a simple black sweatshirt and matching shorts, blending into the soft shadows that stretched along the sidewalk. His white sneakers thudded lightly against the pavement, syncing with Hana's quieter steps beside him. She had a cap pulled low over her eyes, and her dark hoodie matched his, as if they'd planned it, of course those were minji clothes. The cool breeze tugged at her light-washed jeans, brushing against her ankles like a whisper.
The streets were quiet, only a few residents strolling under the glow of streetlamps. There was a peaceful rhythm to the evening dogs being walked, couples chatting softly, leaves crunching underfoot.
For the first time in days, Hana breathed freely.
They walked in silence for a while, until Minji spoke, his voice gentle. "I missed this… walking beside you like we're normal."
"We're not normal," Hana said, squeezing his hand. "But maybe that's okay."
He stopped walking then, pulling her slightly toward him. "You know, back when I was writing that song for you… I pictured a moment like this. Us. Simple. Together."
Hana smiled. "You're such a sap."
"I'm your sap."
Their laughter mingled with the wind, quiet and real.
It didn't matter if the world outside was still burning with hashtags and rumors. Right now, in this moment, they were safe.
Together.
As the sun began to set.
Hana and Minji walked side by side down the quiet street to where the lake is situated following a narrow trail that led to the lake's edge. The sky had deepened to a soft indigo, and the water shimmered faintly under the fading light. A pair of ducks glided silently across the surface.
Minji stopped walking and turned to Hana, his voice low. "It's nice out here. Peaceful."
Hana nodded, pulling her hoodie sleeves over her hands. "Yeah. It doesn't feel real sometimes."
"What doesn't?" he asked, watching her face.
"This," she said, gesturing between them. "Us. Being together like this. Without anyone watching or expecting anything."
Minji's expression softened. He glanced toward the water, then back at her. "I think that's why I like it so much. You're the only part of my life that feels… untouched. Real."
Hana looked down, scuffing a small stone with her shoe. "Even after the concert?"
A silence stretched between them, but not an uncomfortable one.
"I meant it," he said quietly. "Every word. I don't want to hide you anymore."
She met his gaze, her eyes uncertain but bright. "Are you sure you're ready for all that comes with it? The rumors, the pressure—"
"I'm not ready," Minji cut in, honest and raw. "But I'd rather face all of it with you than keep pretending you're not the best thing that's happened to me."
The wind stirred her hair beneath the cap. She stepped closer, barely brushing his arm with hers. "You're kind of cheesy."
"You're kind of stuck with me," he replied, grinning now.
They stood like that for a moment with no grand gestures,or loud declarations just two people wrapped in quiet understanding, the lake glimmering behind them and the world temporarily silent.
Just as Hana and Minji turned to leave the lake behind, laughter echoed from across the water. Neither of them noticed the girl a few meters away filming a casual sunset vlog. Kim Areum an influencer nothing huge, but popular enough. She stood near the flowers, holding her phone toward the water, narrating something about "evening reflections and spring breeze" as her camera briefly swept past the silhouettes in the background.
Minji and Hana.
The clip lasted no more than a few seconds before the camera shifted focus back to her face. A regular day. A regular upload. Nothing suspicious until it went live that night.
It wasn't even one of her best takes.
The influencer,Kim Areum, had uploaded the vlog later that evening like she always did with some light editing, background music, her usual hashtags. She didn't think much of it. The lake, the breeze, her musings about "peace and patience." A nice filler post.
But when she woke up the next morning, her phone wouldn't stop buzzing.
Thousands of notifications. New followers. Comments flooding in.
"Wait… is that Minji??"
"Rewatch 0:13 — those two shadows? That's HIM. That has to be HIM!"
"Minji??? With a girl???"
Confused, Kim Areum tapped on her video. She watched it again and then again, heart dropping each time she reached the part where the camera momentarily caught two figures at the edge of the lake.
Silhouettes. But distinct enough. The way they stood close. The way one of them looked suspiciously like a certain idol.
Oh my God…
Areum gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "No, no, no this wasn't supposed to…"
She deleted the post immediately.
But it was already too late.
Screenshots had been taken. Clips had been reposted. Fan forums were buzzing, theories flying. Side-by-sides were being shared, comparing Minji's build, his walk, even the shoes he'd been spotted wearing in old paparazzi shots.
It had gone viral.
The video now dubbed "Minji Mystery Lake Date" was everywhere.
Who is this girl, an actress, influencer, celebrity?
These were the speculation going on as fans and netizens were trying to figure out who is this girl .
Across town,
In the dim corner of a quiet newsroom lit only by the glow of monitors, Seo Jin was sipping his second cup of lukewarm coffee when an intern rushed in, breathless.
"Sir... you need to see this."
Seo Jin raised an eyebrow. The intern hardly ever spoke above a whisper, yet now she was shoving her phone into his hand like it was breaking news from the palace.
"What am I—"
Then he saw it.
The shadows. The lake. A girl and a man walking too closely, too quietly. It was subtle… but Seo Jin had trained himself to see what most people missed.
He hit replay.
Again.
Zoomed in.
Paused.
That posture… that outline…
"No," he whispered to himself. "It can't be."
But his gut already knew. The timing. The rumors. The mystery girl. His jaw tensed.
He opened his drawer and pulled out a manila file labeled "Minji – Personal Life." The photos inside were cold and inconclusive. Until now.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping slowly on the desk as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It's time," he murmured, eyes gleaming under the screen's light. He reached for his phone and dialed.
The line clicked.
"Boss," he said, voice low. "We may finally have something."