Blanket of stars stretched to infinity as the crescent moon ablaze its luminosity. The city lights cast long shadows on the ground and the noises of the street hugged the sidewalk. The noble heavens feasted one's eye on the two souls walking towards an apartment building.
"Thanks for today, Mr. Stranger," Min Jee said.
"Yeah, see you when I see you," he replied.
His eyes followed her figure until it disappeared into the elevator. He put his hands inside his pocket and made his way to the cafe where he stays.
Meanwhile, Min Jee pressed the passcode of her apartment and almost leaped in shock when Youngjae showed up. He was sitting on the couch, arms folded.
"What are you doing here?" she said.
"I've been waiting here for hours."
"I thought you'd be here tomorrow."
She went inside her room and hung her jacket and bag on the free-standing rack. Afterward, she sat across from her brother with a poker face.
"So you knew I'd be here," he said.
"But not at this hour."
"Can you at least bring me a cup of coffee?"
"Goodness, it's 9:00 pm."
He grimaced.
"Am I not allowed to do that? I drink it anytime. Well, you don't understand how holy it is in my eyes because you hate it."
She stood up and went to the kitchen to prepare some coffee.
"Oh, please. I'm sick of hearing your sermon about your love for coffee. Marry it then," she said in an irritated tone.
"If I could, absolutely. Anyway, I saw the video of you on the net. It's alarming."
One of Min Jee's bashers took a video of her when her haters grabbed her hair in front of the coffee shop. They uploaded it on social media with the caption, 'Good for her. She deserves more than a beating.' It already reached a hundred thousand views and forty-nine thousand comments. It delighted most of them.
"Let them be. They're just jealous," she said.
"Are you serious? This is harassment."
His eyelids squinted. Min Jee grabbed her phone to check the comment section. A few seconds ago, someone left the following comments, 'Seo Min Jee is my batch mate in Korea University School of Law and she passed the bar exam. Her older brother is Prosecutor Seo Youngjae, one of the best in the city. Her mother is a Law professor at Chonnam National University Law School, and her late father was a judge. If you knew these, you would be shaken. This is not a threat but a life savior.'
Min Jee smirked.
"Hey, I should sue this one. He spilled our personal information," she said.
"Leave it there. They must know that they're about to be thrown into a fiery pit with thorns."
"Oh? Are you bragging about your power now?" Min Jee said in a sarcastic tone.
"You don't even look like a prosecutor. You're like a lost sheep."
His eyes were bulging.
"Hey! I'm being humble here."
He hissed. Min Jee placed the cup of coffee on the table. He sipped an ample amount of it and sighed.
"Your coffee tastes bad, but good enough to shut my mouth."
Min Jee doesn't like Law and had no interest in pursuing anything related to it, but her father obliged her to continue their line of work. When she passed the bar exam, her father died because of a heart attack. After her grief, she got the courage to do what she likes — art. And she became unstoppable.
She conducts painting exhibits once a year and visits a foundation for children with cancer. Min Jee also shares half of her earnings to the charity and donates some of her paintings and books.
Youngjae's face radiated when an idea snapped in his mind.
"By the way, I think I saw you with a man earlier. Hmm," he said, narrowing his eyes.
"So what?"
"And I'm sure it's not Daewon. Tell me, who is he?"
"What's the big deal?"
In an edgy tone, he said, "Of course. It's a big deal. You're not the type who clings around men."
She crossed her arms.
"You avoid them, like you are a white deer in the middle of the yellow woods and they are hunters lurking behind the trees, pointing their golden arrows at you," he said in a creepy tone.
"What? White deer? Is there such a thing?" she asked.
"No, because you're the only one and they're mere disgusting hunters."
"What about the yellow woods?"
"Yellow symbolizes optimism. Dark woods are cliche. I'd like the chase to be magical and it's better to die in the sunshine. And oh, the arrow pierced into your heart must be gold because you are a royalty."
He winked.
"Also, I'm up for the money."
A smug smile formed on her lips. Her brother's specialty has always been describing her life with weird metaphors.
"Whatever. As if that makes sense. He's just a stranger," she said.
"You're going out with a stranger?" — he covered his mouth — "I'm so proud of you!"
He clapped his hands in disbelief.
"We're just hanging out. No more, no less."
"You better make sure of that before I hang him upside down."
She raised her brow.
"I thought you're excited to have a brother-in-law?"
"I have to ensure that he's way better than me. You know, I'm the standard of world class beauty."
She shook her head.
"Yeah, I'm going to sleep now. You may leave," she said.
"I'm sleeping here though."
He smiled and went to her room. Youngjae pulled her extra pillows and blanket out of her cabinet. Then he slumped on the sofa.
Min Jee rolled her eyes and didn't argue about it.
The next day, Min Jee dressed herself up for her book signing event. Since a journalist revealed her identity and it's Dong Joon's birthday, she saved the date for her first appearance. Her heart was thumping, and she wanted to back out, but she couldn't. Everyone's waiting for her, so there's no turning back.
She went out of the apartment and gazed at a man standing against a white Lamborghini aventador. He's dressed in a maroon suit with a white long sleeve and bowtie. He removed his sunglasses and greeted her.
"Do I look like a prosecutor now?" Youngjae said.
"Are you attending a ball? Geez," she said.
"Hop in. I'll be your bodyguard for today in case someone attacks you."
He opened the door and let her in.
They stopped at SMTown Coex Atrium. Min Jee's face was on the high-definition LED screen that wraps outside of the building. The screen typically displays advertisements, K-pop videos, and anamorphic illusions. Measuring a width of 80.1 meters and a height of 20.1 meters, it is indeed a K-pop square.
Youngjae rolled down the window and gazed at the building.
"Wow. Look at that. They showed your enormous face all over the place. How embarrassing could that be?" he said.
"Do you have a death wish? Or should I rip your fancy suit apart?"