Jea—
His real name had originally been Jaehyun.
But when he first came to Jeon J, something small went wrong.
Instead of calling him Jae, Jeon J had casually called him Jea.
No one corrected him.
Not Jea.
Not anyone else.
And somehow, that tiny mistake stayed.
Over time, Jea stopped being a mistake.
It became his name.
The name everyone knew.
And, strangely enough, everyone liked it.
They were all sitting together after lunch, the earlier tension slowly fading as conversation moved toward their next plans.
Some were discussing where they should go.
Others were simply listening.
Minji sat among them, comfortable as always.
She had always been Jeon J's closest friend, but over time, she had built an easy understanding with everyone else too.
Jeon J, meanwhile, wasn't saying much.
He was simply listening.
Quietly.
Observing.
Then, in the middle of the conversation, he suddenly looked toward Jea.
"Jea."
Jea was already halfway out of the room.
He stopped.
Slowly turned around.
"What?"
Jeon J looked at him.
"Do you remember who called us and told us Bamson was at the hostel?"
Jea's expression immediately became thoughtful.
He scratched the side of his ear.
"The person who called…"
He frowned.
She is bitter rude but...
"I don't remember her name."
Minji's eyes narrowed.
"You remember that she was rude, but you don't remember her name?"
Her teeth almost seemed to grind together.
Jea smiled awkwardly.
"Yes."
"How convenient."
Jea gave a small shrug.
"I remember her attitude better than her name."
He turned around again, clearly ready to escape the interrogation.
Then he stopped.
"Oh."
He glanced back.
"Jeon J."
Jeon J looked up.
"Do you remember she said something else too?"
Jea started walking again as he spoke.
"Something that made you laugh."
His lips curved.
"Actually… you laughed because of it."
He paused near the doorway.
"And you kept laughing even after Bamson was found."
Minji's expression changed.
She knew exactly what he was talking about.
Jea had remembered the words.
But he hadn't remembered the girl.
Minji already knew who she was.
And now she couldn't help wondering—
What exactly did she say that made Jeon J laugh like that?
She tried to sound casual.
"What did she say?"
Jea turned around.
He smiled.
"You really want to know?"
"Yes."
Jea looked around the room dramatically.
"Then everyone needs to listen."
A few people laughed.
Jea cleared his throat and imitated the girl's tone.
"She said…"
He paused.
"'Come and take my friend's nephew. I've already fed him two packs of my favorite biscuits—and snacks too.'"
For half a second, there was silence.
Then—
The entire room exploded with laughter.
Minjo nearly doubled over.
"Nephew?"
Kim Joon looked genuinely confused.
"Her friend's nephew?"
Jinhun laughed.
"What kind of sentence is that?"
Jea laughed too.
"That's exactly what she said!"
Hana, however, had stopped laughing.
She slowly looked toward Minji.
Her smile faded.
Because suddenly—
the words sounded familiar.
Friend's nephew.
Biscuits.
Snacks.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait…"
She looked at Minji.
"Zoya?"
Ruhi's head snapped toward her.
Sophia froze.
The laughter disappeared.
Minji closed her eyes for a brief second.
There was no point hiding it anymore.
Half the truth was already standing in the middle of the room.
She opened her eyes.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
Hana stared.
"Zoya was the one who called?"
Minji nodded again.
"She was the one who told us Bamson was at the hostel."
Silence.
Jeon J stopped moving.
His expression didn't change immediately.
But something in his eyes did.
"Zoya…?"
Yomin looked from Minji to Hana.
"You mean Zoya called?"
Minji gave a small nod.
"Yes."
Jeon J remained silent.
Then Kim Joon frowned.
"Wait."
He looked at Minji.
"Bamson was with you?"
Ruhi immediately answered.
"Bamson was with us."
Kim Joon stared at her.
"Are you serious?"
Ruhi nodded.
"Very serious."
Minji sighed.
Then she began explaining everything.
From the beginning.
How Bamson had ended up with them.
How they had found him.
How Zoya had contacted them.
How they had eventually managed to get everything under control.
Everyone listened.
Everyone except Jeon J.
He heard the words.
But they barely registered.
Because one thought had already taken over his mind.
Zoya had called.
The same girl who claimed she wasn't interested in TBS.
The same girl who constantly argued with Teahun.
The same girl who could disappear without explanation.
She had been the one who found Bamson.
And she had been the one who called.
Kim Joon finally spoke.
"But Minji, you could have called us."
His voice wasn't angry.
Only concerned.
"We were so worried."
He glanced toward Jeon J.
"Jeon J was extremely disturbed. None of us could focus properly on the concert."
He paused.
"We were worried too."
His expression became more serious.
"But when it comes to RAMY, it's our responsibility not to bring personal problems into their time."
He looked around.
"Whatever was happening, RAMY still supported us completely at an international level during the concert."
Minji lowered her eyes.
"I know."
Then, quietly—
"I didn't have anyone's number."
The room became quiet.
Yomin finally stepped in.
"Leave all of that."
His voice was calm.
"Bamson is safe."
He looked around.
"And he's with us."
A small smile appeared.
"That's what matters."
The conversation slowly settled again.
But Jeon J hadn't moved.
His foot traced a faint line across the floor.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Then he finally spoke.
"Minji."
She looked at him.
"How did you know I was in Busan?"
The room went quiet again.
It wasn't the first time he'd asked.
He had asked her the same question the previous evening in her garden.
And she hadn't answered.
Today, he wanted the truth.
His foot continued drawing invisible lines across the floor.
Minji looked at him.
Before she could answer—
Sophia spoke.
"Zoya told us."
Jeon J's foot stopped.
Sophia continued, unaware of the effect her words were having.
"She said she was on the flight."
She thought for a moment.
"And She thought you was on the same one."
Jeon J slowly raised his eyes.
"Why?"
"Because that was the last flight of the day."
Sophia explained.
"All the other flights had been cancelled because of the snow."
Silence.
Jeon J's hand stopped completely.
His mind went somewhere else.
The plane.
The snow.
The last flight.
The seat behind him.
He remembered her.
Not her face.
Not clearly.
But the presence.
The voice.
The faint movement behind him.
A girl sitting in the seat ahead him.
At the time, it had meant nothing.
Just another passenger.
Just another stranger on a flight delayed by snow.
But now—
the pieces were beginning to move.
His first question had an answer.
Who had called about Bamson?
Zoya.
His second question had an answer too.
How had Minji known he was in Busan?
Zoya had told them.
And suddenly, another question appeared.
One he hadn't asked aloud.
One he hadn't even known he was carrying.
If Zoya had been on that flight…
And the seat ahead him had belonged to a girl…
Then—
who exactly had been sitting ahead him?
Jeon J slowly lowered his gaze.
For the first time, the memory no longer felt random.
It felt connected.
And somewhere inside that connection was a girl he had barely noticed—
who had somehow already crossed his path twice.
Without him realizing it.
Jeon J looked up again.
His expression remained calm.
But his thoughts were no longer quiet.
Because now—
he knew who could give him the final answer.
Zoya.
To Be Continued.....
Regards
ZK💌