Maybe that's the strange thing about Seoul is how it constantly teeters between chaos and coincidence.
One moment you're out buying gimbap, the next you're making awkward eye contact with a global superstar over a railing.
Now here i am again, in the same city that doesn't seem to know how to leave us alone.
-
I sat at the tiny breakfast nook of the condo, phone in hand, fingers hovering above the screen like they had a mind of their own.
There was no reason to text him.
None and yet his name—Sebastian—flashed in my head like a song on loop.
But there was no number to text.
No thread to reply to.
Just… that memory from yesterday of him introducing me to his bandmates, of how he said "She's my neighbor" with a tone that didn't feel forced or fake and the memory were we talk in our own balcony. Like he was offering them a piece of his real life and somehow, I was in it.
I ran my tongue over my teeth, annoyed at the butterflies that refused to settle. I stood up, grabbed my camera, and headed out.
I needed fresh air.
I needed perspective.
The hike wasn't anything special.
Just a trail i found online, not far from the Han River but steep enough to keep tourists away.
The kind of place where no one cared who you were or who you used to be.
The air was sharp with pine.
I tightened the straps of my backpack and kept walking, my boots crunching lightly against gravel.
The city slowly faded behind me, replaced by leaves, wind, and quiet.
That's what i liked about hiking, it didn't ask questions.
It didn't look back at you with judgmental eyes or pretend to know the truth behind headlines.
It just… existed.
And in that stillness, I felt a little more human.
I reached a small clearing, right on the edge of the cliffside where the sun peeked through clouds and lit the treetops like they were on fire.
I raised my camera and began to shoot, slow, thoughtful clicks.
Not for content, not for clout.
Just for me.
Then something moved in the corner of my frame.
I blinked.
Lowered the camera.
No way.
There, not too far off, were seven guys dressed in coordinated black outfits.
One of them crouched by a monitor while another fixed his mic
. A staff member scurried past, holding what looked like a fog machine.
A shoot.
No—a music video shoot.
I froze.
There, in the middle of it all, was Sebastian. Laughing.
Nodding at a crew member.
His hair was slicked back and damp, probably from the last take.
His skin glowed under the soft lighting, like he belonged to another world entirely. Which he did.
I stepped back, heart racing for no reason. It wasn't like i was trespassing… was I?
Still, I knew i shouldn't be here.
Not this close.
But my feet didn't move again.
Instead, I found myself inching forward, one step at a time, until i could hear the faint hum of their music playing through the speakers.
He turned.
Saw me.
And smiled.
Just like that.
I smiled back.
Gave a little wave, awkward and unsure.
He walked over without hesitation.
"Margaux," he said, breath slightly uneven like he'd just come from a dance take.
"Hey," I replied, trying not to sound too startled.
"Didn't think i'd run into you… again."
"I could say the same," he said, clearly amused.
"Didn't realize you guys were filming here again," I added. "No wonder it's so quiet."
"Yeah, we rented the entire trail this morning. Thought we'd get away from the city for this concept. Nature, clarity… rebirth or something."
"Very on-brand," I said with a grin.
He looked at me a beat longer. "You came alone?"
I nodded. "Needed a break."
"From?"
"Everything," I said honestly.
He didn't press further.
I liked that about him.
"Oh—right," he said suddenly, turning to gesture behind him. "Come on, I'll introduce you properly this time."
"Properly?" I raised a brow. "Wasn't 'she's my neighbor' enough?"
He laughed. "You deserve more than just that."
I followed him.
One by one, he said their names—Jae, Minho, Ryuu, Jungwo, Hwan, and Leo.
They were all taller than i expected.
Ridiculously good-looking too, in that intimidating K-pop way.
But they smiled, nodded, and one even bowed.
I felt… oddly welcomed. Like i wasn't intruding.
"She's cool," Ryuu said after a beat, squinting at me. "You're that actress, right?"
I didn't deny it.
I just nodded. "Used to be."
Sebastian's eyes flickered toward me at that.
But he didn't say anything.
"You left," Hwan said, as if connecting something in his head. "You were in that film about the ballerina with cancer, right?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Good film," he said simply, before turning back to the set.
I glanced at Sebastian. "Did you brief them?"
He grinned. "Nope. You're just memorable."
They resumed shooting a few minutes later.
I stood to the side, tucked between the makeup tent and a tree.
Someone offered me a water bottle.
I accepted it with a soft thanks.
Watching Sebastian perform felt surreal.
Up on the makeshift stage they'd built into the slope, he was all confidence—smooth steps, sharp turns, a gaze that could shatter glass.
But it wasn't the dance that made me stare.
It was how different he looked from the boy who smiled at me across our balconies at night.
The one who told me he liked my music taste. The one who asked, "Why did you run away?" as if he meant it.
This Sebastian, the idol version was magnetic, unreachable, perfect.
And yet, somehow, the quiet one was the one who made my heart skip.
Hours passed.
The sun shifted.
I stayed longer than i planned.
When the crew started packing up, I figured it was my cue to leave.
I dusted my pants, slung my camera strap back over my shoulder, and gave a little wave toward the group.
"I'll go ahead," I mouthed to Sebastian.
But before i could turn, he jogged toward me.
"You okay?" he asked, voice lower now that the speakers weren't blaring.
"Yeah. Just don't wanna overstay."
"You're not."
I offered a small smile. "Still. Thanks for letting me hang around."
He looked like he wanted to say something more.
His fingers twitched by his side.
"You'll be around tomorrow?" he asked instead.
"Maybe."
"Balcony?"
"Maybe," I echoed.
We stood there a second too long.
And again, he didn't ask for my number.
And again, I didn't offer.
Because this, whatever this was wasn't loud or obvious.
It was quiet.
And maybe, in this life, that's the only kind of affection we're allowed.
He watched me walk down the path, didn't follow.
But just before the trail curved, I turned around and there he was, still standing, hands in pockets, head tilted slightly like he was memorizing the way i leave.
I didn't wave this time.
But i smiled.
And this time, he smiled back.
Not as an idol.
Not as Sebastian Blair Gutierrez, heir to Lueur, member of SOLSTICE.
Just… a boy.
And for once, I wasn't Margaux Imperial, the headline, the scandal, the heiress.
Just a girl who climbed a mountain, took some photos, and fell a little more into something she wasn't supposed to feel.