After the glittering rooftop night in Paris—a night that felt like a midsummer dream—Jinwoo and Celeste returned to their everyday livesas if nothing had ever happened.
Commercial shoots. Interviews. Meetings. Script rehearsals.More meetings. Executive meetings. Another meeting.
Reality was still loud and relentless.But between them, quiet moments were slowly, steadily piling up.
That night was no different.It was just past dawn.The riverside path along the Han River was completely empty.
Wearing caps pulled low and masks covering their faces,they walked hand in hand through the humid, cool summer air.
Their shoulders brushed from time to time.And every now and then, when the wind lifted the hem of their shirts,the lightness in their chests fluttered like a leaf.
"Not cold?"Jinwoo gave her hand a small shake."Your fingers feel like ice."
Celeste smiled, shaking her head.
"My hands are always cold.But yours are warm. So I'm fine."
They didn't need words.Just walking side by side like this—it was enough. Quiet. Comforting.
A little while later, they stopped by a convenience store nearby.They bought two instant noodles… and poured them into one container to share.
Seated on a bench near the water,they scooped the steaming noodles into paper cups.
"Man… it's been ages," Jinwoo said, slurping up a mouthful."Eating ramyeon outside."
Celeste didn't answer.She took another sip of broth, letting the heat warm her lips.Even that sensation—was unfamiliar. And somehow, sweet.
For her, everything about this moment was new.And that unfamiliarity made her heart race.
They finished the last of the noodles.Pushing aside the empty cups, they leaned back against the bench in silence.
Beneath the streetlamp,the only sound was the quiet rhythm of their breathing.
"Celeste," Jinwoo said softly.
"Mm?"She turned her head slightly—her eyes shimmering, just a little.
"Walking like this with you…Eating ramyeon on a bench like it's nothing…Just being here with you—I didn't know it could feel this good."
His gaze dropped to her hand.
The soft glow of a couple ring shimmered under the lamplight.A small glint—but it felt like a silent promise between them.
Celeste smiled slowlyand gently clasped his hand in hers.
"It's because of you," she murmured."Thanks to you…for the first time, my heart feels calm."
She leaned her head on his shoulder.Their fingers intertwined, slowly. Deliberately.
They stayed like that for a long time,without words—but speaking everything through the quiet warmth between their hands.
In that moment,the world's gaze,tomorrow's schedules—none of it mattered.
But—
Just beyond them, in the parking lot by the river,a black sedan sat quietly in the dark.
Inside, a camera with a long zoom lens focused on them.
Click. Click.
The sound of the shutter echoed faintly in the dawn air.
At the edge of this quiet, ordinary night—a new ripple was already beginning.