The island greeted them before the sun did.
A pale gold line stretched across the horizon as the boat cut through still water.No city noise. No calls waiting. No schedules pressing.
Just air that felt clean enough to breathe without thinking.
Ji-Ah stood near the railing, fingers resting lightly on the cool metal.
For a moment—she forgot what she did for a living.
The sky slowly opened.Soft pink. Then amber. Then light.
Hye-Rin smiled beside her."Worth it already."
Ji-Ah didn't reply.She was watching the world exist without needing her permission.
Scene I — Arrival
The villa had been prepared before they arrived.
Private. Quiet. Framed by climbing roses along pale stone walls.Flowering trees leaned toward balconies.The faint scent of salt and blossoms mixed in the air.
No check-ins. No staff hovering.
Just space.
They rested through the afternoon, letting travel fatigue dissolve into stillness.
Scene II — Evening Movement
By sunset, music drifted faintly from the beach.
A casual beach gathering. Not loud. Not formal.Tourists. Lantern lights. Soft laughter carried by wind.
Ji-Ah wouldn't have gone.
Hye-Rin insisted.
"You didn't come here to sit in a room."
Ji-Ah changed into something simple.A soft, short dress. Effortless. Unplanned.
She didn't dress to be seen.And somehow, that made her impossible to ignore.
Scene III — The Moment
She stood near the edge of the gathering, observing more than participating.
Feet in the sand. Music distant. Mind light.
Hye-Rin excused herself to get drinks.
Ji-Ah turned slightly—and collided with someone moving too quickly through the crowd.
A sudden push from behind.Her balance slipped.
For a fraction of a second, the ground disappeared.
Then—
It didn't.
A firm hold caught her before impact.
Not dramatic.Not rushed.
Just precise timing.
Ji-Ah looked up.
And the world, which had felt so far away all day,
quietly returned.
Min-Ho.
End Beat
Neither of them spoke.
The music continued.The ocean breathed behind them.
And for the first time since arriving,
Ji-Ah felt something she hadn't planned for.
Surprise.
Not because he was there.
But because fate had arrived without asking.