Episode 2

The soft glow of the streetlights guided Eun-Ji as she walked home, the evening air crisp against her skin. Her shift had ended uneventfully, save for the earlier visit from Sanghoon that had sent Min-Seo into a near frenzy for the rest of the day.

Eun-Ji shook her head at the thought. She still didn’t get what all the fuss was about. Sure, he was handsome, objectively so, but at the end of the day, he was just another customer. Her job wasn’t to swoon over people; it was to make coffee and smile.

Her apartment building came into view, a modest four-story complex tucked away in a quieter part of the city. She climbed the stairs to the third floor and unlocked the door to her unit. The faint aroma of lavender greeted her, courtesy of the diffuser her best friend and roommate, Ji-Ah, had insisted on getting.

“Eun-Ji! You’re back!” Ji-Ah’s voice called from the living room.

Eun-Ji kicked off her shoes and stepped inside, finding Ji-Ah sprawled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her lap, her laptop open to a drama she was halfway through binge-watching.

“Hey,” Eun-Ji said, setting her bag on the counter. She grabbed a glass of water and sank into the armchair across from Ji-Ah.

“How was work?” Ji-Ah asked, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

“It was fine. Pretty normal, I guess,” Eun-Ji replied, taking a sip of her water.

Ji-Ah gave her a knowing look. “You guess? That doesn’t sound convincing. Something happened.”

Eun-Ji hesitated, debating whether or not to mention it. It wasn’t a big deal, at least not to her, but she knew how Ji-Ah would react. Still, the way Ji-Ah was looking at her, eyebrows raised and expectant, made her sigh in defeat.

“Fine. Sanghoon came to the café today.”

Ji-Ah froze, the popcorn she was about to eat falling back into the bowl. “Wait. What?”

“Sanghoon,” Eun-Ji repeated, keeping her tone casual. “The actor. He came in with his manager. Ordered an iced Americano and a caramel latte.”

Ji-Ah blinked, as if trying to process the words. Then she exploded.

“Oh. My. God. Sanghoon? Sanghoon? You met Sanghoon?!”

Eun-Ji frowned at her friend’s volume, glancing toward the door as if the neighbors might overhear. “Calm down, it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Ji-Ah practically screeched, sitting up straight and setting her laptop aside. “Do you even hear yourself? Sanghoon, the nation’s heartthrob, the guy every girl dreams of marrying, walked into your café, and you’re saying it’s not a big deal?”

Eun-Ji shrugged. “He’s just a person. He came in, ordered coffee, smiled, and left. That’s it.”

Ji-Ah clutched her chest dramatically. “You’re killing me. Do you even realize how lucky you are? I mean, people wait hours just to catch a glimpse of him at events, and he just walked into your café like it’s no big deal!”

“Well, it wasn’t,” Eun-Ji said simply.

Ji-Ah stared at her in disbelief. “Okay, hold on. Did he say anything to you? Did he look at you? Was he nice? Oh my gosh, did he flirt with you?”

Eun-Ji rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped her. “He said thank you. That’s it. And no, he didn’t flirt. He smiled, but I think he does that with everyone. It’s probably part of his job.”

Ji-Ah flopped back against the couch, groaning. “You’re hopeless. If it had been me, I would’ve fainted right there. You don’t even care.”

“I don’t see the point in getting excited over someone just because they’re famous,” Eun-Ji said, finishing her water. “He’s just like anyone else. He drinks coffee, pays for it, and leaves.”

Ji-Ah sat up again, fixing Eun-Ji with a serious look. “You’re telling me that when Sanghoon, one of the most gorgeous men alive, smiled at you, you didn’t feel anything? Not even a little?”

Eun-Ji hesitated, her mind briefly flickering to the way his smile had lingered and the warmth in his voice when he thanked her. She shook the thought away. “Not really. I mean, he’s attractive, sure, but it’s not like I’m going to see him again. It’s just one of those random things that happens and then you move on.”

Ji-Ah groaned again, covering her face with a throw pillow. “You’re impossible, Eun-Ji. Absolutely impossible.”

Eun-Ji laughed softly, standing up to head to her room. “I’m going to shower. Don’t stay up too late binge-watching dramas again.”

“No promises,” Ji-Ah called after her, though her voice was slightly muffled by the pillow.

As Eun-Ji closed the door to her room, she shook her head at her friend’s reaction. She still didn’t get it. Sanghoon might have been a big deal to the rest of the country, but to her, he was just another customer.

And yet, as she pulled out her pajamas and got ready for bed, she found herself thinking back to that smile.

It wasn’t his fame that had stuck with her. It was something quieter, subtler,the way his eyes had softened when they met hers, like he wasn’t looking at her as a barista or just another face in the crowd.

Eun-Ji shook the thought away again. It didn’t matter. She’d likely never see him again.

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