Chapter 2 - A chance Encounter
[PSY Entertainment – Lobby]
Hailey
The trainees won’t arrive for another hour.
Charlotte
I needed a moment.
Charlotte
This place… it feels different but still the dame. I feel like something’s about to happen.
Hailey
You mean besides mentoring two strangers while hiding your identity and your child?
[Meanwhile – SM Agency, across the street]
Eric
Board meeting’s delayed. Want to grab coffee?
Nick
I need air. This company is too loud.
Eric
You say that like you weren’t born for the spotlight.
Nick
I was born into it. Doesn’t mean I asked for it.
[Coffee Shop – Between PSY and SM]
Charlotte
I’ll wait here. One hour of peace before the chaos begins.
Hailey
I’ll grab your usual.
Hailey
Don’t move. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t fall in love.
Charlotte
Too late for all three.
[Nick enters, distracted as he had his phone in hand]
Barista
Mr. Choi! Your usual?
Nick
Make it strong. I’ve got memories to outrun.
[Charlotte glances up, eyes meet Nick’s for a split second]
Charlotte
(whispers) No way…
Nick
(softly) Do I know you?
Charlotte
I… don’t think so.
Charlotte
I get that a lot.
Nick
You have a voice I can’t forget.
Charlotte
And you have a face the world won’t let me see.
[Hailey returns, the tension breaks]
Nick
Nice meeting you… whoever you are.
Charlotte
Likewise… Mr. Choi.
[They part ways. Neither speaks further. But both feel it.]
Charlotte
(mumbled to herself)
He doesn’t remember. But I do, vaguely as I just got them back vividly last night.
Nick
(said to himself)
Why does her voice feel like déjà vu?
[Outside the Coffee Shop – PSY trainees begin arriving]
Hailey
Two of them. Nervous, eager, and already obsessed with you.
Charlotte
Let’s hope they’re better at learning instead of fawning.
Hailey
You sure you’re ready for this?
Hailey
Mentoring them while pretending you’re not Anne?
Charlotte
I’ve lived two lives for four years. What’s one more performance?
[Across the street – SM Agency rooftop]
Eric
You’ve been quiet since the coffee shop.
Nick
Something about her voice. It hit me like a memory I forgot I had.
Eric
You think she’s the one?
Nick
I never saw her face that night. Just her voice… and the way she trembled.
[PSY Entertainment – Training Room]
Trainee 1
You’re Charlotte…?
Charlotte
I’m your mentor.
Charlotte
That’s all you need to know.
Trainee 2
We heard you’re legendary. But… why come back now?
Charlotte
Because legends don’t run.
Charlotte
They return when it’s time to rewrite the ending.
[Later – Charlotte’s Penthouse, living room]
Charlotte
(Texting Hailey) He looked right at me. And didn’t see me.
Hailey
(Texting back) That’s good, right? You’re not ready for him to know.
Charlotte
No. But I’m ready to make him remember.
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