"mai unnie, take care over there, okay..." – saebi cried, her tears streaming down her face.

"mai unnie!!!" – sarang cried even louder, hugging mai as if she were afraid she'd disappear right then.

watching her two tearful friends, jungeun felt a mix of amusement and sympathy. though she tried to stay calm, she couldn't help but wipe away a few tears herself.

mai sighed softly, fighting back her own emotions, gently patting the heads of her three little sisters.

after giving each one some advice, mai turned to jiyoon – who had been quietly standing by this whole time. since after seeing mai off, jungeun had a schedule right after, jiyoon was going with her to drop her off at work.

"jiyoon, please take care of jungeun for me." – mai said, her eyes full of trust.

"don't worry, unnie. i'll take good care of her."

mai smiled softly, her gaze gentler than ever.

"i'm going now. don't forget about me, okay?"

the plane took off, carrying mai's figure further away. sarang and saebi burst into tears like children, while jungeun quietly watched, her eyes red.

back in the car, she leaned back in her seat, eyes on the window. when she saw the plane shrinking in the sky, she whispered softly:

"good luck, mai unnie."

at the same time, tears silently fell.

she lowered her head so no one would see, but a second later, a pack of tissues was placed in her hand. jungeun looked up and saw jiyoon sitting next to her, her hand still in the position where she'd handed her the tissues.

"go ahead and cry, i'll look away." – jiyoon said, then really did turn her face toward the window.

"thank you..."

jungeun took the tissues and slowly wiped her tears. then, without thinking, she smiled faintly. maybe, just maybe, this manager of hers wasn't as bad as she'd first thought.

the car rolled steadily through the busy streets of seoul, while the outside world continued in its usual hectic pace. jiyoon sat quietly, her eyes focused on her phone, checking jungeun's schedule.

"so busy..." – she thought to herself.

suddenly, she felt a light weight on her shoulder.

jungeun, lost in thought, had rested her head on jiyoon's shoulder.

jiyoon jumped slightly, her heart beating faster.

"jungeun?"

there was no response.

looking over, she saw jungeun was asleep, her breath steady, her delicate face visible in the dim light of the car. without makeup, jungeun looked so different – softer and far more adorable. her lips moved gently as if she were chewing something in her dream.

jiyoon couldn't help but smile.

"so cute..." – she whispered.

after a moment's hesitation, jiyoon gently leaned her head against jungeun's, feeling the warmth spread.

she put in her earphones, playing her favorite song.

I don't know since when
But when I see you, I feel like it's destiny
Like the stars shining in the night sky
Stay by my side for a long time

Every time I remember your poem

(All about you - Taeyeon)

the steady rhythm of the car blended with the sweet melody in her ears, and jiyoon slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

a few weeks passed since jiyoon officially took over as jungeun's manager. with her excellent work skills, she had almost no trouble.

at the same time, the distance between her and jungeun began to shrink. even though jungeun still held a bit of reservation, jiyoon could sometimes feel the warmth slipping through in her small gestures.

another busy day passed, and jungeun was sitting in the car, scrolling through her phone, reading the news. the negative comments waiting under each article made her sigh.

when jiyoon got in the car, she noticed jungeun looked a bit out of it and asked:

"what's wrong?"

"unnie..." – jungeun tightened her grip on her phone – "am i a bad person?"

jiyoon blinked, a little confused.

"why do you ask that?"

"everyone online doesn't like me. i know being a celebrity means accepting that, but recently, they seem to hate me even more. they say i don't deserve where i am now..."

jungeun was never someone to open up easily, but today she chose to share with jiyoon.

jiyoon went quiet for a moment, feeling her heart tighten.

slowly, she reached out and gently took jungeun's hand, her fingertips lightly brushing against her smooth skin.

"jungeun, you know?" – her voice was soft – "being famous is never easy. some people will hate you, but there are so many more who love you. what matters most is that you stay true to yourself. they are them, and you are you. don't let their pointless words get to you. you've never been a bad person."

jungeun fell silent, but inside, something softened.

she lowered her head, looking at the hand holding hers, and then, almost instinctively, she gently pulled her hand back, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"thank you."

jiyoon smiled softly.

then, suddenly, she remembered something and said excitedly:

"oh! by the way, we have a schedule in busan soon. we'll be there for three days and two nights, and we'll have some free time to walk around, play a bit!"

jungeun's eyes widened.

"really? awesome!!"

for the first time all day, she broke into a wide, bright smile.

* * * 

at the choi family's mansion, a tense atmosphere filled the air. unlike the warm and peaceful dinners of ordinary families, every meal in the choi household was filled with tension and exhaustion.

"still no contact with jungeun?" choi seungki, jungeun's father, asked.

"she blocked every number. how am i supposed to reach her?" han sunyoung, jungeun's mother, replied.

choi seungki slammed the table, his face filled with anger.

"this is all your fault! that's why she cut ties with this family! if she's gone, who will take over the company? do you expect me to hand it over to your autistic son?"

he turned his furious gaze toward choi jungmin, their autistic son.

han sunyoung smirked coldly.

"back then, you were the one who tormented me, who tormented jungeun just because i gave birth to a daughter. your family forced me to have a son no matter what, even when my body was still weak. and now you're acting like it's all my fault?"

"shut up!" seungki shouted. "go to jungeun's company, find her, and bring her back here. if you can't even handle this trivial matter, i'll kick you and that useless jungmin out of this house!"

choi seungki stormed away from the dining table, leaving han sunyoung seething with resentment...

* * *

"turn right!"

"now turn left."

"go straight!"

"hey! careful!!!"

"stop now! we're here."

after 30 minutes on a speeding motorcycle, jeemin sat behind koko, giving directions while koko focused on the road. despite a few difficulties, they finally arrived at their destination. stopping in front of an upscale fashion boutique, koko stood still for a moment, wide-eyed. this was her first time stepping into such a luxurious place.

jeemin removed her helmet, eyes sparkling as she looked up at the signboard.

"sasae fashion boutique, super famous online! we're at the right place."

"you sure?" koko asked skeptically, glancing at the elegant glass windows reflecting the warm city lights.

"of course! they're famous for their gorgeous designs. i want to find something special for jiyoon's birthday next week."

without hesitation, jeemin strode inside, with koko following closely behind.

the interior was spacious and sophisticated. rows of neatly arranged clothing lined the walls, illuminated by the golden glow of crystal chandeliers. everything was perfect—except for one strange thing. the boutique was completely empty.

jeemin frowned. "hello?"

no response.

koko felt a little uneasy. "jeemin, let's go. something feels off about this place."

"we're already here, might as well find something." jeemin sighed. "jiyoon's working in busan soon, so this is the best time to prepare."

" but..."

" come on koko, it's fine. "

while the two were chatting, two young women stepped out from the back. one of them was petite, with strikingly long red hair cascading over her shoulders. the other had soft brown waves and gave off a more gentle aura.

the brunette was the first to speak, her voice cheerful. "welcome, customers!"

her words finally caught jeemin and koko's attention.

"hello... we're here to buy some clothes," jeemin said.

the brunette smiled. "oh, i'm really sorry! it's lunchtime, so all our staff are on break. but don't worry, we'll assist you."

jeemin nodded, her gaze drifting toward the red-haired girl beside her.

suddenly, koko spoke up. "wait! before anything else... where's the restroom?"

the unexpected question made the brunette pause, then she chuckled. "ah, please follow me."

her warm smile made koko smile back unconsciously. like an obedient little kitten, she trailed behind the girl.

now, only jeemin and the red-haired girl remained. the atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

jeemin glanced at her, then blurted out, "are you a high school student? working part-time already?"

"...are you talking to me?"

"we're the only ones here," jeemin shrugged.

the girl frowned. "first of all, i'm not a high school student. second, i'm not even an employee. i'm the co-founder of this brand. the 'sa' in sasae stands for sarang—my name. you sure are nosy."

jeemin froze. "w-wait... the owner?" she looked sarang up and down, then quietly said "but you look so short so..."

"short?" sarang's sharp gaze turned dangerous. "so what, tall people like you think you're better than us!?"

"n-no, that's not what i meant—"

before things could escalate further, koko returned, much to jeemin's relief.

"have you found anything yet?" koko asked.

"i was waiting for you! let's go," jeemin quickly grabbed koko's arm and pulled her toward the clothing racks, leaving sarang standing there, fuming.

jeemin and koko carefully browsed through the boutique's collection, eventually picking out a stunning dress for jiyoon's birthday. throughout the process, the brunette— saebi —stayed close, offering advice and making the selection much easier.

none of them knew that they all shared an unexpected connection—jiyoon.

after finalizing their purchase, koko smiled at saebi. "saebi, could you help me with the payment?"

"of course! oh, and don't forget to add me on kakaotalk!"

koko chuckled, nodding in agreement. the two of them seemed to hit it off right away. meanwhile, jeemin and sarang continued their silent cold war, avoiding eye contact the entire time.

as koko and jeemin walked out of the store, saebi couldn't help but stare after koko's retreating figure. turning to sarang, she grabbed her arm excitedly.

"unnie! i think i found my dream girl!"

"...what?" sarang frowned.

"koko! she's so cute and funny! her korean is a little choppy, but it makes her even more adorable. and she's so tall too!"

"...tall?" sarang suddenly scowled. "why does height even matter!?"

saebi blinked, confused by her friend's sudden outburst. but she quickly brushed it off, because right now, her mind was completely occupied by thoughts of the charming japanese girl named koko.