In the midst of the Hoseok storm, a message from Namjoon appeared. It was different—less like a textbook, more like a confession.

Namjoon:

I've been thinking about what you said. About the "messy" thoughts. I realised that my "perfect" composure is actually just a defence mechanism. Being a psychiatrist means holding everyone else's chaos; I think I've spent so long organising my own mind that I forgot how to let it be a little wild.

Areum:

That's a very honest thing to say, Namjoon. Does that mean you're going to stop diagnosing my coffee habits?

Namjoon:

I'll try. But only if you promise to tell me the next time I'm being "too much." I bought a new chair today, by the way. It doesn't squeak, but I intentionally chose the one with a slightly crooked leg. Just to remind myself that things don't have to be perfect to be functional.

Areum:

A crooked-legged chair? That's a start.

Namjoon:

It's a small step toward the "messy" life. I'd like to see you again, Areum. No tea houses this time. Maybe something where we can actually hear the city noise? I want to see the version of you that likes the "honest morning rush."

Areum felt a genuine tug of interest. He was opening up, showing the cracks in his marble facade. He wasn't trying to colonise her business like Hoseok, and he wasn't trying to perform for her like the others. He was trying to learn from her.

Jin was watching her from across the counter as she tucked her phone away. He had been unusually quiet since their dinner, his usual boldness replaced by a thoughtful, gloomy energy.

"So," Jin said, his voice level. "The Prince of Franchises got the boot?"

"He was an ego in an expensive suit, Jin," Areum said, wiping down the counter. "He didn't want a partner. He wanted an acquisition."

"And the Doctor?"

"He's... changing," Areum admitted. "He's trying to be less 'perfect.' It's actually kind of charming."

Jin gripped the towel in his hand a little tighter. "Is that what you want, then? A man who 'tries' to be messy?"

Areum looked at Jin, noticing the way his jaw was set. "I want a man who is ready to change and fix his male ego rather than fixing me and my mood swings."

Jin looked away, focusing intensely on a stubborn water stain on the counter. "Yeah. Sounds like a rare breed."