Chairman Park leaned in, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Yoongi. "Wait. You've been a regular? At a shop with only seven tables and a broken grinder?"

"Eight tables, Chairman. She added one last month," Yoongi corrected calmly, taking another sip of his whisky. "And the grinder isn't broken; it just needs a specific touch. Your daughter is the only one who knows how to fix it."

Chairman Min's eyebrows shot up. "You know about her furniture? Yoongi, you don't even know what colour the curtains are in our own house." He turned to Areum's father with a competitive grin. "My son doesn't 'frequent' anywhere, Park. He barely leaves his studio. If he was at your daughter's cafe, it wasn't because he was thirsty for coffee."

"It was definitely the coffee," Yoongi lied, though it sounded weak even to him.

"Is that so?" Chairman Park crossed his arms, looking proud. "Then tell me, Yoongi. What's her best drink? If you're such a loyal customer, you should know the menu by heart."

Yoongi didn't miss a beat. "Double-shot flat white. She makes it extra strong if she's annoyed with a customer, but today..." He glanced at Areum's expensive silk dress. "I bet she'd serve me nothing but plain black coffee. To match the funeral of my privacy."

Areum felt her face heating up. "Father, Chairman Min, please. This isn't a board meeting. It was just a business thing. Professional. Quiet."

"Quiet?" her father laughed. "Min, do you hear this? My daughter, the 'Rebel,' has been secretly serving coffee to the 'Ice Prince' of Min Group. This is better than any business deal I've ever signed."

"Don't start, Dad," Areum warned.

"Oh, I'm starting," Chairman Park chuckled. "Think of how much time we'll save! If they're already spending their mornings together, we don't even need to set up a formal dinner."

"Stop," Areum and Yoongi said at the exact same time.

Chairman Min let out a loud, real laugh that made people nearby turn and stare. "They even have the same temper. Park, I think your daughter might be the only person in this city who can make my son stand up straight." He looked at Yoongi. "Did you actually pay for your coffee, or were you hoping for a family discount?"

Yoongi groaned and rubbed his face. "I paid. With a tip. Which she tried to throw back at me."

"I don't take charity from people who look grumpy at ten in the morning," Areum snapped, though a small smile was finally starting to show.

The two fathers looked at each other like they'd just won the lottery. They had spent their lives making billion-dollar deals, but embarrassing their kids was clearly more fun.

"Well," Chairman Park said, straightening his suit. "Since you like her coffee so much, Yoongi, why don't you take her to the buffet? I hear the salmon is great, though probably not as exciting as a 'double-shot' whatever-it-was."

"It was a flat white, Dad," Areum muttered. She grabbed Yoongi's arm to pull him away before their fathers could say anything else. "And we're leaving. Now."

"Don't stay out too late!" her father called out, waving at them. "And Yoongi! No tipping the Princess!"

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I've had fun writing these chapters. Wanted to publish all of these event chapters together. So took my sweet time in editing.

I hope you enjoyed reading equally.