Two days later, feeling human again, Areum decided to return the favour. She closed her shop early, tucked a box containing her signature white chocolate cheesecake into a bag, and headed to Yoongi's Michelin-starred restaurant just as the "Closed" sign was being turned.

She found him sitting at the bar, staring at a notebook. He looked up, his eyes widening in a rare display of shock. "Areum? You should be resting."

"I'm better. And I brought a 'thank you' bribe," she said, sliding the cheesecake toward him. "I figured the great Min Yoongi deserves a taste of something he didn't have to cook himself."

They sat together in the dimmed dining room. The atmosphere was intimate, the golden light reflecting off the wine glasses. They talked for an hour—about her father, about his struggle to earn his star, about the world they both lived in.

Suddenly, Yoongi stopped talking. He just stared at her. Not the clinical stare of Namjoon, but a look so intense it felt like he was memorising her soul.

"What?" Areum whispered, blushing.

Yoongi pointed to a small table in the corner, partially hidden by a pillar. "You sat there. Four months ago. It was a Tuesday."

Areum blinked. "What?"

"You were with Jin," Yoongi said, his voice dropping into a low, dreamy baritone. "You were wearing a yellow sweater. You spent ten minutes talking about all your disappointing dates, and then you took a bite of the risotto and closed your eyes. You looked... peaceful. Like you'd finally found something that didn't require you to be 'on'."

He leaned in, his gaze never wavering. "I was in the kitchen, watching through the pass. I'd had a terrible night. Three critics, a broken freezer... I was ready to quit. Then I saw you. I listened to your laugh from across the room. I didn't even know your name, but I knew I couldn't let you leave without finding a way to talk to you."

Areum's heart was hammering against her ribs. "The Echo app..."

"I looked for you for weeks," Yoongi admitted, a ghost of a smile appearing. "When I finally saw your profile, I was terrified you'd be boring. So I picked a fight. I wanted to see if the girl from the yellow sweater had the fire I thought she did."

He stood up, walking around the bar to stand in front of her. He took her hands—the hands of a cafe owner, scarred and hardworking—and looked her in the eye.

"I know how you bite your lip when you're nervous," he said softly. "I know you hate it when people treat you like a 'princess' but crave being taken care of when you're tired. I know you're better at business than half the men in this city, and I love that you don't care if I know it too."

He didn't get down on one knee; he didn't need to. He stood before her as an equal.

"I don't want to fix you, Areum. I don't want to protect you from the world. I want to be the person you come home to when the world is too loud. I want to be your partner, in the kitchen and out of it. I'm not perfect, and I'll probably still tell you when your coffee is acidic... but I'll love you more than anyone else ever could. Will you let me?"

Areum looked at him—this man who was fire and water, blunt and gentle, a genius and a caregiver. The "boring" safety of Namjoon and the "familiar" comfort of Jin faded into the background. Here, in the quiet of his restaurant, she found the only person who made her feel like she was finally, truly home.

"You're still washing those dishes for a week," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes.

Yoongi laughed, a beautiful, rare sound, and pulled her into a kiss that tasted like the best coffee she'd ever had. "Deal, Princess. Deal."

______________________

M planning to complete this book today. Let's see if I can.

One plus point that could help me. The chapters are short, so most probably it will be done.

Next, I want to unpublish UNDISCLOSED SECRETS and work on it. I will only publish it again once I have worked on all the chapters. It won't be that tough since m getting my writing grip back. But yeah, I want to finish this book quickly so I can take up the book that I had put on Hold almost twice.