The bell above the cafe door chimed, and the familiar scent of coffee beans hit Areum immediately. It was the only thing that didn't feel like a disappointment tonight. The "Open" sign was already flipped to "Closed," but the lights were still dim. Jin was behind the counter, looking over some papers, but he looked up the second she walked in.

"That was a fast dinner," he said, his voice dropping the playful tone he usually used. He took one look at her face and sighed, crossing his arms. "That bad, huh?"

Areum slumped onto a stool at the counter, dropping her purse on the mahogany surface with a heavy thud. "You wouldn't believe it, Jin. He actually handed me an LED light. He wanted me to hold it at a '45-degree angle' while he filmed the appetisers."

Jin stared at her for a second before he started laughing. "Are you serious? He made you his lighting assistant on a first date?"

"I didn't even get to eat," Areum groaned, resting her head on her hand. "I walked out before the main course. I'm just so tired of this, Jin. Why is it so hard to find someone who just wants to talk? He didn't see me at all; he just saw a tripod as if it could talk back."

Jin stopped laughing, his expression softening. He walked over to the machine and started making her usual. "Because guys like that are more in love with their followers than themselves. Here." He slid a cup of dark roast toward her. "Drink this. It's better than whatever lukewarm food he was trying to film."

"Thanks, Jinnie," she murmured, taking a sip. The warmth felt good.

They sat in silence for a bit while Jin wiped down the counters. It was always like this—Jin was the only one who could make a bad day feel a little more normal.

"So, what now?" Jin asked, leaning against the back counter. "Are you deleting that app or what?"

Areum pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I want to. But my mum has been calling me lately. If I tell her this went badly, she's going to start picking guys out for me herself. I can't deal with that."

She scrolled through the list of "Interested" profiles until she stopped at one she had ignored earlier. There was no profile picture, just the initials J.M.

"Look at this one," she said, turning the screen toward Jin.

Jin squinted at the phone. "No photo? Areum, that's sketchy. He's either really ugly or a serial killer."

"He didn't send a long bio either," Areum said, reading the message. "He just said: 'Let's skip the chatting and meet for coffee. I prefer the old-school way. Tomorrow, 2 PM, Blue Bird Cafe.'"

"It's a bit blunt, isn't it?" Jin remarked, though he looked a little uneasy.

"Honestly? After Jungkook, blunt sounds great," Areum sighed. "No 'vibing' through texts for three days only to be disappointed in person. If he's a weirdo, I'll know in five minutes, and I can leave."

Areum felt a weird spark of curiosity. She didn't know why, but the short, direct message felt like a challenge. She had no idea that those initials belonged to the one person who had already ruined her life once.

"I'm going to do it," she said, her voice firm. "One last try."

Jin didn't say anything for a second. He just looked at her, his hand tightening slightly on the dish towel. "Fine. But if he's a weirdo, call me. I'll come drag you out of there."

Areum smiled. "Deal."