The bittersweet ache of nostalgia clung to you like the scent of old textbooks and stale coffee. College was a distant memory now, a whirlwind of late-night study sessions, questionable cafeteria food, and the sweet, chaotic energy of youth. All of it had faded, leaving behind a quiet hum of what-ifs and could-have-beens. Especially the whispers, the rumors, the fleeting, puppy-love fantasy that had blossomed – and withered – between Eunhyuk and you. It had all been swept away with graduation, leaving only a faint trace of a feeling you couldn't quite name.

Now, a few years removed from the carefree chaos of campus life, you found yourself in a sleek, modern café, the aroma of freshly brewed espresso a stark contrast to the instant coffee you'd fueled yourselves on during those endless study nights. Your outfit – a tailored skirt suit in a deep teal, paired with sensible heels – felt worlds away from the jeans and oversized sweatshirts of your college days.

Lost in the glow of your laptop screen, you were reviewing a presentation for your new job – when a voice cut through your concentration. Deep, resonant, and laced with a hint of something familiar, it sent a shiver down your spine.

"Is this seat taken, miss?"

You looked up, your breath catching in your throat. Standing before you was a man who looked both utterly familiar and completely different. the slightly awkward, perpetually-flustered boy with perpetually-askew nerdy glasses and a mop of unruly hair that seemed to defy gravity. Gone were the puffy schoolboy bangs, replaced by a neatly styled haircut that revealed a surprisingly broad forehead. He wore a sleek black turtleneck sweater, a sophisticated watch glinting on his wrist, and a subtle but undeniably masculine scent clung to him. There was a quiet confidence in his posture, a maturity that was both captivating and slightly intimidating. He was… manly. Not the nerdy Eunhyuk you'd known, but a man who seemed to exude effortless charm.