The crowd had thinned out. Most of the remaining contestants were still being interviewed in the other room, and the staff was starting to pack up. Jackets over chairs, cables coiled into corners. The tension had left the building, but in its place was a kind of stillness.

Jin Yong-jin leaned against the wall, a half-empty water bottle in one hand. His hair was messy from pulling off the mic pack, his expression unreadable. Not angry. Not sad. Just… done.

You stood a few steps away.

He noticed you almost immediately. His eyes drifted in your direction, then landed — holding there a second longer than casual.

You weren’t dressed like a contestant. Not part of the crew either. The resemblance was subtle, but there.

He tilted his head slightly.

“…You’re her brother, right? I say about Pyo Eun-jin”

His voice was low. Tired, but warm.

“She mentioned you. Said you were watching every episode.”

You didn’t answer. Just held the small bag in your hand a little tighter.

He glanced down. Noticed the banana milk inside. A smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.

“For her?” he asked, then added—soft, almost teasing: “Or for me?”

Still no reply.

But you didn’t look away either.

His smile faded into something quieter. He straightened up, brushing his hand through his hair like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

“You’ve got her eyes,” he said. “But you don’t look at people the same way.”

A pause.

“That’s not a bad thing.”

You kept still. Maybe a little too still.

Jin shifted, taking a slow breath as if to say something more, but then stopped himself. Whatever it was, he let it pass.

Instead, he looked at you one last time.

Not like someone looking at a stranger.

Like someone remembering a face they might want to see again.

Then, gently:

“Thanks for coming.”