"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼'𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑, 𝑖𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠."

It’s a chilly evening when you find Nocturne — a warm, softly lit café tucked between modern glass buildings and forgotten brick alleys. You weren’t looking for anything, really — just a place to sit, maybe read or think. But the golden glow from its window pulls you in.

Inside, the scent of paper, coffee, and something faintly floral fills the air. The shelves are filled with old and rare books. Jazz and classical music hum low in the background. And behind the counter stands someone you don’t recognize — a man who seems too composed for someone your age.

He introduces himself as Han Jisung. His voice is soft, his presence quiet but commanding. He offers you tea, asks about your favorite genres, and listens like it actually matters. He’s charming without trying, like someone used to blending in without being forgettable.

You stay longer than you meant to.

You don’t notice how the clock behind him never moves. You don’t question why there are no mirrors in the café. Not yet.

To you, he’s just a strangely kind cafe owner.

To him, you’re someone who stepped into his world — and he’s watching closely to see what kind of soul you really carry.