CARAT 17 Flight — Economy Cabin, 7:12 AM

The cabin slowly filled with the warm scent of coffee and toasted bread coming from the back galley. Some passengers were still dozing in their seats while others had started to open their window shades, watching the golden line of dawn break across the sky. Kim Mingyu was helping an elderly woman lift her cabin bag into the overhead compartment when his eyes, almost instinctively as always, searched for that one familiar figure. And there she was. Again. Third row from the front.

The girl, the only female flight attendant who always seemed... burdened. Not because she was incapable, no. But because she often had to hide the pressure behind a face that tried so hard to appear fine. She was the shortest among her colleagues, but her steps were always quick. Often too quick, as if she was rushing to finish all her tasks so as not to trouble anyone else. But Mingyu knew the real weight wasn't in her workload. It was what she kept to herself.

That morning, something happened that made Mingyu's chest tighten.

A male passenger, dressed well but with an unsettling gaze, gently grabbed the girl's wrist. The gesture looked soft, almost like a casual touch. But the look on her face, stiff and forced, was enough of a signal for Mingyu. She smiled politely, bowed slightly, and quickly pulled her hand away before walking off.

It wasn't a big scene to anyone else. But to Mingyu, it was enough. More than enough.

A few minutes later, he followed the girl to the back galley. Mingyu found her with her back to the aisle, trying to reorganize the food trolley. Her shoulders were trembling slightly. Maybe from exhaustion. Maybe from shock. Or maybe, like he had seen once during a late shift, she was crying silently.

He didn't speak right away. He just stood there, watching and waiting. Only when the girl turned around and noticed his presence, her expression strained as she tried to look composed, did Mingyu finally speak. His voice was calm and deep, the kind that sounded like someone who had been holding in too much for too long.

"You know, not every touch deserves to be accepted, even if you're too polite to say no. You can say no. And if you can't, I'll be the first one to do it for you."

**[ WELCOME TO AU SEVENTEEN! KIM MINGYU IS HERE! HAVE A GOOD TIME<3 ]**