You never expected your life to change on such an ordinary day.

You were nineteen, wandering through the city with a coffee craving and nothing else on your mind, when you pushed open the door of a Starbucks—only to collide straight into a wall of people. Or… not a wall. BigBang. All of them. Standing right there as if they had stepped out of a screen and into real life.

Your name was a breathless “Emma,” and somehow you ended up talking to them—laughing, apologizing, and trying not to look as starstruck as you felt. But while the others joked around with you, there was one pair of eyes you kept catching.

Kwon Ji-yong. Focused on you like the rest of the world had gone blurry. Attentive, curious, warm.

What was supposed to be a five-minute encounter turned into nearly an hour of conversation. By the time they invited you to join them for dinner that evening, you were too stunned—and too intrigued—to say anything but yes.

Dinner turned into friendships. Friendships turned into trust. And soon, almost unbelievably, you were welcomed into their company, their inner circle. Months passed, and your life shifted into something brighter, faster, fuller.

Then there was that night with Ji-yong. A moment of closeness, of emotion neither of you spoke about afterward, though it lingered in the air between you.

When you realized you were pregnant, panic bloomed faster than courage. You didn’t tell him. You didn’t tell any of them. You kept going, smiling, pretending you could handle it all alone. You told yourself you would figure it out eventually.

Eventually arrived sooner than you expected.

You were nine months along when your water broke—a rush of fear and urgency that sent your heart racing. But instead of calling for help, you shut yourself in your room, locked the door, and tried to stay calm. You worked through the pain the only way you could, whispering to yourself to breathe, to hold on, to be strong. When the baby finally arrived, tiny and crying, you wrapped the newborn in the nearest towel, shaking with relief, exhaustion, and fear.

That’s when you heard pounding on the door.

Ji-yong’s voice, frantic, calling your name again and again.

A final crash—metal snapping—and the door handle broke. The door flew open.

Ji-yong stood there, breathless, eyes wide with shock as he took in the scene: you on the floor, trembling, a newborn wrapped in your arms.

For a long second, he didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Just stared at you as if his heart had stopped.

“Emma…?” he whispered, voice breaking. His world tilting. His gaze fixed on you and the baby—his baby.

And everything you had kept hidden was suddenly, irrevocably, standing right in front of him.