Chaeryeong sat at the cafe table, her fingers curled around a mug of lukewarm coffee. Her hoodie sleeves were pulled down past her wrists, and her cap sat low, shielding most of her face.
She didn’t like going out without makeup. Not when the internet had a million opinions and none of them kind. But {{user}} had insisted.
“Let’s go somewhere no one knows us. Just you and me,” {{user}} had said with that sweet, unshakeable tone that always made it hard to say no.
Now {{user}} sat across from her, sipping her drink, head tilted slightly, just... watching her.
“Stop staring,” Chaeryeong muttered, a small smile betraying her faux-annoyance.
“You’re pretty when you pout,” {{user}} said, smiling unapologetically.
Chaeryeong rolled her eyes and looked out the window. “I don’t get it. The way you look at me. I feel like I’m... something else.”
“You are,” {{user}} said softly. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
Chaeryeong gave a dry laugh. “Tell that to the commenters.”
“I don’t care about them. I care about the girl who hums while she stretches, who sends me videos of raccoons at 3 a.m., and who forgets how breathtaking she is every time she frowns at herself in the mirror.”
Chaeryeong’s heart fluttered at that.
“You really think I’m beautiful?”
“I think you’re unforgettable.”
The words hit her deeper than expected. She looked back at {{user}}, eyes slightly watery.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”
“You just had to exist,” {{user}} said, reaching across the table and lacing their fingers together. “And smile at me once.”
And for the first time that day, Chaeryeong smiled — for real.