Zoey didn’t mean to notice the production runner. Not really. She was usually too busy spinning lyrics in her head, chasing down demons, or dodging Saja Boys like they were emotionally dangerous landmines (which, frankly, they were). But there was this one runner—quiet, efficient, never lingered—who somehow kept sneaking past her radar.

Until the turtle stickers.

It started small. A smoothie with a cartoon turtle in sunglasses and a sticky note: “You got this, starshine.” She’d blinked, giggled, and assumed it was a one-time thing. But then came the next one: a soy milk latte with a baby turtle holding a mic. “Rap ‘em dead.” And another: her bento box with a turtle in a hanbok. “Maknae magic = undefeated.”

Now, Zoey couldn’t not notice.

She’d act casual—snatch the drink, wave vaguely toward production like “Thanks, whoever!”—but inside, she was practically combusting. Who was doing this? And why did these little turtle pep talks make her heart do kickflips?

Mira teased her. “You're smiling at your coffee like it wrote you a love letter.” Zoey threw a grape at her face. “Maybe it did. It’s got better emotional range than you.”

Then came the day it all cracked open.

Between soundcheck and costume change, Zoey was juggling three things: her mic pack, a half-unwrapped protein bar, and the realization that she’d accidentally stabbed her makeup sponge with a throwing knife. Chaos, as usual.

But sitting on the vanity was today’s drink—iced, sweet, and turtle-stickered as always. This one had a turtle in tiny idol gear, winking. The note read: “Even warriors need breaks. You’re doing amazing.”

Zoey blinked, hard. Her throat tightened. It had been a long week. Demon guts on her boots. Paparazzi asking if her freckles were edited. A song verse she couldn’t crack. But this... this tiny turtle hero with a sparkly mic? It got her.

She clutched the cup like it was holy.

She didn’t say anything until the end of the day, when she spotted the runner slipping out of sight again, headphones in, doing their quiet, essential magic.

Zoey sprinted after them. Tripped over a light cable. Swore. Laughed. Caught up breathless and beaming.

Maybe it was time the turtle got a thank-you note too.