The sheer adrenaline of our high-stakes, incognito mall escape had finally begun to fade, leaving behind a sudden, heavy wave of physical exhaustion.
Woonseok effortlessly loaded the massive canvas bags of groceries into the trunk of his sleek, blacked-out SUV. He closed the hatch with a solid thud, turning to wrap his heavy coat tighter around his broad shoulders as the crisp, freezing evening wind of Seoul whipped through the parking garage.
I slumped into the leather passenger seat, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as the warm air from the car's heating system washed over my freezing face.
Woonseok slid into the driver's seat, pulling his black mask down and tossing his baseball cap onto the dashboard. He turned to me, his dark eyes instantly softening as he took in my tired posture. He reached over, his large hand gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair behind my ear.
"You look completely exhausted, Butterfly," Woonseok murmured, his deep voice thick with affection. "That tactical extraction took a lot out of you."
"I am officially depleted, Mr. Idol," I groaned playfully, leaning my cheek into the warm palm of his hand. "My adrenaline crashed, and now I am incredibly, fiercely hungry. I feel like my stomach is currently plotting a rebellion."
Woonseok chuckled, a rich, vibrating sound that filled the quiet cabin. "Don't worry. I'll take you to dinner right now. There's a high-end French place near the agency—"
"No, absolutely not," I interrupted immediately, shaking my head with absolute conviction. "No expensive Michelin-star restaurants tonight. I am wearing an oversized hoodie, I am tired, and I don't want to sit up straight and use three different forks. I want comfort food. Real, messy, street-style Korean food."
Woonseok paused, his hand still resting against my cheek. A slow, incredibly fond smile spread across his flawless features.
"Street-style food?" he repeated, his eyes sparkling in the dim dashboard lighting. "You don't want the VIP treatment tonight?"
"I just want good food with you, Woon," I said softly. "Take me somewhere real."
Woonseok's smile deepened into something entirely raw and beautiful. He pulled his hand back, shifting the heavy SUV into drive. "Alright, Officer. I know exactly the place. Buckle up."
We drove away from the towering, blindingly bright skyscrapers of Gangnam, navigating through a labyrinth of narrow, winding backstreets. The atmosphere shifted from hyper-modern luxury to old-world Seoul—tight alleyways illuminated by flickering neon signs, the heavy, mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat and boiling broth hanging thick in the cold night air.
Woonseok parked the SUV in a discreet, shadowed corner of an alley. He pulled his cap low and slipped his black mask back over his face, coming around to open my door.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking at the faded, red-and-white awning of a tiny, incredibly unassuming corner restaurant. The windows were completely fogged up from the heat inside.
"This is my sanctuary," Woonseok whispered, lacing his large fingers securely through mine. "I used to come here all the time when I was just a struggling trainee. Even after I debuted, when the pressure of being a star got too heavy, I would sneak out and hide here. The Ajjuma (auntie) who runs it makes the best ramen in the entire country. She knows me perfectly. It's completely safe."
My heart squeezed with a sudden, overwhelming wave of tenderness. He wasn't just taking me to get food; he was opening up a highly guarded, deeply personal chapter of his past to me.
"Then let's go meet her," I smiled, squeezing his hand tightly.
Woonseok pushed the heavy wooden door open. The tiny restaurant was delightfully warm, smelling fiercely of spicy gochugaru, rich pork broth, and toasted sesame oil. There were only four small, round metal tables in the entire place. Behind the low counter stood an older woman with kind, deeply lined eyes and a bright, floral apron.
The moment the door chimed, the woman looked up.
Woonseok pulled his mask down completely, revealing his face as he offered her a warm, deeply respectful bow.
"Aigoo!" the Ajjuma gasped loudly, her eyes widening in absolute shock. She immediately dropped her wiping cloth and marched out from behind the counter, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Look at him! Look at this massive, arrogant boy! You finally decided to show your face in my restaurant after all these months?!"
"I am so sorry, Ajjuma," Woonseok laughed, his deep voice completely stripped of its idol persona. He sounded like a scolded son as he stepped forward, pulling the tiny woman into a warm, massive hug. "I've been shooting non-stop. I couldn't get away."
"Excuses, always excuses from the big superstar!" she scolded, though she was patting his broad back with fierce affection.
Then, she pulled away, her sharp eyes instantly darting over Woonseok's shoulder to land directly on me. I was standing nervously near the door, my hands clasped together, feeling incredibly out of place.
"And who is she ?" the Ajjuma asked, her voice dropping into a curious, hushed tone.
I immediately stepped forward and executed a deep, perfect ninety-degree bow. "Hello, it is so nice to meet you," I said in my most polite, formal Korean, my cheeks burning with a fierce, nervous blush.
The Ajjuma's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, my! She is absolutely beautiful!" she gasped, looking back at Woonseok. "But she isn't Korean, is she? She looks different. Those big eyes... she is stunning!"
Woonseok stepped back to my side, his large hand instantly wrapping around my waist and pulling me flush against his side. The pride radiating from him was palpable, a heavy, visible aura of absolute adoration.
"She is from India, Ajjuma," Woonseok declared, his voice ringing with a deep, unyielding certainty that made my heart stutter. "And she is the absolute love of my life."
My face exploded into a bright, furious scarlet. I violently elbowed his ribs, entirely embarrassed by his blunt, shameless romantic declaration in front of this sweet elder.
The Ajjuma gasped, clapping her hands together in sheer delight.
"Finally!" she cheered, pointing a wooden spoon directly at Woonseok's chest. "You finally did something truly great with your life, you rascal! Come, come! Sit down, both of you. I am going to make you my absolute best, special spicy ramen. My beautiful girl needs to eat!"
The food arrived in massive, boiling-hot stone bowls. The rich, fiery-red broth was packed with thick, chewy noodles, tender slices of pork, fresh scallions, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg.
"Oh my god," I moaned, closing my eyes as the very first sip of the spicy broth hit my tongue. It was a literal explosion of flavor, warming me from the inside out. "Woon, this is incredible. This is the best thing I have ever eaten."
Woonseok sat across from me, his chin resting in his palm. He wasn't even touching his own bowl. He was simply watching me eat, a soft, incredibly satisfied smirk curving his lips.
"I told you," he murmured affectionately. "Only the best for my Butterfly."
"Here!" the Ajjuma cheerfully interrupted, slamming two small, green glass bottles of Soju and two tiny shot glasses onto our metal table. "On the house! For the superstar and his beautiful bride!"
"Ah, Ajjuma, we aren't—" I started, blushing furiously at the word 'bride'.
But Woonseok was already pouring the clear liquor into my glass. "Just drink, Sana," he laughed, raising his own glass. "Cheers."
I don't know if it was the sheer exhaustion of the day, the intense spice of the ramen, or the heavy emotional whiplash of the past few hours, but the Soju went down entirely too smoothly.
One shot turned into two. Two turned into four.
By the time the stone bowls were empty, the neon lights of the restaurant were looking incredibly fuzzy, and my giggles were completely, utterly out of my control. I was leaning heavily on the metal table, pointing a chopstick directly at Woonseok's face.
"You know what your problem is, Mr. Idol?" I slurred slightly, my words melting together as a massive, goofy grin took over my face. "You are entirely too handsome. It is a hazard. I had to fight a girl in a mall today because your face is a public menace!"
Woonseok threw his head back, letting out a roaring, uninhibited laugh that shook his broad shoulders. He stood up, coming around the table to wrap his arms around me, pulling my swaying body against his side.
"Alright, Commander, I think you have successfully reached your limit," he chuckled, his breath warm against my ear. "Time to get you home before you start trying to arrest the streetlamps."
He walked over to the counter, bowing deeply to the Ajjuma as he handed her a stack of bills that was undoubtedly ten times the price of our meal.
"Thank you, Ajjuma," Woonseok smiled softly. "I promise I won't wait so long to come back next time. Actually, the next time we come... it will probably be to hand-deliver your invitation to our wedding."
I let out a loud, dramatic hiccup from the door, entirely oblivious to the absolute gravity of the promise he had just casually dropped into the conversation.
The Ajjuma's eyes instantly filled with happy tears. She reached out, aggressively grabbing Woonseok by his left ear and pulling his head down.
"Ow, ow, Ajjuma!" Woonseok laughed, wincing playfully.
"You listen to me, you giant brat," she threatened, her tone fierce but full of love. "You take care of that girl. She is entirely too good for you, do you understand? a girl that brave and that beautiful. If you make her cry, I will personally ban you from this restaurant forever!"
"I understand, I swear!" Woonseok promised, rubbing his ear as she finally let go. He looked over at me, his dark eyes turning incredibly soft. "I know I don't deserve her. But I'm never letting her go."
The cold night air hit my face like a physical wall the second we stepped out of the restaurant.
"Woooooon," I whined loudly, my knees instantly buckling as the alcohol fully flooded my system. "My legs are completely broken. The Soju broke my bones. I don't want to walk. I want to live in the ramen shop forever!"
"You cannot live in the ramen shop, Butterfly," Woonseok laughed, shaking his head at my absolute, chaotic drunkenness.
Without a single moment of hesitation, he stepped in front of me, bending his tall frame down and crouching low to the pavement. "Come here. Hop on."
I didn't need to be told twice. I practically launched myself forward, wrapping my arms tightly around his broad neck and locking my legs securely around his narrow waist. Woonseok stood up effortlessly, hoisting my weight up onto his back as if I weighed absolutely nothing.
"Onward, my noble steed!" I commanded, pointing a finger dramatically toward the alleyway.
Woonseok chuckled, adjusting his grip securely under my thighs as he began the walk back toward where he had parked the SUV. Being on his back felt incredibly safe. His heavy designer coat was warm, his shoulders were massively broad, and the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart against my chest made me feel completely invincible.
I rested my chin on his shoulder, happily humming a random tune into his ear.
Suddenly, the bright, obnoxious fluorescent lights of a 24-hour convenience store caught my eye.
"Stop! Stop !" I shouted, patting Woonseok's chest rapidly. "Woonseok! Look!"
"What is it?" he asked, pausing in the middle of the empty street.
"Ice cream!" I gasped, my eyes wide as I pointed to the glowing sign. "We had spicy ramen. The tactical rules of dining clearly state that we must now neutralize the spice with freezing cold, artificial sweetness. I need ice cream, Woon. Please. Please, please, please."
Woonseok let out a heavy, deeply amused sigh. "Butterfly, it is literally zero degrees outside. We are in the middle of winter. You are going to freeze."
"I have a built-in idol heater," I argued logically, squeezing my arms tighter around his warm neck. "Please?"
"Fine. Whatever you want," he completely surrendered, unable to deny me a single thing.
He carried me straight into the brightly lit convenience store. The tired cashier barely looked up as Woonseok, completely incognito, walked to the freezer section with a very drunk, very happy girl clinging to his back like a koala.
Ten minutes later, we were entirely alone in a small, deserted neighborhood park.
Woonseok had carefully set me down on a wooden bench beneath a glowing streetlamp. The world was completely silent, the city of Seoul finally asleep around us.
I sat there, swinging my legs happily, holding a completely ridiculous, brightly colored fish-shaped ice cream sandwich. I took a massive bite, groaning in absolute bliss as the cold red bean paste hit my tongue.
Woonseok was sitting right beside me, completely ignoring his own ice cream. He had pulled his mask down, his heavy coat open, and his arm was draped securely around the back of the bench behind my shoulders. He was just staring at me, watching me eat ice cream in the freezing cold like I was the most fascinating thing in the entire universe.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I mumbled, a drop of vanilla ice cream smudging the corner of my lip.
Woonseok leaned forward slowly. He raised his thumb, gently swiping the drop of ice cream from the corner of my mouth. He didn't break eye contact as he licked the sweetness off his own finger, his dark eyes burning with a fierce, intoxicating heat.
"I'm just thinking about what I told the Ajjuma," he whispered deeply, the cold air turning his breath into white mist.
"About the wedding?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little less drunk and a lot more breathless as he leaned in closer.
"About the fact that I don't deserve you," Woonseok murmured, his large hand gently cupping my freezing cheek, his thumb stroking my jawline. "But I'm going to spend the rest of my entire life trying to prove her wrong. I love you, Rashi."
Under the glow of a solitary streetlamp, surrounded by the freezing winter air and the quiet hum of the sleeping city, Woonseok leaned in and pressed his warm, sweet lips against mine, entirely sealing his promise in the dark.
The freezing winter air of Seoul should have been sobering, but combined with the massive sugar rush of the red bean ice cream and the four heavy shots of Ajjuma's premium Soju, my brain was currently operating on an entirely different, highly unstable emotional frequency.
One second, I was happily kicking my legs back and forth on the park bench, humming a random tune as the last bite of the ice cream vanished. The next second, my dark, blurry eyes locked onto a massive, completely bare winter tree standing under the amber glow of the streetlamp. Its branches were completely stripped of leaves, looking stark, lonely, and incredibly fragile against the dark night sky.
Without absolutely any warning, my bottom lip violently trembled.
A massive, overwhelming wave of profound melancholy crashed over my intoxicated brain. The sheer contrast between that lonely, freezing tree and the absolute, burning warmth of the massive man sitting next to me completely short-circuited my emotional defenses.
"Butterfly?" Woonseok's deep, soothing voice broke through the quiet air.
I didn't answer. I just stared at the tree, and suddenly, thick, hot tears began to well up in my eyes, rapidly spilling over my freezing eyelashes and tracking rapidly down my flushed cheeks. I let out a loud, pathetic, and completely uncharacteristic sob, crying like an absolute baby.
Woonseok physically jolted on the bench. The relaxed, highly amused boyfriend vanished in a literal millisecond, instantly replaced by a frantic, deeply terrified protector.
"Sana? Hey, hey, what's wrong?!" Woonseok gasped, his large hands immediately coming up to cup my freezing face. His thumbs frantically wiped at the massive tears streaming down my cheeks, his dark eyes wide with absolute panic. "Butterfly, are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you too cold? Did the spice upset your stomach? Talk to me, please."
"I... I'm not... I'm not okay!" I wailed softly, my words slurring heavily as I aggressively turned my body toward him.
I raised my hand, my small index finger violently poking right into the center of his solid, broad chest, right over his violently beating heart.
"Do you know..." I hiccuped, my eyes completely blurry as I looked up into his beautiful, panicked face. "I still... I still genuinely believe this is all a massive dream. I don't know why. I keep waiting to wake up in my old bed, in my old life, and realize you aren't really mine."
Woonseok's breath hitched in his throat. His hands froze against my cheeks, the panic in his eyes instantly melting into a profound, heavy ache.
"When I was in India..." I continued, my voice thick with emotion, the alcohol completely removing every single filter my disciplined brain had ever built. I poked his chest again, entirely unaware of how hard my words were hitting him. "When I was just a nineteen-year-old girl... I saw you on a K-drama for the very first time. You were this twenty-five-year-old, impossibly handsome, untouchable man on a glowing screen."
I let out a wet, messy laugh, though the tears were still rapidly tracking down my chin.
"I thought it was just a simple crush," I confessed, my eyes dropping to the lapels of his heavy designer coat. "Just a normal fan liking a superstar. But as the years went by, as my life got harder and harder... you became my absolute comfort. Your songs, your dramas... seeing your face made me feel so incredibly safe. When the real world was too heavy, I would just watch you, and everything felt okay."
Woonseok didn't say a single word. He couldn't.
He was sitting on that wooden bench, the freezing wind whipping around us, listening to the woman he loved strip her entire soul bare. His heart was violently pounding against his ribs. He was looking at me with an intensity so fierce, so deeply rooted in absolute adoration, that it felt as though he were trying to memorize the exact cadence of my breathing.
She loved me even then, Woonseok thought, his internal monologue completely overwhelmed by a staggering wave of emotion. When I was thousands of miles away, completely unaware of her existence... she was looking at me. She was finding safety in me.
"I still don't know how I got here," I whispered, sniffing loudly as I took a slightly unsteady step back from the bench, swaying on my feet under the streetlamp. I threw my arms out wide, gesturing to the empty park, the sleeping city, and the massive superstar sitting in front of me. "How far did I travel? How did this happen? Suddenly, my luck just... forgave me. The universe completely flipped my life upside down."
"Sana..." Woonseok whispered thickly, standing up from the bench, his tall frame towering over my swaying figure, desperate to close the distance between us.
"No, listen!" I demanded, pointing my finger at him again with a deeply serious, completely intoxicated glare. "I came here as just a fan! Just a normal girl. And everything changed. You... you gave me so much love, Woonseok. So much that I don't even know where to put it all."
I dropped my arms, my sudden burst of loud energy fading into a quiet, deeply vulnerable truth. I raised my right hand, curling my fingers into a loose fist, and gently tapped the center of my own chest.
"You know," I slurred softly, a sad, beautiful smile curving my lips. "I would have absolutely never thought I could love someone this much. Never. Because I made my heart so strong. Like a stone."
I tapped my chest again, harder this time.
"I am the eldest daughter," I explained, the weight of a thousand past responsibilities bleeding into my slurred words. "I was a police officer. I had to be strict. I had to be hard. I locked my heart in a metal box and swallowed the key because I had to protect my family. I couldn't afford to be soft. Do you see? It was a stone."
I looked up, my dark, tear-filled eyes locking directly onto his.
"But you completely melted it," I whispered, letting out a soft, giggling laugh that held more raw emotion than a thousand poetic declarations. "You melted it with all this love. You love me like I am a precious baby. You call me Butterfly. You didn't just break the stone, Mr. Idol... you gave me actual wings to love. To feel things. To just... enjoy being alive."
Woonseok's breath physically shook. A single, heavy tear escaped his own dark eyes, completely undetected in the shadows of the night. His chest felt like it was going to literally rip open from the sheer, overwhelming force of his love for the tiny, swaying woman standing in front of him.
"I am so excited to be your wife," I giggled, my mood violently swinging back to pure, unadulterated joy. "Our love is growing so much. I am literally living a dream life. I am loved by a man who looks at me like I am the only star in the entire sky. I can't believe it's real."
I threw my head back, letting out a loud, joyous laugh that echoed through the empty park. But the sudden, dramatic movement was entirely too much for my alcohol-soaked brain to process.
My knees instantly, violently buckled beneath me.
"Ah!" I gasped as gravity yanked me downward.
I didn't even make it a foot toward the concrete. In a literal flash of movement, Woonseok lunged forward. His massive, powerful arms wrapped securely around my waist and behind my back, catching my falling body with absolute, effortless grace. He hoisted me straight back up, pulling me flush against his warm, solid chest.
"I've got you, Butterfly," Woonseok breathed out, his heart hammering against my ear as he held my weight entirely in his arms. "I've always got you."
"Hehe," I giggled, completely unbothered by my near-collapse.
I wrapped my arms lazily around his thick neck, pulling myself up on my tiptoes. I pressed my soft, freezing lips directly against his cheek, planting a massive, sloppy, completely affectionate kiss right on his skin.
I pulled back just an inch, looking deeply into his dark, emotional eyes.
"You always protect me, Woonseok... hnm?" I whispered, my voice incredibly soft, filled with a beautiful, absolute trust that could bring empires to their knees.
Woonseok stared down at me, his handsome face illuminated by the amber streetlamp. The absolute devotion radiating from him was palpable, a heavy, visible aura. He raised his hand, gently brushing my messy hair away from my wet, tear-stained face.
"I will, Butterfly," Woonseok vowed, his deep voice trembling with a raw, fierce emotion that he made absolutely no effort to hide. "With my life. I will always protect you."
I smiled, a slow, deeply content expression settling over my exhausted features.
"I know you will protect me," I whispered heavily, my eyelids suddenly feeling like they were made of lead. "Just... never break my heart, Woonseok. Please. Because this heart... it is way too sensitive now, Mr. Idol."
The exact moment those final words left my mouth, the absolute limit of my physical endurance was reached. The Soju, the sugar, the heavy tears, and the intense emotional confession completely drained the last drop of energy from my body.
My eyes fluttered shut. My head dropped forward, coming to rest heavily against the solid, comforting curve of his shoulder. Within seconds, my breathing slowed into a deep, rhythmic cadence.
I was fast asleep, safely wrapped in the arms of the Sovereign of South Korea.
Woonseok stood entirely still in the middle of the freezing park, holding the sleeping weight of his entire universe against his chest.
He didn't move for a long time. He just stood there, his arms wrapped fiercely, protectively around my small frame, letting my slow, even breaths wash over his neck.
She thinks it's a dream, Woonseok thought, his dark eyes looking up at the bare winter tree I had been crying over just moments before. She thinks her luck forgave her. She doesn't realize that I am the lucky one. I was drowning in a sea of cameras, fake smiles, and crushing expectations until she walked into my life and gave me a reason to actually breathe.
He tightened his grip, pulling my sleeping body even closer, completely shielding me from the biting winter wind with the massive span of his heavy coat.
"I swear to you, Sana," Woonseok whispered into the quiet night, pressing a deep, lingering kiss to the crown of my head. "I will never break it. I will spend every single second of the rest of my life guarding your heart. You gave me your entire world... and I am going to lay mine right at your feet."
With absolute care, moving as if he were carrying the most precious, fragile glass artifact in existence, Woonseok shifted my weight. He effortlessly lifted me entirely into his arms, carrying me in a secure, bridal style back down the quiet street toward where the SUV was parked.
The city of Seoul remained completely silent, entirely unaware that its biggest, most untouchable star was walking through its freezing streets, having just pledged his absolute, eternal surrender to the fierce, beautiful Officer sleeping soundly against his heart.
I am officially in tears. 😭🤧 Someone pass the tissues because Rashi's drunken confession completely broke me.
The way she talked about locking her heart in a metal box because she had to be the strong eldest daughter and a strict officer... only for Woonseok to completely melt it with his love. 🥺❤️🔥 And the fact that she admitted she first fell in love with him on a screen when she was 19 in India?! It's literally the ultimate fan-to-wife pipeline, and we are witnessing it! 🇮🇳✈️🇰🇷
Woonseok swearing to the universe that he will protect her sensitive heart forever is the standard.
The emotional stakes have never been higher. Support this beautiful breakthrough by throwing your Golden Tickets 🎫 and Power Stones 💎 into the ring! Let's keep climbing!