Despite the pitter patter of the rain outside, there was an unusual stillness in the usually bustling cafe. The employees had decided to call it an early night, opting to go to a party. Being the good boss he was, Doyoung allowed them to clock out early but it meant he had to clean up by himself. It was already past midnight when he finally was ready to lock up.

Doyoung was always a businessman. When he was younger, he sold candy to his classmates for double the original price. As he grew, the candy business stopped and he opened the cafe calling it ‘beau epoque’. The cafe was sort of like a host club, minus the alcohol, and offered tea, coffee, and sweets. In exchange, he let his employees-turned-friends live in his lavish penthouse in the city and attend university without having to pay him rent. Doyoung enjoyed the fact that he was successful in this. It also made him happy to be able to help his friends in such a significant way.

He met his friends on his university campus. Except for Jungwoo. He was Doyoung’s best friend since he was a baby. Growing up on the same street definitely gave them a heightened connection with each other. Jungwoo would describe Doyoung as his older brother. Doyoung and Jungwoo always hung out together. Doyoung’s older brother, Gongmyung, was also part of their little friendship group. They were three boys that grew up on the same street, going to the same schools, playing on the same playgrounds, and crushing on the same girls. Speaking of girls, they had a girl in their group named Naeun. Doyoung was the same age as Naeun, and they were always in the same classes, were always desk mates, and always walked home together.

Doyoung was responsible at a young age. He always had the instinct to stand up for himself, and for others. Naeun by no means needed him to be responsible for her, but as they slowly became teenagers, Doyoung somehow automatically developed a protective instinct towards her, especially since Naeun lived with her grandparents while both her parents worked in the United States. Although Gongmyung teased Doyoung about liking Naeun, Doyoung never explored those feelings with her. He never got the chance to. When her grandmother passed away, Naeun left South Korea to live with her parents. Doyoung could count on one hand as to how many times he had talked to her since she left. It had been more than ten years since.

So, imagine Doyoung’s surprise when Naeun turned up in front of the cafe just as he was locking up the doors. If she had been two minutes late, Doyoung would have missed her.

“Doyoung?” he heard a girl’s voice from behind him. He turned around after making sure that the lock on the front door was secure. Of course, he was stunned. He dropped his umbrella, letting the rain soak him as he slowly descended the five stairs that lead to the cafe, walking towards her.

“Doyoung,” she called again, louder, trying to snap him out of his shock.

Doyoung was protective of Naeun.

“Who did this to you?” He asked. Naeun was drenched from the rain, and even in the dark with fog all around, Doyoung could clearly see the cut on her lip, the bruise on her cheek, the tear on the sleeve of her blue dress and her bare feet.

The girl looked down at herself before looking up at him again, “Doyoung,” she called one more time, her voice barely audible from losing energy. Suddenly, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Doyoung was quick to react and caught her before she hit the pavement.

“Naeun. What’s going on?” He asked, his voice filled with concern.

Tears were streaming down Naeun’s face as she cried onto Doyoung’s chest. Despite her best efforts to keep her emotions in check, they poured out uncontrollably. The rain continued to fall, but Doyoung held her tightly, trying to comfort her as much as he could.

“I am here with you, Naeun,” her friend spoke gently. She wiped her tears, sitting up as much as she could with Doyoung’s support.

“Doyoung, I,” she paused, looking up and meeting his eyes, “I am so glad I found you.”

That statement told Doyoung nothing. He didn’t know so many things. He didn’t know anything. He didn’t know what had happened to her and why she came to him in such a state. He didn’t know how she got there. He didn’t know how long she had been there. He didn’t know why she was bruised. He didn’t know why she hadn’t contacted him in so long. He didn’t know why she had found him. All he knew was he had to protect her.

“You’re safe with me,” he said as he gently bundled her up. As he picked up the umbrella that had fallen, he kept her close and they slowly walked towards Doyoung’s share house. Naeun immediately felt warm and protected in Doyoung’s strong embrace.

It wasn’t a far walk, but Naeun couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy as they approached Doyoung’s penthouse. Naeun had always known of Doyoung’s success and lavish lifestyle from social media posts. Seeing it in person, she realized this was something else entirely. The building towered over the others in the area. Naeun felt intimidated looking at its sleek and modern design. As they rode up the elevator, she was in awe.

When Naeun moved in with her fiance six months ago, she felt a strong urge to reconnect with her childhood friends. However, a myriad of insecurities held her back. She was embarrassed for not having kept in touch with them. She didn’t know how to deal with their inevitable “how” and “why” questions.

More importantly though, her fiance seemed to get jealous whenever she brought up her old friends. Over time, Naeun resigned to ignoring the part of her that was longing for nostalgia of her childhood. After all, she had a good life. Her parents were happy and so were her future in-laws. She just had to keep her fiance content. Everything was just so perfect. Why was she the only one who was sad?

When they arrived at Doyoung’s house, he punched in the code, “the password to the penthouse is six-six-nine-six. This is your house too now,” he said with a warm smile. He opened the door with a flourish and held it open for her to enter. Naeun was grateful for the invitation into such a luxurious setting but she felt out of place.

She was struck by the elegance of the space. It was clean, modern and minimalistic but still boasted personal touches to everything. Doyoung took her straight to his room, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention from the other guys who lived there.

"Naeun, why don't you change in the master bathroom. I'm going to change in the bathroom outside in the hallway. It will be more comfortable to talk. Okay?" he suggested kindly, handing her a set of clothes.

Naeun nodded in agreement, taking the clothes from him. She stared as he walked out with a towel, feeling grateful for his thoughtfulness. She admired the blue tiles matched with white walls in Doyoung's bathroom