Taewoon found her pacing the prayer circle. She held a blue polka-dotted bag in one hand as she kicked her feet out with every step. She wore a loose white sweater over a dark skirt; her legs were covered with leggings with her high-top white Converse hidden by leg warmers. She looked extremely warm and cold at the same time.

Her ears were obstructed by wireless headphones; he assumed her devices were in the tiny bag she carried slung across her body. Her lips moved along with whatever she was listening to. Taewoon focused on them, but whatever it was that she was saying did not seem to be in Korean; he could not make out the slightest of words.

Sister Redemption walked up beside him. She tucked her hands within the sleeves of her habit, looking ahead at Eun Mi, taking in her march-like walk.

“She’s been waiting for over four hours.”

Taewoon’s eyes widened as he snapped his head around to look at the tender nun. The tiny lady had not moved an inch, her wizened eyes remained on the young woman that continued to go round and round. They were standing a few ways off so that she may not see them.

“Four hours? Sister, why didn’t you ask her to leave the jacket with you?”

“She did come for you, Taewoon-ah, but she also comes here almost every night when she can’t sleep. The poor child, she’s dead on her feet but sleep won’t come to her. The only difference tonight was that she came looking for you. She decided to wait, but I’m sure she lost track of time praying.”

“She’s been praying all this time?”

“It’s all she ever does when she comes,” she said in a voice cracked with age. “She’s the reason St. Cecilia’s has a prayer garden to begin with. We were a small church at first with an empty plot of land we had no funds for. When Eun Mi started coming here for Mass, she eventually came at night when insomnia struck her. The company gave us the funds for the garden, with the condition that we include a small shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe for Eun Mi’s sake.

“We all keep an eye on her here. She’s almost a part of the parish in the same way we nuns are. She’s helped out in so many events even when she’s been busy. We are aware of and support her endeavors, however, we do wish she would quit the entertainment business and focus on her health. Our community only knows her as Song Ma Ri, not Song Eun Mi.”

“Song…Ma Ri?”

“That is her legal name.”

“Her real name?”

Sister Redemption turned her gentle eyes on him. “Taewoon-ah, Ma Ri is a precious flower of Our Lady, no matter how strong she is, she is fragile. I trust that you will treat her as she deserves; kindly and with great love. She may have come for you tonight, but this is a great sanctuary for her. Fill it with gems, not stones.”

She placed her hand on his arm, smiling gently.

Her words burdened Taewoon, made him fear approaching the meandering woman. Sister Redemption never minced her words; she communicated things gently, but with great earnest and meaning. That same directness is what had propelled him to come visit when she’d called him an hour before.

“Taewoon-ah,” she’d said in a voice so soft he’d hardly been able to hear her, “could you stop by St. Cecilia’s tonight? Eun Mi-ah is here. She’s been waiting for you out in the garden.”

Taewoon had given Sister Redemption his phone number for emergencies; she had never once used it until today. Clearly, Eun Mi was someone dear to the sister’s heart. Looking into the old eyes of such a gentle and devout woman, Taewoon could not help but nod a promise.

Sister Redemption turned to go, nodding her own head. Something she said suddenly struck Taewoon with immense force.

“Sister, you mentioned a company and industry. What did you mean?”

“Eun Mi is a celebrity, just like you. I believe her group is known as CELESTIAL,” she said. “Surely you knew that?”

Astonished, Taewoon shook his head. “No, Sister, I did not. I thought…I thought she was just a normal girl.”

Sister Redemption gave his cheek a gentle pat. “Son, that child is anything but ordinary. You’d do well to keep her close.”

With that, she returned to her modest room in the annex building of the church.

Eun Mi had stopped walking the path of the circle. She lay at its center, the bag carefully placed beside her, her hands on her stomach. Dark hair sprawled itself across the still yellow lawn.

Taewoon took slow steps towards her. Every footfall brought him closer to a complicated encounter. Every intake of air chilled him. Every sway of her head, back and forth, back and forth, lured him closer.

He held his mask in one hand. He did not put it on.

Crouching down beside her, he placed his hands on her headphones, removing them as he lost himself within her gleaming eyes.

“You’ll catch a cold laying on the grass like that, Miss Song Eun Mi.”

“You’re late, Mr. Woo Taewoon.”

Woo Taewoon.

Eun Mi could not believe her eyes. Woo Taewoon was the man she’d met a little over a week ago. Woo Taewoon was the man that gave her butterflies, made her cheeks burn timidly. Woo Taewoon, the man she had admired from afar on several occasions—and oh my gosh, she had drooled on him!

Eun Mi tried to sit up, to smooth her hair and appear coolly indifferent at the same time. She could feel the heat under her skin, the crawling feeling in her stomach, the manner in which her heart pounded.

Taewoon placed a hand to her back, helping her straighten up. She’d been on the ground for quite a while, strands of grass clung to her sweater, her hair. He plucked them out, using it as an excuse to touch that thick, luscious black hair.

“What are you doing here so late? It’s cold out.”

Eun Mi took the mask he held in his hand. She reached up, securing it over his face. “You shouldn’t go around showing your face like that. What if there are media outlets following you?”

“Me? What about you?”

She laughed softly. “I’m a ninja. People can’t see me if I don’t want to be seen.”

“Lies,” Taewoon laughed.

“I’m not lying! Just making stuff up.”

“That’s lying.”

“No, it’s storytelling.”

They looked at one another briefly before laughing. Eun Mi brought her hand up to cover her gaping mouth, the sound of her hiccupping laugh still filled the quiet garden. A gust of wind made her hunch up, her arms folding themselves around her. She gave a violent shiver as her hair blew in every direction.

“C’mon,” Taewoon said as he gently pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go somewhere warm.”

Eun Mi stumbled, yelping at the prickling needle-like sensation on her foot. “Ow! Prickly foot! Prickly foot!”

Taewoon steadied her, laughing. She held onto his arms, giving one of them a soft smack.

“Don’t laugh!”

“Then don’t make me laugh!”

Eun Mi laughed along with him as she wobbled beside him. He kept a firm grip on her, leading her to one of the Sunday school classrooms. She sat on one of the old sofas in the room.

“It’s just as cold in here as it is outside.” Taewoon a single lamp.

“Father Theo turns off the heater at night to save money. Only the living quarters have heat at night.”

Basked in the orange-tinted lamplight, Eun Mi appeared almost dream-like. The manner in which her hair framed her face as it cascaded down made Taewoon hold his breath. Her skin made him think of coffee with milk, strong and sweet. Her hands, folded on her lap—trembled.

Taewoon pulled his mask down under his chin. “You’re freezing.”

“I get cold easily. It’s okay, if I shiver, I’ll warm up. That’s how our bodies work, or some science-y thing like that.”

“If you know you get cold easily, why are you walking around dressed like that? Where’s your coat?”

“I forgot it.” Eun Mi looked away. She wouldn’t tell him she forgot it because she’d been excited about meeting him again. Although, at that time, she hadn’t known if she actually would. She had the next morning free of schedules until after one o’clock, she figured she could stop by St. Cecilia’s and wait a while to see if he showed up. She’d just kind of…lost track of time.

Taewoon shrugged out of his jacket, wrapping her in it as he rubbed her arms. “It isn’t warm enough yet for you to even be dressed like that. Wait, did you come here right after a schedule? Is that’s why you’re dressed like this?”

She nodded. “I had an audition for a reality show.”

The spicy scent that clung to his jacket tickled her nose. His hands on her arms made her stomach and face burn pleasantly. If she continued to shiver, would he hug her? The thought made her breath catch. She fought back the urge to shake her head clear.

“How did that go?”

Taewoon sat beside her, his body angled in her direction. He stopped rubbing her arms, suddenly conscious of his actions. He placed his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands to keep them from touching her again.

“I think it went okay. I made them laugh a few times, so…”

Taewoon smiled. “I’m sure you did great.”

Eun Mi gave him a little smile, burying herself within his jacket. It fit so large on her it was almost like a blanket. She wanted to keep it.

“Oh! This is yours.”

She handed him the bag she’d brought along. Inside, his workout hoodie lay folded. The soft scent of detergent wafted up to him. He was almost willing to believe the fabric would feel softer to the touch.

“Aw, damn, I didn’t bring Su Jong’s.”

“It’s alright. If you have time, you can leave it with Sister Redemption, like we said last time.”

“With Sister Redemption?” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you not want to see me again?”

“N—no! It’s not that! I’d love to see you again!”

Eun Mi gasped, pressing her hands against her lips. She bit her thumb nail, hoping that she would disappear.

Taewoon cleared his throat, feeling the heat rush to his face as pleasure coursed through his veins. He rubbed the back of his neck, fighting—and losing—against the smile that played at the corners of his lips.

“So, um, you’re an idol?”

“Yes.”

“When did you debut?”

“Mid-June 2013.”

“Same year as SPEED.”

“Yes. We didn’t promote together until 2014, though.”

“We promoted at the same time?”

Eun Mi nodded, playing with a strand of her hair.

“Once or twice during your Don’t Tease Me promotions.”

She hadn’t expected him to know, they’d never met before this. CELESTIAL had crossed paths and watched SPEED from the sidelines before their own rehearsals. DEEPS and A.Borealis were usually in the same room, but Eun Mi had only ever dared say hello to Taeha.

DAEE, on the other hand, was friends with Jongkook and Sejun. Ienna had gone out to dinner with Sungmin before while Chae and ReNA had charmed Yuhwan into buying them coffee once or twice. Jungwoo came and went, never really materializing within their circle of acquaintances, but never fully being absent either. Only Taewoon seemed to have missed their existence entirely.

Eun Mi had seen Taewoon up close. They’d ran right smack into each other backstage while she tried to find a coordinator unnie. He’d steadied her, given her an absentminded glance, apologized, and been on his way. He’d appeared to be extremely preoccupied.

His eyes had been clouded then, darkened by some problem that Eun Mi had no doubt originated from their line of work. Still, they’d retained their warm kindness as they’d briefly swept over her. Some part of her must’ve remembered that when they met again.

Taewoon didn’t know what to say. He thought he’d been interested in her, but he had not even taken the time to look up Su Jong’s name online and see if she popped up as a related term. He’d learned her name that first day. He could’ve looked into it. But he hadn’t.

He’d been so wrapped up preparing for his career as a soloist that he had even forgotten all about Eun Mi for a few days. He’d forgotten he had Su Jong’s hoodie neatly tucked away in his closet and that he had thought about dropping it off with Sister Redemption.

Taewoon had been in by work. Again.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so focused on myself I didn’t—I never—”

“Oh! Mr. Taewoon, don’t apologize. I can see strong work ethic runs in your family.” She smiled, gathering the courage to reach over, to place her hand over his.

But Taewoon drew away, balling his hands into fists. “You know Zico? Are you two friends?”

The atmosphere turned cold. Even with his coat on, Eun Mi felt iced to the bone. Iced and hurt. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her, disdainfully, accusingly. She sat up straighter, her eyes piercing him with their resolved strength.

“Yes, I’ve met Zico. We worked together once. I can’t say—” She caught herself. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, speak ill of Zico. No matter what had happened between them she would never say a single word against him, especially to his older brother.

“For work?”

“What else would I meet Zico for? Dinner?” Eun Mi scoffed, shaking her head.

Turning her away, she vented her frustrations in Spanish. “Dinner. As if he would ever. This is ridiculous. How frustrating! Virgen Santa, give me patience.”

“Ms. Eun Mi,” Taewoon said. “I’m—”

“I’m going home.”

Taewoon jumped to his feet when she stood. Panic gripped him. “No, please, stay a while longer.”

Eun Mi regarded him closely.

“I’m sorry. It’s just—when it comes to Zico—”

“Sibling rivalry?”

“Something like that.”

The dejected expression that twisted his features softened her mood. She placed a hand on his cheek, gently caressing his skin with her thumb.

“You’re not Zico. You’re Woo Taewoon, and…I like that.”

Their eyes locked.

Something ruptured between them.

It was as if a star exploded, showering them both with powerful threads of starlight, tying them together. They could see nothing; their surroundings were pitch black. They could only see one another, the threads of light pulling them closer and closer together until they almost suffocated.

Taewoon placed his hand over hers, sinking into her gentle touch. Eun Mi expected him to close his eyes. He didn’t. He continued to look at her. Every fiber of her being tingled with the warmth in his eyes. She could almost taste it, that melted honey that made all aches disappear.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so unsettled by how at ease he was. Eun Mi’s presence acted like a balm to his sore being. The way in which she slightly rose on her toes to reach his cheek, the tenderness of her thick-lashed eyes, and the softness of her hands made his world spin.

This was different.

Taewoon could tell that what lay before him was new, fragile, and powerful. He could feel it in the way his heart beat steadily, in the heat that made the palms of his hands too warm. Could she feel it too?

Eun Mi felt something, of course, but she did not know what it was. She’d never been so free with her affections, so unreserved, so unguarded. She wanted him to talk. She wanted to talk. She wanted him to share. She wanted to share. Was it normal to feel as if a hurricane destroyed the room they were in while they stood at the eye of the storm? Did such a feeling exist?

Taewoon watched her closely. He could see the novelty reflected in her eyes. He could lean in, kiss her… but he didn’t.

Eun Mi had already become someone much too precious to him. From the moment he’d first seen her carelessly sleeping by the little shrine of Our Lady, to her meandering walk around the prayer circle, reinforced by the sight of her shivering frame warming up in the protective shield of his jacket, and sealed by assertion of his identity, Taewoon had slowly fallen under her spell. The most astounding fact being that she had no realization of having cast it.