Sasha looked up as she heard the windbell chime, signalling that a new customer just entered the cafe. She got ready to greet the person by pasting a cheerful smile on her face, but she felt herself freeze as she recognized who is quickly approaching the counter. 

 

 

The tall and lean frame that is walking towards her, covered by casual clothes that lets everyone know that he can be a badass without even trying, and that face! My gosh, that face that is a mix of y and adorable, so irresistible. That face that haunted and is still haunting her dreams since the first time they met face to face. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh, he doesn't recognize me!" Sasha realized right away in disappointment. 

 

 

 

She held his gaze for a moment before pulling herself together and answered matter of factly.

 

 

 

"Yes, we do! For how many people will it be?" she replied with deceptive casualness while she checks her computer screen. In doing so, she failed to notice how Mino is intently looking at her face.

 

 

 

"Just for two," Mino answered right away. "I only need to relax and hide for a bit," he added. He slightly leaned sideways into the counter in a nonchalant manner. Even distracted with her thoughts, Sasha couldn't help but drool at how cool he looks.

 

 

 

"Pabo, how will he know it was you? You were wearing a mask that time!" Sasha chides herself.

 

 

 

"Oh, okay! No worries, we have a few slots available," she says out loud. "Do you want to order something now or do you still need time? I can take you to your booth and leave a menu with you."

 

 

 

"I would love it if you walk me to my booth," Mino responded with a mysterious smile. 

 

 

 

 

 

"She doesn't remember me!", Mino thought to himself in dismay. "You're such a pabo. You should've introduced yourself right away! Now you've missed your timing."

 

 

 

This is always the problem with him. Anyone who doesn't know his real personality will take a look at him and will immediately see him as a cold, hard-to-approach guy. That's why he tries his best to smile a lot and be friendly. It's easy when it comes to other guys. 

 

 

 

Approaching girls and being friendly with them is definitely another story. Well, it wasn't always like this. When he was still in his early teenage years, he was chubby and cute, and girls don't feel threatened by his bright and bubbly aura. 

 

 

 

But when he started shedding the extra pounds and learned how to choose the right clothes to fit his frame, the opposite started seeing him in a different light. They call him hot and y, and Mino didn't know how to handle that at first. So to the people not close to him, he started projecting the cool image. 

 

 

 

And being one of the hottest and most popular artists in Korea, along with the other members of his boy group Winner, he now has to keep this facade of being a cold and chic celebrity. He can't believe it was only 5 years after their debut because the  Winner members have achieved a lot of recognition and popularity, individually and collectively.

 

 

 

However, with their achievements, he learned the hard way that being too open and trusting with other people can lead you to heartbreak. Mino was really close to feeling burned out and jaded, so close to running away and escaping from the pressure and demands of the people around him and his Winner brothers. He knows it wasn't just him who is feeling this way, all of them is in the same dilemma. They asked themselves is this all that there is to what we've been dreaming to achieve our whole lives? Mino didn't know what to do with this situation.

 

 

 

Until that one enchanting night. The night he met Sasha for the first time. The night of the masquerade...