Yoohooooo 

Time to workout Moon Chaewon!! 

I'm with Jongkook hyung at his gym, come join us!! 

Sorry Oppa, not today 

I've injured my wrist  

I'll join you guys next time 

Whuttt!!

Are you alright?

What happened? 

Yeah I'm fine, just sprained it

Doubt I'm in any condition to lift weights

Oh dear

Want to meet for lunch then?

I'll buy you your favourite Tteokbokki! 

Moon Chaewon took a bite of the chewy rice cake and sighed loudly. 

"The best tteok in Seoul must be paired with Korea's national drink." She declared happily, before downing a shot of soju. An unladylike gasp escaped her lips and she grinned proudly at her giraffe-like friend.

Lee Kwangsoo shook his head at her in obvious disapproval.   

"All one needs to do is to put food in front of you, and your elegance and grace disappear."

"Not any food, this only happens when there's good food." 

"Yes, yes Moon Chaewon." Kwangsoo teased. "Only the best food for you." 

They were at her favourite snack kiosk by the Hangang.

The river was grey and peaceful as usual, and the autumnal air nipped gently at their noses. Around them, the trees were starting to take on their bright orange and red colours, looking brilliant against the cloudy skies. 

Chaewon tightened the sash of her sweater, glad that she was wearing warmer clothing today.

Experience had taught the actors to meet later in the afternoon, after the lunch crowd had come and gone. This meant that the area was quite empty. And thankfully, the people who did come by the kiosk did not seem to pay them any attention. 

Chaewon's manager had tagged along anyway, as she got along well with the lanky actor too.

The three of them were seated on low metal stools around a table filled with street food. It was not the most comfortable place to be in such cool temperatures, but to Chaewon, the food was worth it.

She felt bad for her tall friend though, whose legs seemed to be spread awkwardly away from his body in an 'M' shape. 

"Our Girin, you look really uncomfortable. Have you grown taller since the last time we met?" Her manager teased. 

"Noona," Kwangsoo protested huffily, "At least the animals look up to me."

Chaewon chuckled as she scooped up a mouthful of spicy fishcakes, making sure that she got some of the yangnyum gravy too. It was troublesome to only use one hand when eating, but she managed. 

"So how did you hurt your wrist, Chaewon-ah? What happened?" 

"I fell down when I went for a hike over the weekend." She said in between bites.

"Oh dear, that sounds bad. Were you alone?" 

"Nah, I was with Joongi Oppa, thankfully. He sent me home after that." 

"Ooo, was it a date?" Her manager cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.

Kwangsoo's head perked up in interest. "I didn't know you were seeing him!" 

Chaewon waved her hands in front of her to dispel their suspicions. 

"No, of course not! I just wanted to get some fresh air and he happened to know a spot and showed it to me. Is all. There's nothing between us."

"Ehh, Noona. There's nothing wrong if our Chaewon-ie wants to date, right?" 

"Well, of course there's nothing wrong to date. But after what happened before... perhaps dating a non-celebrity would be easier for her." Her manager finished cryptically. 

Kwangsoo nodded sagely at her comment.

"That's true. Joongki wasn't good for our Moon Chaewon."

Chaewon understood what they were both thinking.

It was a real challenge when it came to dating a fellow celebrity. Very few people managed it well, and even fewer had happy endings.

When she was seeing Joongki, going out on dates was an extremely troublesome affair. They had to rope in both their managers and closest friends, just to spend some time together. And even when they were together, they had to be on their toes all the time, just to make sure that there were no prying eyes around them.

There was also the issue of hiding their relationship.

Although it was not expressly stated on their contracts that they were not allowed to date, actors tended to be more... marketable if they could maintain an illusion of singlehood so that their dramas or movies were more, well, believeable. It allowed their fans to fantasise as they liked. 

"Well, maybe it just wasn't the right person." Kwangsoo quipped, probably thinking about his own high-profile relationship. 

Or maybe, I just wasn't the right person. 

But she kept the painful thought to herself.

"Anyway, Joongki Oppa came over to my place." She blurted out, wanting to know their though