Chapter 3: Reunion

The city was alive with neon lights, the streets buzzing with people lost in their own hurried worlds. Among them walked a girl whose quiet grace seemed out of place in the chaos. Her long brown hair swayed gently with each step, and her eyes — clear, warm, and strong — carried the same spark they once held in childhood.

Rose.

She had returned to Seoul after years abroad, her heart pounding with memories she had tried but failed to bury. No matter how far she went, there was one name that lingered in every silence, one promise that never faded.

Jimin.

She wondered what had become of the boy she once knew. Was he still mischievous, still protective, still carrying that soft smile? Or had time changed him into someone she could no longer recognize?

Rose pushed the thought away as she entered a cozy café near the university. The smell of roasted coffee beans and warm bread wrapped around her, calming her nerves. She ordered a latte and sat by the window, unaware that fate had just set the stage.

Across the street, a black car came to a stop. Inside sat Park Jimin, now twenty-one. He was no longer a boy — his sharp jawline, tailored suit, and cold expression screamed authority. To the world, he was feared as the mafia prince. To his enemies, he was untouchable. But tonight, his eyes were heavy, his soul tired.

“Boss, should we wait outside?” one of his guards asked.

Jimin waved his hand. “I won’t be long.”

He stepped out, adjusting his coat, and for the first time in weeks, he felt the urge to walk freely, without the suffocating presence of guards. He needed air. He needed… something human.

His footsteps carried him into the very same café.

The bell above the door chimed. Rose lifted her head, and her breath caught in her throat.

It couldn’t be.

The man who walked in looked nothing like the playful boy she remembered. His presence was magnetic, his aura dangerous, commanding the attention of every customer. But when her gaze met his — when those dark eyes softened for a fraction of a second — she knew.

“...Jimin?” she whispered, almost afraid to believe it.

Jimin froze. The cup of coffee he was about to order slipped from his mind, his entire world narrowing into the single voice he had longed to hear. Slowly, his head turned — and there she was.

Rose.

The girl from his memories, now grown, more beautiful than he had imagined.

For a heartbeat, he forgot he was the mafia’s heir. He was just a boy again, staring at his first love.

“Rose…” His voice broke, softer than he intended.

The café around them faded. Rose stood, her hands trembling as she stepped closer. “You’re really here… after all these years.”

Jimin’s throat tightened. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to tell her how every day apart felt like an eternity. But his body stayed frozen. Because in his world, love was a weakness — and weakness could get her killed.

“Why did you come back?” he asked instead, his tone sharper than he meant.

Rose flinched but smiled gently. “Seoul is my home. And… I wanted to see if you kept your promise.”

Jimin’s heart stopped. The pinky promise from their childhood echoed in his memory.

He looked away, hiding the storm in his eyes. “Some promises are dangerous, Rose.”

But Rose only tilted her head, her gaze steady. “And yet… you remembered.”

Before Jimin could reply, the café door slammed open. A man in a leather jacket stormed in, his eyes scanning the room before locking onto Rose.

“There you are,” the stranger sneered. “I told you not to walk alone at night.”

Jimin’s expression darkened instantly. His hand twitched toward the gun hidden under his coat, his entire being shifting into predator mode.

Rose paled. “Eunwoo…”

The name rolled off her tongue like poison.

Jimin’s jaw clenched. So this was Cha Eunwoo, the rival who had been circling his world. And now, he had dared to approach Rose.

The café went silent, tension thick in the air.