It's cold.
The night sky is bright.
The leaves of trees rustle in the cold wind.
Every step feels heavy.
Every breath is smoky.
But she continues to walk.
The full moon, accompanied by the shining stars, shines only for a specific person.
It's practically her comrade every single night.
Every heartbeat feels cold.
Every thought feels clouded.
Hands shiver beneath the coat.
The place of comfort is nearing.
Just a few more steps and she will arrive.
And yet she stops. Scanning the surroundings—all there is is an empty bench and a lit-up vending machine. Trying to find something in nothing. In the end, she gives up.
Sigh.
She walks slowly towards the bench and sits down. Leans back and sees the whole night sky.
The endless vast night sky that stretches beyond the unimaginable. The moon, the stars—all present. Despite the unending darkness, stars burn defiantly. Continuing to give hope in the dark.
"Well, at least I have you guys," she whispers, referring to the cosmos.
Disappointed.
Clearly hoping she could talk to someone after a long, exhausting night—but welcomed by emptiness.
Against the empty bench, her loneliness swallows the air.
Despite all of that, it's peaceful. One specific reason why she likes loneliness.
"You look tired."
A familiar voice spoke beside her. Startled, she looked to her side while still leaning against the bench. A man sat there, arms leaning on his legs, holding a cup of coffee. For a moment, butterflies filled her stomach.
It was the man she met before the concert. One of the only few persons that had forced Minji's true personality out from behind the mask. It was just a short time, but it was a meaningful moment.
"Y-yeah," she stuttered, the exhaustion thick in her voice. "Hey... You sold it, didn't you?"
The man beside her looked at her—a short, intense moment of eye contact. He immediately looked forward again, posture rigid. Clearly unhinged, he just sat still.
Minji noticed what he was trying to do, but she was too tired. Nevertheless, she pried.
"Stop acting cool, you idiot."
The man's stone-cold facade cracked. Flustered by her words, he looked back at her—not with coolness, but with a face fighting laughter born of embarrassment.
"You're the one acting cool! You didn't even reply to me!!"
Like a child, he clapped back.
"I was busy," she brushed him off, as if he wasn't worth her time.
She fixed her posture and sat naturally on the bench. But the man had a clap back once again.
"You concluded that I sold the ticket? That can only mean one thing..."
He laughed mischievously. Minji looked at him, ready to rebut, but he suddenly froze.
A woman sat beside him on the bench:
Skin like moonlit silk,
Hair a cascade of silver that drank the moonlight,
In her eyes, twin oceans pooled—
Contact lenses of fathomless blue,
Holding tides of the night.
A beautiful woman—a goddess—was this close. He hadn't seen her at the concert, but now... Naturally, when beautiful things are before a man, he freezes. Appreciates.
But this was beyond pretty.
"U—" He stuttered. Unable to speak, he snapped back to looking rigidly forward, reclaiming his "cool."
Minji found it hilarious and laughed.
"Hahahahaha! What a loser."
The coffee beside him sat untouched. Without looking, he handed it to her.
"Here. Coffee. Same flavor you ordered last time... but brewed manually this time."
Minji, about to tease him again, paused at the gesture. She took the coffee with both hands. Tasted it. It was good.
"Why are you even here?" Minji asked.
"I don't know," he mumbled, still looking ahead. "Just felt like coming here."
Lies. Ever since the end of the concert, he'd been impatiently waiting by this bench.
"Is that so?" She took another sip.
After hearing those words, she leaned back against the bench and felt at ease. It was the first time in a while she'd had a quiet, normal conversation. She felt human.
"I guess we have our own struggles," she said.
In a quiet nod, the man agreed. "Yeah," he said softly.
She started to curl up on the bench—knees to her chest, head down, hugging herself tightly.
"My life sucks," she murmured.
Gaining confidence, the man finally looked at her again. "Why?"
"Because... I have friends, I have money, and I could always go to LUNAE concerts."
Hearing that, the man was confused—then suddenly remembered he was the one who'd said the exact opposite to her before.
He laughed. "Hahahahaha!"
Seeing she'd made him laugh, Minji couldn't help but smile.
"We're even now," she declared, standing up.
"What does that even mean?" he asked, bewildered.
"Nothing."
The night deepened, but between these two, something new was beginning.
"I haven't asked your name," she said.
Seeing a goddess under the moonlight, Aiden froze again. Gulped. Found his voice.
"Ren Aiden, Ryu-ssi."
"That sounds disgusting," she joked. "Minji is fine."
She offered her hand. Aiden took it.
The connection of an intertwined fate had finally started to move. The stars themselves seemed to lean closer. But one thing was certain:
The coffee was coffeeing.