Marked by your name

Next - Morning

At Selen's House

The living room was quiet, bathed in a warm amber glow from the corner lamp. Rain tapped gently against the windows, a soft rhythm beneath the hum of the city beyond. Inside, everything felt still for once.

Selen sat curled into one end of the couch, phone in hand, scrolling absently. Elira lounged across from her with a half-empty bowl of popcorn, while Nyra stretched out nearby, arms draped lazily over the throw pillows.

The silence held-until Nyra groaned.

"Ugh, I should really sleep. I barely got a minute last night."

Selen smirked, not even looking up. "Why? Still haunted by all those images?"

Elira shot her a warning glance, and Selen raised both hands in mock surrender.

"Shut up, Selen," Nyra grumbled. "And tell me how you managed to sleep?"

Selen didn't miss a beat. "Make up your mind first-should I shut up or speak?"

Her lips curled into a smug grin. Elira rolled her eyes. Nyra, on the other hand, was growing visibly annoyed.

"F**k you," she muttered.

Selen leaned over with a teasing wink. "Oh please, baby. I'm horny for you."

Elira nearly choked on a laugh, coughing through her giggles. Nyra just scowled.

"Can't you see I'm terrified here?" Nyra shot back.

Selen's tone softened just a touch. "Okay, okay, chill. Look-I just can't sacrifice my precious beauty sleep over useless things."

"Useless? Seriously?" Elira said, eyebrows lifting in disbelief.

Selen shrugged, casual. "I mean yeah, it was awful. But hey-we're still breathing. That's what counts."

Elira gave her a wry little smile. "Yeah, thanks to your annoying-ass smart brain."

Selen sat up straighter, mock-proud. "Damn right."

"Exactly," Nyra added. "How did you even think of that escape route? I was literally frozen."

Selen gave her a look. "For that, you need something called a brain. Which, tragically, you're lacking."

"Selen!" Nyra shrieked, eyes narrowing. "You bitch-I swear I'll kill you before those gangsters do!"

She grabbed a nearby pillow and launched it at Selen. But Elira, ever the referee, caught it midair before it made contact.

The room erupted in laughter.

For a moment, the weight of reality melted away-just girls being girls, trying to claw back normal from the shadows still haunting their edges.

Eventually, the mood quieted again.

Selen stood and stretched, her sweater slipping slightly off one shoulder. "Alright, you two get some rest. I'm heading to the café to help Dad."

"Yeah, go," Nyra said with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "Maybe now I can finally sleep."

"And I've got studio work later," she added, dragging herself toward Selen's room like a ghost.

"Tell Dad I said hey," Elira mumbled, already halfway into a nap.

"Will do," selen called over her shoulder.

She grabbed her coat from the rack, slung her bag over one shoulder, and stepped out into the road. She didn't know what to answer if Mr. Lee asks her about last night.

When they woke up, Mr. Lee was already gone-off to the café, just like any other morning. He didn't ask about the night before. Maybe he didn't want to open old wounds... or maybe he already knew they were shaken, and that was enough.

___

At Mr. Lee's Café

The familiar jingle of the bell echoed softly through the small café as Selen pushed the door open. A burst of warm air wrapped around her - roasted beans, cinnamon, and something that always felt like home. The cozy space was worn in all the right ways: scratched tables, fading shelves, the same chalkboard specials her dad never changed.

She exhaled quietly.

The scent grounded her.

The storm in her chest eased just a little.

Her hoodie was oversized, hair thrown into a messy bun, and she hadn't bothered with makeup. She wasn't here to impress anyone. Just to exist, to help, and to pretend for a moment that everything was still okay.

Behind the counter, Mr. Lee was wiping down a table with the same focus he gave everything-routine, calm, quiet.

He glanced up when she walked in. His eyes lingered for just a second longer than usual-not worried, not suspicious. Just... present.

Then he smiled.

That soft, subtle, fatherly smile.

The kind that didn't ask questions, didn't poke wounds. Just said: I'm here.

"Hey, princess. Can you check the POS again? It glitched when I tried to close a tab," he said, like it was any other morning.

Selen blinked, surprised.

Then nodded.

"On it," she murmured, grateful for his silence.

No questions ,No tension.

No "Are you okay?" that would've shattered her.

Maybe he didn't want to pull at the thread.

Or maybe... maybe he already knew.

Either way, she was thankful.

She slipped behind the counter, tapped into the system like second nature. Her fingers moved fast, almost on autopilot-swiping through menus, correcting data, recalibrating small code glitches like her mind lived in the machine.

She was so deep in the system she didn't hear the bell the second time.

Didn't notice the shift in the air until someone stopped in front of her.

Then-

"Still okay to order a black coffee, or do I need a password now?"

Her breath hitched at the familiar voice.

She turned slowly. And there he was.

Byeon Woo-Seok!

University crush. Walking enigma. The only guy who'd ever left her mentally short-circuited. The one she never decoded.

He looked just as she remembered - tall, magnetic, and effortlessly smug. His coat hung off his shoulders like he was born in high fashion. Messy hair, eyes that read everything and revealed nothing.

She froze, blinking.

He smirked.

"Didn't think I'd find you hiding behind a coffee machine," he said, casually brushing his fingers along the edge of the menu board.

Selen found her voice. "Didn't think I'd find you in a cozy café. Lose a bet?"

"Maybe I just missed the sight of you, Selen. Messy bun, no makeup, eyes sharp enough to slice through firewalls."

Her cheeks went pink.

"Flirting with baristas now?" she muttered.

"I'm not flirting," he whispered, low and quiet. "I'm making up for lost time."

Her heart stuttered.

And then-he reached toward her, fingers brushing her collarbone as he plucked a sticky note from her hoodie. The brief touch sent a jolt down her spine.

"You still carry code on napkins?" he teased.

She cleared her throat. "O-old habits."

"Good," he murmured, slipping it into his pocket. "I was worried you'd gone soft."

"You here to check up on me?"

"Let's just say... you tripped a wire."

Her brow arched. "Accidentally?"

He took the coffee Mr. Lee had just slid over and said, "Maybe. Maybe not."

And then-

"Ahem."

Selen turned, startled.

Mr. Lee stood a few feet away, dish towel slung over his shoulder, brow arched just high enough to make her stomach twist.

"I see we're serving more than coffee today," he said dryly.

Selen coughed. "Dad, this is-uh-"

"Byeon Woo-Seok," the man said smoothly, extending a hand. "Old friend from university."

Mr. Lee didn't take it right away.

He gave him that look. The one that could dismantle anyone.

"Hacker friend?" he asked flatly.

"Dad!"

"You could say that," Woo-Seok replied, grinning. "Though I prefer data retrieval specialist."

"Fancy word for snooping," Mr. Lee muttered. But eventually, he shook his hand - too firm to be friendly.

"Coffee okay?" Selen asked quickly, desperate to shift the energy.

Mr. Lee didn't break his gaze. "Sure. As long as he pays for it."

Woo-Seok took a slow sip. "If your system crashes again, I might pay in bitcoin."

Mr. Lee stared.

Woo-Seok winked.

Selen groaned.

As her dad walked off, grumbling something about "boys in leather coats are always trouble,"

she glared at Woo-Seok.

"Don't," she warned.

"What?" he said, clearly enjoying every second." I was being polite."

"That was you being polite?"

"I was holding back," he replied, taking another sip of coffee like he wasn't unraveling her with every word.

___

Across the street...

In a black car parked beneath a flickering streetlamp, someone watched.

Hands tight on the steering wheel. Eyes narrowed. From this angle, he saw everything.

The way she smiled.

The way her eyes softened when that bastard leaned closer.

The way she blushed. That smile was his.

She just didn't know it yet. Jealousy curled through his chest, slow and suffocating. His jaw clenched. His pulse raced.

"Why him ? Why not me ?"

He hadn't moved in thirty minutes.

Couldn't.Didn't trust himself to.

Because if he stepped out of that car...

He wouldn't just walk in.

He'd end it.

He leaned back, shadows swallowing his expression, but his voice was barely a whisper.

"You're mine, baby girl."