(10 Months Later)
The slap of a manila folder hitting the glass coffee table snapped Nabi out of her sketching haze. She craned her neck upward to meet Kenji's smug face, towering over her like he was delivering life-changing news.
"New client," he announced, motioning to the folder as if it were gold-plated. Without waiting for her reaction, he flopped onto the couch behind her with all the grace of a child throwing a tantrum.
Nabi eyed the folder warily, her enthusiasm for work at an all-time low. "Yay," she deadpanned, the sarcasm dripping off her words.
Kenji chuckled, clearly amused. "I heard this one's actually someone big."
She powered down her iPad and slid it to the side, reluctantly flipping open the folder. Her eyes scanned the documents, and her heart stopped mid-beat.
"HOLY SH—" she exclaimed, snapping the folder shut so fast Kenji nearly fell off the couch.
"What? Who is it?" He scrambled to peek over her shoulder.
Nabi hesitated, but it was too late. Kenji had already snatched the folder out of her hands, his eyes scanning the bold print at the top.
"Yoon Jeonghan?" he read, looking unimpressed. "He's just another idol. Why are you freaking out?"
Nabi sat back, arms crossed tightly as her mind spun. Deja vu, huh? Just a year ago, Jeonghan had dropped into her life unannounced—first as the meddling co-member of a boy who broke her heart, then as a random run-in at a convenience store a few months back. Now, here he was again, crashing her carefully reconstructed life.
"I know him," she said flatly, staring at the dull ceiling.
"You WHAT?" Kenji's jaw dropped like she'd confessed to murder. "You know him, and you didn't tell me? The one celebrity hater in this office always meets them before I do."
His exaggerated pout earned him a half-hearted chuckle from Nabi, though she immediately regretted it. She was supposed to have buried all this—the memories, the heartbreak, the confusion Jeonghan's stupidly charming smirk always seemed to resurrect.
"Why did you laugh like that?" Kenji squinted suspiciously.
"Laugh like what?"
"Like you're hiding something, bitch."
Without hesitation, Nabi launched a throw pillow at his face. "It's nothing, you brat."
Kenji, ever the drama queen, fell back onto the couch, arms splayed like she'd mortally wounded him. "Fine, keep your secrets. I'll remember this betrayal when Hyeri and I are drinking margaritas later."
"It's eleven in the morning on a Tuesday!" Nabi laughed, grabbing her bag.
"And yet, here we are," he shrugged, scrolling through his phone like the conversation had already bored him.
Shaking her head, Nabi stepped out of the office, savoring the brief silence before her phone buzzed in her pocket.
𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻
guess who your new client is
Nabi blinked, reading the text twice. Of course. Of course.
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗶
one minute too late lol
my assistant already told me
𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻
bro.
want me to pretend i didn't type that?
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗶
no 🙄
but also, ur so unenthusiastic
𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻
SAYS YOU LMAO.
ms all lowercase typing
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗶
i cannot argue with you. i need braincells for the rest of the day.
𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻
i was literally voted best arguer.
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗶
by who?
𝗷𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻
i don't owe you anything.
The banter continued, his texts dripping with the same infuriating charm that had first caught her off guard. When he finally suggested meeting to discuss the project, Nabi hesitated. It wasn't that she couldn't handle seeing him again—it was the flood of emotions he seemed to dredge up every time.
Still, she typed back:
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗶
cool, see you at noon.
As she slid her phone into her bag, she couldn't help but sigh. Same city. Same stormy weather. Same guy, barging into her life like the universe couldn't resist a second act.
Déjà vu, indeed.
