beautyisgold
Emiko Park built her life on rhythm, resilience, and refusal. Raised in South Korea by a mother shaped by abandonment and a family that stayed, she turned music into armor. Fame made her unforgettable, but loving in secret taught her how to disappear. After years of being someone's hidden choice, Emiko swore she would never beg to be chosen again. Romance feels dangerous. Now a global music star, she isn't looking for love, she's looking to protect what she's built.
Rui Hachimura knows what it means to live between worlds. On the court, he's composed and unshakable. Off it, he's steady in ways that feel rare, and safe. He doesn't demand explanations or promises. He doesn't ask her to be quieter, smaller, or less. What begins as an easy, unspoken arrangement slowly becomes something neither of them planned for: consistency. But when the past resurfaces and the spotlight grows unforgiving, Emiko's deepest fear threatens everything, because being left hurts more when it's real.
To choose Rui means risking the one thing she's spent her life protecting, and Emiko must decide if guarding her heart is worth losing the one man who never treated her like an option.
Book 4 of the NBA series