Chapter 10.2

Chapter 10.2

“Miran C, look at this. No need to go anywhere else. Just pick one here,” Jieun said, pointing toward the table next to them with a wink.

Miran hid her face behind the menu and stole glances at the two men sitting nearby. Both were handsome enough to be movie stars. The man sitting next to Miran had blonde hair and blue eyes that looked pleasant and friendly, while the man diagonally across had brown hair and a completely opposite aura.

The warm air, laden with noisy chaos, seemed to bypass the brown-haired man as if he were surrounded by a cool pocket. His sharp and intellectual eyes calmly observed the man sitting opposite him without ever wandering around the distractions around him.

Though she couldn’t understand what he was saying, the brown-haired man’s English sounded particularly dry and immaculate. He barely used his shoulders or hands while speaking, and his facial expressions were minimal, with only a faint, almost imperceptible, cynical smile appearing once.

Startled, Miran turned away. She couldn’t understand why her heart was pounding like a cart hitting a stone.

It was her first time seeing a foreigner up close, and she had never encountered someone with such a unique atmosphere. Foreigners already felt like aliens from another dimension, but this man seemed even more distant.

‘I know. It has to be him.’

The emotional distance from knowing she’d only see him once seemed to lessen the burden of exposure and physical contact. It would be nice if she could act at such distance from her co-stars in movies, too.

Miran knew her limits. She wasn’t exceptionally talented at acting, and honestly, she didn’t think she could fully immerse herself in a role in such situations.

Her goal was to avoid embarrassing herself in front of her co-actors, directors, and crew and to get through the filming as quickly as possible. That would be enough.

But the man sitting upright, not even glancing around, seemed impossible to approach. Then, as if by miracle, an opportunity arose.

When the blonde man left early, the brown-haired man, gathering his belongings from the floor, looked around as if he had lost something. He called a passing waiter and calmly explained the situation.

The flustered waiter started looking around the floor, eventually coming to them and asking if they had seen a black bag containing a passport and wallet. When Miran and Jieun shook their heads, the waiter moved on to the other tables with the same question.

Miran exclaimed inwardly. The man, with his disciplined movements, sat back down, his face expressionless, as if observing someone else’s problem.

“Miran C! This is your chance. Offer to pay for his drinks and start talking!”

Jieun gestured toward the man with her chin. Miran knew this might be her only chance. She wasn’t confident she’d find a better man than him.

Gathering her reckless courage, she stood in front of his table without any plan.

“Hello? My name is Miran Kang. Can I help you?”

But without even looking at her properly, he replied, “No, thanks.” The chill and authority in his voice felt like a slap to her face.

She hadn’t expected to swoop in like a black rose and help him gracefully, but she hadn’t expected to be dismissed without even making proper eye contact. Her face was burning, she felt as if people around her were laughing.

But at this point, Miran was all in. She figured that even if she got rejected again, she could just turn around and leave.

It might be meddling, but a foreigner who lost both his passport and wallet would need help. If he was foolish enough to refuse help twice, then she didn’t want to help him anyway.

Determined to give it one more try, Miran impulsively grabbed his sleeve. Finally, the man turned to look at her, and their eyes met for the first time.

His enigmatic eyes, tinged with a cold aura, stared at her. His irises, a striking gold radiating around his pupils, were surrounded by a vivid green ring.