Min-ji
The moment Logan vanished into the bathroom, the whispers exploded.
"Min-ji." Jisoo leaned in urgently, grabbing my arm like a detective cracking a major case. "You sneaky little fox."
I blinked, confused. "Wait—what did I do?"
Hye-won elbowed me playfully, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Don't play innocent. We saw the evidence. You were cuddling Logan like a satisfied bride the morning after her wedding!"
"I was not—"
She gestured dramatically to the couch. "Oh, really? Because his shirt didn't magically unbutton itself overnight."
I froze. That was true. That shirt Logan had torn from the fight but he was still wearing it. It was in bad shape but it was still buttoned. How did it get unbuttoned?
I hadn't done that right? My face burned hot as flashes of memory surfaced—the warm skin, hard lines of muscle beneath my fingertips, my own embarrassing movement as I'd burrowed closer in my sleep.
Oh. My. Good. Lord..
Jisoo fanned herself theatrically. "Honestly, it was a whole drama scene. Like the heroine waking up in her handsome bodyguard's arms after some life-threatening incident. I am kind of pissed I didn't think of it."
"It wasn't like that," I hissed desperately, face flaming. "The last thing I remember is falling asleep in the car. I am totally innocent!"
"Your subconscious obviously wasn't," Hye-won teased. "It knew exactly what it wanted."
Jisoo nodded sagely. "Seriously. We applaud your bravery, Min-ji. None of us had the guts to make the first move."
Ji-an made an annoyed sound from her place on the edge of the couch. "No one made any moves. Stop being ridiculous."
"I don't know," Hye-won sighed dreamily. "I knew he was staying. I guess I didn't think about where he was going to sleep. Must have sat on the couch on the opposite side of Minji. The way I see it. Sleeping next to Logan then snuggling up to him seems like a move to me. In fact, I call dibs tomorrow."
"You can't call dibs on Logan," I protested weakly.
Ji-an scowled. "That's not how dibs works."
"I'm pretty sure that's exactly how dibs works," Jisoo argued cheerfully. "Hye-won gets tomorrow, I get the day after. I won't sleep next to him though—that's too embarrassing. I'll settle for tracing his abs."
I gawked. "And that's not embarrassing? Are you joking?"
Jisoo shrugged. "You seemed to enjoy it."
"That is not an answer!" I almost yelled.
Ji-an let out a frustrated breath, rubbing her temples. "Do you hear yourselves right now? We trained at the agency surrounded by male idols all who had amazing abs. Why are Logan's suddenly special?"
"Because they belong to Logan who probably saved your lives last night," Jisoo said plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't have to participate if you don't appreciate fine art."
Ji-an glared at her. "You're both hopeless."
"Okay, fine." Hye-won raised her hand dramatically. "Ji-an officially out of the Logan Appreciation Club."
Jisoo nodded solemnly. "Your loss, Ji-an."
Ji-an clenched her jaw, her frustration obvious even as she stayed quiet. But beneath the jokes, her annoyance felt real. My stomach knotted tightly. Hye-won and Jisoo were giggling and having fun, but Ji-an was genuinely irritated.
I swallowed nervously. "Look, I really didn't mean to do anything inappropriate. It just…happened."
Hye-won sighed wistfully, ignoring my obvious embarrassment. "Min-ji, you should just confess already. You've practically skipped five steps towards a relationship."
"What?" I squeaked. "I don't even know Logan!"
"Like that matters." Jisoo patted my shoulder with exaggerated sympathy. "He is handsome, brave and stoic."
Ji-an's voice cut sharply through the teasing. "You should go back to her own room, now. We need to get ready for the show tonight."
The chill in her voice wasn't subtle. I glanced at her, heart sinking at the rigid way she sat, arms crossed tightly, her expression carefully blank, yet clearly annoyed.
Jisoo and Hye-won might have been joking, but Ji-an wasn't.
She was pissed.
I stood quickly followed by Jisoo and Hye-won, avoiding Ji-an's gaze. "Right. Um. I'll go get changed."
Ji-an didn't even glance up.
Grabbing my things hastily, I practically ran out of the suite, leaving laughter and whispers behind.
The hot water helped.
Or at least, it was supposed to help.
I stood under the steady stream, eyes closed, desperately hoping the heat would somehow wash away the burning embarrassment of this morning.
It didn't.
Because the couch incident wasn't even the worst of it. It wasn't what kept replaying in my mind, tormenting me on loop.
No, my mind was stuck on the moment Logan took me in his arms. Right after hurting those men.
Logan.
All I could see was his blue eyes.
Unlike Ji-an or Jisoo, I was Korean through and through. Born and raised just outside Seoul, pampered by a father who'd always indulged me more than he probably should have. Okay—so I was spoiled. I grew up binge-watching dramas like Crash Landing on You, It's Okay Not to Be Okay, and newer hits like Love Next Door and Queen of Tears, all which had given me an unrealistic idea of romance.
But I'd always known it wasn't real.
Dramas are meant to be dramatic. People don't really fall accidentally into kisses. Girls don't actually stumble into danger, needing their love interest to catch them or save them from falling down stairs. Men and women don't stand two meters from each other and just stare for like ten minutes.
That is not a thing.
Those things simply don't happen in real life.
Handsome heroes don't appear out of nowhere to fight off attackers, saving the day at the very last second risking death or grievous bodily harm. Women definitely don't rush into the arms of men they barely know after experiencing trauma. Men do not hold them tight and whisper warm words of strength and encouragement. Women don't cling to those men desperate for comfort..
Women don't find themselves next to handsome heroes accidently for warmth and safety.
Definitely not. That shit isn't real. Romance, love relationships and even sex, is messer darker more practical.
But after the last twenty-four hours?
I probably needed to rethink my understanding of romance.
I closed my eyes tighter.
When those men appeared, spouting terrifying nonsense about Ji-an, I'd been scared—terrified in a way I'd never felt before. Sure, I'd had scary experiences—like that stalker from my trainee days—but police and management had handled that. It had felt controlled, distant.
This had been different. These men had knives, fanaticism burning in their eyes. I'd felt completely helpless, completely vulnerable, like the worst nightmares of my life had finally become real.
And then Logan appeared.
He'd brought violence. Brutal, overwhelming violence. Nothing I had ever seen in person. I'd watched him strike, dismantle those men with ruthless efficiency. He broke bones, dislocated joints and crushed noses. He acted like a wrathful god. Terrifying. And yet, I'd felt no fear—not of him, at least. Only relief. Safety.
Now, standing here alone beneath the water of my shower in this hotel in a small town in another country, I could still feel the ghost of his arms around me. The memory of his steady voice whispering assurances into my hair:
You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing my hands against the tile wall, my heartbeat erratic in my chest.
That experience had been enough to make my heart race.
And then this morning...
I'd woken up next to him.
Pressed close to his body, warmth radiating from his bare skin, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. I remembered his words.
"How bold of you Minji. I find that immensely attractive."
Those words brought a smile to my face.
I decided right there and then. It was time to learn more about Logan Carter