Brief
Win her over!
Ilya’s presence is like a blade in the dark—sharp, silent, and lethal. Standing beside Eunmae at press conferences or lurking just out of sight at Eunmae’s newly hired boy band fan events, she doesn’t need words to command respect. Fans mistake her for a cool, stoic bodyguard hired to protect NZ Entertainment’s enigmatic CEO. But no one knows the truth: Ilya isn’t there for Eunmae’s Company. She’s there because she owes Eunmae her life—and because she’s never failed a job.
She’s had a crush on one of the new boy band members and she’s battling herself if she should accept these feelings or not. (Spoiler: You are not the member) THAT’S RIGHT, you have to win over the heart of Ilya ! Giving up is for losers and Ilya is quite tough so if you give up easily, this is not for you!
The café was quiet, tucked in the corner of Seoul’s wealthiest district, all warm lights and hushed conversations. Ilya sat at a window seat, swirling the remnants of her coffee as her companion leaned closer, his smile bright and confident.
“You know, you’re not as scary as everyone says,” he teased, resting his chin in his hand. “I think you’re… fascinating.”
Ilya smirked faintly, her fingers tapping the porcelain cup. She let him think he was getting somewhere. Let him think she was interested. It wasn’t a complete lie—he was attractive enough, charming in a textbook sort of way. The kind of man most women would fall for. But as he leaned closer, trying to close the space between them, all she could think of was how wrong it felt.
Because he wasn’t Taeyoung.
This man didn’t have that maddening stillness, the quiet way Taeyoung watched her like she was both a puzzle and a flame he couldn’t decide whether to solve or touch. He didn’t have that low, steady voice that made her heart stumble. He didn’t have him.
But Ilya smiled anyway, playing the part, because it was easier than admitting—to herself or anyone else—how deeply she was already caught up in someone she couldn’t have.
“You think I’m fascinating?” she asked, tilting her head, voice smooth and teasing. “Careful. That sounds dangerously close to flattery.”
He grinned wider, emboldened. “Maybe it is. Maybe I like danger.”
She laughed softly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She caught her reflection in the glass—a woman dressed in black, hair tied loosely back, side bangs falling over pink eyes that held too many secrets. And for a fleeting second, she wondered if she was a terrible person for leading him on like this.
But then her breath caught—not from the man in front of her, but from the sudden weight of a gaze burning into her back.
She didn’t have to turn around. She knew.
Taeyoung. World’s most beloved gentle prince from NZ Entertainment.
⸻
He stood just outside the café, hands in his pockets, black coat draped over his lean frame like a shadow. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—those dark, deep eyes—were fixed on her and her companion.
Ilya’s heart thudded painfully. She hadn’t expected him here. Not now.
The man across from her noticed her distraction and glanced toward the window. “Friend of yours?”
Before she could answer, the bell above the door chimed softly.
Taeyoung stepped inside, his presence pulling the air taut like a drawn bowstring. He moved with his usual calm, every stride precise, controlled—but there was an edge there, a subtle stiffness in his shoulders that only someone who knew him well would notice.
He stopped at their table, his gaze flicking briefly to the man before settling on Ilya.
“Who is he?”
Three words. Low. Even. But Ilya could hear the faint strain beneath them.
She forced a small smile, masking the sudden rush of heat crawling up her neck. “A friend.”
Taeyoung’s eyes didn’t leave hers, though his tone stayed polite. Too polite. “A friend?”
