SAYNA's POV:
He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. His eyes dropped to my lips, and for a second, the world stopped. I held my breath, waiting for the impact.
He leaned towards my ears and said , "what ? Are you expecting me to do something ?!"
I froze .
This man, I'm gonna kill him. I gave his chest a dry shove—not enough to move him, just enough to make a point. He didn't even budge, a slow, infuriating smirk spreading across his face as he looked down at where my hands still lingered against his shirt.
Tian- "woah woah now you are even touching me? Are you that attracted to my chest !?!"
"What the hell are you doing ? Do you think it's funny?" I argued.
Tian- "what's funny ? I just made your dream come true , Stalker." Tian smirked, leaning in closer.
Actually he really did made my dream come true. Aaaahhhhh I don't know how to react . The way he flipped me by holding my waist , the warmth in his palm, his soft warm breath on my lips when he was closer to me….i just can't seem to forget it.
I shook myself and came back to reality.
"No— what are you even saying my dream—to be touched by you??(yes yes it is my one and only dream) HUh very funny." I pretended to laugh.
Tian- "so you are agreeing with the part being stalker?" He smirked.
"What? When?" I looked at him with a question mark appearing on my face.
Tian- "I just called you 'Stalker' and you didn't reacted and fight back, so you are agreeing with me right!!" He explained with a sarcastic tone.
"I didn't hear you calling me Stalker." I argued.
Tian-" and why didn't you hear it? Are you flustered by what I just did ?!!" He teased me with a naughty smirk on his face.
"Noooo—I was not—"
Suddenly, his phone vibrated on the marble counter—a sharp, aggressive buzz.
He froze. The desire in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, familiar flickering of fear. He pushed back, creating a mountain of distance between us in a single second.
"Get out," he muttered, not looking at me.
"We're done for today."
I instantly backed out and got out of his van.
The fragile closeness we'd shared vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a mountain of distance that felt impossible to climb.
I started walking fastly with my pink flushed face,heavy breathing and anger on my eyes.
"We were this close to—- no no stop thinking about that moment, he was just playing with you." I explained myself.
I walked towards where Yueyue was talking to a staff.
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YueYue- "It's already 9pm. Sayna , wanna have dinner with us? It's your welcome party" she said excitedly.
"Yessss , let's gooo." I replied with a big smile.
.
.
.
The atmosphere at the long wooden table was a chaotic blend of clinking glasses and the savory aroma of shared platters. It was a rare break for the studio crew, and as the tension of the workday melted away, the conversation inevitably drifted toward the man of the hour.
"He's actually much sweeter than he looks," Yueyue whispered to me, leaning in so close I could catch the scent of her perfume over the steam of the hotpot. She nudged my shoulder playfully. "Everyone calls him the 'Ice King' because of those sharp features, but did you see him thanking the junior staff today?"
Around the table, the other makeup artists nodded in agreement.
"He's incredibly professional," the head stylist added, swirling her drink. "Most idols of his stature wouldn't sit still for a three-hour prosthetic session without complaining once. He has this... quiet kindness. It's not loud, but it's there."
I stayed silent, picking at my food while sitting right beside Yueyue. My mind was a blur. They were talking about a polite, professional gentleman—a "nice" person. But I was still feeling the ghost of his hand on my waist and the chilling "Get out" that had followed.
Between the Tian they knew and the Tian I had just encountered, a mountain of distance had appeared, and I was the only one standing on the cold side of it.
"We ate, we laughed, and finally, I came home. I tossed my bag onto a chair and collapsed onto the bed.
'What an exhausting day,' I sighed to the empty room.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling. The only sounds were the rhythmic drip of the basin and the relentless tick-tock of the clock. This room felt so cold. I had always lived with my parents,never staying out late, and now here I was-in an unknown place, a new house, a new atmosphere. All alone.
'It's scary,' I whispered, my voice barely audible in the silence.
I flipped over, burying my face in the pillow, and tried to let sleep take over."
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The sunlight hitting the unfamiliar walls of my room didn't make the place feel any warmer. My alarm had been screaming for ten minutes before I finally dragged myself out of bed, the "tick-tock" of the clock from last night still echoing in my head.
I spent extra time on my own concealer, trying to hide the fact that I'd spent half the night staring at the ceiling.
By the time I reached the studio, the atmosphere was already electric. Staff were running back and forth with clothes and lighting equipment. I saw Yueyue near the vanity, looking as bright and energetic as ever.
"Late night?" she teased, noticing my silence as I set up my brushes.
"Just a bit of a move-in struggle," I lied, keeping my eyes on my kit.
"Well, caffeine up," she whispered, nodding toward the dressing room door. "The 'Ice King' is in a mood today. Very quiet. Very focused. You're doing his touch-ups for the afternoon shoot."
My heart did a slow, heavy thud against my ribs.
When the door finally opened and Tian walked in, he didn't look like the man who had teased me with a "naughty smirk" or the man who had coldly told me to get out. He looked like a statue. Perfectly composed, his eyes fixed on a script, and completely unreachable.
As I approached him with my powder brush, the air between us felt thick, like we were standing on opposite sides of a canyon. I had to get close enough to touch his skin, yet I felt like I was miles away.
"Good morning," I whispered, my hand trembling just a fraction as I reached toward his jawline.
He didn't look up from his script. "Begin," was all he said.
I worked in silence, focusing on the base makeup. Every few seconds, my gaze would flicker toward his eyes, searching for a trace of the man from last night. But he remained unbothered, his entire soul seemingly poured into the script in his hands.
I finished my part, but the final touches belonged to Yueyue. While I waited for her to arrive, I stood frozen beside him. From the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but study him: the well-sculpted bridge of his nose, the narrow eyes framed by thick lashes, and his thin, pink lips moving silently as he memorized his lines.
"Stop staring at me," he said.
The voice was like a blade of ice. I turned, ready to snap back a defense, but the words died in my throat. His eyes weren't full of the playful teasing from yesterday; there was no smirk on his lips. This was different—a hollow, frozen expression that made a shiver race down my spine.
Whatever warmth had existed between us was gone, replaced by that jagged mountain of distance.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the room. The door swung open and a man burst in, breathless, clutching a phone like it was a live grenade. We both instinctively whipped our heads toward the noise.
"Tian—" the man gasped. "Watch your phone… NOW."