The next afternoon at Moonbean Café was quieter than usual. Rain had started falling softly over the city, turning the busy streets outside into a blur of umbrellas and shimmering reflections. Yet inside the café, warm yellow lights and the smell of fresh coffee made the small space feel cozy.
Ha-rin wiped down the counter while humming softly to herself. Across from her, Min-ji sat near the window scrolling through social media. "You know," Min-ji said suddenly, "if that interview place doesn't hire you, they're officially stupid."
Ha-rin rolled her eyes."You say that about everything."
"I'm serious," Min-ji insisted. "You're talented, hardworking, and…"
"And broke," Soo-jin added from behind the counter.
"Exactly," Min-ji said and Ha-rin laughed.
"Thanks for the support."
The doorbell chimed and all three of them glanced up automatically. The man from yesterday stepped but this time, he wore a dark coat and carried a simple black umbrella. Rainwater slid from the edge of it onto the floor.
For a moment, none of them reacted but then, Soo-jin's eyebrows lifted slightly. Even casually dressed, the man's presence was unmistakable. Calm, composed and strangely commanding.
Ha-rin didn't recognize him immediately but then something about him felt oddly familiar. Jae-min slowly closed his umbrella and stepped toward the counter. Min-ji spontaneously leaned closer to Ha-rin and whispered.
"…Is that a model or something?"
"I don't know," Ha-rin whispered back.
Jae-min stopped in front of them. His dark eyes instantly rested on Ha-rin. It was just for a second but something about that gaze made her heartbeat quicken.
"Welcome," Ha-rin said politely. "What can I get for you?"
"Americano," he replied calmly. His voice was low and steady. She nodded and turned toward the espresso machine. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little nervous.
Behind her, Min-ji quietly mouthed in exaggeration.
HE IS HANDSOME.
Ha-rin kicked her lightly under the counter and she grinned.
Jae-min on the other hand, took no interest in their conversation. He was just immersed in his task, silently observing the café. The faint sound of rain tapping against the windows and the simple wooden tables, coupled with the warm lighting, made the place quite pleasant.
It wasn't extravagant or sophisticated, he jotted. It was rather a small peaceful place. Completely different from the corporate world he lived in. Finally, his gaze soon returned to Ha-rin. Her back slightly turned as she prepared the coffee.
Just when she moved, the pendant around her neck accidentally slipped free from the collar of her sweater. And the silver crescent moon caught the light. His eyes instinctively reacted, slightly darkened from the flash.
It was really the pendant from the archive sketch. He confirmed.
Ha-rin soon reacted, frozen from the strange sensation which instantly spread across her chest. It was warm, almost like a pulse but the pendant felt hot against her skin.
She frowned, examining it. "That's weird"
"Something wrong?" Soo-Jin asked.
"No, just static electricity or something," Ha-rin mumbled as she placed the cup on the counter. Her fingers unknowingly brushed his hand.
The moment their skin touched, the world seemed to shift. With flashes here and there. A courtyard, moonlight flooding across white stone and the sound of swords clashing violently.
Voices of Soldiers shouting and a young man at the center of all the chaos. With his royal robes flowing behind him. His sword raised, the ground stained with blood. A voice desperately cried out.
"Your Highness!" The Crown Prince turned. Ha-rin gasped. The vision vanished instantly. She quickly redrew his hand. Her heart raced with an uncertain stained face.
"I'm sorry," she automatically said. That same strange feeling again.
Jae-min froze as well. He had had a flash of what felt like a trance. It was just a brief moment, not a full memory. More like a shadow of moonlight, cherry blossoms falling and someone calling his name.
His fingers slowly tightened around the coffee cup. The soft glow of the moon seemed to hum with memory, and the voice, low, intimate and timeless brushed his mind.
This had never happened before. Not once in his life. Across from him, Ha-rin was still trying to steady her breathing. Why did that feel like the dream? She forced a small smile.
"Your coffee." Jae-min quietly studied her and then spoke.
"Do you work here every day?" The question surprised her.
"Most days," she answered.
"It's my sister's café."
"I see."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Rain softly continued tapping against the windows. Min-Ji watched the entire scene with growing excitement. That was absolutely a drama moment. Finally, Jae-min turned to leave. But before stepping outside, his gaze lingered on Ha-rin once more.
Then he said, "You should be careful with that pendant." This puzzled her.
"My pendant?" She asked but he was already out of the door. The bell instantly chimed as he stepped back into the rain.
Ha-rin stood there for several seconds, her breath caught as she tried to wrap her mind around the whole ordeal. The features were too precise, too vivid, to be a mere figment of imagination. She could feel the same pull and the same ache in her chest. Min-Ji suddenly rushed over to her, calling her back to reality.
"WHO WAS THAT?"
"I… don't know," Ha-rin admitted.
"But he knew about your necklace," said Min-Ji. She looked down at the silver crescent resting against her chest. The metal was still slightly warm.
Out there, Kang Jae-min paused beneath the rain. His assistant Hyun-woo stood nearby with the car door open. "Sir?" He called.
Jae-min looked back toward the café window and he saw her laughing with her friend again, completely unaware. Hyun-woo carefully spoke.
"Was it the same pendant?"
"Yes." Jae-min's voice calmed but his eyes were distant. "And something else happened."
Hyun-woo frowned slightly. "What kind of thing?" Jae-min hesitated before answering quietly.
"For a moment…" He began. "I thought I remembered something."
The rain continued falling over Seoul. Soft. Steady. And somewhere beneath the quiet rhythm of the city—The past had begun to wake.