Minra stared at the message.

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to meet me?”

Her heart raced.

But before she could think, doubt crept in.

He had replied. To her.

But… how many others had he replied to?

Did he send messages like this to everyone?

Was she just one fan out of thousands?

The thought made her stomach sink.

She wasn’t jealous—not really.

She knew he was famous. Knew he had millions of fans.

But for years, she had written to him, never expecting anything in return.

And when he finally replied… it was because she had become one of many?

She didn’t know why that hurt.

But it did.

Still, despite her swirling thoughts, she couldn’t stop reading it.

She read it over and over.

Because even if he sent this to a hundred other people—

It still meant he had seen her words.

That was enough.

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Or at least… she told herself it was.

.

The next morning, she woke up foggy.

The office had been chaotic as usual.

She had spent the entire day cleaning up Reyne’s mess.

Shuun had given her a look she couldn’t decipher.

But none of that mattered when her phone buzzed.

She grabbed it instinctively.

And froze.

Another message.

From him.

Minra’s exhaustion vanished instantly.

She sat up, heart pounding.

“You seem like someone who thinks too much. What’s on your mind today?”

Her lips parted.

That was…

That was way too personal.

Way too specific.

Minra stared.

Was this a mass message?

Or did he…

Did he actually mean her?

Before she could talk herself out of it, she typed.

“Just the usual. Work stress. Life stress. You?”

She hesitated, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Then, almost on impulse—

“Thank you for replying. It means more than you know.”

She sent it.

And then?

She waited.

And waited.

But this time—he didn’t reply immediately.

.

Shuun sat in his office, phone screen lit up.

He had seen her reply as soon as it arrived.

He could have answered right away.

But he didn’t.

Not because he didn’t want to.

But because he was thinking.

“Thank you for replying. It means more than you know.”

That line.

That tiny, simple line.

It stayed in his head all morning.

She was grateful for a single message.

She had never expected him to answer at all.

And yet—he had started something now.

Something he couldn’t pull back from.

A connection that was dangerously close to something more.

He exhaled, setting his phone down.

One message a day.

That’s what he would give her.

Because somehow—he wanted to see how long she would wait.

And how long he could keep pretending this wasn’t affecting him.

.

Minra started expecting it.

Every day.

One message.

Never at the same time. Never predictable.

But always there.

And every time, her heart would jump a little.

Even if it was just something simple—

“Hope work wasn’t too bad today.”

“Don’t overwork yourself.”

“What song have you been replaying lately?”

It was nothing special.

And yet—it was.

Because he never replied more than once.

Because he didn’t need to.

One message a day.

And somehow, that was enough.

Somehow, that was the only thing she looked forward to.

.

At first, he told himself it was just habit.

That it was just a passing distraction.

But then, he caught himself checking his phone.

Waiting.

For her reply.

He wasn’t supposed to care.

He wasn’t supposed to think about it.

And yet—he was.

Because every time she answered, she felt real.

She wasn’t a fan asking for his face. She wasn’t expecting more.

She was just there.

And maybe, that was what terrified him the most.

.

Chapter 09: “The Day She Complained About Him… To Him”