Rami arrived early. Only a few staff members were there so far. He smiled eagerly. Since he didn't know what else to do, he chose to reread the work guidelines.
A few minutes later, Yuka arrived and greeted all the staff present. Her aura was incredibly positive. From his very first day at work, Rami already admired his senior.
“Morning, Rami!” Yuka sat down at her desk, ready to work.
“Hey, what am I supposed to do?” That was one of Rami's strengths. Even though he was still new here, he adapted easily.
“Oh, I like that!” Yuka gave him two thumbs-up. She turned on her laptop, then assigned Rami a task.
“Can you help me compile Starlight's schedule?”
Rami nodded. He immediately got to work on Yuka's instructions, unaware that another senior beside him had arrived and was watching him.
“Not bad.”
Rami was slightly startled. He turned around, then smiled. “Good morning, Kak Harkal!” he greeted him.
Harkal—the senior who had once returned Rami's earphones—cleared his throat, then focused on his work.
Rami continued looking at the man for a few seconds. Then he shrugged and diligently worked on his first assignment. He had to be careful; this involved Starlight—from rehearsals and events to fan meetings, promotions, concerts, song releases, and personal schedules. Even a minor mistake could have serious consequences.
His mouth fell slightly open when he saw how packed their schedules were, especially Wooan's. There was barely any free time for him. Group schedules, solo schedules, drama shoots—it was all there. Just reading it made Rami feel suffocated. He could only imagine what it was like for Wooan to actually live through it.
Then his brow furrowed when he saw that the group schedule for May had been left blank. He fell silent for a moment, remembering what was supposed to happen that month. Oh, the full-album comeback and …
“Why?” Yuka asked.
“Oh … May was intentionally left blank for now. Weird, right?”
“Of course it's blank. Kak Juna is enlisting that month,” Rami blurted out.
Yuka stopped typing, and so did Harkal. Yuka stared at Rami in confusion.
“Where did you get that information?” she asked.
Rami panicked and pretended to have misspoken. “Uh—I just meant it's a possibility, you know … he's old enough that it might be time for him to enlist.”
“Oh …” Yuka nodded slowly.
Fortunately, the tension quickly faded, but Rami's heart was still pounding, afraid they would find out. He panicked again when he realized Harkal was still staring at him strangely.
“W-what is it, Kak?”
“Be careful,” Harkal said.
“Huh?”
“Here, one wrong word can turn into a rumor.”
Rami nodded. From now on, he had to be even more careful. He didn't know what kind of consequences he would face if someone found out that he had returned to the past.
He searched for the jelly candies in his bag. It was an old habit he would never give up. His supply of jelly candies was guaranteed never to run out. They were one of his best stress relievers and always helped restore his mood.
He took out three packages. One for himself, and the other two for Yuka and Harkal.
Harkal stared at the jelly candies on his desk. This was the second time he had received jelly candies from the same person.
“To give you a little more energy, Kak,” Rami said.
A few hours later, lunchtime arrived. Yuka gently patted Rami on the shoulder. “Come on, let's head down. If we're late, the cafeteria might be packed.”
Rami, already half-dazed, followed her lead. His energy was nearly gone after looking at Starlight's seemingly endless schedule.
This was his first time eating in Stellar's cafeteria.
The Stellar cafeteria was on the second floor, taking up a spacious area with clear glass walls overlooking the building's back garden.
As soon as the automatic doors opened, the savory aroma of food and the fragrant smell of coffee greeted him. The cafeteria looked more like a modern café than a staff dining hall—its broad glass walls let sunlight spill across the white marble tables. Soft music—songs by Stellar artists—played through the ceiling speakers, adding to the warm atmosphere.
Rami looked around with shining eyes. “It looks like an expensive café.”
Yuka laughed. “Yeah, but you don't have to pay here. Just tap your staff card on that machine over there.”
“Seriously?” Rami tilted his head as he stared at the small screen near the entrance.
“Seriously. You can take as much as you want, as long as you don't pile up dishes.”
“So I can get dessert twice?” he asked, holding back a small laugh.
“If you can handle it, go ahead,” Yuka teased.
Then they picked up trays and joined the self-service line. Today's menu was bulgogi, tofu soup, vegetable salad, and a selection of desserts in a glass display.
Rami chose the bulgogi set, then stood for a long time in front of the dessert case. There was strawberry pudding inside—his favorite, the sight of which made his heart flutter every time the display case opened.
“If you want it, take it. Don't just stare,” Aluna chimed in with a small laugh. Somehow, she had appeared behind him.
Rami turned around and pretended to pout. “It's too pretty to eat. What a shame,” he said with a grin.
Aluna, who liked eating food without caring whether it looked pretty or not, rolled her eyes. “Just take it before you start drooling.”
Rami took it anyway, despite saying it was too pretty to eat. Yuka and Aluna giggled at him.
The three of them sat at a table near the large window, facing the back garden. Rami could see a small fountain, flowers, and a footpath below.
“So peaceful. I think I'll have to go down there after lunch,” he thought.
He noticed that only staff members ate here. There were no idols or trainees. Did they have a separate cafeteria?
“The idols and trainees have a different cafeteria, right?” he asked.
Yuka shook her head. “It's the same one. They just have different schedules. They come to the cafeteria before our break.”
Rami nodded in understanding. That made sense. It was better to stagger their schedules so the atmosphere could stay calm.
He slowly tasted his strawberry pudding. It was sweet, tart, and soft—the perfect dessert before returning to work.
After eating with Aluna and Yuka in the cafeteria, they still had twenty minutes before they had to get back to work. Rami decided to clear his head in the back garden. The cool air, the sound of the small fountain, and the variety of flowers helped calm his thoughts. He had only just learned that Stellar had a place like this. Next time, he would have to explore the building. There might be more beautiful spots waiting to be found.
He sat on a long bench and slowly exhaled. Then he closed his eyes.
But he had barely begun to enjoy the peace when someone approached. Their footsteps sounded relaxed. Eventually, he felt the person sit beside him with a fair amount of distance between them—at the far end of the bench.
Rami opened his eyes and turned. Oh. It was Binero. His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Sorry,” Binero said briefly.
Rami furrowed his brow. “Yeah?”
“Sorry about that day,” Binero repeated. His voice was flat, but his eyes were sincere—just like they had been onstage, only this time there were no cameras.
Rami looked at him for a moment. He takes apologizing so seriously, Rami thought.
“I wasn't mad,” he finally replied casually. “Just a little annoyed.”
Deep down, Rami still couldn't believe he was sitting and chatting this closely with his idol. It felt like a dream.
Binero looked at him with an expression caught between relief and confusion. “There's still a little bit left?”
“A little.” Rami answered while pressing his index finger and thumb close together to show a tiny gap.
Binero chuckled softly. Then the two of them fell silent, measuring each other's rhythm.
Rami eventually let out a small laugh. He realized that the person beside him really was just as he remembered—kind of … snarky? But still warm.
“All right, apology accepted. If you annoy me again, I'll charge you double.”
“Deal. Just don't be so sensitive,” Binero replied casually, though his eyes seemed to search more deeply into Rami's face.
For a moment, time seemed to stop. In that gaze, the shadow of loss rose up again. Someone as kind as Binero … why had he had to leave so soon, leaving so many questions behind for Starya—including Rami?
He could still clearly remember how people had said terrible things about Binero's death. It hurt. That was the only way to describe it.
His eyes began to burn, but he quickly lowered his head. Can I hug him? he thought.
He cleared his throat softly, trying to steady his emotions. “All right, stop talking so much. People are going to think we're close again.”
“Are we not?” Binero looked at him again, pretending to be confused.
“We've only been talking for five minutes!”
Rami stood and started walking away. “People trapped in the friend zone shouldn't talk so much!” he called out, glancing back briefly.
Binero chuckled as he watched Rami leave. For some reason, he felt comfortable around him. Maybe he would become close with that new staff member named Rami before long.
Meanwhile, as Rami rode the elevator to the third floor—where his office was located—his phone rang.
He immediately checked the notification: February 25 — Starlight Debut Anniversary.