Lee Seon-hwa checked her face and outfit in the mirror.

“Is this the first time we’re meeting with my full broadcast makeup? Okay. I need to show off a new look today.”

She took out a pair of oversized sunglasses and put them on. She also pulled up the scarf around her neck slightly, covering half of her face.

The road manager excitedly called his girlfriend.

“Let’s go for a drive! Just bring yourself, and I’ll take care of everything!”

As she got out of the car, she spoke.

“Hey. Go quickly. And don’t come back today, no matter what!”

“Got it!”

She walked a little along the sidewalk and entered a fairly large chicken restaurant. It was the exact same place Seo Jung-woo had entered.

‘Did he come all the way to Yeouido just to eat chicken? He came this far, and he didn’t think of me? He should’ve at least contacted me.’

As soon as she entered the restaurant, she glanced around. She immediately spotted Seo Jung-woo.

‘There he is. I recognized him at a glance...’

She hesitated. The people sitting at the same table as Seo Jung-woo caught her attention.

‘Who are those girls sitting next to Jung-woo? They look like celebrities. And not just one—there are four of them?’

Her gaze moved a little further. She recognized two more people.

‘First, I need to assess the situation naturally.’

She smiled brightly and walked toward them.

“Oh my, Dong-cheol oppa! Hello?”

Oh Dong-cheol looked at Lee Seon-hwa.

“Who?”

She lowered her scarf and elegantly removed her sunglasses, placing them atop her head.

Oh Dong-cheol raised his hand in recognition.

“Ah! Seon-hwa! Long time no see!”

“Right? We used to do variety shows together…”

She suddenly remembered that Oh Dong-cheol had suffered a throat injury that ended his singing career. Before his injury, he had been popular enough to appear on variety shows with her, but that was no longer the case.

Realizing her mistake, she quickly changed the subject.

“But what brings you here, Dong-cheol oppa?”

Oh Dong-cheol grinned proudly.

“My girls released their third song on the broadcast today.”

Lee Seon-hwa turned to look at 4cats.

“Ah, so these girls are 4cats?”

“Haha, you know them?”

She did know about them—not because of their music, but because she had come across articles related to Seo Jung-woo.

“Of course! I really like both of their songs. Oh, I’ll definitely listen to the new one.”

The four members of 4cats stood up and greeted her.

“Hello.”

Lee Seon-hwa smiled as well.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Seon-hwa.”

Then she turned her head slightly and got to the main point.

“But why is Seo Jung-woo here?”

She was genuinely curious.

‘Why is a detective involved with ES Entertainment? Did he quit being a detective to become a celebrity? If so, I could help… No, that’s impossible. He turned me down flat when I begged him to appear in our drama.’

Yoon Nana quickly raised her hand.

“He saved me last time. So we’re treating him to a meal today.”

Only then did Lee Seon-hwa realize who Yoon Nana was.

“Ah, you’re that…”

‘She’s the one who was kidnapped by the serial killer and got rescued. The girl from the news articles about the case Jung-woo solved.’

The situation now made sense. There were still a few odd things, but nothing suspicious enough to warrant doubt.

‘So that’s why Jung-woo is here. But…’

Something else bothered her.

Yoon Nana was sitting right next to Seo Jung-woo.

‘Look at her. I asked Jung-woo a question, but why is she answering for him? Even just now, when she mentioned how he saved her, was she trying to stake her claim?’

Lee Seon-hwa’s demeanor subtly shifted. She lightly covered her lips with her finger and smiled.

“Oh my, I see. He saved me too, you know.”

Her smile was so seductive that other male customers in the restaurant flinched.

Yoon Nana, who had lightly tried to assert her presence, took a major hit from Lee Seon-hwa’s powerful counterattack. However, she wasn’t ready to back down. She smiled brightly and countered.

“I heard you had a hard time because of a stalker? Oh my, but it’s a relief that he caught them. When he saved me, he had to fight a serial killer. That case was huge in the news.”

Lee Seon-hwa lowered the finger that had been covering her lips.

‘Look at her. She’s coming right at me?’

She immediately launched a follow-up attack.

“I read about your case in the news. Oh, but the video of Jung-woo saving me at my house went viral. You’ve seen that video, right?”

Yoon Nana’s shoulders flinched slightly. She was still smiling on the surface, but inside, she was feeling a bit anxious.

‘Am I losing ground?’

Yoon Nana’s opponent right now was none other than Lee Seon-hwa, a top star who had twice drawn ten million moviegoers. The place where Seo Jung-woo had caught the stalker was her home, and a video of him fighting to protect her had even been made public.

The severity of the incident was far greater in Yoon Nana’s case, but Seo Jung-woo’s name had barely appeared in the articles about the serial killer.

On the other hand, the video of him taking down the stalker had gained popularity not only in Korea but also overseas.

Lee Seon-hwa didn’t miss the slight tremble in Yoon Nana’s shoulders.

Hmph. Is that all? She’s just a rookie.

She wasn’t the type to go easy just because her opponent was weak. Instead, the moment she sensed a crack, she would press in to cut straight to the throat.

“Oh my, a thank-you dinner, and it’s just chicken?”

The dinner she had planned to buy was a special dish made by a famous chef featured on TV.

Yoon Nana fought back.

“What’s wrong with chicken? He loves chicken. Didn’t you know?”

Lee Seon-hwa hesitated. She had gone in for the final strike, only to be counterattacked.

Jung-woo knows a lot about me, but I didn’t even know he liked chicken. And she does?

It wasn’t just a single blow.

Come to think of it, he turned me down when I asked him to dinner.

Back then, she had used gratitude as an excuse to invite him to dinner, only to be rejected.

But here, he’s eating just fine?

The two consecutive hits were too much. Lee Seon-hwa was flustered.

I’m losing. To a rookie like her!

But Yoon Nana was thinking the same thing. She had no idea her last counter had been effective.

As expected of a top star. She’s too strong!

Lee Seon-hwa had no intention of backing down. If she wanted to keep fighting, she had to sit at the same table.

She’s taken the seat to Jung-woo’s right. If I tell her to move, she won’t, and I’ll just look like a fool.

To Jung-woo’s left sat 4cats’ manager, Kim Hyeong-jin.

Standing behind him, Lee Seon-hwa spoke to Oh Dong-cheol.

“Dong-cheol oppa, can I join you?”

“Huh? Of course! Sit anywhere you like.”

Lee Seon-hwa was standing directly behind Kim Hyeong-jin.

Picking up on the hint, Kim Hyeong-jin quickly stood up from his seat next to Seo Jung-woo.

“Please, have my seat. I’ll move to the far side.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Lee Seon-hwa pulled her chair back generously, sat beside Seo Jung-woo, and crossed her legs. Her long, slender legs were subtly visible.

Yoon Nana wanted to pull her chair back too, but doing so would make it obvious she was copying, so she gave up. Instead, she threw in a subtle jab.

“I thought top stars wouldn’t eat something as cheap as chicken.”

Lee Seon-hwa was about to counter when Seo Jung-woo, holding a drumstick, answered first.

“She like chicken.”

In that other world, Lee Seon-hwa had often talked about the chicken she ate as a kid. She had even shared stories about eating a piece of chicken at film-related events.

Smiling slightly, Lee Seon-hwa adjusted her counterattack.

“Hmph. As expected, Jung-woo, you must be my fan. You know my tastes so well. I love chicken.”

Yoon Nana shot back.

“I don’t think he’s your fan.”

“Then how does he know my taste so well?”

Seo Sora was struggling to process the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Am I hallucinating? Why does it feel like Nana and Lee Seon-hwa are fighting over oppa? That can’t be right, can it?

Her smartphone messenger chimed. Checking it quickly, she saw it was a secret message from Yoon Nana.

– He’s not a fan, right?

Seo Sora hesitated briefly before answering honestly.

– I don’t know if he’s a fan, but among actresses, he did say Lee Seon-hwa is the prettiest.

Yoon Nana clicked her tongue as she read the message.

“Tsk!”

Seo Jung-woo continued eating chicken and drinking beer, completely oblivious.

“Ahh, this is good.”

Cheol-woo ahjussi always raved about chimaek. Maybe I should bring some to Seon-hwa too?

But he wasn’t thinking of the Lee Seon-hwa sitting next to him. His thoughts were on the Lee Seon-hwa from the other world—the one who had once showed up at his place the day after he had escorted her home, only to eat up all his food. Her joke about coming by often hadn’t been a joke.

The small battle in the chicken restaurant ended there.

They chatted casually while finishing a few chickens, drinking beer, and soda before leaving the restaurant.

Standing by the road, Lee Seon-hwa spoke up.

“Oh my, I don’t have a car. How should I get home?”

Yoon Nana immediately cut in.

“You can just take a taxi.”

“Being a top star comes with many inconveniences. Even taking a taxi alone feels a bit off.”

‘If Jung-woo gets in with me because of that excuse, that’d be perfect.’

Her words also carried a counterattack against Yoon Nana’s jab.

‘I’m a top star, but you’re just a rookie who could disappear at any moment. You wouldn’t understand this world.’

“Don’t you have a manager to drive you?”

“He went on a date with his girlfriend. He’s probably enjoying a romantic evening, so how could I call him? That would be inconsiderate.”

‘I sent him away on purpose.’

Oh Dong-cheol, oblivious as always, kindly offered a suggestion.

“Then why don’t you ride with us, Seon-hwa? The roads aren’t crowded at this hour, so we can take a little detour.”

His thought process was simple.

‘If she rides with us and gets closer to our girls, that would be great for them.’

Yoon Nana shot Oh Dong-cheol a glare.

‘She’s not one of us, so why is he inviting her into our car?’

Lee Seon-hwa’s plan wasn’t going as expected either.

‘I was going to steal Jung-woo away and have a private drink with him! I even picked out a really nice place for it!’

The next day, 4cats appeared on a cable entertainment program. The show was hosted by a singer and a comedian.

After following the script with planned conversations and individual performances, the comedian suddenly threw out an unscripted question.

“By the way, who exactly is Dimension?”

4cats had been caught off guard by this question before. Thanks to that past experience, they were more prepared this time.

Seo Sora answered.

“They want to keep their identity a secret, so how could we say anything?”

“You can’t say? Did they threaten to stop giving you songs if you did?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We don’t get songs from Dimension anyway, so we’ll just speculate however we want!”

The singer co-host tried to change the subject.

“Hyung, I actually want a song from Dimension, so can I sit this one out?”

“You can’t back out now! You must have something prepared!”

Reluctantly, the singer laid out his reasoning.

“All three of 4cats’ songs credit Dimension for the lyrics, composition, and arrangement. That’s not unheard of. There are cases where a single person handles everything.”

“That’s true.”

The singer host turned to Seo Sora.

“But I heard Dimension also choreographed 4cats’ dances? Even the choreography? Is that even possible?”

Seo Sora answered confidently.

“It turns out it is.”

“That’s why I believe Dimension isn’t just one person but an entire company. Their music has a unique sound that sets it apart, so it’s likely a foreign company. They probably even have an in-house choreographer. My guess is that Dimension is just the domestic brand name for that company.”

The comedian interjected.

“No way. 4cats’ dances look so simple. They’re easy to follow.”

“Making something look easy while still being visually appealing is the hardest thing to do. That’s why so many people are dancing to their songs lately.”

“That’s true. There are tons of videos online of people copying 4cats’ dance moves. Even I tried it.”

The comedian stood up and started dancing.

Seo Sora suddenly had a thought.

‘Now that I think about it, when did oppa even learn to dance?’

She felt a bit more at ease.

‘His identity is staying hidden like this. Since his wish is being granted, he can stop nagging now, right?’

Meanwhile, Yoon Nana was feeling uneasy. She didn’t like how both hosts were treating Dimension as a company instead of a person.

So she countered.

“Dimension is someone with incredible physical abilities. He can move in extraordinary ways, which is exactly why he can create dances that are easy to follow yet visually stunning.”

Yoon Nana didn’t know much about Seo Jung-woo’s physical abilities, but she had seen him take down armed criminals multiple times. She had also watched the video Lee Seon-hwa had made public.

The comedian interpreted her words as meaning Dimension was an exceptional dancer who could pull off even the hardest moves.

So he quickly followed up.

“So you do know who he is?”

“Of course. I’ve been learning a lot from him.”

“That means you’ve met him in person. Judging by how frequently he releases songs, he must live nearby. At the very least, he’s in the metropolitan area. And my gut tells me he’s in Seoul.”

Yoon Nana was startled.

‘They figured out he lives in Seoul!’

The twins quickly jumped in to deflect.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Did the network tell you to ask this?”