80: Chapter 80: Writing as thoughts come to mind

The wind over the Han River carried the characteristic coolness and moisture of the night, blowing across Seoul, the city that never sleeps. Traffic wove together like a tapestry on the bridge, and the lights trailed long, fragmented golden ribbons across the river's surface. This was a filming location for countless K-dramas, carrying the weight of romantic and confessional imaginings, but it was also an ordinary place for local residents to stroll and tourists to visit.

Thus, when that figure appeared abruptly in the middle of the bridge's sidewalk without warning—accompanied by an extremely faint 'chi' sound, as if space had been torn open and quickly sealed—the few scattered pedestrians and night runners nearby didn't even react at first.

It was a young girl.

What she was wearing was by no means an outfit that should have appeared in this season or at this location—a set of stage costumes with an extremely gorgeous and intricate design. The primary colors were deep starry purple and dazzling platinum, adorned with fine artificial crystals and sequins that reflected a dizzying halo under the streetlights and distant neon signs. The cut fit her body perfectly, possessing both the exaggerated silhouette required for the stage and perfectly outlining the girl's slender yet powerful curves. The hem was made of irregular starry gauze, fluttering gently in the Han River wind. She still wore complete, arguably perfect stage makeup; her eyeshadow sparkled, her lip color was vibrant, and every strand of hair seemed meticulously designed, fixed by hairspray into the most impactful style.

It was none other than Kim Soo-yeon.

A second ago, she had still been in the center of the 'Starry Dome'—the largest venue in the Nanming Kingdom of the Tianxuan Continent. Her ears were filled with the mountain-shaking, ocean-roaring shouts of fans, her eyes met a sea of light sticks as brilliant as a galaxy, and her body danced intensely to the final chorus of "Eclipse." Sweat slid past her jaw, and her heart pounded wildly from the ultimate performance and the excitement of their tenth anniversary. She was the leader of Zephyrus, a top idol in the Nanming Kingdom and even across the borders of the three continents, the most successful creation of TG Entertainment in Nanming, standing at the most glorious peak of her career.

In the next second, all the sound, light, heat, her companions' breathing, and the vibration of the stage beneath her feet... all vanished.

In their place was a strange, cool wind with a faint fishy smell, the low noise of tires rubbing against the ground, the blurred hum of a distant city, and a completely unfamiliar sight before her—the wide river surface, a steel bridge, light boards with foreign scripts, and several men and women in casual clothing staring at her as if they had seen a ghost.

Kim Soo-yeon froze in place, her perfect expression management completely shattering for the first time. Her pupils dilated from extreme shock, her breath stalled, and she remained in a fixed pose from her dance finale, like an exquisite doll that had suddenly had its power cut.

What happened? A stage malfunction? A holographic projection error? Or... some kind of incomprehensible prank on a recording set? But there was no such item in TG Entertainment's planning! President Jiang Zhiyu would never allow such a malicious joke on an occasion as important as the tenth anniversary!

Just as her brain went blank from information overload, and she tried to find a shred of rational logic within the absurdity before her—

"Thud."

A light yet weighted object fell from the sky, landing squarely on her shoulder, which was slightly hunched from shock, before sliding off and being caught by her reflexively outstretched hand.

The texture was fine leather.

She subconsciously looked down.

It was a small dark blue booklet with a gold-stamped emblem and text on the cover. She didn't recognize the writing, but the pattern and style... were different from any national identification she knew. She opened it blankly.

The inner page was a standard personal information form with a photo attached—it was a photo of herself, wearing a simple white shirt, her expression having the typical blandness of an ID photo. Name field: KIM SUYEON. Date of birth, place... a series of unfamiliar English words and place names. Nationality: United States of America. Issuing authority... U.S. Department of State?

America? USA?

Kim Soo-yeon's breathing became completely erratic. There was no such country in the Tianxuan Continent! This abbreviation had never appeared in geography class! Where did this thing come from? Whose prank was this? This photo... when was this photo taken? Why did she have no memory of it?

She jerked her head up and looked around. The night view of the Han River Bridge was cold and real, the silhouette of Namsan Tower stood silently in the distance, and passing vehicles occasionally cast curious glances before driving away. Everything was starkly different from the Nanming City in her memory. The smell of the air, the style of the buildings, the models of the cars, the clothing of the pedestrians... everything was different!

This wasn't Nanming! It might not even be the Tianxuan Continent!

A conjecture that made her spine go cold surfaced uncontrollably—could it be... a spatial jump? A parallel world? Those concepts that only existed in science fiction and unconfirmed theories?

The "American passport" in her hand felt heavy and terrifyingly real. The spot on her shoulder where it hit seemed to retain that slight sensation. The sequins on her expensive stage costume flickered with an out-of-place, almost mocking light under the illumination of this strange world.

Kim Soo-yeon, the leader of Zephyrus, the top idol of Nanming Kingdom, and the apple of TG Entertainment's eye, was standing alone on a cold bridge in a completely unknown world at the most brilliant moment of her career, wearing a priceless stage costume and holding a completely unfamiliar "American passport."

Confusion, shock, disbelief, and a deeply buried fear of total disorder replaced all the glory and passion of the stage.

What should she do?

Where... is this?

President Jiang Zhiyu... Tima... teammates... where are you?

The Han River wind continued to blow coldly, sweeping away the last bit of warmth from the Tianxuan Continent stage on her body.

Kim Soo-yeon was still frozen in place, her brain struggling to process the absurd reality before her. However, the scattered pedestrians and night runners had gradually recovered from the shock of "a person suddenly appearing," and their gazes began to focus on her—more precisely, on her gorgeous outfit and impeccable appearance.

The first to react were two girls who looked like college students. They had been leaning against the railing taking selfies, and their phone cameras had happened to capture the blurred afterimage of Kim Soo-yeon "appearing out of thin air" (they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them). Then, the lens focused on that face.

"Omo!" One of the short-haired girls gasped, nearly dropping her phone as she tugged hard on her companion's sleeve. "Hey! Look! That person!"

"What is it..." Her companion turned her head impatiently, but her voice stopped abruptly and her eyes widened the moment her gaze fell on Kim Soo-yeon.

The light from the streetlamps and the reflection from the river surface spilled evenly over Kim Soo-yeon. The stage costume was certainly eye-catching, but the person wearing it was even more striking. Although her expression was blank and even filled with alarm, the exquisiteness of that face was unquestionable. Her skin was so white under the lights it seemed to glow, the proportions of her features were nearly perfect, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were a natural crimson, slightly pursed due to tension. Most striking were those eyes; even though they were currently filled with helplessness, one could still see their beautiful shape, with long and thick eyelashes. The glitter of her eye makeup reflected fine starlight whenever she trembled slightly. She was tall, and her figure appeared even more superior against the backdrop of the gorgeous clothing; even standing still, she possessed an inherent uprightness and stage presence that could only come from rigorous training.

"Siba..." the short-haired girl muttered to herself, her voice full of disbelief. "This... this is complete top-tier beauty, right?! Is she a celebrity? Or CG-generated? How can a real person look like this?"

"Totally daebak..." Her companion was also dazed, forgetting to even raise her phone. "That face, that body... and those clothes, they're stage costumes, right? Which group's new look is this? Why hasn't there been any news? Are they... filming a hidden camera show in a place like this?"

Not far away, a middle-aged man who had just finished his night run and was stretching also stopped. He took off his headphones and looked toward the center of the commotion in confusion. When he saw Kim Soo-yeon clearly, he also showed a surprised expression and muttered softly, "Aigu, kids these days... they really look incredible. But why is she dressed like that standing here? Isn't she cold?"

A passing young couple also stopped. The girl leaned on her boyfriend's arm and pointed at Kim Soo-yeon, excitedly lowering her voice: "Oppa! Look at that girl! So pretty! Like a doll! Is she a trainee? Or some influencer filming a video?"

The boy looked over and was also stunned, offering an objective evaluation: "Hmm... she really is pretty. But she feels so young, a high schooler?"

At that moment, a slightly stronger gust of river wind blew, lifting the hem of Kim Soo-yeon's starry gauze skirt and making her shiver involuntarily. This subtle movement made her seem more real, losing some of the distance of the stage and adding a touch of fragile reality belonging to her age. She seemed to have finally regained a shred of sanity from the massive shock, subconsciously clutching the passport booklet in her arms while her other hand frantically tried to press down her fluttering skirt. Her eyes scanned the surroundings in panic, like a rare bird that had strayed into a steel jungle and lost its way.

No matter how thick the stage makeup remaining on her face was, it couldn't hide that startling aura of youth. Anyone with a bit of discernment could see that this was absolutely a very young face.

"She's so young!" the short-haired college student exclaimed in a low voice again. "Looking at her face, she's at most... seventeen? Eighteen? A minor, right?"

"Seriously, she must look super good even without makeup..." her companion agreed, already unable to resist secretly raising her phone and switching it to camera mode. "Should we... take a picture? I feel like I've encountered some incredible wild celebrity..."

"Is that okay? She looks like she's in a state of panic..."

Although the whispers were kept low, in the relatively quiet bridge area, they still faintly drifted into Kim Soo-yeon's ears. She couldn't understand the specific Korean words, but the gazes focusing on her face and body—mixed with amazement, curiosity, scrutiny, and a bit of concern—were like physical needles piercing through her last bit of composure.

She wasn't on a stage in Nanming Kingdom receiving the attention of thousands; she was in a completely strange place, like a sudden exhibit being watched and judged by strangers. This uncontrolled gaze, stripped of her idol halo and safe distance, made her feel an unprecedented sense of panic and... shame.

What should she do? Speak? But the language here... she seemed to catch a few vaguely familiar syllables, but she couldn't understand the meaning at all. Leave? Go where? She couldn't even tell north from south!

Just as she was at a loss, almost about to be submerged by the surrounding gazes and her inner panic, a voice suddenly broke in. It carried a hint of hesitation and testing, spoken in a slightly stiff English that Kim Soo-yeon could barely recognize as a variant of the "Tianxuan Common Language":

"Excuse me... Are you okay? You look... lost."

Kim Soo-yeon turned sharply toward the source of the voice, like a drowning person clutching at driftwood. It was a young man wearing glasses who looked like an office worker, his face showing kind concern. He also seemed momentarily stunned by the impact of her beauty at such close range as she turned; his eyes flickered, but he quickly regained his politeness.

The language... wasn't exactly the same, but they seemed to be able to communicate!

Clutching at this lifeline, Kim Soo-yeon didn't care about grammar or vocabulary. Using the closest thing she knew to an 'International Tongue' (a simplified language used for limited international exchange on the Tianxuan Continent) mixed with a few English words, she spoke urgently and haltingly:

"I... Where... here? What place? Nanming... No. I... lost. Very!"

Her voice trembled slightly from tension, but her tone was clear and pleasant. Even in her panic, it carried a strange sense of rhythm.

Now, the people nearby who understood a bit of English (like the two college students) were even more surprised.

"She's speaking English? But her accent is so strange..."

"Not Korean? A foreigner? Then this beauty..."

"Is she really lost? Lost on the Han River Bridge while wearing a Stage Outfit?"

The office worker in glasses was also momentarily stunned. He clearly didn't fully understand her mixed-up language, but the word 'lost' was clear. He pointed to himself, then to the surroundings, trying to explain with a slower pace and gestures: "This is Seoul. South Korea. Han River Bridge."

Seoul? South Korea?

The completely unfamiliar place names struck Kim Soo-yeon's heart like a heavy hammer. The last shred of hope vanished. This really was not the world she knew.

The color drained further from her face, her fingers gripping the passport so hard her knuckles turned white. That eerie 'US Passport' combined with the stranger's words formed a terrifying fact she couldn't understand but had to face.

Meanwhile, the whispered discussions around her about her 'top-tier beauty,' 'how young she looks,' 'lost foreigner,' and 'wearing a Stage Outfit' continued to brew. More people had stopped to look over curiously. Even some cars were slowing down.

Kim Soo-yeon, the top idol of the Tianxuan Continent, had completed her 'debut' on this completely unfamiliar Earth in the most unexpected way—in the night breeze of the Han River Bridge, carrying the afterglow of glory and a heart full of panic, she became a beautiful, eccentric mystery in the eyes of passersby, waiting to be solved.

The office worker in glasses (who introduced himself as Mr. Park) tried his best to help this strikingly beautiful girl who was clearly in a state of severe confusion and loss. Her language was a jumbled mess, but the panic in her eyes was too real to be faked. Mr. Park tried to use simple English and gestures to ask if she needed help contacting friends, family, or going to the police station, but Kim Soo-yeon only shook her head blankly, her fingers tightly clutching that dark blue passport as if it were her only faint connection to 'existence' itself. She didn't even react to the word for 'police station.'

"Café?" Mr. Park suggested, pointing toward the end of the bridge where the sign of a 24-hour chain coffee shop was faintly visible. "Coffee? Sit down? Warm?"

Kim Soo-yeon understood this word. Coffee—there was a similar drink on the Tianxuan Continent. A warm place with a roof where she could temporarily escape the cold wind and the stares of strangers sounded like the best option for now. She hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, saying in a barely audible voice, "...Thank you."

Mr. Park breathed a sigh of relief and signaled for her to follow him. Kim Soo-yeon started walking, her expensive custom stage boots clicking sharply against the cold, hard pavement. Her overly ornate Stage Outfit looked increasingly out of place on the night streets, drawing frequent glances from passersby.

As she followed Mr. Park toward the café, passing a corner where the lamplight cast a deeper shadow, her foot seemed to step on something soft with the texture of paper. She instinctively stopped and looked down.

It was a folded banknote with a somewhat familiar color. She leaned over to pick it up and unfolded it. The denomination was '10,000.' She couldn't understand the portrait or the text printed on it, but it was definitely money.

Ten thousand won.

Mr. Park turned back to see her stop and noticed the banknote in her hand. "Ah, money. Lucky." He smiled, dismissing it as a mere coincidence.

Kim Soo-yeon, however, gripped the banknote as a deeper sense of absurdity washed over her. Appearing out of thin air, penniless, yet picking up money on the street of a different world? What was this? A cynical 'starting fund' given to her by this strange world?

She silently tucked the banknote away without a word and continued following Mr. Park into the brightly lit café.

The soothing music inside, the aroma of grinding coffee beans, and the relatively private space allowed Kim Soo-yeon's frayed nerves to relax just a little. Mr. Park helped her order a simple Americano, ordered one for himself, and then found a corner seat by the window.

When the warm coffee cup was in her hands and the familiar bitter aroma entered her nose, Kim Soo-yeon finally felt a genuine sense of warmth and... reality. She took small sips of the coffee; the hot liquid slid down her throat, bringing a slight burning sensation and a clear awakening effect. The caffeine began to slowly work on her overstimulated brain and body.

As her body temperature rose and the caffeine brought a bit of calm, Kim Soo-yeon's chaotic thoughts finally began to function. She was no longer the radiant leader of Zephyrus on stage, nor was she the bewildered wanderer on the Han River Bridge. She forced herself to calm down and begin observing.

She looked down at the passport she had been clutching. She flipped it open, confirming the unfamiliar information again. Kim Suyeon. USA. The photo was definitely her, but the background and expression were incredibly foreign. She felt the inner pockets of her Stage Outfit—completely empty. No phone, no wallet, nothing to prove her identity as 'Kim Soo-yeon.' Aside from these clothes and this strange passport, she had nothing.

She looked up and gazed out the window. Seoul's night view was prosperous and orderly, a cityscape she had never seen before. She didn't know the language, her identity was a mystery, and she didn't even know where she was.

A more terrifying thought emerged: What if... I can't go back?

Her heart suddenly constricted. But she quickly suppressed the panic. No, I can't lose my head. To fight her way through the fierce competition of the Nanming entertainment industry and become the leader of a top girl group, Kim Soo-yeon relied on more than just her face and luck; she relied on a resilient mind and strong adaptability. Even though the situation was bizarre to the extreme, despair wouldn't solve anything.

She looked again at Mr. Park, who was waiting patiently across from her without intruding. She managed a grateful but still guarded smile and said the clearest English words she could assemble: "Thank you. Coffee. Help."

Mr. Park waved his hand, indicating she was welcome. He seemed to realize the girl needed some time and space to gather herself, so he pointed to his watch and then to the door, using mouth movements and gestures to indicate he might have to leave for a bit but would ask the staff to look after her. Kim Soo-yeon understood his meaning roughly and nodded her thanks again.

After Mr. Park left, Kim Soo-yeon sat alone in the corner of the café. She sipped her coffee, but her eyes sharply scanned everything in the shop—the Korean posters on the walls, the logo on the staff uniforms, the phone models used by other customers, the QR codes for ordering on the tables... Every detail was like a fragment, piecing together a map of this strange world.

She had to learn the language here as quickly as possible, figure out the situation, and find a foothold.

While Kim Soo-yeon was trying to stay calm in the corner of the café and thinking of a survival strategy, the brief commotion about her on the Han River Bridge hadn't completely died down.

The short-haired college girl ultimately couldn't help herself. Before Kim Soo-yeon left with Mr. Park, she had quickly snapped a few photos with her phone—a profile shot, a slightly panicked front view, and the stunning details of that ornate Stage Outfit under the streetlights. Although the distance was a bit far and the image quality was average, it was enough to see that extraordinary beauty and the stage costume that definitely didn't belong to everyday wear.

With a mindset of curiosity and sharing, after the girl returned to her dorm, she processed the photos slightly (mainly blurring out the background bystanders) and posted the clearest one to the 'Idol/Visual' section of a high-traffic anonymous online community forum in Korea.

The thread title was a bit exaggerated and excited:

[Random Encounter] Shibal, I met a goddess on the Han River Bridge tonight! Does this level of visual actually exist? She has a total top-tier idol face! Photos attached!

The post content briefly described the encounter, emphasizing that the person was wearing an extremely ornate Stage Outfit, looked very young (like a minor), seemed lost, didn't speak the language well, and was finally taken to a café by a kind person. The focus was entirely on the stunning beauty and the mysterious attire.

Initially, the post only piqued the curiosity of a small circle of netizens.

"Is this for real? Is it photoshopped?"

"This outfit... which group's new look is this? I don't recognize it."

"The visuals are definitely top-notch, but that outfit on the Han River Bridge... performance art?"

"She looks a bit like an AI-generated face, too perfect."

But as netizens who knew more about the idol industry and costume design clicked in, the discussion began to shift.

"I'm a stylist, and I can say with responsibility that the production quality of this Stage Outfit is extremely high. The materials and design details don't look like the work of a small company, or even like any known girl group style currently on the market."

"This face... if it's natural, she's practically been blessed by the heavens. But I have no memory of her. A rookie? An overseas trainee?"

"A lost foreigner? Lost while wearing such an expensive Stage Outfit? The script feels a bit heavy here; is this some new form of viral marketing?"

"Am I the only one who thinks her expression looks genuinely panicked? It doesn't look like acting."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

In the photo, Kim Soo-yeon's stunning beauty, mixed with panic and confusion yet impossible to hide, along with the magnificent stage costume that clashed sharply with the surrounding environment, created a highly impactful and buzz-worthy image.

The post's popularity began to rise quietly, the number of replies kept increasing, and the speculations grew more numerous.

Some started technical analyses on whether the photo was Photoshopped, some tried to guess her possible agency based on the style of her Stage Outfit, some joked about whether she was an "idol who traveled from the 2D world," and others were genuinely concerned about the girl's state in the photo, asking the original poster for more details.

A pebble concerning the "mysterious beautiful girl on Han River Bridge" had been cast into the lake of South Korean online public opinion, and the ripples were spreading.

Yet, the center of the storm knew nothing of this, simply sitting in a warm coffee shop, holding half a cup of coffee that was gradually turning cold, clutching that "US passport" and a ten-thousand won note she had picked up, starting to think about how to survive in this completely unfamiliar "Seoul."

Her life on Earth, or rather, Kim Soo-yeon's life, was forced to begin on such an absurd night.

And that Stage Outfit of hers from another world and that overly perfect face were destined to push her toward even more unknown attention and whirlpools.

The "mysterious beautiful girl on Han River Bridge" post on a Korean anonymous online community was like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil; after night had completely fallen, it didn't cool down at all, but instead spread with shocking speed, crackling and popping.

At first, it was just spontaneous discussions among visual-obsessed passersby, forum regulars, and bored netizens.

But as the reasonably clear photos were reposted on several large social media platforms, coupled with a combination of explosive tags like "chance encounter," "top-tier beauty," "magnificent Stage Outfit," and "suspected lost foreigner," the popularity began to climb exponentially.

Especially in South Korea, where the idol industry is highly developed and scouting networks are spread across every street corner, such a "wild," high-quality visual impact was no different from throwing a piece of bloody fresh meat into a school of sharks.

Late at night, in an upscale office building in Seoul's Gangnam District, a veteran scout from SM Entertainment was rubbing his sore eyes, preparing to end his day of "online hunting."

He habitually refreshed several specific forums and SNS hot lists, his gaze sweeping over them mechanically.

When the entry "God-tier visuals on Han River Bridge" and the related photos jumped into his view, he initially just "tsk-ed" dismissively—there were eighty, if not a hundred, posts every day claiming to have discovered "god-tier visuals."

However, when his gaze truly landed on the relatively clear, forwarded front-facing photo, his finger scrolling the mouse suddenly stopped.

The girl in the photo was indeed wearing an exaggerated Stage Outfit, with the blurry night and bridge railing as the background, but her slightly widened eyes, straight nose bridge, perfect facial proportions, and the unadorned skin texture that could be felt even through the pixels... a long-lost, almost instinctual professional shiver crept up his spine.

"This..." He couldn't help but lean closer to the screen, zooming in on the photo's details.

It wasn't the industrial-feeling beauty of exquisite retouching, but a kind of... vivid, highly impactful, and even slightly panicked authentic aesthetic.

The sense of age was extremely young, but the foundation of her features and the superiority of her contours had reached an astonishing level.

Not to mention that Stage Outfit; although the style was unique, the cutting, materials, and decorative details were definitely not at a level that cheap cosplay or ordinary clothing stores could provide.

"A rookie? An overseas returnee trainee? Or..." He immediately clicked on the original poster's link, carefully reading the short description—"wearing a Stage Outfit," "lost," "language barrier," "taken to a coffee shop."

Every single piece of information reeked of something unusual.

He barely hesitated, immediately grabbing the internal communicator on the desk: "Manager! Emergency! A target with suspected 'wild,' ultra-high-level visual quality has appeared online! The photo and description are very special, requesting to immediately mobilize resources to verify and attempt contact!"

Almost at the same time, a certain scout team leader at JYP Entertainment, known for his viciously sharp eye, let out a similar exclamation in his home office.

He stared at the photo urgently forwarded by his subordinate on his tablet, his fingers repeatedly zooming in and out on the girl's face.

"This bone structure... this head-to-body ratio... damn it, has God been a bit too biased this time?" He cursed under his breath, though his tone was filled with irrepressible excitement, "Appearing on Han River Bridge dressed like this? Lost? Whether it's hype or real, this face... if this face isn't scouted, it's simply an insult to this profession!"

He immediately began contacting informants still active outside, asking if they had seen anyone with similar features near Han River Bridge, and pulled the potential street surveillance time slots.

YG Entertainment's style might value unique temperament and talent more, but the scouting team responsible for the actor department and future girl group reserves was also alarmed by this photo.

The quality of the girl in the photo, mixed with a sense of fragility and stunning beauty, along with the outfit that hinted at a "performer" identity, made them smell unusual possibilities.

"Although she looks very young, this level of raw beauty and camera presence (even if it's a snapshot), if her acting talent or singing potential is decent..." An executive at YG threw the photo into an internal chat group, "Check immediately! Prioritize confirming if she already has an agency, and her specific whereabouts tonight!"

Even some mid-sized agencies and companies focused on actor management were stirred into action.

The speed of the photo's spread and the reaction it caused exceeded the scope of an ordinary internet celebrity event; it was more like an unpolished diamond accidentally rolling into the middle of a busy street.

"Absolute age advantage! Her appearance is the top of the top!"

"That outfit is a clue! Check! Has any company recently customized Stage Outfits of a similar style?"

"Lost? Coffee shop? Immediately check all 24-hour coffee shops near Han River Bridge! Especially the customer records during the early morning hours!"

"Contact the original poster! Buy the original photo! Get more details!"

"Notify the media monitoring team, keep an eye out for any related news exposure, and control the direction of public opinion!"

Countless phone calls rang out in the dead of night, and one command after another was quickly issued.

Scouts, Managers, and even some mid-to-high-level company executives were awakened from their sleep or entertainment activities, all because of a few photos circulating on the internet with blurry backgrounds.

For them, this was not simply "discovering a pretty amateur."

Kim Soo-yeon's beauty in the photo had already surpassed the category of "pretty," reaching a level that made even professionals accustomed to handsome men and beautiful women feel "astonished by her heavenly appearance."

That kind of vivid, extreme, and strangely story-laden impact was a "treasure" signal that was rare and hard to come by.

More importantly, the way she appeared and her state—lost in the middle of the night wearing an expensive Stage Outfit—might hide a huge space for a story behind it: Was she a top-tier trainee who left after being treated unfairly by her original company?

Was she an ace returning from secret overseas training? Or was she really just an ordinary person who encountered a bizarre event?

Regardless of which it was, it was full of buzz and operability.

The sense of smell for capital and desire is the most sensitive.

In less than two hours, some "strangely behaving" customers began to appear one after another in several coffee shops near Han River Bridge that matched the description—there were lone sitters constantly sizing up young women around them, people trying to strike up conversations with staff to ask "if there were any special guests tonight," and some even discreetly showing photos on their phones to inquire.

And the center of the storm—the chain coffee shop where Kim Soo-yeon was—did not escape unscathed.

A scout belonging to a mid-sized agency known for discovering actors, relying on his familiarity with the area and a bit of luck, was the first to lock onto this place.

He pretended to be an ordinary customer, entered the shop, ordered a drink, and his gaze quickly swept across the interior.

Then, his breath hitched for a beat.

By the window in the corner, a girl sat wearing a magnificent starry purple and platinum dress.

Her back was straight, her posture outstanding even while sitting, holding an empty coffee cup, lost in thought while gazing at the moving car lights outside the window.

The lines of her profile under the warm light of the shop were like a meticulously carved work of art.

Even without that eye-catching outfit, just this silhouette and the faintly visible front profile were enough to match the online photo.

It was her! Definitely her!

The scout's heart pounded wildly, suppressing the impulse to go up and talk to her immediately.

He quickly found a seat not too far or too close and observed in secret.

The girl looked very quiet, even a bit tense, slightly different from the "panicked" state described online, but that sense of alienation and confusion from her surroundings still existed.

She didn't have a mobile phone; in front of her was only that empty cup and... a small dark blue notebook?

He steadied himself and began to conceive how to approach her naturally.

Should he directly state his identity and hand over a business card? Or should he first strike up a conversation with the excuse of helping?

However, before he could act, the coffee shop door was pushed open again.

Two people in casual but capable-looking attire walked in, their sharp gazes sweeping across the shop, instantly locking onto Kim Soo-yeon by the window.

Damn it! Competitors!

The first scout's heart tightened.

He recognized one of the women as seemingly being a veteran Manager from a large agency.

Shortly after, in less than five minutes, another man who looked like a freelance journalist or an internet celebrity Manager walked in, his gaze likewise precisely aimed at that corner.

The small coffee shop corner, because of Kim Soo-yeon's presence, instantly turned into a hunting ground without gunpowder.

A subtle, competitive tension permeated the air.

The staff member also seemed to notice something unusual, looking somewhat puzzled at these groups of customers whose attention was clearly not on the coffee.

And Kim Soo-yeon finally withdrew her gaze from the night outside the window.

She vaguely felt some gazes focused on her, denser and more... purposeful than before on the bridge.

She sat up straight vigilantly, her hand subconsciously pulling that passport closer to her chest.

She didn't know what these gazes meant, but a certain intuition cultivated in the Nanming Kingdom entertainment industry told her—trouble might have just begun.

Earth's entertainment industrial behemoth had already smelled the scent of her, this "object fallen from the sky," and was impatiently reaching out its tentacles, trying to pull her into its own orbit.

The buffer time left for her might already be running out.