[Flashback]

The scorching afternoon sun hung heavily over the school field as students groaned through their physical training session.

"Two more laps!" the coach shouted loudly from across the ground. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Instant complaints immediately echoed everywhere.

"I’m dying already."

"Why does this school hate us?"

"You call this education?"

Among the students jogging around the field, Ivy remained unusually quiet.

Her breathing had already turned uneven, but she still forced herself to continue running while trying to avoid drawing attention.

Unfortunately, avoiding attention had never really worked for her.

"Well, look who’s struggling already," Polly mocked loudly as she slowed down beside Olivia.

Olivia snickered while eyeing Ivy from head to toe. "At this rate, she’ll probably faint before finishing one lap."

Several nearby students laughed quietly.

Ivy lowered her gaze and kept running without responding.

That reaction only encouraged them further.

Polly suddenly moved closer before intentionally bumping her shoulder hard.

Caught off guard, Ivy stumbled slightly.

"Oops," Polly said with fake innocence. "Didn’t see you there."

Olivia burst into laughter.

Ivy clenched her fists but continued forward silently.

However, the moment they reached the corner of the field, Olivia suddenly stretched her foot out deliberately.

Everything happened too quickly.

Ivy lost her balance instantly.

She crashed hard onto the rough ground.

The sharp scrape against the concrete burned her knees painfully.

Gasps sounded nearby while a few students laughed under their breaths.

"Ouch..." someone muttered sympathetically.

Polly crossed her arms dramatically. "She’s so clumsy."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Seriously embarrassing."

Ignoring them, Ivy slowly pushed herself upright.

Pain stung sharply through both knees, and when she looked down, she saw blood slowly trickling across the scraped skin.

For a moment, her vision blurred slightly from the sting.

But more than pain, it was humiliation that made her chest tighten.

Around her, students merely watched.

Some looked uncomfortable.

Others pretended not to notice at all.

Ivy quietly moved aside near the benches and grabbed the edge of her skirt slightly, trying to wipe away the dirt from her knees herself.

That was when a shadow suddenly stopped in front of her.

She looked up in confusion.

A tall boy stood there holding out a bottle of water toward her.

Kevin Herthwart.

Back then, even in high school, he had already been popular enough to draw attention everywhere he went.

Yet unlike the others, his expression carried no mockery.

Only simple concern.

"You should clean the wound before dirt gets into it," he said casually.

Ivy blinked at him in surprise.

For a second, she almost thought he was talking to someone else.

Seeing her frozen expression, Kevin lightly shook the water bottle toward her.

"Here."

Slowly, Ivy accepted it.

"Th... thank you," she whispered softly.

Kevin glanced briefly at her injured knees before speaking again.

"Be more careful next time."

His tone wasn’t pitying.

Nor was it mocking.

It sounded natural.

Normal.

And somehow, that simple kindness caught Ivy completely off guard.

Before she could say anything else, Kevin casually adjusted the towel hanging around his neck and started walking away.

Meanwhile, several students nearby stared at the scene in shock.

"Kevin talked to her?"

"Did you see that?"

Polly’s expression darkened instantly while Olivia looked equally displeased.

But Ivy barely noticed them anymore.

She simply sat there quietly, holding the water bottle tightly while staring at Kevin’s retreating figure with slightly widened eyes.

....

[Present]

Kevin’s eyes remained fixed on Ivy the entire time.

The more he observed her, the stranger the feeling in his chest became.

Something about her felt distant now.

Different.

Maybe it was because they had grown up.

Or maybe because the girl who used to look at him with sparkling admiration no longer existed.

"You seem to have changed a lot," Kevin finally said.

The office had become unusually quiet now that Lola, James, and Sal had excused themselves, leaving only the two of them seated across from each other on the couch.

Ivy looked at him calmly.

Despite the strange emotions swirling faintly inside her chest, she kept her expression composed.

Back then, Ivy had indeed liked Kevin.

Maybe even more than liked him.

But after everything that happened afterward—especially the scandal at school and the way Florine made her life miserable—those feelings had eventually faded beneath years of exhaustion and hurt.

Now, looking at him again felt more nostalgic than emotional.

"Everyone changes," Ivy replied softly. "We’re adults now."

Kevin smiled faintly.

"I’m not talking about that."

Ivy raised a brow slightly.

"That day when we accidentally met," he continued, "you acted like you didn’t recognize me at all."

Kevin would’ve normally forgotten about something like that quickly.

Especially because James had spent the rest of the day ranting nonstop about sponsors, contracts, and frustrated marketing teams.

Still, Kevin had always been serious when it came to endorsing products.

His fans trusted him, and he treated that trust seriously.

The moment he learned the product they wanted him to promote could potentially harm consumers, he immediately rejected the campaign without hesitation.

But strangely, among all the chaos from that day, Ivy’s reaction had stayed in his mind.

Or more specifically—

Her lack of reaction.

Meanwhile, Ivy quietly thought about his words.

It wasn’t that she intentionally ignored him.

At first, she genuinely hadn’t recognized him.

Only later did those memories hidden deep inside Ivy’s mind slowly resurface.

And even then...

What was she supposed to say?

Kevin kept staring at her expectantly until she finally sighed.

"I really didn’t recognize you," she admitted honestly.

For a second, Kevin stared at her blankly.

Then suddenly—

He burst out laughing.

A genuine laugh.

Not the polite kind celebrities usually forced in public.

It was so unexpected that Ivy frowned immediately.

"Why are you laughing?" she asked suspiciously.

Kevin tried to calm himself but failed halfway.

"Sorry," he said between laughs. "It’s just..."

He looked at her again, clearly amused.

"You’re probably the first person in years who’s admitted that to my face."

Ivy blinked slowly.

"Should I have lied instead?"

That only made Kevin laugh harder.

Ivy stared at him like he had officially lost his mind.

She had simply told the truth.

Yet somehow he was reacting like she had said something incredibly entertaining.

After finally calming down slightly, Kevin leaned back against the couch with a grin still lingering on his face.

"You really changed," he said again.

This time, however, his voice sounded softer.

More thoughtful.

And for some reason—That look in his eyes made Ivy strangely uneasy.

****The discussion regarding the photoshoot continued for another hour before everything was finally settled.

Lola looked especially satisfied after seeing the chemistry between Ivy and Kevin during the trial camera session.

"This is exactly the kind of visual balance the brand wanted," she said while reviewing a few sample shots on the tablet. "Natural and elegant."

James immediately nodded in agreement. "The response online will definitely be good once the teasers are released."

Meanwhile, Ivy simply stood quietly beside Sal, already exhausted from the constant posing and attention.

Modeling was far more mentally draining than she had expected.

"Then we’ll finalize the shooting schedule tomorrow," Lola announced before clapping her hands once. "Good work today, everyone."

One by one, people slowly started leaving the meeting room.

Kevin adjusted the sleeves of his black shirt before casually falling into step beside Ivy as they walked out of Globe Entertainment together.

Sal noticed it immediately and narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.

"You adapted faster than I expected," Kevin commented while pressing the elevator button.

Ivy glanced at him briefly. "I nearly twisted my ankle three times today."

Kevin chuckled softly. "That’s normal for beginners."

The elevator doors opened, and the three stepped inside.

For a few seconds, silence settled comfortably between them while the elevator descended floor by floor.

Once they reached the lobby, employees and staff passing by immediately recognized Kevin and greeted him politely.

He responded casually before turning his attention back toward Ivy.

"You know," he said while slowing his steps slightly, "I never thought I’d meet you again after high school."

Ivy honestly hadn’t expected it either.

Life had changed too much since then.

"Neither did I," she admitted.

The moment they stepped outside the building, a cool evening breeze brushed past them.

Sal instinctively moved closer beside Ivy while scanning the surroundings carefully out of habit.

Kevin suddenly stopped walking.

"Ivy."

She turned toward him questioningly.

For a brief second, Kevin hesitated.

Then finally asked—

"Are you free right now?"

Ivy blinked slightly.

"What?"

Kevin rubbed the back of his neck lightly before smiling.

"I was thinking... maybe we could have lunch together sometime. Or now, if you’re available."

The sudden invitation caught both Ivy and Sal off guard.

Sal immediately looked at Kevin with visible suspicion.

Meanwhile, Ivy instinctively opened her mouth to decline politely—

But before she could speak, her phone suddenly vibrated inside her bag.

Buzz.

She paused before pulling it out casually.

The moment she looked at the screen, her expression shifted slightly.

[Xander: I’m outside. Come down.]

A second message appeared almost immediately.

[Xander: Black car. Don’t make me wait.]

Ivy stared at the text for a moment.

For some reason, she could already imagine the cold expression on Xander’s face while typing that.

Beside her, Kevin noticed her distraction.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

Ivy quickly locked her phone and nodded calmly.

"Yes. It’s nothing important."

Without replying to Xander’s message, she slipped the phone back into her bag.

Then she looked at Kevin apologetically.

"Sorry, I already have plans today."

Kevin looked slightly disappointed but didn’t push further.

"Another time then?"

Ivy gave a polite nod. "Maybe."

Sal immediately stepped forward afterward like a loyal bodyguard finally reclaiming his position.

"We should get going," he said casually.

Kevin’s eyes briefly shifted toward Sal before he smiled faintly.

"Alright. See you at the shoot then."

"See you," Ivy replied politely.

The two of them then turned toward the parking area together while Kevin remained standing near the entrance, quietly watching Ivy walk away.

Meanwhile, inside a black car parked across the street, Xander sat silently in the backseat.

The moment he saw Ivy walking beside Kevin earlier, the temperature inside the car had noticeably dropped.

Even Teddy sitting in the front seat no longer dared to speak unnecessarily.

And now seeing Ivy ignore his message entirely, Xander’s already cold expression darkened even further.