Milo:

  I stood outside some stables in Gyeonggi-do, just on the outskirts of Seoul, taking in the quiet, rural atmosphere. The contrast to the city was stark—no honking cars, no flashing billboards, just the distant whinny of horses and the occasional rustling of leaves. This was where I’d be spending the next few weeks, training for my role as General Haruto. My heart pounded—not from nerves, but from the excitement of stepping into this warrior’s world.

  A voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Milo Lee?”

  I turned to see a man approaching with a firm stride, his expression all business. “I’m Joon Nam, the stunt coordinator,” he said, offering a handshake. “I’ll be overseeing all your action sequences, including horseback training. You ready to get started?”

  “Yeah, let’s do it,” I replied, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.

  Joon led me toward the stables, giving me the rundown on what to expect. “We’ll start slow,” he explained. “Today’s all about getting you comfortable on the horse. Over the next few weeks, we’ll build up to the more complex stuff—sword fighting, stunts, you name it. By the time we’re on set, you’ll be moving like you’ve been doing this your whole life.”

  It was a lot to take in, but I couldn’t deny the thrill running through me. This was exactly what I’d been hoping for—a real shot to prove myself, to push past my limits and see what I’m made of. I was ready to give it everything I had.

  Just as we reached the paddock, though, that's when I saw her.

  Orla.

  The girl from the plane. The one who’d been stuck in my head since that day. She was leading a horse out of the stables, looking so different from the last time I’d seen her. She wasn’t in a wedding dress anymore, but in riding gear, looking all serious and focused. She looked even more stunning than I remembered.

  “Hey, Orla,” Joon called out, motioning her over. “This is Milo Lee, the actor I mentioned. He’ll be working with you on the horseback scenes today.”

  She walked over, giving me a polite smile, but there was something off. She seemed distant, all business. It was like she didn’t even recognize me.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, her tone professional, like we were total strangers. She extended her hand for a handshake, all formal and no-nonsense, which just made the whole situation even weirder.

  I stared at her, still trying to wrap my head around this. “Oh uh…nice to meet you too,” I replied, reaching out to shake her hand. But it felt awkward, like we were two people meeting for the first time instead of… whatever this was supposed to be.

  Did she really not remember me? Or was she just pretending?

  Orla pulled her hand back, slipping effortlessly into work mode. “This is Raven,” she said, motioning to the sleek black horse beside her. “He’s well-trained and responsive, but he’ll need time to trust you. Treat him with respect, and he’ll do the same.”

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  I ran a hand along Raven’s neck, nodding. “He’s incredible.”

  Her expression softened, just for a second. “He is.”

  Then, just as quickly, she was back to business. “Let’s start with the basics—mounting, posture, commands. Once you’re comfortable, we’ll move on to a trot.”

  I followed her instructions, trying to focus on her words instead of the fact that she was Orla—the same Orla I’d talked to for hours, the same Orla I’d wanted to see again. And yet, here she was, acting like we’d never met.

  After a long session, the sun dipped lower, casting golden light over the stables. We were wrapping up when I finally caved.

  “Orla,” I said, dismounting. “You really don’t remember me?”

  She paused, her professional mask slipping just slightly. Then she sighed. “Of course I remember you.”

  “Then why the cold shoulder?”

  “I… well…” She hesitated, glancing around the stables before lowering her voice. “You’re kind of a big deal, Milo.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not exactly news,” I said, still confused.

  She looked down. “When we met, you didn’t exactly mention how famous you are. And now that I’m here, seeing all this, it’s a lot to take in. I just started this job a week ago, and I’m trying to keep things professional.”

  I started to see a flicker of the warm personality I remembered from the flight, the one I’d been hoping to see again. “Let me guess,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, “they told you not to get too personal with the cast or something? Typical entertainment company policy bullshit.”

  Orla finally looked me in the eye, and I caught a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Something like that,” she said, brushing a loose strand of hair from her braid behind her ear.

  Seeing that cute smile, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Maybe things weren’t as weird between us as I’d thought.

  “Yeah, I get it,” I said, easing up a bit. “It’s just… I didn’t expect it to be you. I mean, I’m glad it is. Seeing someone familiar makes all of this a little less overwhelming.”

  Orla gave a small nod. “It is nice. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever run into you again.”

  I smiled. “You could’ve, you know. Why didn’t you reach out?”

  She hesitated, her gaze dropping briefly. “I thought about it. But everything happened so quickly. New job, new country… I wasn’t even sure if you were serious about wanting to keep in touch. I figured…”

  “Figured what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “That because I’m famous, I wouldn’t follow through?”

  “It’s not that,” she said, her cheeks turning a faint pink. “I just… didn’t want to assume you meant it. People say things, you know? And I’ve never been great at figuring out who’s genuine.”

  I chuckled, shaking my head. “So you thought I was just messing with you?”

  “Kind of,” she said with a shy laugh. “I mean, look at you. Big celebrity, a whole different world… It’s hard not to feel like maybe I’m just imagining things.”

  “Well, for the record,” I said, meeting her eyes, “I was serious. I wanted to hang out with you. Still do, actually.”

  Her smile widened just a bit. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Just as the conversation was starting to feel like it was going somewhere, we were interrupted by a crew member.

  “Milo, we’re ready to take you back to the city,” she said.

  Orla immediately snapped back into her professional demeanor, the warmth from just moments ago disappearing. “Well, I guess that’s it for today then,” she said, her voice polite but distant. “Have a good day, Milo.”

  I watched as she turned and walked away with Raven, the sudden change in her attitude catching me off guard again. Maybe she was just trying to stay professional, but it left me questioning everything. Was she keeping her distance because of company rules, or was she unsure about reconnecting? Her mixed signals had me spinning. Yoo’s words echoed in my head: “If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. And if not, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.” But seeing her again felt too perfect to ignore, like fate was stepping in. I wasn’t about to let this chance slip by. If this drama gave me a reason to get closer to her, I was taking it.

  ?Sky Mincharo