The day ended in stress, like usual.
But something about Qin Yuan lingered in my mind—like static in the background of a song I used to love.
That night, I dreamed again.
The same boy.
"Calyx! Calyx!! I'm hereee!"
"H-huh...?" I stuttered, caught between dream and memory.
"Let's dance, Calyx," he beamed—genuinely, like someone who had waited a long time just to see me smile.
"But…"
Before I could finish, he grabbed my arm, and we danced beneath a soft, silver moonlight.
It felt… familiar. Too familiar.
"Calyx, I'm—"
"You're what?"
"I'm—"
The dream shattered. Again.
I woke up frustrated. This had been happening for a week. Same dream. Same boy. Same unfinished sentence.
"Hey, Calyx!"
"Calyx?" Shion waved a hand in front of my face.
"Calyx?" Kant stared at me, narrowing his eyes. "He's glitching again."
"Looks like his soul left his body," Shion chuckled.
"Feel like he's hungry," Kant added with a smirk.
They both laughed—until—
"HEY, CALYXX!!"
SLAP.
Milk just slapped me with a carton of strawberry milk. (Yes, he did that.)
Oh, right. I haven't introduced Milk and Kant properly.
Kant is the agency's best director. Met him back in high school. He's chaotic, dramatic, and screams like a kettle when scared.
Milk? He's... Milk. Loud, annoying, and somehow loveable. Don't ask me how.
"WHY WERE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT?!" Milk yelled.
"I—I wasn't…" I replied, blinking back to reality.
"Finally!" Acsephius announced. "The six diamonds of XZ Entertainment are reunited!"
"Wait, six?" Shion asked. "Someone's still missing."
"You'll know," Acsephius replied cryptically.
That guy always acts like he's in a detective drama.
Later, I returned to my office to open that file again—the one I wanted to publish and credit to the anonymous author.
But I clicked the wrong one.
This file only had one line:
> "Can't you see me?"
—Yuan.
I froze.
Why did that line feel like it was meant for me?
I shook it off. Tried to forget.
Headphones on. Work mode activated. The juniors were being annoying again, so I needed the silence.
A month later, the series finally launched.
20 million views in the first week.
Insane. But I wasn't complaining.
We went out to celebrate.
Fancy restaurant, clinking glasses, loud laughs. Until—
"Can I talk to you in private?" Qin Yuan asked, holding a drink in his hand.
He led me to a quieter corner.
"Are you a lightweight?" he asked, out of nowhere.
"…I don't know either," I replied, confused.
"Can I get your LINE ID?"
"Uh… sure?"
"…And your X, Instagram, and TikTok."
Excuse me, sir. Are you trying to steal my identity?
Still, I handed them over.
"Done," I muttered.
He smiled and pinched my cheek.
"Thanks for cooperating. You're a great writer, you know."
I blinked. "T-thank you…?"
"You're a ray of sunshine," he added, eyes fixed on mine. "Now I know why the office feels brighter when you're around."
That's when he dropped it:
"My name's Noé."
He smiled again and handed me... a rock?
What is wrong with this man?
–愛·
"It looks like you found him," Feitan said as we walked outside.
"He hasn't recognized my voice yet," Noé replied, eyes distant.
"He will," Fei smiled. "One day."
"I hope so… I've been waiting for him."
Then Fei added, casually, "By the way, one of his friends is hot."
"Oh?"
"Lemme show you, Noé."
As they walked back in, Fei sat right at our table—and one of my co-workers fainted on the spot.
(We still don't know why.)
ลิกซ์-
Back home, I scrolled through Qin Yuan's accounts.
There was a pattern— Hidden messages, cryptic posts. Like he was trying to say something…
To someone.
Weird.
Then came the group chat notification.
"6ft Diamonds"
(Yes. That's our group name. Don't judge us.)
Ascephius is typing…
Shion: What is it?
Ascephius sent a bunch of photo attachments.
At first glance, it looked like documents. But on closer look…
Milk: Is that… a yearbook?
Kant: No. It's more like a diary.
Ascephius: I'll bring it tomorrow.
Me: Hey, where's Paxley?
Kant: Busy, probably.
Paxley: I'm still alive. Just lazy.
Shion: Come onnn.
Ascephius: Back to the topic. There's a photo in here—but it's torn. Into four pieces.
Paxley: That photo looks familiar.
Me: Who owns the diary?
Ascephius: No name. It's unsigned.
Paxley: …I have the last piece of that photo.
Kant: What if it's Qin Yuan's?
Shion: Maybe. Maybe not.
Paxley: Let's end this meeting before Calyx writes a novel about it.
Ascephius: We'll talk more tomorrow.
The chat ended.
I stared at that torn photo.
Something about it haunted me.
It felt familiar. Not the kind of familiar you can explain.
The kind that makes your chest ache.
I couldn't shake it off.
Who are you, Qin Yuan?
Or rather...
Who were you to me—before all of this?