Chapter 15: “Ghost Café Grand Opening”
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Sunday – 6:30 a.m. – A Quiet Street in Seoul
A new café quietly opened its doors.
No ribbon-cutting.
No ads.
No signs.
Just a tiny board on the sidewalk that read:
☕ Ghost Café – For Dreamers Only
No ID. No questions. Just rest.
Inside, soft lighting.
Bookshelves.
Beanbags.
A corner piano.
Handwritten sticky notes covered the wall behind the counter, each one with a dream scribbled on it.
> "I want to become a pastry chef."
"Someday I'll build homes for stray cats."
"I want to make my mom smile again."
The place smelled like warm bread, fresh coffee, and impossible hope.
Behind the counter: a barista in an apron, hoodie up, glasses fogged.
It was Dae-Hyun.
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8:01 a.m. – First Customer
A girl stepped in, holding a worn sketchbook.
She paused. Looked around.
"Is this… the Ghost Café?"
Dae-Hyun, disguising his voice like a stage actor with a sore throat, said:
"Just a café. Take a seat. Order's on the house."
She hesitated… then smiled.
"…Can I stay for a while?"
He nodded. "As long as you need."
She sat at the window and pulled out a pencil.
She didn't leave for four hours.
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12:13 p.m. – The Accidentally Famous Incident
The door opened with a ding-ding.
In walked…
A tall man… sunglasses… baseball cap… expensive shoes…
Dae-Hyun blinked.
It was RYU-JUN, top-tier K-pop idol, global sensation, wearer of flawless eyebrows.
He looked around.
"…Yo. This place is empty."
Dae-Hyun panicked.
Why was a K-pop god here?! Was this a prank?!
"Uh… welcome… do you want… a ghost latte?"
Ryu-Jun smirked.
"Make me something with extra cinnamon. My manager said I looked 'soulless' in my last photoshoot."
He sat in a corner. Put up his hoodie. Pulled out a notebook.
And stayed.
For hours.
He ordered banana milk.
Then toast.
Then asked if he could nap in the beanbag corner.
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3:00 p.m. – The Flashpoint
A local girl came in to draw.
Saw the back of someone familiar.
Squinted. Whispered.
"…That's not—oh my god—it is!"
She took a blurry photo and posted it.
📸 #GhostCafé #IsThatRyuJun
Within 14 minutes:
📱 @IdolSpotter:
> "RYU-JUN seen alone in a mystery café. Soft lighting. Books. No branding. What is this place?!"
📱 @GhostCafeUpdates:
> "Fans: Don't swarm. Let him rest.
Me: already in a taxi."
📱 @BananaMilkQueen:
> "He ordered banana milk. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."
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Back in the Café
Ryu-Jun sipped milk, nodded toward the note wall.
"What's all that?"
Dae-Hyun cleared his throat.
"Dreams. People write them down. I don't ask why."
The idol stared for a while.
Then wrote a note:
> "I want to sing without expectations."
He stuck it near the center. Quietly.
Then, before leaving, he whispered:
"Nice place. Don't ruin it with fame."
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The Next Day – Media Madness
News articles exploded:
📺 "K-pop Royalty Seen at Underground Café for Dreamers"
📷 "Fans Praise Mysterious 'Ghost Café' as Healing Space"
📱 "Ryu-Jun's Milk Moment: Fans Demand Banana Milk Be Renamed 'Idol Juice'"
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At Dae-Hyun's Apartment
He stared at the screen.
"…I just wanted people to relax. Now they want me to open ten franchises and launch a Ghost Café Spotify playlist."
Min-Ji walked in with a tray of cookies.
"So what are you going to do?"
"…Pretend none of it's happening."
She handed him a cookie.
"Too late. You're a beverage revolutionary now."
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That Evening – Rooftop Again
Min-Ji kicked her legs over the ledge.
"You know… I used to think helping people meant giving speeches or saving the world."
She looked at him.
"But you just… quietly change everything."
Dae-Hyun shrugged.
"I just want to live in a world where no one eats sad tofu ever again."
She smiled.
"Then maybe you should write your dream on the wall too."
He pulled a pen from his pocket and a small sticky note from his wallet.
Wrote slowly.
Stuck it to the wall of his mind.
> "My dream… is to live quietly, help secretly, and maybe… not be so alone anymore."
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End of Chapter 15