11. A Love That Grew on Ancol Beach

 The sea breeze still drifted gently, carrying with it a soft, salty scent that slipped between their silence.

  Hanu clutched the small notebook to her chest, her eyes lowered. A small smile lingered at the corner of her lips.

  Robin sat closer, until their shoulders nearly touched. He stole a few glances at Hanu but said nothing.

  Then, in a soft murmur, Hanu whispered, "Last night… I was thinking… maybe we're not used to talking much, but… I like this, Robin. Just sitting like this with you."

  Robin turned slowly, his eyes settling on Hanu who was still half-hiding her face beneath her hoodie.

  "Me too," he replied briefly.

  Hanu bit back a smile. "You're always so stingy with words. But that's what makes my heart race."

  Robin didn't argue. He just shifted his hand slowly on the bench, placing it near Hanu's. Very close. But not touching.

  Hanu glanced down. She swallowed, then carefully—so very carefully—placed her pinky finger over his. Just barely.

  The touch was feather-light, but the world seemed to stop spinning for a moment.

  Robin didn't pull away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, gazing at her.

  "If you do something like this again…" he whispered.

  "What?" Hanu asked softly.

  "I might not be able to stop."

  Hanu let out a shy laugh, her cheeks turning red. "You… don't say things like that. I get… embarrassed."

  Robin squinted at her playfully. "Why embarrassed? You're cute when you're shy."

  "Stop!" Hanu quickly turned her face away, but the smile on her lips betrayed her. "Robin… you've changed lately."

  "Not really," Robin said calmly. "You're just starting to notice."

  Hanu glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then turned back toward the ocean. Silence settled in again.

  Then Robin exhaled and said quietly, "If you were a song, I think I'd keep listening until my ears broke."

  Hanu instinctively covered her face with her arm. "OH MY GOD ROBIN, don't say that…"

  Robin chuckled. "Why not? Don't you like it?"

  "I—I don't know…" Hanu murmured. "But my heart feels like it's going to burst."

  Robin watched her flushed face, then leaned in just a little closer. This time, their distance nearly disappeared. Hanu's breath caught.

  "Can I…?" Robin whispered.

  "Can you what?"

  "Lean on you. My turn."

  Before Hanu could respond, Robin gently rested his head on her shoulder. The motion was soft—almost like a dream. Hanu tensed for a moment but didn't move away.

  Instead, she slowly adjusted herself to make him more comfortable.

  "This feels nice," Robin whispered. "Like… the world has gone quiet."

  "Mmm…" Hanu nodded, lips curling into a warm smile. Quietly, she leaned into him a little more.

  They didn't speak for several minutes. Only the sound of the waves filled the space between them, alongside heartbeats neither of them could control.

  Robin opened his eyes slowly, looking up at the sky now washed in perfect blue. Then he turned to see Hanu watching him silently.

  "Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

  "Because… I never imagined you could be this gentle," Hanu admitted.

  Robin raised an eyebrow. "Only with you."

  Hanu immediately covered her face again. "You're too much…"

  Robin let out a soft laugh. Then—for the first time—he took Hanu's hand fully. Not just a pinky, not a timid touch.

  A real, whole-hearted grasp.

  And Hanu didn't pull away.

  She let their fingers intertwine, warm and steady under the growing morning sun and chirping birds.

  But—as always…

  "HEY! AWWWWWW HAND-HOLDING IN THE MORNING?!"

  Axel's voice thundered from the upper balcony, joined by Zio and Leo, already munching snacks and recording with their phones.

  "YOU GUYS THINK THIS IS A K-DRAMA?! WHERE'S THE RATING SYSTEM?!" Zio laughed hysterically.

  Robin just sighed deeply. He slowly released Hanu's hand, but instead of panicking or blushing, he stood up and looked up at them—his face deadpan as always.

  "Axel," he said flatly.

  "Hm?"

  "If you upload that, I'll screenshot your chat with your ex—the one still saved as 'Babe'."

  "HUH? HOW DO YOU KNOW?!"

  "Your assistant," Robin replied, cool as ever.

  Axel instantly panicked. "WAIT NO NO I'M KIDDING I'M KIDDING ROBIN! I SWEAR I WON'T UPLOAD IT!!"

  Robin glanced at Hanu and gave a faint smile.

  "Besides," he added calmly, "not everyone wakes up early just to sit beside someone they… want to protect."

  Hanu lowered her gaze, unable to hide her smile anymore.

  Robin sat back down, and even though their hands were no longer intertwined, the feeling between them remained—strong, steady, quietly growing.

  And that morning… even though it was interrupted, remained the sweetest morning they'd ever shared.

  Not long after, Rei approached them with his usual expressionless face. "Group meeting. We're prepping for content shoot."

  "Ugh… time for work," Leo groaned.

  They all followed Rei, leaving Hanu and Robin behind for a moment.

  "I… I'll go now," Hanu said, a little shy.

  "Okay. Hanu… don't worry. I'll always look after you."

  Hanu froze, lowering her face to hide the blush exploding across her cheeks. Without another word, she quickly walked off to catch up with the others.