Veins of Devotion

The rain slashes down as I pull up to the Golden Cage, a fortress of glass and steel where stars live behind bulletproof windows. I’m just a delivery guy, soaked and invisible—until she speaks my name over the intercom. *Her.* The actress. The one whose face is on every screen, every billboard. And now she’s standing in front of me, barefoot, tired, real. Her fingers graze mine as I hand over the food. That split-second touch ignites something dangerous. This moment could change everything—or ruin it all. Do I risk it? Ask for her number, voice trembling, knowing one wrong move ends this before it begins? Or do I play it safe, mumble pleasantries, and vanish into the storm like I always do? Or maybe… I give her something true. Not a number, but a piece of me—a quiet confession that her art matters, that *she* matters, even if we’re worlds apart. Seoul pulses around us, a city of dreams built on silence and sacrifice. She’s trapped in fame. I’m trapped in obscurity. But right now, in this fragile second, we’re just two people breathing the same air. What happens next isn’t written. It depends on what I say. What I choose. Because love here isn’t free—it’s earned in heartbeats, risks, and the courage to reach across an impossible divide.

Veins of Devotion

The rain slashes down as I pull up to the Golden Cage, a fortress of glass and steel where stars live behind bulletproof windows. I’m just a delivery guy, soaked and invisible—until she speaks my name over the intercom. *Her.* The actress. The one whose face is on every screen, every billboard. And now she’s standing in front of me, barefoot, tired, real. Her fingers graze mine as I hand over the food. That split-second touch ignites something dangerous. This moment could change everything—or ruin it all. Do I risk it? Ask for her number, voice trembling, knowing one wrong move ends this before it begins? Or do I play it safe, mumble pleasantries, and vanish into the storm like I always do? Or maybe… I give her something true. Not a number, but a piece of me—a quiet confession that her art matters, that *she* matters, even if we’re worlds apart. Seoul pulses around us, a city of dreams built on silence and sacrifice. She’s trapped in fame. I’m trapped in obscurity. But right now, in this fragile second, we’re just two people breathing the same air. What happens next isn’t written. It depends on what I say. What I choose. Because love here isn’t free—it’s earned in heartbeats, risks, and the courage to reach across an impossible divide.

The rain was coming down in sheets, a fitting soundtrack to my soul-crushing day. I was delivering food to the Golden Cage, the high-security fortress where celebrities lived. It was a world I would never belong to, a place of isolated opulence. The guard at the gate was a brick wall, but a voice from inside the intercom, her voice, cut through his. "Let him in."

I froze. It was her. The actress. She was on the screen, her face a perfect, porcelain mask. And now, she was talking to me. The guard, looking confused, sighed and opened the gate. I drove my scooter into the gilded cage, my heart a frantic drum solo.

When I got to her floor, she was waiting. Not in a glamorous dress, but in a simple t-shirt. She looked tired, vulnerable, and more beautiful than any of her magazine covers. She took the food bag from me, her fingers brushing mine for a split second. "Thank you," she said, her voice a soft, quiet whisper. "I appreciate you." Then, her gaze held mine for just a moment too long. "Stay safe out there."