Chapter Text
Thanos’s day had flown by with surprising speed.
By the time he woke up, Mi-na had already left the bed, and even the apartment, without a single note or message. He was used to her disappearing shortly after their nights together, but he always hoped she’d stay a little longer. After all, wasn’t that what girlfriends were supposed to do?
With an apple pastry in one hand and a takeaway coffee in the other, he showed up at the studio a full hour late, earning himself a full-blown lecture from his manager. The man kept repeating the same thing over and over: a job like Thanos’s demanded full commitment. Without it, fame would vanish, and success along with it.
He spent the better part of the morning rehearsing for his upcoming album recording rough drafts, tweaking lyrics that didn’t sit quite right.
Mi-na met him for lunch at a traditional noodle house known for its sea urchin udon. He devoured his bowl and was already ordering a second before realizing she hadn’t even touched hers, too engrossed in whatever was on her phone.
Thanos pulled a small sticky note from the pocket of his baggy jeans, scribbled with a few lyrics.
"What do you think of this?" he asked. “Powder and pain, they dance in the rain, numbin’ the hurt while it poisons the brain.”
He rapped the line out loud, his body moving with the rhythm. But Mi-na barely glanced up from her phone. She simply turned the screen toward him with a faint smile.
“Come on, smile.”
Thanos sighed and slipped the note back into his pocket. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered,
“I’ve got a better idea.”
He gently turned her face toward his and kissed her. But to his dismay, the kiss lasted only a few seconds before Mi-na pulled away, eyes returning instantly to her screen.
“Perfect! This’ll blow up on Instagram.”
She spent a few moments adjusting the lighting and crop on the photo before posting it to her story, tagging Thanos, whose phone buzzed instantly on the table.
She checked the time, stood up, and grabbed her bag.
“I’ve got to go. Campaign shoot this afternoon... We seeing each other tonight?”
“I’ll text you. I’ve got to meet Se-mi later for—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mi-na leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before heading out, leaving her untouched bowl of noodles behind.
Thanos watched her leave the restaurant before picking up his phone, which buzzed again almost immediately. A message from Se-mi lit up the screen, asking him to meet her at Club Pentagon at 10 p.m. He then opened Mi-na’s story, scrolling through the endless stream of photos and videos she had just posted. He tapped the heart on each one out of habit, pausing when he reached the picture of them together. One of his own songs played softly in the background : the exact verse he had written for her the night they met : “First glance, had me stuck like a trance, didn’t even dance, but it felt like romance.” Just beneath it, she’d added a simple caption: “with my perfect boyfriend!”
He stared at it for a moment before locking his phone. Without touching his second bowl, he waved the waiter over, canceled the rest of his order, and dropped enough cash on the table to cover the bill plus a generous tip.
He spent the rest of the day slouched on his couch, mindlessly scrolling through pointless videos and replying to a few lucky fans on Instagram. Around four in the afternoon, Mi-na called but he didn’t answer. He was already half-asleep, sunk deep into the cushions.
When he finally woke up, it was past eight. He checked his phone and listened to the voicemail she’d left: “Thanos, can you re-share the story I posted? My friends are asking questions…you're always reposting my stuff, so why not that photo? Anyway, just repost it and call me about tonight.” She had called him at least ten times, but Thanos already knew he needed to start getting ready for his meeting with Se-mi. He took a quick shower, threw on a clean pair of jeans and a green T-shirt printed with a trippy face, then fixed his hair before slipping on his sneakers and leaving the apartment.
Outside, he hesitated. Driving would’ve taken less than fifteen minutes, but he needed air, he needed to clear his head. Phone switched off in his pocket, he wandered the streets of Seoul, kicking an empty soda can that rattled across the sidewalk like his thoughts.
Just a few minutes from Club Pentagon, Thanos paused to light a cigarette when he noticed a couple kissing inside a parked car. He immediately recognized the driver : it was that crypto investment streamer, the one who went by Mgcoin. Thanos hadn’t even known the guy was in a relationship. Then again, whenever he watched his streams, it was all charts, profits, and market trends : never a word about his personal life.
The girl had short hair, cut just below her chin. She stepped out of the car drowned in an oversized black hoodie and ripped jeans. Thanos only caught a glimpse of her profile before she pulled up her hood and began walking in the same direction as him.
Club Pentagon was hard to miss : a glowing blue flame-shaped sign lit up the entrance, where a crowd was already lining up. The girl gave the bouncer a casual nod and slipped inside. Thanos followed suit. One of the perks of being VIP: no waiting, no questions. Just a nod, and you were in.
He scanned the room until he spotted Se-mi, sitting alone at a table in the corner, sipping a violet-colored cocktail. She wore a sharp blazer over a half-unbuttoned dress shirt, giving off that effortless, confident look she always carried. Thanos slid into the seat across from her and gave a small wave before motioning to a passing waitress for a glass of somaek.
“New piercing?” he asked, nodding toward her mouth. A silver stud gleamed on her lower lip.
“Freshly done. You should try it, you’d look amazing.”
“What wouldn’t look amazing on me?”
He laughed, cocky as ever, and Se-mi rolled her eyes. Thanos reached for the cross-shaped pendant around his neck, opened it, and took out a small pink pill. He placed it on his tongue, then held the open pendant toward Se-mi in offering. She waved it off.
“I’m not here for that… and you should stop. We’ve had this talk already.”
“So what are you here for? To talk about the new album? Or to ask me to post a story like Mi-na?”
“She did it again?”
Thanos nodded, then leaned back, draping his arms across the leather bench behind him.
A waitress approached the table. He recognized her : it was the girl from the car with Mgcoin. She set down his drink and cleared Se-mi’s empty glass. Se-mi placed another order, and while the girl write it down, Thanos watched the curve of her hips as she moved.
She’d ditched the oversized hoodie for a silver sequin tank top. A sharp stroke of black eyeliner framed her eyes, and her cheeks were a soft, blushing pink. She didn’t so much as glance at him but he didn’t take his eyes off her, watching her closely until she disappeared back into the crowd.
Se-mi snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“You high, or just hypnotized?”
Thanos kept his gaze on the waitress for another second, watching her weave through the room, tray in hand. Then he turned back to Se-mi and smiled as she narrowed her eyes at him.
“What? I’m allowed to look…it’s not cheating.”
For three hours, they talked business strategy over several drinks. Se-mi suggested photoshoots alongside Mi-na to appeal to his fans, more natural Instagram stories : like videos of him in the studio or reviews of what he ate or bought. Thanos didn’t see the point. All he cared about was making music, writing, performing on stage, and seeing his fans’ faces light up. Still, he listened and let her lead him to a taxi.
“I’m fine…”
“You’re drunk and on your pills… No, you’re not fine. Go home.”
Thanos sighed and took a seat in the taxi, which pulled away immediately, not even giving him time to say goodbye to his friend. He stared out the window as they drove along the riverfront. And that’s when he saw her again : Mgcoin’s partner. She was standing by the roadside, leaning into a car window just as the vehicle sped off. She flipped him off and yelled, “Fuck you!” before grabbing a can and throwing it after the car.
Thanos tapped on the divider window between the driver and the back seat.
“Stop near her.”
The driver obeyed, pulling the car up alongside the young woman so she was facing Thanos’s door. He rolled down the window, and she leaned in. He took a closer look at her face : striking eyes, captivating, soft pink lips and high cheekbones.
“How much?” Thanos stared at her as he spoke.
He didn’t expect her to slap his face with the palm of her hand.
He closed his eyes briefly, muttering a simple, “Ouch,” before watching her walk away along the roadside.
“Follow her, please.”
“Sir, I can’t just follow a woman alone on the street.”
“Follow her.”
Thanos handed a wad of bills to the driver, who took it without a word and started moving again, driving slowly alongside the young woman as she walked, rubbing her bare arms. She didn’t spare Thanos a single glance, staring straight ahead.
“I’m not a prostitute.”
“Sorry, I thought… Do you need a ride somewhere?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“It’s cold, this isn’t the safest neighborhood, and… okay, wait.”
She stopped walking and the car pulled over beside her. Thanos got out and approached.
She was smaller, probably about shoulder height to him, and looked younger by a few years; it showed in her features.
“I need some company, and you obviously need a ride somewhere, so… let’s make a deal. Fair trade?”
She crossed her arms and gave him a once-over. He looked familiar, like someone she might know, but she couldn’t place him. Her brow furrowed slightly as he just stood there, hands hanging loosely at his sides.
“Four hundred thirty-five thousand won.”
“Four hundred thirty-five thousand? Just to give you a ride? Are you crazy?”
She shrugged and turned her back to him, picking up her pace. Thanos sighed and caught up to her, resting a hand gently on her bare arm. He noticed how soft her skin was. She faced him, saying nothing.
Thanos pulled some bills from his pocket and held them out to her.
“That’s not what I asked for…”
“Half now, the rest when I drop you off at your place.”
She didn’t say a word and moved closer to the car door, arms still crossed.
“Are you gonna open the door or just stand out here freezing?”
Thanos opened the door, muttering,
“What a stubborn one.”
He watched her get in, then circled around to sit beside her.
“Where to?”
She leaned toward the driver and gave an address about fifteen minutes away. The driver activated the GPS, then rolled up the partition window between him and the two passengers, who stayed silent for a good ten minutes.
The woman never uncrossed her arms and sat tucked into her corner, legs tightly closed. When Thanos reached over to adjust her poorly fastened seatbelt, she slid further back into her seat.
“Don’t touch me!”
“I was just fixing your seatbelt.”
Thanos raised his hands in surrender, palms open, then opened his necklace again to take out one of the pills and popped it onto his tongue.
The woman leaned toward him, pointing at the cross pendant he held between his fingers.
“Can I have one?”
“What’s in it for me?”
She furrowed her brows, eyes narrowing slightly, like a frightened cat. Thanos rolled his eyes.
“Tell me your name.”
She hesitated, then glanced up at the car ceiling as if thinking, before whispering,
“Nam-su.”
Thanos offered her the open pendant, and she took one of the pills, sliding it between her lips before leaning back against the door.
“That’s an unusual name for a woman.”
At those words, Nam-su turned sharply toward Thanos, visibly offended.
He stared back at her, lips slightly parted, confused.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” Thanos instinctively touched his cheeks, checking.
Nam-su raised her hand, ready to slap him again, but Thanos caught her wrist just before she made contact.
“I’m not a woman!”
He shouted the words, yanking his arm free and folding it tightly across his chest. His brows were furrowed, his glare intense.
Thanos burst out laughing, wiping his hand across his face. “What the hell’s so funny, asshole?”
“Asshole? I literally just gave you money so you’d get home safe and you’re calling me an asshole?”
He watched him fold his arms again and turn his face toward the window. His laughter faded.
“I’m just surprised, that’s all… I usually don’t go for guys.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“I know.”
“What do you mean you know? Are you stalking me?”
Nam-su turned to face him again, arms still crossed, his eyes sharp. Thanos opened his mouth, then shut it again. Opened it. Closed it. How the hell was he supposed to explain?
“I know your boyfriend… kind of.”
“Myung-gi? Don’t you dare tell him where you found me or anything else.”
“I don’t know him personally. I just watch his videos.”
“Great. Another obsessed stalker.”
“He’s not really the one I’m obsessed with right now.”
Nam-su didn’t reply, but slowly uncrossed his arms. Thanos noticed his cheeks had turned even redder.
“And your name?”
“Thanos.”
“Thanos? Like the villain from Marvel? That’s ridiculous…”
“Oh, and Nam-su is better?”
Nam-su shot him a middle finger without even blinking. Thanos laughed again and leaned over, planting a kiss on the back of his hand. He quickly wiped it off on his thigh, crossing his arms once more.
The car came to a stop in front of a beige apartment building, its entrance lit up with a soft yellow glow. Without a word, Nam-su opened the door and stepped out.
Thanos watched him walk toward the entrance, then suddenly he turned around and came back to his window. Thanosrolled it down as Nam-su leaned in, resting his arms on the edge. He reached out, brushing a strand of his hair behind his ear.
“My name’s Nam-gyu.”
“And when will I see you again, Nam-gyu Nam-su?”
Nam-gyu rolled his eyes and turned away. As he reached the front door, he looked back at him one last time, mouthing the word: “Never.”
Then he disappeared inside, leaving behind the rest of the money Thanos still owed him.