The Idol and The Manager

Bucket Hat

Jay's POV

Jay stood in front of the woman, his clothes now stained by the coffee she had inadvertently spilled on him. He looked down at the large brown stain that spread across his white shirt, his frustration building. What an unfortunate thing to happen.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard her voice. "OhMG! Mianhamnida." The woman apologized, her words laced with genuine remorse.

Her voice sounded vaguely familiar. He paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly as he tried to recall where he had heard it before. It lingered in his mind, an echo he couldn’t place, like a faint memory from somewhere in the past.

He lifted his gaze from the coffee stains to meet her. The first thing he noticed was her hat, a black bucket hat that covered half of her face, obscuring her features. She was smaller than him, her frame delicate, and despite her height, there was something about her presence that made her seem fragile, almost as though she could easily disappear into the crowd if she wanted to.

Her face was partially hidden, but he could make out a glimpse of her nose, lips, and chin. Something about her features made her stand out, even though he couldn’t fully see her face. It was odd, this feeling of recognition despite her appearance being mostly concealed. Maybe it was her voice, or perhaps the way she was nervously shifting on her feet, clearly embarrassed by the accident.

"I didn’t see you. I thought the door was heavy. That’s why I put pressure on opening it. I didn’t mean for this to happen," she explained defensively, her eyes flicking between him and her bag as though trying to find something to help remedy the situation. Jay continued to watch her, trying to piece together why he had this odd sense of familiarity.

He was about to speak when she sighed, and the sound caught his attention. It wasn’t just the sigh itself—it was the way she sounded almost exasperated with herself, like she had been in this kind of embarrassing situation before. There was a certain vulnerability in the way she held herself, like she was bracing herself for any kind of judgment.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Jay saw her reach up to her head. His attention snapped back to her, curious about what she was doing. She took off the bucket hat she had been wearing and held it out to him.

She handed him the hat with an almost apologetic expression, lowering her head as though she couldn’t bear to look at him. Jay couldn’t help but silently chuckle inside his mask. The situation was awkward, but there was something endearing about her. Her hands were trembling slightly as she held the hat, as though she was trying to make up for something that couldn’t be fixed with mere apologies.

"I am very sorry. I’ll buy you new clothes if it’s okay with you," she said, her voice much softer now, almost as if she had lowered it to avoid drawing more attention to herself. She sounded like someone who genuinely felt bad, yet Jay knew the stain on his clothes was minor compared to the embarrassment she was enduring.

Jay didn’t respond immediately. He just stood there, still processing the situation, still trying to place the woman’s voice. His attention momentarily drifted to the woman as she waited for him to take the hat from her. But before he could, something unexpected happened.

From his peripheral vision, he noticed someone standing up from their seat in the café. At first, he didn’t think much of it. There were plenty of people moving around in the café, and it wasn’t unusual for someone to stand up and stretch. But then the person’s movement was more deliberate, more malicious. Jay didn’t need to look to know what was happening.

In one swift motion, someone threw a cup of iced coffee toward the woman.

Jay’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head sharply to see the drink coming toward them, the iced coffee splashing across the woman’s clothes, her face, and her hair. The coldness of the liquid was enough to send a chill down her spine. She gasped loudly, stunned by the sudden assault. Jay’s mind went into overdrive as he realized what had just happened.

The woman stood frozen, unable to react to the unexpected situation. Her eyes were wide in shock, her body stiff with disbelief. For a moment, it felt like time had slowed down as Jay processed the scene in front of him.

It didn’t take long for Jay to realize who had thrown the drink.

It was his sasaeng.

The woman who had been following him for years, stalking his every move, showing up uninvited at events, and doing whatever she could to insert herself into his life. Jay had been hoping he would be free of her once he left Korea, but now that he was back, it seemed like the chaos had returned with him.

How did she even find me here? He thought, his anger bubbling up inside him. He had just arrived in Korea after spending time away in the Philippines, and somehow, she had managed to track him down. It felt like his life in the Philippines had been peaceful, free from the constant presence of obsessive fans. But now, with her reappearing in his life, the stress, the headaches, and the constant anxiety had all come rushing back.

His mind raced with frustration. Why can’t she just leave me alone? Why does she have to make everything so difficult?

The anger inside him grew, and without thinking, he glared at the sasaeng. His eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her shrink back. He was furious, and the idea of someone invading his personal space and causing trouble for no reason made him sick.

But even with the fury swirling in his chest, his concern for the woman in front of him overpowered everything else. He quickly turned back to her, making sure she was okay. His focus was entirely on her, making sure she wasn’t physically harmed by the coffee that had been thrown at her. Her stillness was concerning—she wasn’t moving, she wasn’t saying anything, she was just standing there, lost in the shock of it all.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked softly, his voice gentler than he intended. He stepped forward cautiously, wanting to make sure she wasn’t hurt. He knew it wasn’t just the cold liquid that had affected her; it was the suddenness of the whole thing, the embarrassment, and the confusion all at once. She didn’t deserve any of it.

His heart went out to her as he stood there, waiting for her response. He could see her trying to process what had just happened, her body tense, her hands still holding onto her hat as though it was the only thing that could anchor her at the moment.

Jay took another step closer, gently reaching out to her, his voice calm but full of concern.

"I know this is strange, but I’m here, okay? It wasn’t your fault."

In that moment, it didn’t matter who the sasaeng was, or why she had done it. All that mattered was the woman standing in front of him, still in shock. He had to make sure she was okay, no matter what.