We finally made our way to the zoo. But just as we were about to enter, I saw a familiar silhouette walk past us in the crowd.

My eyes widened, and I turned to confirm, but I didn’t see them anymore.

"What’s wrong?" Ki-hoon asked but I lingered on the thought a little longer.

"Well, I thought I saw Seo-Jun just now," I said. "But maybe I saw wrong. It could’ve just been someone else."

What would Seo-Jun be doing at the zoo anyway? He said he had something to do so I assumed it might’ve been important.

I shhappenhead and decided to just focus on what was in front of me.

So, we saw the pandas, haha. Cute and clingy creatures.

I got a big panda stuffy, bigger than the one we got from the arcade, and this made it three stuffed toys I had combined.

One more and I’ll be having a representative of all my Alphas in stuffed animals, haha.

"Let’s go get ice cream," I said and Ki-hoon nodded, walking with me until we got to the ice cream stand.

There was a kid crying at the side because his ice cream had flipped over and his mother was trying to console him, saying she couldn’t get another cause she lost her purse in the crowd.

She was more worried about her purse but she didn’t let it show as she needed to calm her kid.

Things like that happen a lot.

"What can I get you?" The ice cream man asked.

"Well, for starters," I looked at the ice cream melting on the floor. "One scoop of chocolate ice cream."

"Come right up."

He handed it to me and I turned, heading to the crying child.

I knelt with one knee in front of the little boy, holding out the cone like a peace offering. His crying hitched into a series of small, hiccuping gasps as he stared at the chocolate swirl.

"Here," I said, offering my best ’friendly hyung’ smile. "The ground was hungry, so it took yours. But this one is specifically for you."

The boy looked at his mother, who seemed stunned, her face a mix of relief and embarrassment.

After a hesitant nod from her, the boy reached out and took the cone, his sticky fingers brushing mine.

"Thank you," he whispered, before burying his face in the chocolate.

I smiled, seeing how happy he was.

"You really didn’t have to," the mother sighed, her hand still clutched tightly over where her purse should have been.

"It’s just ice cream," I replied, standing up.

I felt Ki-hoon’s presence behind me—that familiar, warm weight. He didn’t say anything, but when I looked back, his eyes were soft, watching me with an expression that made my stomach do a little funny flip.

"Now, about that purse," Ki-hoon said, stepping forward. He didn’t wait for her to explain; he simply took out his phone. "Where did you last have it? I can have the zoo security check the cameras near the entrance immediately."

"Ah, thank you so much," she bowed her head. "I would really appreciate it if you did."

I was thankful Ki-hoon had his bucket hat and sunglasses on, if not, it would’ve been very easy to recognize him.

As Ki-hoon took charge of the situation with his usual effortless authority, I turned back to the ice cream stand to finally order ours. But as I waited for the change, my eyes scanned the happy crowd.

I’d like to feel this laid back more often. I guess this is the thrill that extroverts prefer. But what can I do? I’m an ambivert, and I don’t always like the idea of going out.

People were laughing, carrying balloons, and pointing at the distant giraffes. Then, near a cluster of vending machines, I saw ’him’ again. A flash of dark golden hair and the very specific, expensive-looking jacket I saw earlier.

The figure turned, and my heart stopped for a second.

It was Seo-Jun.

But he wasn’t alone this time. He was standing with a man in a sharp grey suit, and their body language was anything but casual. Seo-Jun looked cold, his jaw set in that hard line he only got when he was focused on dealing with business.

That’s one of the items you see Seo-Jun being serious about.

"Jo-Pil? Your ice cream is melting." Ki-hoon announced and I flinched, nearly dropping the two cones Ki-hoon had just reached over to grab for me.

"Ah, thanks, Hyung," I mumbled as Ki-hoon stepped up to handle the rest.

Ki-hoon looked up, wondering what had caught my attention, but his eyes swept over the moving crowd without seeing anything peculiar. He turned back to me, tilting his head slightly.

"What’s wrong? Did you see something you wanted to try?"

"Ah, that, I just saw..." I turned back quickly, but there wasn’t a single sign of Seo-Jun anymore. It was like he had disappeared into thin air. How was he doing that? And why was he even here?

Was he following me?

No, if Seo-Jun were here for me, his eyes would’ve definitely met mine and he’d smirk like usual. Instead, he had that focused, business-like expression.

The man next to him... he didn’t seem like an Omega, which was fortunate, but the whole vibe felt off. Was something wrong?

"It’s nothing. Let’s go try shooting balloons over there," I said, pointing in the direction I had been staring at.

If we go closer, maybe I’ll see him again and confirm that I’m not losing my mind.

There’s no such thing as a third coincidence.

My mind was a bit overwhelmed, wondering if Seo-Jun was actually watching me or if he was just here on his own business. But I couldn’t let it ruin the day.

"Balloons? You’re feeling confident after the arcade, aren’t you?" Ki-hoon teased, his hand reaching for my back—right where our matching heart was. "If I win you a prize, you have to wear it for the rest of the day." He leaned closer and whispered into my ear. "Even when we get back to the mansion."