Jin-ah snorted. "Which is really just this guy's place. Our actual secret spot got banished from existence. Or, you could say, removed." She said the last word with a dramatic sigh.

Dae cracked his neck. "And hey, the most secret place is the place you stay." He paused, looking at both Beom Seok and Eunwoo. "Anyway, you both must be hungry. I have some instant ramyeon." He headed to the kitchen.

Beom Seok nodded gratefully. "Ah, thanks." Then, in a move of pure habit, his hands went straight to his hoodie zipper. He pulled it off, revealing the crisp, white dress shirt underneath, its collar still perfectly structured despite the hoodie's oppression. He smoothed down the front automatically and ran a hand through his hair to undo the deliberate messiness.

Eunwoo stared, his eyes wide behind his red lenses. 'Eh?! Sunbae-nim, why are you taking off your disguise?! Remember—friends in development! We're undercover!'

Beom Seok's eyes, however, kept flicking toward Jin-ah, who was staring back with undisguised curiosity.

"Wow," Jin-ah said, blinking slowly. "You really do wear a dress shirt every time under that hoodie."

Beom Seok laughed, easy and relaxed in a way he rarely was. "What can I say? A dress shirt makes me look good." The words were vain, but his tone was light, almost self-deprecating.

Jin-ah blinked. Huh. He's not hurt by that 'generic' word anymore. Or is he just really fine now?

Beom Seok's smile was a little distracted. The laughter from the arcade was fading, replaced by the nervous thump of his heart. He’d come here for a reason. He’d sought her out for a reason. The game was over; this was the main quest: Become friends with her.

Meanwhile, Eunwoo whispered to him, a frantic edge to his voice, "Why did you strip the disguise? And why aren't they saying anything about Bomsok?"

Jin-ah accidentally caught the last part. "Oh, so you really are Jang Beom Seok's friend! You even know his bias is Bomsok." She sounded impressed.

Beom Seok laughed, a real, unforced sound. "Not 'Bomb Sock'?"

Jin-ah waved a hand. "Well, he's your bias. I won't make fun of him anymore. For my... friends in the making." She grinned.

"Friends?" Beom Seok asked, hope flickering in his chest.

"Like Dae said," she shrugged. "We're friends in development. Maybe at the end, we'll be real friends."

"Yes," Beom Seok said, his voice softer than intended. "I like that."

Meanwhile, Eunwoo paused and widened his eyes behind his ridiculous glasses.

Bomb Sock?!

Sunbae is... biasing himself?!

What is happening?!

Beom Seok nudged Eunwoo. "You can take off your attire, you know," he whispered. "No one will know who you are anyway."

Eunwoo could only manage a strangled, "Eh?" But he complied, carefully removing the bucket hat and the large red glasses. He blinked a few times, the world coming into sharper, clearer focus without the tinted lenses.

As Jin-ah and Beom Seok began talking, Eunwoo watched in growing, utter disbelief. Each casual exchange between them made his eyes widen further.

When Jin-ah casually mentioned "that Bomb Sock guy" from their previous conversations, Eunwoo mouthed silently, "Generic? Bomb Sock? What?..." His gaze darted between them, trying to process the impossible. She... she doesn't know idols? How?!

During a lull, Eunwoo cleared his throat. "I should probably introduce myself properly. I'm Ban Eunwoo." He figured since they clearly didn't recognize them anyway, using his real name was safer than a lie.

Dae emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with four steaming bowls but froze mid-step when he heard the name. His medical training had given him an excellent memory for details, and this name triggered a very specific recollection.

Two years ago. A VIP patient. Chaebol family. Ban Yunho. He'd been brought in after a minor accident, and during the long wait, he'd mentioned his younger brother with clear pride. "Eunwoo keeps using my name at that gaming place… BYH… thinks I don't know…"

Dae's mind raced as he set down the tray. BYH. Ban YunHo. And Ban Eunwoo uses his brother's name. The younger brother of his former VIP patient. And the way Eunwoo had called Beom Seok "sunbae-nim" at the arcade suddenly made perfect sense under chaebol hierarchy. If Beom Seok's family was more established...

Everything clicked. The expensive subtle accessories, the disguises, the practiced politeness. Two chaebol heirs trying to experience normal life.

But Dae kept his expression carefully neutral, exchanging a quick, significant glance with Jin-ah that said we'll talk about this later.

"Nice to meet you properly, Eunwoo," Dae said casually, sitting down with his bowl. They all took their bowls.

Eunwoo nudged Beom Seok.

Beom Seok leaned closer and whispered, "Well, Seo Jin-ah is completely into anime. She never watches variety shows, skips ads, avoids entertainment news... she literally told me she doesn't care about 'random handsome guys.'"

Eunwoo's eyes widened in amazement. "How is that possible?"

"She only recognizes anime characters. Kakashi, Naruto, that crowd," Beom Seok continued in a low murmur. "And Kim Dae Bin seems the same way."

Eunwoo stared at Jin-ah, then toward Dae, who was trying to appear casual while processing chaebol family connections in his head.

A slow, amazed smile spread across Eunwoo's face. "They really don't know us."

"And I want to keep it that way," Beom Seok whispered back, his voice utterly genuine.

They straightened up and began eating their ramyeon as if nothing had been discussed. The conversation flowed naturally around the steaming bowls.

"So what got you into Naruto?" Eunwoo asked Jin-ah, genuinely curious.

Jin-ah's face lit up instantly. "The character development! Especially how they handle trauma and growth. Like Kakashi's arc from the Kakashi Gaiden through Shippuden..." As she launched into a detailed analysis, Eunwoo nodded along thoughtfully, occasionally asking sharp questions that showed a surprising familiarity with the series.

Beom Seok paused mid-slurp, leaning closer to whisper, "How did you know?!"

Eunwoo whispered back, "Well, sunbae... I told you I'm unlearning my upbringing, so I kinda enjoy these pe..." He caught himself, glancing toward Jin-ah and Dae. "I mean, normal things. Anime helps you understand how regular people think and feel."

Beom Seok's expression shifted to something between admiration and envy. Even Eunwoo had found ways to connect with the normal world that Beom Seok was still desperately learning to navigate.

Meanwhile, Dae leaned over to Jin-ah and whispered quietly, "You know that theory we had about these two? I think we were right to be respectful and not push. They clearly need this space to just be normal."

Jin-ah nodded, whispering back, "Everyone deserves a place where they can drop the act, whatever that act is." She glanced at the two men, talking about something. "Besides," she added with a quiet, logical shrug, "what are the odds we'd actually meet two idols in the wild? Rich kids with secret hobbies? That makes way more sense." Besides, she thought, if Jang Beom Seok really were that Bomsok guy, wouldn't he have been pissed when I called him "Bomb Sock" right to his face on the bus? Instead he just laughed and corrected me like a normal fanboy would. Yeah, Bomsok fandom will tear her apart like hyenas, just like how these unhinged fans think if some of their bias is close to some woman.

Dae nodded in immediate agreement. "Exactly. Way more plausible.”

The meal continued with easy conversation about favorite characters, memorable fight scenes, and the eternal debate over which opening theme was superior.

For the first time in years, both idols found themselves in a space where they could just be young men sharing a meal and opinions that had nothing to do with their public personas.

And Jin-ah and Dae, recognizing the precious, fragile gift of anonymity they were somehow offering, simply let them have it.