Mrs. Um asked one of the staff members,

"Please guide everyone to the dining hall."

The students followed the staff into an enormous dining room.

Their jaws almost dropped.

The chairs were pulled out for each of them by the staff.

Napkins were gently unfolded and laid across their laps.

Elegant porcelain plates and gorgeous silver cutlery had already been arranged in front of every seat.

Aeryun and Zeon looked around with sparkling eyes.

It was their very first fine-dining experience.

They couldn't stop smiling.

Zeon looked around in amazement.

"I am absolutely loving this rich-life experience."

He glanced at the room again.

"Are we in a movie?"

"I swear I've seen this dining hall somewhere before."

Aeryun nodded enthusiastically.

"I think so too!"

"This place looks like it's straight out of a movie."

"I bet every film production rents this mansion for shooting."

Eunjae smiled.

"It actually used to be much simpler."

Kyuri looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Eunjae replied,

"The table and chairs are exactly the same as before."

"It's just the décor that's changed."

"It looks much more lavish now."

"Not that it looked bad before."

Zeon picked up one of the forks.

"Even the cutlery is stunning."

Joonho admired the plate.

"I'm definitely taking a picture of this."

Everyone looked at him.

He defended himself immediately.

"Come on, guys."

"Look around."

"Every house in this neighborhood is ridiculously expensive."

"This is probably normal here."

"At least let me flex on social media once."

Kyuri looked around the room.

"No way all this décor is just for one person..."

"...or even four people."

Liora pointed toward the decorative centerpiece.

"And honestly..."

"...who even eats this many grapes?"

A familiar voice answered from behind.

"They're not real."

"They're just decorations."

Mrs. Um slowly rolled into the dining hall in her electric wheelchair.

The room immediately became quiet again.

The staff carefully served each student a slice of warm apple pie.

Every plate looked like it belonged in a five-star restaurant.

Mrs. Um smiled.

"Go on."

"Eat while it's warm."

She took a bite of her own slice.

A bodyguard approached and quietly whispered something into her ear.

Mrs. Um nodded.

A few minutes later...

He returned and handed her his phone.

Mrs. Um looked at everyone.

"My son will be joining us for breakfast in a few minutes."

Meanwhile...

The police had arrived outside the property.

They quietly positioned themselves behind trees and neighboring walls.

No one inside the house noticed.

A few moments later...

A man wearing a white T-shirt, denim jacket, jeans, a black cap, sunglasses, and a black face mask entered through the back gate carrying a duffel bag.

Tae immediately stepped forward.

"Maybe we should stop him now."

He almost ran after the man.

The officer quickly grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

"He doesn't appear to be armed."

"We wait until backup arrives."

"We secure the perimeter first."

He immediately spoke into his radio.

"Block every nearby road."

"No one enters."

"No one leaves."

The officer looked at Tae.

"One wrong move could put everyone inside at risk."

Tae reluctantly nodded.

The man entered the dining hall.

He quietly removed his sunglasses...

...then his cap...

...and finally his mask.

The entire room froze.

Aeryun dropped her fork.

Clink.

Joonho had just lifted a bite of apple pie toward his mouth.

It remained suspended in mid-air.

Kyuri and Liora simply stared.

Unable to blink.

Eunjae immediately stood up.

"Good morning."

The man smiled warmly.

It was none other than Um Geonwoo.

The lead actor from Sun Is Shining... And So Are You.

From kindergarteners...

...to grandmothers...

...everyone knew who he was.

By now, he was completely used to people freezing whenever they saw him.

He greeted everyone politely.

The students somehow managed to greet him back.

Still completely stunned.

He took his seat.

A staff member served him a slice of apple pie as well.

Before taking his first bite, he smiled.

"Please."

"Eat."

"Don't wait for me."

Nobody moved.

Nobody even remembered they had food in front of them.

He looked toward Eunjae.

"How are your studies going?"

"They're going well," Eunjae replied.

Geonwoo then smiled at everyone else.

"And how about the rest of you?"

Silence.

Complete silence.

Not even a cough.

Just crickets.

Eunjae laughed awkwardly.

"They're in shock."

"I reacted exactly the same way the first time I met you."

"Please bear with them."

"They're all really nice."

"They just can't process seeing you in real life."

Then he whispered to everyone,

"Say something."

"At least nod."

Everyone nodded together.

Perfectly in sync.

Aeryun hesitantly raised her hand.

"If you don't mind..."

"...may I ask you one question?"

Geonwoo smiled.

"Of course."

Aeryun leaned forward.

"You're going to save the day in the upcoming episode..."

"...aren't you?"

He pretended to think for a moment.

"Hmm..."

"You'll have to watch the episode."

He paused dramatically before smiling.

"...But I'll let you in on one little secret."

"I do save the day."

The entire table erupted.

"YES!"

"I KNEW IT!"

"I TOLD YOU!"

Aeryun, Zeon, Joonho, Kyuri, and Liora celebrated like their favorite team had just won the championship.

Watching them become so excited over his drama made Geonwoo genuinely smile.

"I'd love for all of you to visit our set someday."

Joonho blinked.

"...Wait."

"You're inviting us..."

"...to your shooting set?"

Zeon leaned forward.

"The set of Sun Is Shining... And So Are You?"

"And the rest of the cast will be there too?"

"That's right."

Eunjae grinned.

"That would be so cool."

Kyuri and Liora nearly jumped from their seats.

"Will we get to meet the other celebrities too?"

Geonwoo laughed.

"Of course."

That was all it took.

The students completely lost their minds.

Every single one of them was smiling so widely their cheeks hurt.

Joonho cautiously asked,

"Would it... be okay if we took a picture with you?"

"Of course."

Everyone immediately rushed over.

Their half-eaten apple pies were abandoned on the table.

Mrs. Um sighed dramatically.

"At least finish your pie first."

Not a single student heard her.

She shook her head with a smile.

"Kids these days..."

"...they never listen."

Outside...

The police had completely secured the perimeter.

More patrol units arrived.

The negotiator stepped out of his vehicle.

Tae was asked to remain inside the police car.

He ignored them.

One officer said,

"Call your friend."

Tae immediately dialed Zeon's number.

Inside the house...

Zeon's phone vibrated in his pocket.

He never noticed.

He was far too busy taking selfies with Um Geonwoo.

Then—

A voice echoed across the entire neighborhood through a police loudspeaker.

"This is the police!"

"We have surrounded the building."

"Everyone inside, remain calm."

"If you can hear us..."

"...come outside slowly with your hands visible."

The smiles instantly vanished from every face in the dining hall.