The next day, the impact of the BTS clip was clear.

Minjae woke up early again. It wasn't even 8:00 a.m. when his phone began buzzing nonstop.

There were notifications from social media, mentions, and a few congratulatory messages from people he hadn't heard from in a while.

He blinked his eyes open, groaned softly, and reached for his phone.

[Donghyun Hyung:] You're not going to believe this.

[Stylist Noona:] Congrats! People really love you and Yura together!!

[Jihoon:] Wake up, hyung. You're famous again 😂

He furrowed his brows, still half-asleep, but curiosity got the best of him. He opened his browser and checked the latest articles. The top headline on every entertainment site caught his eye immediately.

"The Star's Secret Sees Surge in Ratings—Closes Gap with 'Chasing Dreams' by Just 1%."

Minjae sat up straight.

His eyes scanned the numbers.

Episode 8 – 10.4%

Episode 9 – 11.6%

And that wasn't all.

There was a real-time graph attached. "Chasing Dreams," which had been sitting comfortably at the top spot for weeks, was now barely holding on. The Star's Secret was climbing faster than anyone had expected.

Minjae's breath caught slightly.

It was happening.

All the quiet work. The pressure. The waiting. It was finally starting to pay off.

He scrolled down further, reading the breakdowns.

Viewership had jumped not only domestically, but also from international markets. Clips from the beach and café scenes had gained millions of views, and the BTS footage released the day before was now ranked among the top trending entertainment videos in Korea and Japan.

And at the center of it all was him—and Yura.

He opened his messages.

[Yura:] Oppa. It's crazy. We're almost tied with Chasing Dreams!! 😭😭

[Minjae:] I saw. I had to refresh the page three times. Is this real?

[Yura:] I think it is. People keep sharing our scenes everywhere.

[Minjae:] You think we'll hit No.1?

[Yura:] I don't know. But I really want to.

Minjae smiled at the screen. Not because of the rankings, but because they weren't doing it alone. They were growing together—slowly, steadily, just like their characters.

A few hours later, in the middle of the morning, Global Studios had already scheduled another internal meeting. This time, there was a quiet hum of excitement in the room.

The marketing floor was buzzing. Phones were ringing. Laptops were open to dashboards showing upward curves.

"Overnight growth from both domestic and international platforms," someone from analytics said, gesturing at the screen. "We gained over 30,000 new followers on our main channel after the BTS release. Fan engagement has doubled."

Another team member added, "We've got content creators on LikLok using the stone toss sound like it's a love confession meme."

The department head walked in, holding a hot coffee in one hand.

She glanced around the room, lips slightly turned up.

"I don't think I need to say it," she began. "But keep doing what you're doing."

There was a light laugh in the room, followed by a shared look of quiet pride.

"We're almost there," she continued. "Chasing Dreams still has the lead, but the difference is down to just one percent. One. Let's not slow down now."

The team nodded.

Outside that office, more buzz was building.

Fans were now watching the drama not just for the plot, but for the connection between the characters. Minjae and Yura's chemistry was the kind people kept coming back to—subtle, genuine, and slow-burning. It didn't try too hard. And that made it easier to believe.

Over the next few days, articles poured in:

"Minjae and Yura are the unexpected couple of the year."

"Off-screen chemistry? Behind-the-scenes video hints at something more."

"From playful bickering to soft glances—Minjae and Yura charm audiences worldwide."

The views continued to grow. The rewatch rate of Episodes 7 and 8 spiked. Fans even began creating their own theories and edits, breaking down every glance and small moment between the two.

Back in his apartment, Minjae was sitting by the window, a cup of tea in his hands as he read one of the articles aloud under his breath.

"…A love story told through moments, not grand gestures."

He set the phone down with a quiet laugh.

In that moment, Jihoon called.

"Hyung!"

Minjae answered with a chuckle, "Yeah?"

"Did you see the rankings? Bro, we're this close. I swear I'm not even in the couple but I'm rooting for you two more than myself."

Minjae leaned his head back against the window.

"You're rooting for us?"

"Yeah," Jihoon said proudly. "You and Yura look like an old couple learning how to flirt again. It's great television."

Minjae laughed, shaking his head.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. If we hit number one next week, drinks on you."

"We'll see," Minjae replied.

But even he couldn't deny how it felt.

The idea of being part of something people truly loved was better than any trophy.

Later that night, Global Studios quietly updated their homepage.

THey said a congratulatory message to the team even if it hadn't passed Chasing Dreams yet.

They were ready.

Minjae refreshed the site one more time, watching the banner change.

He could feel the pressure starting to build again—but this time, it wasn't scary.

It was exciting.

It was hopeful.

He glanced around his apartment, still slowly settling in, and smiled to himself.

They were close.

Closer than ever.

- - -

A few days later, the next episode of The Star's Secret aired.

Episode 9.

There was a quiet anticipation surrounding it. People were waiting this time—not just casually tuning in like before, but actually counting down the hours.

Online forums buzzed all day, hashtags trended even before the episode dropped, and snippets of trailers had already sparked interest.

This was the episode the director teased in an interview as "the turning point."

And they were right.

Minjae, like always, stayed in for the night.

When the clock struck 8:00 p.m., the screen lit up with the familiar logo of the show.

Episode 9 began not with drama, but with softness.

It opened with Minjae's character, Taeyung, waking up early and walking into the café, only to find Yura's character already there, sleeping with her head resting on the counter. The camera lingered on the way he stopped in his tracks, how he simply stood there, watching her sleep, quietly smiling to himself.

It was a simple scene.

But somehow, it felt like everything shifted there.

Minjae sat on his couch, watching himself on screen.

Then the music faded in. A piano version of their theme song. And the episode continued.

It wasn't rushed. It didn't try to jump into anything big. Instead, it leaned into the little things.

Just like a late night walk home.

A scene shot under soft yellow streetlights. Minjae and Yura were walking in silence, shoulders brushing lightly, hands occasionally bumping.

"You don't talk much," Yura said suddenly.

"I talk when I need to," Minjae replied in silence.

"And when do you need to?"

He looked at her.

"When it's you."

It wasn't a grand confession. There was no dramatic music. Just that line. It was delivered quietly. Like a whisper meant for her ears only.

Back on the couch, Minjae leaned forward slightly, heart unconsciously thudding.

He remembered filming that scene. He remembered the way the director said, "Don't push the emotion. Just let it sit." And so he did.

He let it sit.

And now, seeing it again, he understood what it had become.

The rest of the episode continued with more of the two. Quiet moments. Soft tension. And just before the credits rolled, the most replayed scene of the night appeared.

Minjae and Yura, standing in front of the café during closing hours. Snow beginning to fall lightly. Eunbi reached out to fix the scarf around Taeyung's neck.

"You'll catch a cold," she murmured.

Taeyung didn't move. He just looked at her.

And in a rare moment, he lifted his hand and gently fixed the collar of her coat, too.

A mirror action.

It was subtle but so powerful.

The screen faded to black after that.

And social media? It exploded.

"NO BECAUSE THIS EPISODE??? GENTLE ROMANCE MASTERCLASS"

"I'm crying over a scarf touch. Who gave them the right."

"The pacing… the warmth… THE TENSION."

"This is how you do a love story."

"I'm screaming into the void—THEY DIDN'T EVEN KISS AND IT'S MORE ROMANTIC THAN ANYTHING ELSE THIS YEAR."

#TheStarsSecretEp9

For character sheets and glossaries, visit MV|LEMPYR.

#QuietLove

#MinjaeYuraHeartAttack

#WeFinallyFellInLove

The next morning, Minjae was again woken up not by his alarm, but by his phone.

[Donghyun Hyung:] We did it.

Minjae sat up immediately, heart racing.

He opened the ratings site.

And there it was.

Episode 9 – 12.3%

Chasing Dreams was now at 11.8%

They had done it.

After weeks of slow progress, of careful pacing, of steady audience building, The Star's Secret was now number one.

His phone kept buzzing.

[Yura:] OPPAAAAA WE'RE #1 😭😭😭😭

[Jihoon:] WE PASSED THEM!!! BRO YOU'RE LEADING A TOP DRAMA NOW.

[Stylist Noona:] Our Minjae-ssi made it!! 😭 I'm so proud of you!!

[Director:] Congratulations to all. Let's keep this momentum going.

Minjae set his phone down slowly, both hands covering his mouth for a second.

He let out a long breath and leaned back into the couch, staring at the ceiling.

It felt… surreal.