Evan stepped out of the elevator, welcoming the cool air in the apartment lobby after a long day at work. His steps were relaxed, though his mind still swirled with all the things he had to face in this new version of his life.
Just then, a woman entered the building, dressed in a casual outfit with oversized sunglasses covering part of her face. At a glance, she looked familiar.
Fara.
But unlike in Evan's memories, Fara's gaze was blank—there was no sign of recognition.
Instead, she looked slightly surprised, then subtly observed him from head to toe. Evan pretended not to notice and continued walking casually toward the exit.
But as he expected, Fara followed her instincts.
"Excuse me, have we met before?"
Evan glanced at her briefly, then shook his head. "I don't think so."
Fara frowned, still trying to recall, then smiled faintly.
"Oh… sorry, I thought we might've met. Do you live here too?" she asked, her tone friendly and curious.
Evan smirked slightly. Naturally, Fara was still drawn to him—even though in this new life, they weren't supposed to know each other.
"Yes. But I think this is the first time we've talked." Evan kept his cool.
Fara gave a half-smile. "Oh yeah? Well, nice to meet you."
She held out her hand. "I'm Fara."
Evan looked at the hand for a second before shaking it. "Evan."
Fara continued watching him with growing interest.
"I walk by here a lot—how come I'm only seeing you now?" she asked again.
Evan just shrugged. "Maybe we've just never crossed paths."
Fara chuckled and bit her lip lightly. "Maybe. Hope we bump into each other more often."
Evan gave a small smile.
This curse really is strange. But one thing remains the same: his natural pull toward people who are drawn to him—even if they don't understand why.
Since that first encounter in the lobby, Fara began appearing more and more in Evan's daily life.
At first, it was just greetings when they happened to cross paths—in the lobby, the elevator, even the convenience store downstairs. But over time, it became clear these weren't coincidences.
One evening, Evan had just returned from the office when he heard the sound of quick footsteps behind him.
"Evan!"
He stopped and turned. As expected, Fara was walking up to him with a confident smile.
"Fancy running into you again," she said lightly.
Evan gave a small smile. "Yeah, fancy that."
Fara crossed her arms, studying Evan. "I'm curious—are you really that busy, or are you just avoiding me?" she asked half-jokingly.
Evan chuckled. "Why would I avoid you?"
"Because it feels like I'm the one chasing after you." Fara looked at him meaningfully.
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Are you chasing after me?"
Fara narrowed her eyes, then smiled. "Maybe. Maybe not. I just like talking to you."
Evan could've teased her back, but chose to stay calm. "You're an actress, right? A lot of people probably want to talk to you."
Fara laughed. "True. But that's why I like people who are just... normal. Like you."
Evan gave a lopsided smile. "You mean I'm just ordinary?"
"I mean... you're different. You're not trying to impress me, and you're not easily smitten. That's attractive." Fara looked at him closely.
Evan let out a slow breath. In this new life, he wanted to avoid drama. But it was clear Fara wouldn't give up that easily.
Evan looked at her seriously. He knew if he didn't say something, she would keep finding ways to get closer.
"Fara, please keep your distance," he said firmly. "I'm married. My wife's about to give birth to our second child."
Fara, who had still been smiling confidently, suddenly frowned. She looked Evan up and down as if trying to determine if he was telling the truth.
"You're too young to have two kids," she muttered skeptically.
Evan just shrugged. "But that's the reality."
Fara squinted, studying him with growing curiosity. "You're not joking?"
"There's nothing funny about this."
For a moment, Fara was silent, processing his words. Evan hoped it would be enough to make her back off. But instead of stepping away, Fara smiled slyly.
"Interesting," she said. "Now I'm even more curious about you."
Evan sighed. He'd seen this coming.
Fara folded her arms again, her eyes trailing to Evan's fingers.
"You said you have a wife and a second child on the way, but... where's your ring?" she asked, her tone skeptical.
Evan glanced down at his own hand. Bare. He resisted the instinct to shove it into his pocket. Damn it.
Fara smiled smugly, feeling like she'd won. "You're lying, aren't you? No wonder I felt something was off."
Evan stared at her, trying to keep his expression neutral. "A ring isn't proof of everything, Fara."
"But if you really were married, there should be something to prove it." Fara stepped closer, her voice low, challenging. "Or are you just making excuses to push me away?"
Evan took a long breath. "You can believe whatever you want. But I'm not interested in playing this game."
Fara stared at him, searching for a lie in his face. But instead of backing off, her smile widened.
"If you're really married, then prove it."
Evan knew this wouldn't end easily.
He didn't answer. He just looked at her for a moment, then turned and walked away without another word.
Fara frowned, not expecting Evan to walk off like that. "Oh, so that's how it is?" she muttered, annoyed but even more intrigued.
Evan didn't care. He just wanted to go home, rest, and avoid anything that might bring drama into his life. But he knew Fara. She wasn't the type to give up easily.
Fara stood still, watching Evan's back as he walked away. A thin smile formed on her lips. "Interesting. You think you can just walk away?"
She started scheming. Evan was clearly different from other men who usually fell for her charms. But that only made her more intrigued.
"If the usual approach doesn't work, I'll have to try something else."
Fara took out her phone, looking up information about Evan. If she couldn't get close to him directly, maybe there was another way—through the people around him.
She paused, eyes tracking Evan's luxury car as it pulled out. The streetlight's reflection glinted off the body, making it look even more impressive.
"He must live a very comfortable life," Fara thought. "And he's still young… How can someone like that be so closed off?"
She bit her lip, mind racing. Evan wasn't the kind of man who could be approached the usual way. If she wanted in, she needed to find the right opening.
"I need to learn more about him."
With renewed determination, Fara turned around, ready to plan her next move.
—
Evan had just parked his car in the apartment basement when he heard a faint screeech—the sound of something sharp dragging across metal.
He frowned. Turning his head, he saw a woman standing stiffly next to his car, face pale, hand still holding a key that had clearly just scratched the sleek body of his luxury vehicle.
"Oh no… I… I didn't mean to!" Fara cried, panic in her voice, her eyes wide as if terrified he'd lash out.
Evan stared at the long scratch across the side of his car. Internally, he sighed. If this were 2018, he might've been angry and demanded compensation. But now, he knew Fara had done this on purpose—for whatever reason.
"Didn't mean to?" Evan repeated flatly, eyeing Fara's frightened act.
Fara bit her lip. "I swear, I panicked! I was so scared you'd get mad and make me pay. I'm just a new actress—I don't have money for a car like this…"
Evan folded his arms, expression unreadable. "So the solution is... scratch someone's car and pretend to be scared?"
Fara paused for a fraction of a second, then dropped her gaze, twirling a strand of her hair like a damsel in distress. "I'm really sorry… I'll take responsibility, just please don't make me sell a kidney."
Evan almost laughed. This girl really was a good actress.
Unfortunately for her, he'd seen this game before.
Evan studied Fara, evaluating her convincingly fake panic. If this were 2018, he might've just asked her to pay for the damage and move on. But now? He knew better. This wasn't a simple accident—it was a stunt to get his attention.
Without saying anything, Evan took out his phone and began typing.
Fara tensed. "Wait, are you calling the police?"
Evan didn't answer, just tapped a few more times before holding the screen out to her.
"I want you to transfer the compensation right now," he said calmly. His account number was displayed on the screen.
Fara blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Right now?"
"Yes. Now," Evan replied coldly. "If you really want to take responsibility, prove it."
Fara bit her lip, then laughed softly. "You're so serious. Your car's still fine—it's just a little scratch."
"If it's just 'a little', then the compensation should be 'a little' too. Shouldn't be hard, right?" Evan's expression didn't change.
Fara stayed silent for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll pay." She took out her phone and pretended to type. "But in return, how about I treat you to dinner? As an apology."
Evan stifled a smirk. "I don't accept dinner invites from people who intentionally scratch my car."
Fara scoffed softly, frustrated that her plan wasn't working. But she wasn't the type to give up.
"Fine, I'll transfer the money." Fara typed on her phone, then looked up at Evan with a sweet smile. "But I still want to treat you someday. Maybe when you're not this mad?"
Evan didn't answer. He simply took his phone, checked for the incoming transfer, then walked past Fara without a word.
Fara rolled her eyes. "You're so cold…" she muttered, but Evan didn't care.
Now he was certain—Fara was intentionally trying to get close. And that was all the more reason for him to stay away.
Fara kept her innocent expression, but Evan could clearly see she was gauging his reaction.
"You think a 'little scratch' on this car comes cheap?" Evan raised an eyebrow, glaring.
Fara let out a soft laugh, trying to downplay it. "Oh come on, Evan. I was just kidding. Besides, you're rich—why stress over this?"
Evan didn't laugh. "If you knew I was rich, then why scratch my car on purpose?"
Fara blinked rapidly, startled that her cover was blown. "Huh? What do you mean—"
"I know this wasn't an accident," Evan cut her off. "So I'll give you a choice. Pay for the damage, or we settle this legally. Your call."