LOVE YOU RIGHT | ONEW - LEE JINKI

11 : Missing Piece

Hwayoung's energy was boosted the next morning, like she found a renewed strength from the night before. The moment she arrived at the office, she quickly video called her youtuber friend, Daniel and his wife. They gladly accepted the offer especially Hwayoung hinted that there is a possibility for Onew to make an appearance.

"I would still do it even without him." Daniel said, teasing his excited wife upon hearing the news.

Hwayoung laughed, adoring the married couple's banter, "Thank you, Daniel. When is the perfect time for you to do it?"

"I think next week will be perfect. We can arrange our time with the celebrity's availability." Daniel answered, giving a hint of his hope for Onew to be on his channel.

"Perfect! I will let the team know and circle back to you." Hwayoung ended the call with Daniel and his wife. Then she made another call to Han Jiwoo updating what she got.

"That was quick." Han Jiwoo responded after listening to Hwayoung's update.

"Well, maybe my lucky charm still works. Kindly let me know what SM said as soon as you got the update." Hwayoung requested.

"What do you think? Will Onew do it?" Jiwoo asked, trying her shot.

Hwayoung had a good reflex, she hold back before answering wittily, "Are you trying to make me do your work, *CDnim?"

*Creative Director

Jiwoo laughed dryly, "I thought you guys are close, so it is easier to get the answer through the person directly. Don't you think so?" She threw another bait.

"I am looking forward to your support, CDnim. Talk to you soon." Hwayoung hung-up in a polite tone. Although she diverted Han Jiwoo's question, her words stuck on her. Were they that close? Then she recalled the scene from last night where they clasp their hands together that night, comforting each other. Her heart raced as she recalled.

Then she decided to send him a text.
However, there was no reply from him until past midnight. That was unusual because Jinki usually didn't make her wait too long. He would tell her even if it was short and late. She thought maybe he had a packed schedule.

Han Jiwoo updated Hwayoung in three days since she informed her about the Youtuber's schedule. That was sooner than she thought, although Daniel told her that he could do it as soon as next week but she expected the bottleneck would be from Jinki's agency and his schedule. It surprised her that he could make up the schedule so soon and shoot at the soonest convenience. Especially with the unreplied texts the past few days.

Hwayoung quickly noticed the distance he was making. She felt a pang of sadness but tried to understand that he must have his reasons.

"When things are better, when the time is right, next time— I will tell you everything." She recalled the words he said that night, the last time they met. She decided to give him space, yet made sure he knew she was still there. She continued her work with the same dedication, occasionally sending him messages to let him know she was thinking of him.

— o —

Jinki's perspective.

Jinki sat in his dimly lit living room, staring at his phone. Hwayoung's messages were still unread. Each notification felt like a dagger, piercing his resolve. He wanted to reply, to assure her that everything was fine, but he couldn't. Not yet.

His mind raced back to the meeting he had with his agency earlier that day. The room had been tense, filled with staff who were more concerned about the scandal than the truth. His manager was there along with a PR specialist and a couple of executives.