Shadows Of Stardom

Chapter 9

As I settled down to watch TV, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket.
I took out my phone and saw a message from an unknown number.

Unknown number: Hey girlfriend

Me: How did you get my number?

Unknown number: I managed to borrow Suga's phone for a moment

Me: If he discovers this, you're in big trouble

Unknown number: Oh, I'm well aware of that

Me: Why are you helping me? Do you want something from me?

Unknown number: What if I do?

Me: You'll have to tell me now

Unknown number: I will, but later

Me: I just want you to understand that I can handle my concerns on my own, I don't need help

Unknown number: I messaged you to remind you to save my number

Me: I don't need to

Unknown number: I'm your boyfriend now, remember that

Me: You're just pretending **

Unknown number: Anyway, let Kai know that I'm also great at basketball
With that, he goes offline

I couldn't help but wonder how I had let myself get roped into this. Kim Taehyung, of all people. My mind swirled with a flurry of questions that felt just as tangled as
my hair  on my head. What was he thinking? Why was he spending his precious time on me, someone he barely knew?

I had entered into a fake date pact with him to convince Kai that I didn’t like him. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe Soyeon would causally get annoyed at me for having feeling for Taehyung.. I knew when he walked into that room he was sure or thought we ere talking about him. Kai—beautiful, talented Kai—was blissfully unaware, or perhaps it was too much effort for him to see what was right in front of him. I felt a twinge of discomfort at the thought.

I still couldn't understand why Taehyung felt the need to help me. We barely knew each other until recently. Anyway, after his message, I decided to search on Google for

"How to save your fake boyfriend's number." All the results were cringeworthy, so I settled for the simplest one.

Just as I was trying to process my thoughts, a playful voice interrupted from behind me.

“Hey, love?” It was Jisoo, her laughter ringing out like rhythmic music, infectious and light-hearted.

“Why can’t I find peace?” I groaned, exasperation creeping into my voice. Seriously, why was this happening to me?

“Lisa, do you know how she saved Taehyung’s number?” Jisoo teased, her laughter spilling into the room

“No! Unnie, I want to know too!” Rosé chimed in, clearly getting a kick out of my embarrassment.

“Listen, both of you,” Jisoo said, her gaze dancing between them with mischief. “Love,” she emphasized the word with her thick Korean accent, making it sound both sweet and sarcastic all at once. The three of them erupted into more laughter, and I could feel my face turning crimson.

“I dislike you guys,” I muttered under my breath, feeling the heat of my frustration as I stormed out of Rosé's room, leaving my friends in fits of giggles behind me. They would probably have a field day with this for weeks. Great. Just great.

I slipped into my room, the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender wrapping around me. I planned to do a live stream! Because i was bored and loved connecting with my fans, and this little ritual of mine had become a monthly escape whenever the boredom crept in. I carefully set up my camera on the sturdy tripod, adjusting the angle until it caught just the right light from my window, casting a warm glow across the room.