Shadows Of Stardom

Chapter 17

Weeks had gone by without a word from my Aunt, and the silence was unnerving, sending chills down my spine. Was she planning something dangerous?

Having my brothers stay over was unexpectedly beneficial; without them, I would have felt completely alone and overwhelmed by anxiety. It was a stroke of luck that they decided to bring all their things to my apartment.

Today was supposed to be a day of rest before our show tomorrow, but relaxation felt like a far-off fantasy. Since returning to Korea, I hadn’t truly unwound in months.

The girls had chosen to stay over, which is why I was desperately trying to get the guys to leave the apartment.

Taehyung had taken to lounging around my place every day as if it were his own, and I could only blame my brothers for that. Oddly enough, he had been acting overly protective and anxious around me lately...

But seriously, how could I get them to leave?

“Taehyung, can you please just stay at your own place for half a day?” I pleaded, my voice laced with frustration. The guys, including a CEO, were sprawled on the floor, absorbed in an intense PS5 match.

They barely acknowledged my presence or my request. So, I marched over to the TV and yanked out the game, earning myself a chorus of furious glares in response.

Finally, I had their full attention.

"My friends are coming over, and I need you all to find something else to do, somewhere" I said, only to be met with looks of disbelief, as if I had just claimed I could fly.

"Why would we do that?" Chan asked, his face showing complete astonishment.

"Because I don’t want you to embarrass me" I explained, causing them to look at me as if I had grown a third eye.

"We embarrass you??" San exclaimed, clearly offended by my statement. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, but I was hoping for some uninterrupted time with the girls. I could already imagine  Chan walking around in his shorts, and I really didn’t want to deal with that.

My brothers enjoyed recounting my most embarrassing childhood moments to my friends and Taehyung. Ugh, there were times when I could barely tolerate my brothers.

On the other hand, Taehyung would trail after me in the house as if he were my personal butler—though even butlers don’t act like that. Meanwhile, San would reprimand me if he caught me sneaking back into the kitchen for more sweets and snacks.

"Jennie, I’m the youngest billionaire and a successful CEO," San declared, still refusing to accept my request.

"I'm the ultimate idol, and there's a reason for that," Chan huffed, clearly irked. 

"I'm V," Taehyung chimed in, striking his signature pose with flair.

As he leaped up from the floor, he rushed over to me, his hands digging into his pockets to pull out something special.

"I have a little surprise for you," he said, a silly grin on his face. When he opened the box, a beautiful golden arrow bracelet sparkled inside.

"Here," he said, gesturing for me to hold out my wrist. I obliged, and he gently fastened the lovely bracelet around it.

Once he was done, he proudly showed off his own wrist, which was adorned with the same bracelet.

"Oh and it's a couple's set, by the way," he added, darting away before I could scold him for being so impulsive. A smile appeared on my face, but it quickly faded as Chanyeol's voice interrupted the moment.

"The guys are on their way," Chan mentioned casually.
Wait, what guys was he talking about?

I was stuck in the apartment, unable to join the girls because I was paranoid my Aunt might just pop up out of nowhere. Without my bodyguards, who knew what kind of trouble could unfold? That’s why I suggested we gather at my place, and there was no way I could back out now; they’d be furious with me. They kept saying I’d been avoiding them.