Jade and Joshua were once the quintessential high school sweethearts, their young love blooming in the hallways of their school, filled with laughter and shared dreams. However, an unforeseen event shattered their once unbreakable bond, sending them...
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"Cut!" The director's voice rang out, infused with excitement. "That was fantastic, Jiwon! Go take a break; we'll reconvene in thirty minutes." His tone was gentle, almost nurturing. As the weight of the moment lifted, Jiwon let her practised smile slip away, revealing the fatigue beneath. Hyunwoo, her manager, approached a small electric fan in hand. "You can rest in the lounge; it's empty," he said, offering her the fan's cool breeze. Jiwon nodded appreciatively, loosening her tie as she followed him.
The interview had been a minefield of delicate questions, each one requiring her to tread carefully. Hyunwoo guided her to a quieter room, removed from the bustling crew busying themselves with equipment and cleanup. Holding the door for her, Jiwon murmured a quick "thank you" before he closed it behind him, leaving her in solitude. "Call me if you need anything, Jade," he called softly through the door. "I will," she replied, though her voice was barely above a whisper.
The waiting lounge was spacious and eerily quiet, the soft hum of the air conditioning the only sound. Jiwon sank into the plush leather couch, aching to shed her constricting coat, but the interview wasn't over yet. To distract her racing thoughts, she instinctively reached for her phone, scrolling through her social media. Yesterday's events loomed large in her mind; guilt twisted within her for her harsh words to Joshua, even as another part insisted he had it coming.
With a deep sigh, she began replying to a flurry of messages on Instagram. Growing uninterested, she switched to her private account, a sanctuary reserved for close friends and family, blissfully hidden from the public eye. Scrolling through photos from Jayoung and Eric, she liked their posts, but then her gaze fell on something more complicated-Joshua's account, tagged in the images.
Her heart raced as she swiped through the pictures, landing on one where he appeared, weary yet smiling, though the joy didn't quite reach his eyes. A familiar turmoil washed over her. Should she reach out and apologise, or maintain the distance he had created? Her thumb hovered hesitantly over his username, feeling as though she were trespassing on forbidden ground. "I'm just looking," she reassured herself, pressing the screen to view his profile.
With nearly ten million followers, Joshua's public account was a vibrant tapestry of moments shared. She clicked on his latest post, where he stood beside a bandmate, both grinning for the camera. The carefree atmosphere struck her; the other member had long hair exuded a charming, relaxed energy, and Jiwon found herself inexplicably drawn to him.
As she swiped through more posts-images of nighttime basketball games, laughter, and camaraderie-she felt a pang of longing. "How cute," she thought, but then smacked herself mentally. "No, I can't do this," she chastised herself, attempting to exit the page. Just then, the door swung open, and a flood of lively voices burst into the once-quiet lounge.
A man with warm, inviting eyes spotted her first, his expression morphing from surprise to delight. "Hwang Jiwon Sunbae?" he gasped, causing Jiwon to snap out of her reverie. She blinked in disbelief, laughter bubbling up before she managed to respond, "Hello," as she bowed slightly. The chatter hushed, and another voice broke the silence. "Is it really Jade Sunbae?" A guy with captivating cat-like eyes looked at her in awe. Recognition dawned on her-these were members of Joshua's group, SEVENTEEN.
