SHADOWS OF TRUTH (JENNIE KIM FANFICTION)

2. Aftermath

Jennie's Apartment, Later that Night

Jennie slumped against her couch, clutching her phone like it was a lifeline she wasn't ready to sever. Taehyung's number was dialed, the call button an aching invitation that she finally, reluctantly pressed.

He picked up almost immediately, and his familiar, deep voice cut through the silence. "Jennie? Hey, what's up?"

"Hi," she whispered, her voice barely holding steady. She wanted to dive into their usual conversations, to laugh with him and pretend everything was normal, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, the heavy silence spilled between them.

"What's going on?" he asked, his tone concerned now, sensing the tension.

Jennie's heart twisted. "I... I don't think we can keep doing this."

The line went silent for a long beat. Then his voice, tight and hurt. "Are you serious?"

Tears welled up, and she tried to keep her voice steady. "I'm sorry, Taehyung. I don't have a choice right now. Things are... complicated."

"Complicated? That's all I get?" he replied, hurt and frustration laced in his tone. "Jennie, I thought we were stronger than this."

She choked on a sob, covering her mouth to muffle it. "We are—I mean, we were. I don't want this, Taehyung, I don't."

"Then why?" he pressed, his voice almost pleading now. "Is it the company? Is someone pressuring you? Because I thought we'd never let that get between us."

The weight of guilt pressed down on her. How could she tell him about the arrangement, that she was about to pretend to date someone else for the sake of her career? The words just felt impossible.

"I wish I could explain," she whispered, the anguish tearing at her heart. "But I can't. Just... please trust me. This isn't about us. Not really."

A long, agonizing silence hung on the line. Finally, his voice came back, soft but filled with hurt. "Fine. If that's how it has to be." And with that, he hung up.

Jennie sat there, frozen, before she broke down entirely, the pain and guilt pouring out in sobs she couldn't control.

Jennie stayed there, staring at the phone screen long after Taehyung had hung up, the empty silence of her apartment settling like a weight on her chest. She'd never felt it this acutely before—the way her career, her life, her dreams all seemed to come with the quiet promise of loneliness.

A lump built in her throat, growing with every second that passed, and before she could stop herself, the tears she'd been holding back spilled over. She curled her knees to her chest, hiding her face against them as the first sob hit, and then another, until she was crying with the kind of raw, aching sorrow that left her breathless.

They'd fought before, she and Taehyung. They'd had disagreements, misunderstandings, and moments where their schedules pulled them apart. But this? This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to have him there, always—a safe place in a world that constantly expected her to be perfect. Losing him felt like a piece of herself was being torn away, leaving behind a hollow ache she couldn't quite place.

Her hands shook as she finally pulled herself to her feet and stumbled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face, trying to calm herself down. But the face that stared back at her in the mirror was hollow-eyed, red-rimmed, and lost. She'd given so much to this industry, more than most people could ever imagine, and yet it felt like she was being forced to sacrifice the few precious things she had left for the sake of appearances.

She gripped the edge of the sink, closing her eyes as a wave of anger rose up, mixing with the sadness in a swirl of frustration and helplessness. She wanted to scream at someone, to make her managers understand what they'd taken from her—but she knew it wouldn't matter. To them, she was an image, a product, something to be controlled and displayed. Taehyung's voice echoed in her mind, his hurt and disbelief ringing louder than her own thoughts, and it shattered her.