Shadows of the Spotlight

Chapter 71

The silence that followed his words was dense—thick with years of buried pain, quiet resentment, and grief that hadn't found a voice until now. I stood there, caught between wanting to say something and realizing that maybe there was nothing I could say that would make it better.

His rejection by his family was a wound I couldn't patch up, not with logic, not with comfort, and certainly not with the hope I kept clinging to. Compared to that, my own parents' support suddenly felt like a privilege I hadn't fully appreciated until now.

"I just don't want you to be alone," I said finally, my voice softer than before. "네 말이 맞아. 내 결정을 지지해 주시는 부모님이 계시거든. 그래서 너도 같은 선택을 하고 싶어 하는 걸지도 몰라. 넌 그럴 자격이 있어. (You're right—I have parents who support my decisions. And maybe that's why I want the same for you. You deserve that.)"

He looked at me for a moment, something unreadable in his expression. Then he turned, walked to the bed, and picked up his phone from the nightstand.

"내 친가족이 없을 수도 있어요 (I might not have my biological family)," he said, unlocking the screen. "하지만 내 가족이라고 부르는 사람들이 있어요 (But I do have people I call my family.)"

He opened a photo and held it out to me. I stepped closer and glanced down. It was a group picture—Arc at a long dinner table surrounded by smiling middle-aged people, warmth and laughter radiating from the image.

"These are my family," he said, his voice steadier now. "제 부모님은 제게 등을 돌리셨을지 몰라도, 저희 그룹 멤버들의 가족들은 절대 그러지 않으셨어요. 매년 데뷔 기념일 행사가 끝나면 멤버들 부모님들이 저녁 식사를 위해 모이셨죠. 마치 진짜 가족 모임 같았어요. 올해도 다른 멤버들이 군 복무를 하고 있는데도 멤버들 부모님들이 오셨어요. 저를 위해서요. 응원해 주시기 위해서요. (My own parents may have turned their backs on me, but my group members' families never did. Every year, after our debut anniversary event, their parents gather for dinner—like a real family reunion. Even this year, when the others are away in military service, their parents still came. For me. To support me.)"

He paused, tapping the photo lightly with his thumb. "이렇게 생각해 보면, 나를 지지해 주는 다섯 명의 형제와 다섯 쌍의 부모님이 있습니다. 심지어 내 가족이 그러지 않을 때에도 그들은 나타납니다.(If you look at it this way, I have five brothers and five sets of parents who support me, who show up, even when my own family won't.)"

I looked at the image again, guilt blooming quietly in my chest. "I didn't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. At first, it was just a simple hug—a quiet way to say I was here, that I understood a little better now. But after a few seconds, I became aware of just how close we were, of how warm his skin felt beneath the thin fabric of his bathrobe. The air between us shifted, charged with a sudden awareness neither of us spoke aloud.

Still, I didn't pull away. And neither did he.

The next morning, I woke to the sound of slow, even breaths and the warmth of Arc still wrapped around me. Sunlight spilled through the curtains, soft and golden, casting a sleepy glow over everything. I turned slightly to face him—his features were relaxed, peaceful in a way that made me smile.

Yesterday's conversation still lingered in my mind, but I had made a decision. I wouldn't let uncertainty or fear taint the time we had left. There was no point in dragging future what-ifs into the present—not when our time together was already counting down. Maybe we didn't have everything figured out, but for now, I would let it be. I would hold on to this month and make it matter.