Boos sister

Chapter 10: A Gift and a Leak (Christmas Day)

The morning light filtering through the intricate, crystalline patterns of frost on the window pane of my parents' room was barely perceptible through the thick, velvet curtains KD's staff had installed. Even though it was Christmas Day, celebrated with the chaotic warmth of the Boo family, the air felt charged with a low-humming nervousness. Today, my new reality—my secret training, my forbidden relationship—collided with my old one.

I pulled my phone from under the pillow, the screen immediately brightening with a series of notifications. The first was a long, philosophizing message from KD (Da-won), who had flown back to the States late on Christmas Eve. He wished me a Merry Christmas, reminded me he loved me for my mind, not my looks, and casually mentioned he was putting a down payment on that US company I suggested—all in the same breathless paragraph. He assured me the house next door to Seungkwan was 80% complete and promised to coordinate security directly with my father.

Then, a short, coded text from Jay: "Merry Christmas, Princess. Check the second branch of the pine tree near the balcony, slightly tucked toward the shadow. Don't let the hyungs see. See you soon, and bring your A-game for the inevitable karaoke battle."

A smile touched my lips, small but genuine. The contrast between KD's extravagant gestures and Jay's quiet, meaningful one was stark. I crept out onto the private balcony overlooking the towering pine tree KD's staff had meticulously decorated. My fingers brushed against the boughs until they found a small, velvet-covered box. Inside wasn't jewelry, which any idol might give, but a simple, beautifully carved wooden pen. Engraved on the side were the characters for 'Jae' and 'Write Your Own Story.'

It was perfect. It was Jay understanding my heart—the battle to define myself outside of my family's fame and my ex-manager's control. He saw the writer, the producer, the artist in me.

The moment of peace was shattered by the sound of the front door swinging open downstairs, followed by a chorus of shouts: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" The Seventeen members had arrived, loud, chaotic, and radiating enough energy to power a small city.

Seungkwan, having temporarily shelved his fury over the Lotte World trip, cornered me in the kitchen. "Yah, I have five guesses for your birthday gift, and they're all wrong. Woozi Hyung is no help. Spill."

"No spilling, Oppa," I said, deftly dodging his attempt to tickle me. "You'll find out on January 4th."

Joshua found me next, his expression one of gentle concern. He pulled me into a rare, quiet hug. "I saw the articles from Lotte. Are you okay? You looked... free out there."

"I was," I admitted. "It felt good to move, Shua Oppa."

Even Wonwoo managed a brief, awkward smile. "We're proud of your fight, Jaehyeon. You didn't hide."

The chaos peaked when the Enhypen members arrived, Jay and Ni-ki among them. My heart hammered an erratic rhythm against my ribs. Jay's eyes found mine across the room, a silent spark passing between us before he dutifully went to greet his sunbaenims.

He managed to pull me aside quickly near the large, gift-laden fireplace, under the thin pretense of "delivering a box of specialized kimchi to Seungkwan Hyung that I swore I made myself."

"Did you find it, Princess?" he whispered, his eyes searching mine, worried about the public exposure.

"It's the best gift I've ever received," I whispered back, clutching the velvet box hidden in my pocket. "Thank you for seeing me."

He leaned in close, his voice low and fervent. "I see the beautiful, complicated story you are writing. Don't stop. Happy Christmas, Jaehyeon."

The room soon filled with the noise of wrapping paper tearing and the competitive banter of 20 idols trying to one-up each other's karaoke performance.

Then, the mood plummeted. S.Coups, usually the rock of the group, walked into the living room, phone in hand, his face pale and grim. He looked like he'd aged five years in thirty seconds.

"Kwan, come here," he said, his voice unusually strained. "Everyone. We have a problem. A very big problem."

The raucous noise evaporated instantly. S.Coups turned the screen toward Seungkwan. On the screen was a blindingly bright article with the headline: "Enhypen's Jay in Secret Relationship? BLACK BELT Trainee Boo Jaehyeon Named as Girlfriend." The accompanying photos were high-resolution: one of Jay holding my hand while ice skating at Lotte World, and a close-up of him kissing my hand. The angle was damning—it looked completely intentional.

Seungkwan's face went from pale to blazing red, the color climbing rapidly up his neck. He looked straight at Jay, who was standing beside Heeseung. Jay's expression was one of immediate, heavy resignation.

"Jay," Seungkwan growled, his voice dangerously low, taking a furious, deliberate step forward. "You promised me you were just courting! You promised you wouldn't drag her into your world like this! This is the exact reason she hates this industry!"

"Hyung, I was trying to be careful, I swear, we didn't think anyone saw us—" Jay started, his hand instinctively reaching for me.

"Careful? She's a minor, Jay! She just got out of a nightmare, and now you've given the world a reason to hate her before she even takes a step! What about BigHit? What about her dream?" Seungkwan was shouting now, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceilings.

Suddenly, Ni-ki stepped forward, his young face clouded with confusion and anger, but his words were directed at me. "Jae Noona, why would you let this happen? You know how dangerous this is. You of all people know!"

My phone buzzed relentlessly. It wasn't just the news. It was a call from BigHit's director, Mr. Choi. The Christmas party was over. I looked from my distraught brother to my anxious boyfriend, realizing the enormous, terrifying cost of the truth. I finally understood the full weight of the words carved onto Jay's gift: Write Your Own Story. The story had just gotten dramatically complicated.