Sweet Night (18+) || kth ||

Chapter 1

I smirked as I read the news articles on my iPad. People called it the scoop of the century because Park Jimin was caught on camera walking into a hotel with a woman. The photograph was grainy and the man on the picture was hard to distinguish. But his styled looked like Jimin's, and people lapped the scandal up. A famous pop icon going to a hotel with a woman. Hard not to imagine the reason for the visit. And everybody just loves a scandal. I clicked on another article. This one was a statement from his company, JC Music, denying the claims that the man on the photo was Park Jimin. It went on to prove that he was in Japan that time finishing off his tour. No location was ever mentioned of where the hotel was.

Then, I clicked on a third article. It was about Jimin kissing someone in his Homecoming meet and greet. It said that he showered said fan with much more attention than the others and that their five minutes ended with a kiss. This time, the man in the picture was undeniably him. Nor did JC Music deny the occurrence of the kiss, but they discredited the statement that Jimin made unwanted advances towards the girl. But what really tickled my funny bone was the last article. In here, they said that the truth was, Jimin and his fan – a certain Han Erin – were indeed seeing each other. They'd been dating in secret and Jimin was flirting with her at the meet and greet, but only because he was so excited to see her. So now, everyone is wondering the same thing: was the girl in the photograph Han Erin after all?

I laughed as I looked at the photo of them kissing. If the whole world only knew the truth behind everything, then they would be laughing too.

Because Jimin wasn't the man seen going to a hotel with a woman. That was me, dressed slightly like Jimin. He was in Japan that day, and we were in Singapore shooting for a movie. And no, the woman wasn't a part of the staff, as the article claims. She was an escort, hired for just that one night. He had absolutely no idea what I was doing that time. Just like I had no idea this issue was going to blow up like this. But I find it just hilarious that all this controversy around Jimin and he didn't even start it.

I know it was mean of me to don on a style like his. But call it my revenge for what he got me into. Get a distraction, something to make you smile while you blow off some steam. True, he never meant it literally, but he did give me the idea.

The thing about fame is, the brighter the light under the spotlight, the darker it gets everywhere else. But just like moths to a flame, people get attracted to that light. They see the stars there and they think, wow, they have everything in the world; I want that. In a way, they're right. Fame comes with riches and it gets us things. Unfortunately, nobody will tell you about the dark side. You'll only find it once you're in it. And it was a big downside because more often than not, the dark side is bigger than the bright one. After all, the spotlight it just focused on you, leaving everything else in, well, darkness. And just when you thought that everything is shining around you, you find yourself plunged into the abyss.

And that was how it was for me. I rose to fame as an actor. I got the fruits of all my labors. Nay, I was reaping them by the dozen. And I thought I had it all. I thought I had everything I wanted. Until the day I woke up and realized that it wasn't what I wanted after all.

It was hard to say. I mean, I was happy that things worked out for me. The industry is filled with people waiting for their big break. A lot never gets it. But there was something missing still. Like the feeling you get when you're hungry, but you don't know what you want to eat. And the hunger only grows until it's the one eating you from the inside out. Until it's the only thing you can think of day and night. Nothing else matters.

Suddenly, I hated the limelight. I hated the fame. I hated everything. I wanted out. But I couldn't. Logic dictates that I'm being stupid and irrational and throwing away all the hard work I did over the years. Plus, I'm tied to my company with a binding contract. But I was sick of the attention, I was sick of being a star. I was sick of people telling me what to do, what to eat, what to wear. I was sick of all the eyes watching me, judging my every movement. I was sick of pretending that everything was okay when the truth is, I'm not. Is this all that I am? Is this all I'm ever going to be? An actor so lost in his roles that he no longer knows who he is?