The night had been long, but Soojin barely noticed anymore. The rhythm of rehearsals, quick interviews, late-night script readings, and the endless cycle of cameras had blurred into one monotonous hum. Her body moved on autopilot, her smile tight and rehearsed, her laughter hollow but convincing enough to fool everyone except herself.
By the time the clock crept toward midnight, she was back in her dressing room, makeup half-smudged, hair undone, and exhaustion weighing heavy on her shoulders. She sat cross-legged on the couch, scrolling absently through her phone, fighting the quiet ache that had lived in her chest since Jae had left for L.A.
Every time she unlocked her phone, she hoped for his name.
Every time, she was met with silence.
She sighed, setting it aside. Her hand lingered, as if maybe he'd call just then, like he could sense her waiting across the ocean. But the phone stayed dark.
Outside, her manager and the staff chatted about upcoming schedules. Soojin tuned it out, staring at the ceiling. The loneliness of being a secret wife gnawed at her, but she swallowed it down. That was her life now — stolen moments and empty spaces.
Then came the knock. Sharp, hurried.
"Soojin-ah!" Her stylist poked her head in, phone clutched tightly. Her voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement. "Have you seen this? Oh my god—everyone's talking about it."
Soojin frowned. "Seen what?"
The stylist rushed in, screen already glowing with a news page. She shoved it toward Soojin. "This! Veronica Seo just dropped a bombshell."
On the screen, bold letters screamed at her:
BREAKING: Jae Kang Spotted With Hollywood Sweetheart Mina Choi — Are They Korea's New Power Couple?
Her heart stopped.
Below the headline, grainy but damning photos: Jae and Mina stepping out of a luxury car in Los Angeles, Mina's hand brushing his arm, the faint curve of his smile as paparazzi flashbulbs exploded around them.
For a second, Soojin couldn't breathe.
The stylist misread her silence as excitement. "Can you believe it? Our Jae Kang with Mina Choi! They look so good together. The internet is going insane—trending worldwide already."
Her ears rang. Every word felt like a blade pressed against her skin. She forced her lips into something resembling a smile, nodding vaguely while her stomach churned.
As soon as the stylist left the room, Soojin's hands shook violently. She snatched up her own phone, pulling up the article. Her eyes devoured every line, each one cutting deeper than the last.
> "Industry insiders say the chemistry between the two stars is undeniable."
"Sources close to the pair suggest they've been spending late nights together after promotional events."
"Neither agency has confirmed or denied the rumors."
Her thumb hovered over Jae's contact. She wanted to call him. To scream. To demand why the man who swore their love had to remain hidden was now the centerpiece of a public romance — and not with her.
Instead, she dropped the phone into her lap, chest heaving.
---
The next day, chaos followed her everywhere.
On set, whispers floated like smoke. Staff scrolled through their feeds between takes, showing each other the photos. Even the director joked lightly, "Maybe we should get Mina to cameo since she's practically family with Jae now."
Everyone laughed. Soojin forced a polite chuckle, her throat burning.
Her co-star, Hwan, nudged her during break. "Hey, you've worked with Jae before, right? Is he really like that with women? Smooth?"
She blinked, her mask cracking for the briefest second. "…I wouldn't know."
Hwan grinned, oblivious. "Well, Mina sure lucked out."
Soojin excused herself quickly, rushing to the bathroom. She locked the stall, sat on the toilet lid, and buried her face in her hands.
Her phone buzzed endlessly. Notifications from news outlets, fan forums, group chats. She opened Twitter, instantly regretting it.
#JaeMinaCouple
#PowerVisuals
#HollywoodxSeoul
Photos of Jae and Mina flooded her feed. Fan edits with hearts, fanfiction already springing to life, threads dissecting every glance, every touch.
One tweet read: "Finally, a REAL couple to stan! Forget those silly shipping rumors—this is the real deal."
Soojin's fingers trembled as she scrolled further.
"Mina looks happier than ever. Jae brings out her glow."
"This is so iconic—an international love story!"
She wanted to throw the phone across the room. Instead, she gripped it tighter, as if holding onto it might anchor her drowning heart.
But the worst part wasn't the world's excitement. It was Jae's silence.
No text. No call. Nothing.
She typed out a message, erased it. Typed again. "Is it true?" Delete. "Why didn't you warn me?" Delete. "Do you even care how this makes me look?" Delete.
Her screen stayed empty. So did her heart.
---
Meanwhile — Los Angeles.
Jae sat in his hotel suite, jaw clenched, the glow of his phone casting harsh light across his face. Daniel Jung paced the room, voice brisk and merciless.
"This is gold, Jae. Do you understand? Gold. The Western press loves Mina. Korea loves you. Together, you're unstoppable. International deals, endorsements, late-night shows—you'll break into markets idols only dream of."
Jae barely blinked. "You mean a circus."
Daniel ignored him. "You don't have to actually date her. Just smile, hold hands when needed. The story writes itself. By the time the world loses interest, you'll be cemented as a global name."
"And Soojin?" The name slipped out before he could stop it.
Daniel froze, eyes narrowing. "What about her?"
Jae's throat tightened. He couldn't say it. Couldn't admit that every photo with Mina was a dagger aimed straight at the woman waiting oceans away.
So he said nothing.
Daniel smirked, victory in his silence. "Good. Play along. No comments to the press, no denial, no mess. Let the fire spread—we'll control it later."
Jae stared at the screen of his phone, Soojin's contact glowing like an accusation. His thumb hovered, aching to call her. To explain.
But then he remembered Daniel's words, the agency's power, the fragile empire built on image and illusion.
He turned off the screen.
---
Back in Seoul, Soojin wrapped her jacket tighter as she left the studio. Cameras flashed in the distance—paparazzi hoping to catch her reaction to the scandal. She kept her head down, walking fast, praying no one saw her eyes, raw and red from unshed tears.
In the back of her van, she finally broke. She curled against the window, scrolling again, masochistically replaying the headlines, the photos, the laughter in Mina's eyes beside Jae.
Her manager glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "Ignore it, Soojin. It's just the industry. These things blow over."
But they didn't know. No one knew. She wasn't just another idol watching gossip unfold. She was the wife — erased, invisible, replaced.
Her phone buzzed again. She snatched it up, pulse racing.
It wasn't Jae.
It was Nari. "Unni… don't look online. Just rest tonight, okay?"
Soojin typed back with shaking hands: "Too late."
The car hummed along the highway, Seoul glittering outside the window. Inside, Soojin sat in silence, her reflection fractured in the glass. Her world felt like it was cracking open, piece by painful piece.
The phone stayed cold in her palm, Jae's silence louder than any headline.
And still, she waited.
For a call that never came.