The alarm Alex had set as a last-ditch effort blared at 7:30 a.m., ripping him out of an uncomfortable half-sleep. His head jerked up from the desk, cheek peeling off the warm laptop keyboard with a sticky sound. Drool had left a small damp spot on the space bar. His neck cracked painfully as he straightened, eyes gritty and stinging from the all-nighter.
For a second he just blinked at the screen still glowing in front of him—dozens of tabs open, search windows frozen mid-query, a half-written note titled "KAEL – TIMELINE" with only one bullet point:
Day 0: Lobby clip. Everything starts here.
He groaned, rubbing his face. His apartment was cold; he'd never made it to bed or to close the curtains that the early morning cold seeped through from.
Empty coffee cups formed a small fortress around the laptop. He lifted his phone that was faced down on the desk. Of course, he had forgotten to charge it last night and the red bar was flashing at him with ballant cockiness.
15 missed calls from Lian.
He somewhat expected it, especially since he didn't reply to his message last night. He won't even be surprised if the man turned up at his house this morning to check if he's not dead yet.
He plugged the phone into the charger and scrolled quickly through the notifications while it sipped power.
Lian @ 11:47 p.m.: You alive?
Lian @ 12:03 a.m.: Airport clips are everywhere. Call me.
Lian @ 12:29 a.m.: Alex.
Lian @ 1:15 a.m.: I swear to god if you're passed out drunk I'm coming over.
Lian @ 6:42 a.m.: Office meeting at 9. The editor wants you early. Don't make me drag you.
The last message, sent twenty minutes ago:
Lian @ 7:10 a.m.: I'm coming over to your apartment. . Buzz me up or I'm using the spare key your landlord definitely isn't supposed to have given me.
Alex sighed, thumb hovering over the reply box. He typed: Give me ten minutes. Making coffee.
He hit send, then opened the fridge which turned out empty except for a single banana that had seen better days. Reluctantly, he settled for the black coffee from yesterday's grounds.
While the machine gurgled, he glanced back at the laptop. The timeline note was still open, mocking him with its single line.
He'd spent the entire night chasing ghosts.
Literally.
Every search led to the same void. No childhood photos leaked by proud parents. No old school performances. No awkward middle-school haircut phase that fans usually unearthed within hours. Even the most obsessive sasaeng accounts admitted defeat: "He literally came out of nowhere."
Alex had gone deeper—paid databases, international missing-persons registries, even a long-shot check on foreign modeling agencies. Nothing matched Kael's face before that lobby clip.
It wasn't just unusual. It was impossible.
The intercom buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He pressed the button. "Coming down in five."
"No," Lian's voice crackled through the speaker. "I'm coming up. You look like a ghost on camera."
Alex didn't have the energy to argue. He grabbed a hoodie, splashed cold water on his face, and tried to finger-comb his hair into something resembling a human.
By the time the knock came, he had two mugs of questionable coffee poured.
He opened the door.
Lian stood there in a neat wool coat, his hair gelled backwards perfectly, eyes narrowed with that particular mix of worry and exasperation he reserved only for Alex. He took one look at Alex's face, the disaster zone behind him, and the open laptop with its damning single bullet point, and sighed."You didn't sleep."
"Define sleep."
Lian stepped inside, closing the door with his heel. "You're in deep, aren't you?"
Alex handed him a mug and he eyed the content warily. "Deeper than I thought."
Lian took a sip, grimaced at the taste, then fixed Alex with a steady stare "Then start talking. From the beginning. Because the entire office thinks you're dating a pre-debut idol, and I need to know if I'm covering for you or join them in berating you"
Alex leaned against the counter, exhaustion and adrenaline warring in his veins. " It all started at the airport…obviously".
________
Alex watched the editor typed away, his hand dancing across the laptop keys. Their company was yet to release a statement to clarify the whole situation and even though the trainee company has, it was needful to drop their part too.
He'd skimmed the comments under the official X post this morning while waiting in the subway. They were not pleasant. At all.
Clout-chasing reporter trying to ride Kael's fame.
Who does he think he is touching our oppa?
If he's a journalist he should be fired for unprofessional conduct.
Bet he planned the whole thing.
And those were the mild ones.
Editor Park finally stopped typing and spun the laptop around so Alex could see the draft statement.
He read it line by line, making sure there was no compromising statement.
Park leaned back. "This goes live in a minute unless you give me a reason not to post it."
Alex met his gaze. "It's accurate…it should do". He turned the screen of the laptop back towards the man and he pressed the publish button, officially releasing the statement.
" We're done". Editor Park got up, heading towards the door before he paused and turned back to address Alex " Boy, you better clear off trouble. It looks like starlight does not want anyone messing with this pre-debut idol of theirs. They're betting a lot on him". He paused again " You should lay low for now. Miss Shin will cover the conference".
"Sunbae!(senior)" Alex yelled in protest, half rising from his chair.
Editor Park paused at the door, hand on the knob, expression unyielding.
"No," he said flatly. "You're too close to this. The airport footage is still trending. Every fan account is watching your name. If you show up at the showcase, it becomes about you and the 'boyfriend scandal,' not the debut. We lose credibility, Starlight pulls access for everyone, and your career takes a hit that might not recover."
Lian, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. "Sir, Alex is our best entertainment reporter for idol coverage. Pulling him last-minute looks like we're caving to fan pressure. It might as well look like we're admitting to the rumours."
Fine," Editor Park sighed, the fight draining from his shoulders. "You'll go… but not as the main reporter. You're a backup for Miss Shim. You stay in the background, take notes, shoot B-roll if needed. No solo interviews, no approaching the members unescorted, and definitely no one-on-one with the boy. One wrong move and the whole team loses access. Understood?"
Alex forced himself to nod, even as his pulse spiked with reluctant victory. Backup was still access. Backup still meant front-row credentials. Backup still meant eyes on Kael "Yes, sir."
Park pointed a finger at him. "And Alex, I want exclusives on celebrities, not one involving a reporter from this company. Keep your face off the trends. Keep your questions on script. Write the safe piece. Or next time, I won't be this lenient."
He left the room without waiting for a reply, door closing firmly behind him.
The air felt thinner once he was gone.
Lian let out a low whistle, chuckling silently. "You got half a miracle there."
"Half is enough," Alex muttered, already pulling out his phone to confirm the press pass details.
Lian watched him, worry creasing his brow. "You're still planning to go off-script, aren't you"
"I'm planning to get the truth."