Paparazzi

The night seemed to never end.

Or maybe it was just Seulgi trying to delay the inevitable.

As the applause and music echoed in the background, she walked through the grand hall, searching for an escape — anything that could free her from that feeling of emotional claustrophobia that Jaeyi had the power to provoke in her. The weight of everything that had happened in the last few hours was accumulating, making the air around her denser with every step.

She was lost in her own thoughts, not knowing exactly how to react to everything the singer had said. The words echoed in her mind, provocative and challenging. "This excites me. And it seems to excite you too."This wasn’t just another one of the reckless statements the other woman usually made; the words went beyond the provocative script that Jaeyi seemed to follow just to torment her. Those words were a statement, an undeniable truth that was irritatingly and unbelievably… real. A sentence of inevitability that Seulgi didn’t know how to deal with. It was true, even though she wished it weren’t, that this whole cat-and-mouse game between them excited her. Just as much as it excited Jaeyi.

Okay, maybe a little less than Jaeyi, because the actress refused to seem even slightly like the other woman in anything. No matter how true it was, she refused.

The hall doors were wide open, but when Seulgi tried to step outside, a familiar arm extended in front of her, blocking her path.

"Are you okay? You disappeared all of a sudden." Kang Jiwon's gentle voice interrupted the storm in her mind. He seemed genuinely concerned, his eyes focused on her with inquiry.

Seulgi forced a smile for her friend.

"Of course. Like I said before, I’m just a little tired." She replied, taking a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

Jiwon observed her in silence for a moment, as if analyzing her words and posture.

"You don’t seem just tired, Seulgi. Something else happened, didn’t it?" His perception was sharp. Her friend always seemed to know exactly when something was wrong with her, which sometimes made her even more determined to hide any problem or discomfort. She never wanted to cause any unnecessary worries. But maybe that was a good thing right now — perhaps that was exactly what she needed.

A small anchor, a brief conversation.

She averted her gaze, avoiding his intensity. What she was about to say wasn’t exactly a lie. She wouldn’t lie, but she wouldn’t tell the whole truth either.

"I’m… dealing with some complicated things lately. And it’s been mentally exhausting." Her response was vague, and she knew it, but it seemed enough to make him nod in understanding.

Jiwon didn’t look satisfied. In fact, his eyes continued to scan her, even after briefly agreeing with her words. But the subject was dropped anyway when one of the award ceremony hosts approached, inviting them both backstage as the categories they would present were coming up.

Seulgi had no choice but to go with the flow. As always, she was an actress, a professional — she knew she had to do her job. However, the feeling of being torn between the roles she played for the world and what was happening behind the scenes in her own mind was becoming almost unbearable tonight.

The stage was illuminated with soft lights, reflecting the elegant faces of the nominees. When it was her turn to present an award, Seulgi climbed the steps with the same grace as always. However, with each step, her mind drifted to a distant place where Jaeyi’s words still lingered, like an unshakable mark.

She forced herself to smile for the cameras and the audience, the same perfect facade as always.

The award was handed out, the applause echoed, and while the winning artist gave their speech thanking their collaborators, Seulgi descended the stage steps, heading backstage once again. But the peace she was looking for was far from her grasp. All she could think about was Jaeyi. As if she were there, lurking around every corner of the event, waiting for the right moment to invade her space once again.

And, as always, Jaeyi didn’t take long to do exactly that.

When Seulgi reached the large dressing room reserved for the night's presenters, the place was empty, silent, a private bubble where she could finally breathe without feeling watched with every move. Or at least, that’s what she thought until she heard a light knock on the door.

"Knock knock, can I come in?"

Jaeyi’s voice was a mix of mischief and softness. Seulgi knew what that meant. The other woman had come to test her again for the second time that night.

Without actually waiting for an answer, the door opened, and Jaeyi stepped inside without her permission, as she always did. Her dark, piercing eyes scanned the entire room, checking if there was anyone else there besides them. Upon confirming they were alone, the singer fully entered, closing the door behind her with a soft click, then slowly approaching the actress, like a hungry predator circling its prey.

"I warned you, Seulgi." Jaeyi approached slowly, the sound of her heels echoing against the porcelain floor. With each small step, the space between them shrank, until she suddenly stopped — close enough for Seulgi to clearly see that tiny beauty mark just below her left eye. Adorable."Our conversation isn’t over yet, my sweet."

Seulgi sighed in defeat, standing up from the large couch where she had been resting, trying to maintain her composure. She wasn’t in the mood for more games tonight. All she wanted was to get home, take off these heels that were slowly killing her, and sink into the sheets of her bed. She didn’t want to, and she couldn’t, fall into whatever this twisted and utterly unfunny game — at least, not for her — was that Jaeyi seemed so eager to play.

"What do you want from me, Jaeyi?" The question was direct, but Seulgi’s tone betrayed her, uncertainty hiding behind her words.

Jaeyi gave her an enigmatic smile, as if the answer had been obvious all along.

"I just want what’s mine back, Seulgi-ah."

The words left the taller woman’s lips with terrifying ease. And Seulgi found herself breathless. But the singer didn’t stop there, she took another step forward, closing the distance between them even more. Yes, prey, that’s exactly how Seulgi felt under Jaeyi’s predatory gaze. And the woman only stopped when she could feel Seulgi’s breath mixing with her own. Only a few centimeters separated them when she finally whispered:

"And you know exactly what I’m talking about, princess."

With their proximity, Seulgi felt Jaeyi’s warmth invading her senses. Her dark eyes, filled with unspoken promises, made her momentarily lose awareness of where she was. The room seemed to disappear, leaving only the two of them, the electricity between them charged with desire, fascination, an aching need to touch one another. Pure, unfiltered lust. And most dangerously of all, power. The power they both knew they had over each other.

And all of that — every word, every feeling — was something Seulgi wasn’t ready to face. She wasn’t ready to admit that beneath it all, above all else, there was…

Reciprocity

Seulgi felt all these emotions, but she refused to admit it even to herself.

She was stubborn, she knew that, but she preferred to be called resilient. After all, enduring the storm that was Yoo Jaeyi could only be a test of endurance — one of the hardest.

The tension hung in the air like something tangible, almost physical. What she felt for Jaeyi wasn’t simple, in fact. It wasn’t just attraction, it was… something more. And what did Jaeyi feel for her? Even after everything that had been said so far, since they started this kind of game, Seulgi still hadn’t figured it out. Was it just desire? Or perhaps a fleeting, momentary obsession? After all, Seulgi wasn’t making things easy for her, and from what she knew about the singer, Jaeyi didn’t seem like someone who accepted rejection easily.

In the end, it was almost like a silent war — a battle between the woman she was and wanted to continue being (did she really?), and the woman Yoo Jaeyi was trying to force her to become (but how could she be forced into something she already was?).

“You can’t have me like this, Jaeyi. We’ve talked about this, forget about me.”

Seulgi’s voice came out softer than she wanted, more uncertain than she wanted.

Jaeyi observed her for a few seconds, maybe minutes, taking in her eyes, her tense expression, the way her chest rose and fell in an uneven rhythm, down to her clenched fists at her sides, her body rigid as stone. Nervousness. Seulgi was a bundle of nerves.

And noticing this, the expression on the woman’s face shifted from teasing to pure satisfaction, as if every little crack in Seulgi’s composure was her greatest delight, the highlight of her night. The same night where this very woman had won seven awards for her latest album, making her the most awarded artist of the evening.

Unbelievable.

Jaeyi was unbelievable.

“Can’t I?” Jaeyi stepped closer, their noses brushing.

Seulgi held her breath.

Ignoring the visible reaction of the shorter woman, Jaeyi made her way toward Seulgi’s ear, her parted lips leaving ghostly touches along the way, until, with warm breath fanning against the actress’s skin, she whispered in a breathy sigh, “But Seulgi-ah, I already have you. You just need to accept it.”

Startled, Seulgi quickly pulled away from the taller woman, putting a long and much-needed distance between them. But in doing so, as she took quick steps backward, her hands instinctively landed on Jaeyi’s slender shoulders, pushing her back forcefully.

Stumbling, Jaeyi found herself shoved away with surprising strength, but she managed to steady herself just in time before crashing onto the floor.

Shocked.

Yoo Jaeyi was shocked.

In all her years of life, and especially her career, no one had ever dared to touch her like that, to treat her this way. But Seulgi… Seulgi had pushed her.

And the worst part? 

She loved it.

With a surprised smile on her lips, Jaeyi exhaled in admiration as she adjusted the strap of her dress, which now hung loosely off her shoulder due to the force of the push. Without saying another word, the brunette turned toward the door she had entered through earlier. With one last glance at a frozen Seulgi, she disappeared from the dressing room — just like that, vanishing from the actress’s sight for the rest of the night.

Leaving her behind, stunned and unsettled by her own impulsive action.

Yoo Jaeyi was insane.

Yoo Jaeyi was going to drive her insane.

It was only a matter of time.

***

The morning after the awards ceremony dawned with the world in flames. At least, that’s how it felt to Woo Seulgi.

Her phone wouldn’t stop vibrating on her nightstand. The screen was flooded with messages — from her team, her agency, close friends, and an irritating number of journalists demanding a statement. Every news site and social media platform seemed to have a single focus this morning: the alleged romance between her and Yoo Jaeyi.

"Exclusive: Woo Seulgi and Yoo Jaeyi: Rivals or something more?"

"Is the tension between Seulgi and Jaeyi pure chemistry? Experts analyze!"

"Are two of today’s biggest artists having an affair? Fans believe singer Yoo Jaeyi was intentionally giving actress Woo Seulgi intense looks during the awards ceremony. Read the full article below."

Seulgi let out a deep sigh after reading the various headlines sent to her by her friend and fellow actress, Choi Kyung. She angrily tossed the phone onto her bed.

"Unbelievable…" she grumbled, running her hands through her hair, messing it up even more in frustration.

She knew that even the smallest interaction between two celebrities could spark gossip and speculation, but this? A dating rumor?

This was too much.

It was starting to spiral out of control.

The apartment’s doorbell suddenly rang, interrupting the nervous pacing she had started in her living room. Heading to the door without bothering to fix her messy hair and still in her pajamas, Seulgi opened it to find the only person who would show up at her place at 8 a.m. on a Sunday, her manager, Kim Minji. She held her inseparable tablet in one hand, and her face bore an expression of pure stress and exhaustion.

"Have you seen social media?" Minji barged in without ceremony, not giving Seulgi a chance to say anything. "You and Jaeyi are the talk of the moment. The fans are going crazy, there are already edits of you two as a couple all over the timeline. Tons of sites are publishing incredibly biased articles about the whole thing, especially about you, since compared to Yoo Jaeyi, you’re still new to the industry. Now tell me, please, what the hell were you thinking last night to let this happen? You, caught up in a potential scandal?"

Letting out a deep sigh, the actress finally spoke. "Yes, I saw. Actually, there’s no way not to see it, even if I wanted to, my phone won’t stop buzzing from all possible directions." Seulgi ran a tired hand over her face as she sank into the large white couch in her living room. "And about last night, I swear nothing happened, I didn’t do anything. It was always her, the one starting conversations, chasing after me, provoking me, getting way too close, and pushing my buttons. I… I… Ugh… I hate her!"

Minji watched her friend’s outburst in silence, doubt and concern evident in her eyes.

"So… nothing happened? Can I really believe that?" the manager asked after a moment of silence.

Surprised by the question, Seulgi straightened up on the couch. "What do you mean, Minji? What are you implying?"

"Oh, come on, Seul, let’s be real. We’re talking about you and Jaeyi, it’s not like I don’t know what happened between you two two years ago. And honestly, that’s way too long for her to still be clinging to this, don’t you think? You must have some kind of special nectar to keep attracting these bees." The older woman laughed at her own joke, as if it were the funniest thing in the world that, even after all this time, the singer was still chasing after Seulgi, still trying to get her attention.

The problem was… it hadn’t actually been that long since they last saw each other in… more intimate contexts.

And because of the silence that followed, with only Minji’s amused laughter filling the space, the older woman quickly realized something was off. She stopped laughing, wiping the corners of her eyes.

Deep in thought, Minji turned her attention to the figure sitting in front of her. Seulgi was rigid, sitting as upright as possible, but her shoulders were slightly hunched, and her eyes were fixed on the floor as if it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the room.

And just like that, as she studied the actress, it clicked. Minji’s face lit up with understanding, only for it to be immediately replaced by something else — pure disbelief.

Seulgi had hidden something from her.

Holy sh —

"No… I don’t believe it… WOO SEULGI!"

The actress was startled by her friend’s sudden outburst, lifting her eyes and finally facing her.

“Seulgi! I can't believe you did what I think you did!” The manager lowered her tone, but her expression carried all the firmness and seriousness necessary for the conversation that was beginning to unfold in light of the facts. “Please, Seul, tell me it’s just some nonsense that crossed my mind, tell me I’m going crazy and that nothing has happened between you two that I don’t already know about. I just need that to start taking the necessary measures right now, and that’s it, by tomorrow these rumors will have disappeared. I just need your confirmation, the truth, please.”

The woman was practically begging the actress, but Seulgi remained silent. She seemed too ashamed to admit what the manager had already figured out but preferred to disbelieve.

Taking the heavy silence between them as an answer to her questions, Minji let out a long, tired sigh as she sank into the armchair in front of the sofa occupied by the actress. The situation had just become worse than expected, and the older woman could already hear all the reprimands she would receive from the company and her superiors for failing to see this chaos coming.

Feeling suddenly guilty for the situation she knew she had put the woman in — her friend and honorary older sister — Seulgi tried to pull herself together and gather the courage to speak despite her embarrassment. It wasn’t fair to Minji, and she knew it. The manager had every right to an explanation, considering she was responsible for handling her image and media presence most of the time.

“Minji, look, I… I’m sorry, okay?” The first sentence left the younger woman's lips as a whisper. Still hesitant, she continued, “I know I was wrong not to tell you that she and I had been seeing each other again recently, but look, it was only six or seven more times, and that was, what? About eight months ago? Yeah, I think so. So now it’s really over between us. You don’t have to worry about this anymore, I swear!” The actress blurted it all out in a single breath — fast enough not to lose her courage, but clear enough for the woman in front of her to understand everything.

And she did understand. She really did.

“SIX OR SEVEN MORE TIMES?” The woman shouted, exasperated. “This has to be a joke. Are you even listening to yourself right now? It wasn’t just a few little meetups, Seulgi! It was at least six more times that you almost threw everything we’ve been building for your career in the trash. How can you not see that?”

“It’s not like that, Minji. As hard as it may be to believe, Jaeyi and I were very careful with every single outing. We never went to public places or were seen together this whole time.” The actress wasn’t entirely sure why she felt the need to defend what she and Jaeyi had, but she just knew she did. “Well, at least until now. And even this time, I don’t even know if it counts as anything, since we were at an awards show and everyone talks to everyone at these events. So let’s try to stay calm. Soon, everyone will forget, and this will blow over in a few days.”

Seulgi finally declared, sounding calmer and more at ease. If this rumor was like most that surfaced daily about every name in the industry, and neither party involved addressed it, it would remain just that gossip without any real basis. So, it was fine. She was fine.

Except this rumor wasn’t like most.

Not when the actress looked back at her manager and found her lost in thought, staring at her phone screen with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open.

“Minji, hey, did you hear me?”

Silence.

“Min, I was saying that —”

“She’s not letting it go.” The woman cut her off, locking eyes with her.

“I don’t understand…”

“Jaeyi is feeding the rumors.”

A chill ran down Seulgi’s spine.

What the fuck —

“What?” The younger woman’s voice came out low, almost a whisper.

And instead of answering, Minji chose to show her. She turned her tablet around, now open to a social media page, and displayed the screen to her.

It showed a recent post from Jaeyi on Instagram specifically, a photo of the outfit she had worn at last night’s awards ceremony, casually draped over a chair, accompanied by the caption: "A memorable night. Some encounters are inevitable."

Seulgi’s stomach twisted.

What did Jaeyi think she was doing?

“Your agency wants you to issue a statement denying any involvement.” Minji crossed her legs, adopting a more serious posture. “But if that woman keeps provoking… It’s going to look like you’re running away.”

Seulgi squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

This wasn’t happening.

Not again.

Not even worse this time.

Because the truth was, this wasn’t the first time Yoo Jaeyi had done something like this — dropping cryptic hints on social media, through photos, or even in the lyrics of some of her songs. It had happened years ago when the two celebrities first got involved, a huge mistake. But it had never been like this. Never had so many people connected all these vague provocations to Seulgi.

Seulgi had slept, but she was still so tired.

No matter how much time passed, Jaeyi always seemed to find a way to slip back into her life. To mess with her body and, most of all, her mind and emotions. Seulgi felt drained, and it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet.

The singer always acted the same way: slowly, patiently, and deliberately.

But now, it seemed like she was determined to turn their old game into some kind of media scandal.

And that, Seulgi would not allow it.

“I’m going to ignore it.” Her voice came out firm. “No statements. No reactions. We’ll stay silent for now.”

Minji eyed her, hesitant, but eventually nodded.

“Alright. If that’s what you want, I’ll inform my superiors about your decision. They might want to talk to you about it.”

The actress nodded, already imagining herself being called into the CEO’s office at the company that managed her image and had assigned Minji as her main representative.

Just as she was about to get up to finally take a shower and put on something decent for the day ahead — a day that would start with an intense Vogue Korea photoshoot and end with the fitting for her gown for the prestigious annual gala dinner among the industry's most esteemed celebrities, their agencies, and potential new sponsors — Minji’s voice echoed through the room, making her stop in her tracks.

“But I advise you to brace yourself… Because, from what little I know about her, I can guarantee you one thing, Yoo Jaeyi is not going to make this easy for you from now on.”

And damn Kim Minji.

Because Seulgi knew her friend was absolutely right.