Paparazzi

It was morning, and the alarm clock went off at exactly seven, but Seulgi had already been awake long before that.

She had spent the night tossing and turning in bed, her body too exhausted to get up, but her mind in constant activity. It was as if the lyrics of Princess were still imprinted on the inside of her eyelids, and every time she considered surrendering to sleep again, they reappeared, repeating in what seemed to be an eternal loop, every time she dared to close her eyes. The way Jaeyi had pronounced certain words in that song, the chorus that sounded both sweet and bitter at the same time, had definitely stirred something long buried in the depths of the actress’s soul — something that was now echoing in countless other ears besides her own, like a secret exposed for the whole world to hear — but to Seulgi, it still felt like a private message. Just for her to hear.

Watching the sunlight seep through the gaps in the curtain, she forced herself out of bed before the alarm could vibrate again with another shrill tone.
Heading to the bathroom adjacent to her bedroom, she allowed herself to take a shower, hoping to relax the tension that had settled across her body. She let the hot water cascade over her skin, as if it could also melt away and dissolve the tightness that had gripped her chest since dawn.

It didn’t work.

After leaving the bathroom, she made her way to her modest closet in the left corner of her room, dressing mechanically, opting for something neutral this morning: jeans, a white t-shirt, and a simple faux leather jacket. The day had started just like the one before — cloudy and cold. This kind of outfit should be enough to keep her warm on a day like this. It was also the kind of clothing meant to avoid drawing attention, something that could help her go unnoticed — or at least make her feel like she could be invisible. Just for today.

As she made her way to the underground parking lot of her residential building, she glanced up at the sky through one of the transparent elevator walls, which allowed such an act, and noticed that the sky was indeed fully overcast so early in the morning. Perhaps it was different from yesterday—heavier, as if even the weather knew that this day carried no promises of lightness for her life and had decided to match her misery.

It was a silly and irrational thought, she knew, but she still allowed herself a small chuckle at the idea that it could be possible. It was good to enjoy these brief moments when she could have lighthearted, meaningless thoughts about anything in her life that wasn’t related to her work or career, because ever since she had received Minji’s message in the early hours of the morning — informing her of yet another emergency meeting scheduled for precisely eight-thirty — she knew that her life was about to take a completely different turn.

One she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control. And that terrified her.

Don’t get her wrong, all the thoughts that had raced through her mind that night, all that sudden happiness and excitement she had finally allowed herself to feel after listening to Jaeyi’s newly released song, were still there in her mind, present, alive, and burning at full intensity. But the actress also knew she had to be fair to herself. What was the point of all that happiness and determination if her life, her career, wasn’t really managed by her alone?

Whether she liked it or not, she was still part of a career and image management company. She still had an entire team of agents who reported to her and her superior with every tiny step they took in managing her projects and partnerships in what they believed was the best way for her.

Not to mention her manager, who was primarily responsible for handling her social media and managing the publicity of her projects — often even making decisions on her behalf when it came to highly risky and important matters for her career. Not that Minji would ever do anything to harm her, Seulgi trusted the older woman completely. The problem was that even Minji answered to a superior, and that superior was the same as Seulgi’s. And Choi Jun-seo, the CEO of Unlimited, wasn’t exactly known for his care and attention to the thoughts and ideas of the actors and actresses under his management. Quite the opposite, he was known for launching the biggest names in the industry and for continuing to do so to this day. Seulgi herself was a testament to his sharpness and business acumen, even if it meant manipulating everyone around him to get what he wanted — even the media — or trampling over the ideals of his own artists.

What mattered was success, and that was something he always ensured for his clients.

On the way to Unlimited’s headquarters, she asked them to keep the radio off. She didn’t want to risk hearing her name — hearing the song.

But still, it was impossible to escape.

Her phone vibrated on the seat beside her every few seconds. And she knew exactly what it was about without even looking: journalists, fans, social media notifications — everyone wanting a statement, a reaction.

But she gave no one the privilege of a response.

Not now. Not like this.

Not yet.

***

The clock read just past eight in the morning when Seulgi arrived at the Unlimited headquarters. The building, usually quiet at this hour, was already buzzing more than usual. It wasn’t a surprise to her to see the unusual movement for that time — something to be expected given recent events. Employees who normally wouldn’t even be in the office on a Monday morning were rushing through the lobby, their faces tense as they tried to stifle their barely concealed whispers upon seeing her enter.

Seulgi walked through the space with firm strides, ignoring the poorly disguised glances in her direction. She ignored everything, keeping her face impassive as she made her way down the corridor toward the elevators.

Minji was the first to intercept her near the elevators.

The manager was already there, looking like she had slept even less than Seulgi — if she had slept at all. Her sharp eyes scanned Seulgi quickly, as if searching for any signs of what Seulgi had made sure to hide while getting ready to leave her house.

"Good morning," Minji said in a low but firm voice. "The CEO is already waiting for us. Everyone is gathered."

Everyone.  

Great. She’d have an audience.

A room full of people ready to decide what was best for her life, her career, in the midst of this crisis. Perfect.

But, determined to at least try, Seulgi simply nodded silently and stepped into the elevator alongside her friend. The ride to the top floor felt heavy and painfully slow, even though the elevator moved at its usual speed, filled only with the mechanical hum of the floors passing by.

When the doors opened, the tension in the penthouse office was already palpable.

The conference room was packed. Large screens displayed real-time headlines, digital engagement charts, frantic tweets. Old photos of Seulgi and Jaeyi flashed between the data — some taken at events, others captured by fans years ago. It was as if the past had barged in without permission, invading her present with full force.

Upon entering, the actress sat in the chair Minji indicated, without saying a single word.

Choi Jun-ceo, the CEO, already seated at the head of the table as always, wasted no time with small talk. The moment he noticed her arrival, he began speaking, immediately drawing everyone’s attention and silencing all side conversations and hushed whispers in the large room.

"I believe everyone here has seen what's happening, so I won’t waste time repeating the obvious. The last twenty-four hours have set fire to everything we were trying to keep under control."

The man made a small gesture with his hand, and a woman standing nervously in front of the table began flipping through various slides on the screen — slides Seulgi hadn’t even noticed when she entered. A rapid presentation of the numbers began: searches for her name had skyrocketed, mentions in trending topics had doubled in just one hour.

Each slide felt like a cruel confirmation of what Seulgi already knew.

It was becoming harder and harder to pretend. To hide.

Time was running out. A rope was about to snap.

A rope that had always kept everything she built in her career tightly secured, woven together.

"We need to act now! But cautiously."

The man’s eyes landed on her after that statement, as if expecting a reaction. Any reaction.

But Seulgi merely kept her face unreadable, expressionless, her posture impeccable. She remained almost motionless, hands crossed over the table. On the outside, she seemed perfectly composed, but inside, the chaos swirling in the pit of her stomach threatened to shatter her carefully trained facade at any moment.

Realizing he wouldn’t get an answer from the actress, at least not yet, the CEO wrapped up his speech with a decision that seemed to be a consensus among all the men in the room:

"We'll wait."

That was it? Just like that?

Seulgi was confused. She had been called to an emergency meeting at eight in the morning just to be told they were going to wait?

Don’t get her wrong — of course, Seulgi would love to have more say in all of this. And if she did, she had no doubt that, for now, her decision would be pretty much the same. Waiting to see how things played out and what kind of bombshell would explode in her hands seemed like the most sensible course of action. But it wasn’t what she had expected her superior to decide.

And apparently, her surprise at the decision must have shown on her face, because the older man sitting across from her, who was still watching her, now looked satisfied, a broad, amused smile spreading across his face as if pleased to have finally gotten some kind of reaction from her since she entered the room.

Choi Jun-ceo was really… something.

Seulgi couldn’t deny that the man was incredibly shrewd. His business acumen was undoubtedly well-honed — he never let anything slip past him.

"Yoo Jaeyi’s press conference is scheduled for tomorrow morning. The exact time hasn’t been set yet, so I ask everyone here to wait for my next updates. My assistant will inform you when you all need to return tomorrow. We will gather again to watch the press conference and see what will be said and clarified about this potential scandal we’re dealing with. Depending on what’s said, we will determine our response."

A brief pause.

"Are we clear?"

There were murmurs of agreement.

Strategy. Timing. Crisis management. Terms Seulgi knew well, but at that moment, they felt like a foreign language in her ears.

Having received the answers he wanted, the older man dismissed everyone with a brief nod, seemingly satisfied.

However, as people began to disperse, a voice called out, drawing Seulgi’s attention.

"Miss Woo, if I may, I’d like to ask you specifically not to be late tomorrow. As the main person involved in the subject being discussed in the interview, I believe you wouldn’t want to miss anything, right?"

Choi Jun-ceo.

Turning to respond with a polite, "Yes, sir. I’ll be here," Seulgi did so just in time to catch the teasing smile creeping onto the older man’s lips.

Before she could escape, he continued, cutting off any quick agreement from her:

"I understand that beautiful actresses like yourself value their beauty sleep, eight hours and all that. But I believe just one day of interrupting your ‘princess sleep’ won’t hurt, will it, dear?"

Seulgi froze.

Wait — was this some kind of… taunt from her boss?

Oh, for God’s sake.

Judging by how shocked Minji looked near the door, and by the slightly provocative smirk now fully forming on Choi Jun’s face, yeah, that was definitely a taunt.

Clenching her jaw, Seulgi had to use all her self-control not to fire back. She wasn’t in the mood for games today.

"Yes, sir. Of course. I’ll be here at whatever time you request," she opted for a simple, precise response — one that said exactly what the CEO wanted to hear.

Jun-ceo chuckled, clearly entertained by how stiffly she was holding herself. He waved her off dismissively, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Go eat something, I bet you’re starving. We’ll continue tomorrow. Go on, now."

Without waiting for another word, Seulgi gave a quick bow and practically rushed out of the room, leaving Minji behind, visibly frustrated.

But if the actress had been a little less hasty in her exit, she might have been able to hear the laughter that the older man let out upon seeing one of his agents and one of the company’s senior managers left behind so abruptly by his client. The ever-methodical and organized woman had been abandoned just like that, left behind without knowing exactly how to deal with the other woman who, incidentally, was younger — and worse, was in love.

Yes, that 's right.

Seulgi was in love again. Or maybe she had never stopped being.

And everyone seemed to see it — everyone except for her . Because, besides being in love, Seulgi was a confused woman, utterly lost in her own feelings.

“Poor girl. She looks worse off than anyone else I’ve ever seen in this situation.” Choi Jun-ceo  remarked to the manager still standing at his door, seemingly debating whether or not she should go after the other woman. “You know, Minji, I think I chose the right person to assign as her manager. Only you would have the patience for this. Anyone else would have given up on all this drama by now, you know.”

Turning to the man while massaging her temples, Minji sighed in defeat and allowed herself a small laugh at his mild provocation. “And you seem to be in an excellent mood this morning, full of jokes. Speaking of which, did you really have to pull that one on Seulgi? Didn’t she already seem annoyed enough for you?” she snapped at the man sitting in his leather chair, which swayed slightly from side to side, undisturbed, as he seemed even more amused by everything he was hearing.

“Oh, come on, Miss Kim. It’s not my fault I had a good night’s sleep, unlike certain people.” The man teased, earning a tired eye-roll from the woman in front of him before he continued. “Besides, I think, above all, you should be grateful that I’m not yet tired of all this sentimentality surrounding that girl since as far back as I can remember. I’m actually quite entertained. After all, at least she has talent. The profits she’s brought to the company over the years are enough for me to reconsider and risk keeping her here despite all these scandals. But that’s enough of this for today, go after her already. I can feel your restlessness from here. Go, go, I want to eat something too.” The man said as he got up from his chair, cracking his back immediately after, dismissing the woman with a nearly dismissive wave of his hand toward the office door.

Minji let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before replying,

“I don’t have a choice, do I? Someone has to stop her from imploding on her own.”

The CEO just laughed again, shaking his head as if the whole spectacle were mere entertainment for him. Minji, on the other hand, felt exhausted. Not just because of the crisis itself but because of how Seulgi seemed to be hanging on by a thread.

And, unfortunately, that thread was about to snap.

Rolling her eyes at the man one last time, Minji gave a brief bow before finally turning and leaving the office, hurrying off to find her friend, who had already disappeared from the floor.

‘For God’s sake, Seulgi was really upset,’ the older woman thought as she rushed toward the elevators, calling for one immediately.

It was going to be a long day.

***

Seulgi was already on the fifth floor of the company’s large building, the floor designated for the dressing rooms of the main contracted artists. She was almost entering on her own, ready to disappear from the sight of all the curious onlookers wandering those hallways for the next few hours, when she heard a voice calling her from afar, making her stop for a brief moment.

It was Minji, of course. The brunette knew her friend wouldn’t leave her alone so easily, not without talking to her first. And knowing that, instead of standing still and waiting for the woman to catch up with her, the actress started walking again, this time faster, quickly entering her dressing room and shutting the door behind her with a dull thud.

She didn’t want to talk at the moment. Seulgi just needed silence to think and put her thoughts in order.

But since it was Minji they were talking about, it didn’t take long for the manager to catch up with her again. She entered the dressing room with an utterly exasperated expression, staring at the visibly exhausted woman in front of her.

Upon entering, she didn’t speak immediately; she just walked over to stand beside her in front of the large mirror in the silent dressing room, looking through it apprehensively.

“Seul…” The older woman tried, but sighed in defeat when she got no response—not even a glance.

“Come on, Seulgi. I know this is really hard for you; I’ve been here since the beginning, remember?” The woman tried again, and this time she got a murmur from the actress, indicating that she was at least listening. So she continued. “That’s why I need to know, dear, do you think you’ll be able to handle everything here tomorrow? If not, just tell me, and I’ll come up with an excuse for Mr. Choi and everyone else. We can watch the press conference at your place, or even at mine if you’d prefer. I can make that hot chocolate you love so much.”

The older woman suggested with a small smile at the corner of her lips, and Seulgi let out a soft, nasal laugh at her friend’s proposal, a clear attempt to cheer her up. And as tempting as it was to have Minji’s famous hot chocolate, the brunette really felt that she needed to start facing the consequences of her past choices like what she was, an adult. She was no longer a teenager, and after a sleepless night thinking about it, she had decided that it was time to start making her own decisions — ones that weren’t based solely on fear and apprehension about the future.

And the younger woman couldn’t have been more grateful to have incredible people like Minji by her side. The tone the other woman had used with her just now wasn’t one of demand; it was concern in its purest form.

The kind of concern an older sister would have when seeing her little sister suffer through her first heartbreak.

And that analogy could have been true — if it hadn’t been her own "little sister" who broke her heart first, shattering her own in the process, and was now suffering for it.

It was hypocritical. Seulgi knew that.

So the actress stopped, staring at her friend for a moment.

“I’m focused. I appreciate your concern, Min, really, I do. But I think it’s time for me to start facing the things I caused and brought upon myself like an adult. I need to face this head-on,” she replied, giving a slight shrug afterward.

As if it were that simple.

Defeated, Minji sighed, leaning against the counter beside the mirror.

But the actress continued when she saw her friend still looking reluctant to fully accept her decision.

“But you know… I’d still love for you to be by my side tomorrow. And maybe that hot chocolate of yours too.”

Laughter rang through the room, finally bringing a bit of life back to the place.

Next to a Seulgi who now had a small smile on her face, Minji laughed, the tension in her body finally easing a little at seeing her friend joking as she normally would.

Well, at least the actress could still smile.

Maybe things weren’t as lost as she had imagined.

“You idiot, of course I’ll be here with you tomorrow. In case you forgot, I still kind of work for you,” the manager joked back, moving closer to the younger woman and lightly bumping their shoulders together, managing to draw another smile from her lips. “But I also know when you’re holding too much inside, Seul. I’ve known you for years, remember? And you always do this when you don’t know what to do with everything you’re feeling.”

There was a small pause in her words, now uncomfortable.

“And you know, if you ever want to talk about anything, really, not just… all of this, you know you can, right?”

The way Minji spoke, carefully, almost as if she were making an effort not to pressure her, made something tighten inside Seulgi. But she managed to keep her composure — on the outside, at least — the smile on her lips only wavering slightly.

And if Minji noticed, she didn’t comment on it.

“I know. But not now. Maybe in a few days,” the actress murmured.

Minji nodded slowly, as if knowing that pushing any further would be useless. But before stepping away, she gave the younger woman one last firm look.

“I just wanted to make sure you knew you’re not alone, that you don’t forget you don’t have to face everything by yourself, dear.”

The manager finished as she stepped closer to the brunette, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Seulgi didn’t respond. She just kept her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears threatening to slip down her cheeks at such a simple yet profound display of care and support, letting herself be comforted by the older woman’s gesture.

Pulling away from the actress, Minji gave her hands one last reassuring squeeze before walking out through the same door she had entered earlier, finally leaving the actress alone.

But never in peace — her restless thoughts wouldn’t grant her that honor anytime soon.

***

The afternoon dragged on as if time itself had decided to toy with her patience.

Ever since Minji had left the dressing room, the brunette had remained there, seated on the black leather couch positioned against the wall in front of the large mirror, motionless, staring at her own reflection as if doing so would help her think more clearly, as if looking at herself would finally make her realize that everything that had happened in the past few weeks — especially in the past few hours — was actually real, and that the moment for everything to come to light was finally approaching, looming over her like a heavy, dense shadow.

Seulgi had turned down the offer to have lunch with Minji or anyone else. She had claimed she needed to rest a bit longer in the dressing room, but the truth was that she wanted to keep her distance from any worried looks that she was sure would be directed at her the moment anyone laid eyes on her clearly exhausted figure.

She wanted silence, and at the same time, she searched for answers where she knew she shouldn’t.

Sitting on the couch with her phone between her fingers, she decided to open the notification bar, already overflowing with alerts. The number was almost comical: hundreds of mentions on Twitter, dozens of recent articles referring to her, fans tagging her name in every kind of post that mentioned her.

She tried to convince herself that she would ignore it. Tried to be strong and let it go. But her curiosity got the best of her. And she ended up sliding her fingers toward the browser, then clicking on the latest links that mentioned her.

But it only took reading the first headline for her to regret letting curiosity take over. There was no turning back now — she couldn’t stop herself from reading the hundreds of articles and their comments. It all hit her like a punch to the gut, leaving her nauseated:

"Actress Woo Seulgi continues to avoid rumors of an alleged past affair with singer Yoo Jaeyi — is it fear or strategy?"

The article had a speculative tone, filled with completely poisoned statements:

"Despite the evident surge in buzz following the release of the single 'Princess,' Woo Seulgi remains silent. Sources close to the actress suggest she may be avoiding the topic due to contractual reasons or, perhaps, out of shame for her past. Could she be fearing another wave of scandals?"

Seulgi felt her jaw clench.

These assholes didn’t know a thing, yet they had no hesitation in publishing deceitful and biased articles involving her.

The media was pathetic .

Swiping toward another link, she allowed herself a sliver of hope that she would find something different. But that wasn’t what happened:

"Could Woo Seulgi be the inspiration behind Yoo Jaeyi’s new song? Internet users dig up old photos and suggest rumors of possible infidelity and a tumultuous breakup."

The article featured old photo montages, out-of-context quotes, and a flood of comments from people who had no idea what they were actually judging:

Popular comments:

@truthhurts98

"I can’t believe she dumped Jaeyi just to keep contracts. This has to be a joke. Secondhand embarrassment, unfollowing."

@lesveritas

"I’m so tired of the media forcing lesbian relationships for buzz. Cut the nonsense, this harms the kids who watch."

@fan4life

"If it’s true, do you guys even realize how hard it was for them back then? I just hope the companies don’t ruin it again. Just leave them alone."

@jaeyilove

"Jaeyi unnie deserves better. Looks like Seulgi always ran away when Jaeyi needed her most."

@lovewins2025

"I just want them to be happy. The media always destroys any real possibility of something beautiful. Shameful."

@kfanboy12

"Give it up, guys, she’s never going to admit it. Seulgi has always put her career above everything in her life."

@toxigayy

"I don’t get the hype. If it were a man and a woman, no one would care this much. But two women? Why expose this kind of thing?"

@supportingjaeyi

"Seulgi and Jaeyi are two grown women, let them live their lives. You don’t know half of what they’ve been through, no one really does, if this is even true, so stop speculating!!!"

@midnight_girl

"Seulgi has always been weak when it comes to exposing herself. It could be true or not, but she should stop hiding the truth. Many fans are tired of this."

A loud sob burst from the actress’s lips.

She couldn’t take it — it was all too much.

Hundreds of comments and assumptions were being made in that post, and each one felt like it was being hurled at her with full force the more she read. And Seulgi couldn’t understand, how could people who had never seen her in real life, who had never exchanged a single word with her or Jaeyi, say such awful things and make such terrible accusations about them?

Seulgi really couldn’t understand. And when she stopped to think about it, she realized she had never gone through a situation that provoked such negative reactions from the public before. This was exactly what she had meant years ago when she said she wasn’t ready to face the world alongside Jaeyi.

And now, years later, she saw that avoiding all of it back then didn’t seem to have been worth anything, because it had all caught up to her in the future anyway.

Beyond the articles she had read, she knew there were many more just like them, maybe even worse, and she was sure she would find them as she continued scrolling.

And since she had long lost any sense of self-preservation —

That’s exactly what she did.

Dispatch Korea

@DispatchKorea · 5 min

Woo Seulgi remains silent after the release of Yoo Jaeyi's single "Princess." Fans speculate a possible connection between the lyrics and the artists' past relationship. Could a statement be coming soon?

[+1.2K Retweets] [+3.5K Likes] [+2.1K Comments]

NetizenBuzz

@NetizenBuzz · 12 min

EXCLUSIVE: Sources claim Woo Seulgi and Yoo Jaeyi had a turbulent breakup due to contractual reasons. Fear or image strategy?

[Read more]

SeulgiDaily

@SeulgiBrasil · 20 min

Regardless of the rumors, we support Woo Seulgi and her privacy. She owes explanations to no one but herself.

[+8K Likes]

THE K-BUZZ

@TheKBuzz · 25 min

Actress Woo Seulgi is accused by netizens of abandoning her relationship with Yoo Jaeyi to protect her career. Hashtag #CowardSeulgi rises in trending topics.

[+TRENDING]

AllKPop News

@allkpnews · 3 min

Rumors of a past relationship between Woo Seulgi and Yoo Jaeyi resurface in full force after the release of "Princess." Insiders comment: "It was never just friendship."

[+5.2K Retweets] [+7.9K Comments]

K-Drama Insider

@KDramaIn · 10 min

Sources claim Woo Seulgi has recently declined invitations for new dramas following the rise in speculation. The company may be controlling public appearances.

[Read more]

[+TRENDING]

-----

It was too much, too much — everything was overwhelming.

Seulgi gripped her phone tighter in her hand, trying to control her breathing.

Tired of punishing herself by forcing herself to read through all these headlines — most of them sensationalist — the actress finally turned off the phone screen, locking it. And without holding back anymore, she allowed herself to cry.

Everything hurt.

From her eyes, now red, to her heart, which, just as exhausted as she was, beat sluggishly in her chest, twisting with every throb.

The comments, the posts, the clickbait headlines, it all made her sick.

Of course, in the midst of all this, there were neutral comments and even some defending her, but Seulgi couldn’t deny that it was the mocking comments and the venomous headlines that her eyes lingered on the most. It was inevitable.

Even more so for someone experiencing this kind of situation — this kind of public scrutiny — for the first time. Seulgi wasn’t like her friends or some of her co-stars, who had already faced a scandal or two before. No, the actress had always worked with her team to keep her image as clean and free from rumors and gossip as possible over the past six years.

And now, all that effort seemed to have been in vain…

Seulgi wasn’t like her so-called “scandal partner” — if that was even a thing. She wasn’t like Jaeyi. The singer was probably used to this kind of thing, to these kinds of comments…

For God 's sake.

How much longer would she have to pay for all her past mistakes?

Mistakes.

Seulgi had made mistakes. She could admit that now.

But admitting it wouldn’t change anything. The time for regret had passed—at least by three years.

Taking a deep breath and opening her eyes again, the actress looked back at her phone.

And, almost instinctively, she opened her private messages.

Some of the texts flooding her messaging app were from colleagues, trying to sound neutral as they asked things like:

"Saw the news, are you okay?"

Or from a few close friends, who reassured her:

"Unnie, how are you? Just know that I’m with you, no matter what they say."

But even with all this support, it was impossible to ignore the harsher comments she had read earlier. Those were the ones that stuck in her mind:

"Seulgi, I’ll be so disappointed if this is true. I always thought you were more mature than that."

"Coward. Jaeyi had to move on alone while you disappeared."

"This is disgusting. I never expected something so inappropriate, getting involved with another woman, from you. You were my favorite actress. Unfollowing."

She could feel the tips of her fingers going numb.

The world was cruel, and no matter how many supportive messages she received, they never seemed to carry enough weight to reach her — not amidst so much disappointment and hatred.

She let the phone slip from her grasp onto the couch and ran her hands over her face, trying to push away the pressure building in her head. But there was nothing she could do about the weight pressing down on her chest.

She was almost ready to turn off her phone for good and maybe call her driver to take her home. She wasn’t even sure why she was still in the dressing room. Was there something scheduled for today? A campaign shoot? She didn’t know anymore, and frankly, she didn’t think it mattered.

But just as she was about to do it, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.

Right in front of all the others piling up.

@yoojaeyi posted a video.

Why did she still have her ex-girlfriend’s social media notifications turned on?

She really didn’t know.

She didn’t even follow the woman.

Well, at least not on her official account…

But, fuck it. Not knowing why she hadn’t even unfollowed her on her secondary account didn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat anyway.

Great.

Not even her own body was on her side.

An incredible day, truly.

With uncertain fingers, she clicked on the notification. The screen opened directly to the singer’s profile. It was just a video, exactly 20 seconds long.

The video started simple: Jaeyi sitting in a bright setting, a calm expression, a slight smile on her lips — but her eyes, as intense as always.

"Hey, everyone. Just dropping by to remind you that tomorrow at 10 a.m., we’ll have our press conference to talk a bit more about the album before it’s finally released at the end. I can’t wait to talk to you all about everything. This is my most intimate project, so I hope to see you all there." The woman let out a soft laugh. "Or at least, I hope to see you all online watching me." Winking at the camera, she finished with a wide smile. "See you later, my loves. I love you!"

Nothing much.

The video was nothing much. It was just a reminder for her many fans and admirers that something big was happening tomorrow.

There was no explicit or even implicit provocation toward the actress, as there hadn’t been for some time. No response to the speculations.

And yet, why did it feel to Seulgi like her world had stopped for a few seconds?

She realized she had even been holding her breath since she pressed play.

What?...

Confused, the woman slowly let out the air, but the tightness in her chest persisted, and in her stomach, a cold sensation still swirled.

Anxiety, fear, and anticipation seemed to have merged into a formless mass inside her, impossible to ignore.

But above all, surprise seemed to overshadow the other three emotions.

The video had already ended, yet Jaeyi’s face still burned in her mind. The soft voice, the restrained smile, the way her eyes shone, not just from the well-planned lighting of the recording location but from something that seemed more… genuine. A real happiness, a vibrant excitement that Seulgi hadn’t seen in a long time.

Jaeyi looked… happy.

And that was what crushed her in a way she couldn’t explain.

Seulgi sank deeper into the couch, feeling a tight knot in her throat.

How was Jaeyi doing so well? How could she sit there, speak like that, without even seeming a little, even the slightest bit, shaken by everything that was happening?

There was no hesitation in her expression, no sign of uncertainty or exhaustion. It was as if the chaos of the past few days didn’t weigh on her the same way it did on the actress. It was as if Seulgi was the only one drowning in her own mind while Jaeyi just… moved on.

Maybe it was true.

Maybe Jaeyi really had moved on.

And that album, that song, still echoing in her ears, was the woman’s way of saying goodbye to everything. To her.

Was it all really over?

Seulgi tried to ignore the uncomfortable sting beginning to form behind her eyes.

Lost on what to do now, she returned to scrolling through social media comments, even though she knew she shouldn’t, but this time, sliding through the screen without truly processing the words that seemed blurry to her eyes.

She already knew what awaited her there. People were divided — some defending, others attacking. But in the end, that wasn’t what made her feel so miserable now.

It was the awareness that tomorrow, Jaeyi would be there, under the spotlights, talking about her album and her songs.

Songs that could be about them —  about her — once again.

Could they?

Or was it too arrogant of her to think Jaeyi still gave her that much importance?

She didn’t know anymore.

Maybe her name would be mentioned here and there, and that would be it. Maybe it wouldn’t even come up at all.

Maybe Jaeyi would have the chance to say something, anything, that could change everything at once.

But what would she say?

Seulgi’s mind spun with countless possibilities. The singer could deny the rumors. She could ignore them. Or worse—she could confirm them.

And if Jaeyi decided to expose everything? If she told the world what Seulgi had spent the last few years trying to bury, trying to forget everything they once were?

Panic crawled through the actress’s body like a cold shiver.

Not knowing was unbearable.

Seulgi stood up from the couch, her legs trembling and restless, her chest compressed. She needed to get out of that dressing room. She needed air.

But she knew that no matter where she went, that crushing feeling would still follow her.

Time was already against her.

In just a few hours, less than a day, there would be no more assumptions. No more speculation.

Jaeyi would speak.

Something.

And that would be enough. The whole world would listen.