Chapter 98 – The Room That Stayed Quiet
POV: Minjae (AUREUS)
It started like most scandals do.
A headline no one wanted.
A name no one expected to disappear.
And a silence that felt louder than anything Jaeheon had ever said.
[10:00 AM] Article: "Where is Kang Jaeheon? Idol Missing After Italy Concert"
[10:01 AM] Rin: what is this
[10:01 AM] Hyunjae: isn't he back?
[10:01 AM] Sungchan: he said he was taking the late flight?
[10:01 AM] Minjae: …he never came back.
The group chat fell still.
Minjae sat alone in the dorm kitchen, mug untouched, phone screen glowing in the dim morning light. The kettle had boiled ten minutes ago. The toast in the machine had popped. But he hadn't moved.
He just kept reading the headline.
Over and over again.
Kang Jaeheon has not returned to Korea following AUREUS' European leg of the tour. According to airport staff, he was last seen alone in Florence. His agency has not commented.
No scandal.
No paparazzi photos.
Just... silence.
Jaeheon wasn't the type to vanish.
He was the type to blend in. Fade into corners. Exist so precisely that no one dared ask more of him than he was willing to give.
But this —
this was different.
He hadn't sent a message.
Not even to Minjae.
And that said more than anything.
[10:02 AM] Hyunjae: where do you think he is?
[10:02 AM] Rin: maybe he just needed space?
[10:02 AM] Minjae: he's not the type to need space.
[10:03 AM] Sungchan: did something happen?
[10:03 AM] Minjae: not to us.
Which was the truth.
Whatever happened to Jaeheon had nothing to do with them.
And somehow — that hurt more.
The agency issued a statement by noon.
"Kang Jaeheon is taking a brief personal leave for health reasons. He remains in contact with staff and is safe. We ask fans to refrain from speculation."
A bland paragraph. A lie polished into PR-speak.
Because the truth was simple:
No one knew where he was.
Not the staff.
Not the label.
Not even the group.
They had always thought they knew him.
Not his past — that was off-limits.
Not his family — that was untouchable.
Not the woman — because there was never a woman. Not really.
They had all heard the lyrics.
They'd joked about "her" on the variety show.
But it had always felt like something distant. Poetic. Imaginary.
No one ever thought she was real.
No one imagined he meant every single word.
Minjae sat in the dorm's living room long after the others had gone quiet.
The room still smelled like Jaeheon's cologne. His books were lined perfectly on the shelf. His notebook was gone.
And so was he.
No note. No message. No sign of a breakdown.
He had just… disappeared.
That night, fans flooded their livestream with questions.
"Where's Jaeheon?"
"Did he leave the group?"
"Is he okay?"
"Did someone break his heart?"
"Is he in love?"
Minjae read every comment in silence.
He didn't smile.
Didn't speak.
Because for once—
he had nothing to say.
Later, he sat on the balcony, hoodie pulled over his head, watching the city lights blur under a sky that didn't care.
A quiet wind passed by.
And Minjae whispered to no one:
"Where the hell did you go, hyung?"