The silence in the office was deafening.
Sherri sat at the edge of her desk at the JYP marketing department, hands folded tightly in her lap, eyes fixed on the screen in front of her. The article was still open:
> "YoungBok Spotted with old lady a Fan? Possible Affair While Hyunjin Serves"
The headline was garbage. Vile. False.
But it had been shared millions of times.
Her supervisor, Ms. Han, closed the browser and let out a slow breath. "Sherri… you've always been one of our most trusted coordinators."
"I still am," Sherri said quietly, holding her ground. "There's no affair. I'm Hyunjin's wife and Bokie is his man, like a kid to me."
"I know. But the public doesn't. And even if you've done nothing wrong, the image…"
Sherri nodded slowly. "You're asking me to step back."
Ms. Han's voice was softer now. "Just for a little while. Until it calms down."
That evening, Sherri stood outside the company building alone, arms wrapped around herself.
The city looked unfamiliar now.
Each billboard of YoungBok's smile felt like a weight.
Each whisper around her, a knife.
She hadn't cried at the office. Not once. But now, the ache spread in her chest, raw and bitter. She had protected him. Waited for him. Loved them both without ever asking for anything in return.
And now, she was being punished for it.
"Sherri!"
She turned — and there he was.
YoungBok.
Slightly out of breath. Still in his stage outfit. He must've rushed from the rehearsal.
"I came as soon as I saw your text," he said, voice urgent. "What happened?"
She shook her head. "They asked me to step away. From everything. Just for now."
YoungBok's face fell. "Because of me…"
"Not you," she said quickly, reaching for his hand. "Because of people who don't understand us."
He clenched his jaw, fighting the fury bubbling inside. "Then let me make them understand."
Later that night, the Slay Kids dorm was quiet. Everyone had turned in for the night, and the babies were already asleep.
YoungBok paced the room, phone in hand, reading the same hateful comments again and again.
"She's disgusting."
"Is she married or….."
"I saw that girl with Hyunjin. I thought she was a staff member but I think she trapped them both."
"She is that fan who never posted her husband photos"
"She was a fan — of course she would ruin them."
It was endless.
Sherri sat beside the crib, watching Youngjin breathe softly.
"I want to say something," YoungBok finally said.
She looked up. "Like what?"
"An interview. Maybe a live. Something honest. Something ours."
Sherri's brows furrowed. "Won't that make it worse?"
"Maybe. But I'd rather scream the truth than let them bury you under lies."
He knelt in front of her, his hands resting over her knees.
"Sheeri… you never asked to be in the spotlight. But you were the light when Hyunjin left. You held me together. You fed our kids. You made sure his name stayed loved."
She trembled at the sincerity in his voice.
"I won't let them twist that into shame."
The next morning, YoungBok made the call.
To JYP.
To his PR team.
To his groupmates.
-----They announces about second marriage, his wife and their two kids."
But Sherri gets more hate, being wife of Hyunjin living alone in a house with YongBok when Hyunjin is in military creating a spark in the public and YongBok stepped forward to clearify their relationship with public."
So he tells to his PR team.
"I want to speak. Publicly. But only with her beside me."
And while it sparked immediate concern, they didn't stop him.
Because they saw it too:
The unshakable love that bound them — all three.
As preparations for the interview began, Sherri held her head higher.
Because while the world saw rumors, whispers, and headlines…
She still saw the man who waited every night beside her.
And the one who was coming home with every sunrise.
Together, they would face the storm.
And they'd face it hand-in-hand.