The sci-fi series dropped with a bang.
Fans couldn't get enough of the charming friendship trio, Eli, Jax, and Kai, and their quirky chemistry both on and off-screen.
Edits, memes, theories, and fancams flooded social media. Hashtags like #JaxKaiEliForever trended daily.
Viewers weren't just watching the show, they were invested in the people behind it.
The CEO, never one to miss a golden marketing opportunity, called for a private meeting.
He was all business when the three of them entered the conference room, but the glint in his eye gave him away.
"The fans love you," he said, flashing numbers, graphs, and brand offers on a big screen. "But there's something bigger. The BL market is thriving, and we want to ride the wave."
The three glanced at each other, unsure.
Then the CEO dropped the twist. "A new BL project. Emotionally charged, beautifully written, and we want Jax and Kai as the leads."
Eli's eyebrows shot up. Kai blinked. Jax went stone-still.
Kai sat back, clearly skeptical. "You want me to do a BL?"
"Yes," the CEO said. "Your chemistry is undeniable. And the script..." he tapped the folder on the table, "is solid and mature. Not fanservice junk."
Kai leaned forward, curiosity piqued. When he flipped open the script and skimmed a few pages, something in his face shifted. Intrigue, interest.
Then, a flash of something else when the CEO mentioned Jax as his potential co-star.
He didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either.
Jax read the script as well, the expression on his face unreadable. He even admitted it was good, really good.
But his answer was clear.
"No."
Kai blinked in disbelief. "Wait, why?"
Jax shrugged, but there was tension in his jaw. "I've been in the BL industry for years, Kai. It's draining. I want to try something else. Action, drama, something that won't define me by who I'm shipped with."
Kai nodded slowly. "I get that. But… is that the only reason because the script has action and drama, is it the idea of doing it with me?"
Jax paused for too long.
Kai tilted his head. "You're worried it'd ruin our friendship."
Jax met his eyes. "We're good now, Kai. Close. I don't want to mess that up. These kinds of roles… the fans can't always separate fact from fiction. And sometimes, neither can we."
Kai didn't have a response for that.
And just like that, the idea of Kai and Jax became a fragile maybe, one built on hesitant glances, unspoken fears, and a very real friendship neither of them wanted to break.
But the wheels had already begun to turn.
And in the world of entertainment, saying "no" never stopped fans or CEOs from imagining the "what if."
...
Dinner should've been easy. It usually was.
But tonight, the air between Eli, Jax, and Kai was filled with something else, unspoken words, sidelong glances, and the elephant in the room.
Eli tried to keep the vibe light, cracking jokes between bites and steering the conversation toward anything not work-related. But even he couldn't ignore the weight pressing down on the table.
Jax was unusually quiet.
Kai kept fidgeting.
After the check was paid, Jax offered to drive.
He dropped Eli off first, waving as his friend disappeared into the apartment complex. The silence that followed was heavier now. Thicker.
As they approached Kai's place, he turned to Jax just before unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Wanna come up? Just to talk."
Jax hesitated, then nodded.
Inside Kai's apartment, the soft city lights spilled through the windows. Jax sat down on the couch and looked at Kai expectantly.
Kai didn't waste time.
"I know you're scared. I get it. But I really want to do this series, Jax. And… I want to do it with you."
Jax looked away, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm just not sure it's worth the risk."
Kai leaned forward, his voice steady. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Jax exhaled. "Because I've seen what happens. You blur the lines, the audience forgets it's fiction, and before you know it, you're not acting anymore. And then when it ends… everything ends."
Kai's gaze softened. "That won't happen with us."
Jax looked at him, uncertain. "You can't know that."
"I do," Kai said. "Because what we have, this friendship, it's not fragile. It's solid. I know who you are, and I trust you know who I am."
There was a beat of silence. Then, Jax sighed, his walls not quite down, but not fully up either.
"Just give me time," he said, his voice low. "Let me think it through."
Kai nodded. "Of course."
Jax stood, heading toward the door.
Before he left, he glanced back at Kai.
"You really think we could pull it off?"
Kai smiled, small but sincere. "I think we could break records."
Jax didn't smile back. But his lips twitched just barely as he stepped into the night.
And just like that, the space between yes and no stretched a little thinner.
....
Jax stepped into his apartment, the click of the door behind him echoing through the silence.
He tossed his keys into the bowl near the door, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed onto the couch with a sigh.
His eyes drifted toward the coffee table and there they were. Again.
Bills.
A messy stack of red-stamped envelopes and polite-but-firm reminders that adulthood did not wait for perfect timing.
He ran a hand through his hair. Acting wasn't a nine-to-five, and the roles he wanted, the ones that challenged him, the ones that weren't BL weren't exactly rolling in. Not yet, anyway.
He stared at the script still sitting on the table. The one he'd pretended not to take home. The one he had flipped through three times already.
It was good. Frustratingly good.
And Kai… Kai had looked at him like he believed in the two of them. Not as a couple, not as a fantasy, but as actors. As partners.
Still, the fear was real. What if everything changed?
But what if nothing changed at all?
He sighed again, grabbed his phone, and stared at the blinking cursor in his message box.
Then, without overthinking it (for once), he typed,
"Let's do this. I'm in."
He hit send before he could chicken out.
The moment the message was delivered, Jax leaned back on the couch, eyes on the ceiling.
He didn't know if he was making the right choice.
But it was a choice, and right now, that felt like enough.
Somewhere, in another part of the city, Kai's phone buzzed.
And just like that, the game began.