[No-Ah]
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that made every sound seem louder.
The ticking clock.
The hum of the refrigerator.
The occasional car passing outside.
Yun-Ra had eventually fallen asleep on the couch.
After hours of refusing to leave.
After repeatedly making sure No-Ah had eaten.
After threatening to stay for an entire week if necessary.
No-Ah had almost laughed at that.
Almost.
Now she sat alone on the edge of her bed.
Phone in hand.
Unable to sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes—
she saw the sign.
The cardboard.
The black marker.
The words.
LEAVE HIM ALONE
Her chest tightened.
She hated how much those words affected her.
Hated how they kept replaying inside her head.
As though someone had carved them into her thoughts.
The room felt smaller tonight.
The walls closer.
The shadows darker.
Her phone suddenly lit up.
No-Ah jumped.
A name appeared on the screen.
Kei.
For several seconds—
she simply stared.
Then answered.
"...Hello?"
The silence on the other end lasted only a moment.
Then—
"Hi."
His voice sounded different.
Lower.
Tired.
Like someone who hadn't had a chance to breathe all day.
No-Ah swallowed.
"Hi."
Another silence.
Neither seemed to know where to begin.
Eventually Kei spoke first.
"Have you eaten?"
No-Ah stared at the ceiling.
Of course.
Of all things—
that was the first question.
"I guess."
A small exhale.
Almost a laugh.
"Good."
The conversation quieted again.
Then No-Ah looked toward the window.
At the darkness outside.
And before she could stop herself—
she spoke.
"Someone came to my house."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The kind that instantly told her he understood exactly what she meant.
When he finally spoke—
his voice sounded sharp.
"What?"
No-Ah looked down.
"There was a sign hanging on the gate."
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
"Someone actually came to your house?"
"No."
She shook her head instinctively.
Though he couldn't see it.
"I don't know who it was."
Another pause.
"I think it was someone from the university. "
Then:
"What did it say?"
No-Ah hesitated.
Then quietly answered.
"Leave him alone."
Silence.
"Stop ruining his life."
The line went completely quiet.
No-Ah could hear his breathing.
Nothing else.
No response.
No immediate reaction.
Just silence.
And somehow—
that worried her more.
Because Kei always said something.
Always.
Eventually she heard him exhale.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As though he was trying very hard not to say what he was actually thinking.
"I'm sorry."
The words came out rough.
No-Ah immediately closed her eyes.
There it was.
The guilt.
She had known it was coming.
"It's not your fault."
"Yes, it is."
His answer arrived instantly.
Without hesitation.
Without doubt.
No-Ah frowned.
"Kei—"
"No."
His voice remained calm.
But firm.
"I should've listened."
Silence.
"I should've been more careful."
No-Ah didn't know how to respond.
Because this wasn't the Kei she knew.
Not the one who joked.
Not the one who laughed at everything.
Not the one who somehow found a way to make even awkward situations ridiculous.
This Kei sounded older.
Exhausted.
Serious.
The realization made her chest ache.
Then he spoke again.
And somehow the next words hurt even more.
"Mrs. Yoon was right."
No-Ah froze.
Because she knew exactly how much those words cost him.
Kei almost never admitted that.
Especially not when it involved Mrs. Yoon.
"I thought I could handle it."
His voice was quiet.
"I thought if I was careful enough, it wouldn't matter."
Another pause.
"But now people know your name."
No-Ah stared at the floor.
"They know where you study."
Silence.
"They know where you work."
Another pause.
"And now someone's showing up at your house."
The guilt in his voice made her chest tighten.
Because he sounded as though he was carrying every single comment.
Every article.
Every message.
Every threat.
By himself.
Eventually the conversation grew quiet.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Just two people listening to the sound of each other's breathing.
Then—
No-Ah asked the question she had been avoiding all day.
The question she hadn't wanted to think about.
The question she definitely hadn't wanted to say out loud.
Yet somehow—
it escaped anyway.
"Do you regret meeting me?"
Silence.
Instant.
Heavy.
No-Ah closed her eyes.
She almost wished she could take it back.
Almost.
But not quite.
Because she needed to know.
Needed it more than she wanted to admit.
When Kei didn't answer immediately—
she continued.
"The company is angry."
Silence.
"Your career is taking damage."
Another pause.
"Your fans hate me."
The words sounded strange coming out of her mouth.
But they were true.
At least some of them.
And that was enough.
No-Ah lowered her head.
Her voice becoming quieter.
Smaller.
"Sometimes..."
She swallowed.
"Sometimes I think everything would've been easier if we never met."
The silence that followed stretched.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Long enough that her chest started hurting.
Then—
finally—
Kei spoke.
"The scandal?"
His voice was steady.
Calm.
Mature.
"I regret that."
No-Ah's breath caught.
"I regret you getting dragged into this."
A pause.
"I regret people hurting you."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then—
"But meeting you?"
Silence.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
No room for misunderstanding.
"You're my best friend. "
"So never."
No-Ah stared at the floor.
Unable to speak.
Because somehow—
those six letters hit harder than everything else.
Not because they were romantic.
Not because they were dramatic.
But because they were honest.
Completely honest.
And she could hear it.
Every word.
Every syllable.
Every certainty.
Never.
The knot in her chest loosened slightly.
Just enough.
Enough to breathe again.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Yet somehow—
the silence felt different now.
Lighter.
Safer.
Then Kei finally exhaled.
"We can't keep doing this."
No-Ah blinked.
"What?"
"Talking through a screen."
A pause.
"We need to deal with this properly."
No-Ah frowned.
"How?"
The answer didn't come immediately.
When it finally did—
his voice sounded thoughtful.
As though he had already spent hours considering it.
"Tomorrow."
Silence.
"I'll be making a statement."
No-Ah sat up straighter.
"A statement?"
"Yeah."
No jokes.
No complaints.
No attempts to dodge the subject.
Just acceptance.
"I'm going to address everything publicly."
Her stomach tightened.
"Kei..."
"It needs to be done."
His voice remained calm.
Certain.
For the first time since she met him—
he sounded every bit like the professional idol millions of people believed him to be.
Not the boy who bought too much melatonin.
Not the boy who slept on practice room floors.
Not the boy who got caught in playground swings.
Someone else.
Someone stronger.
Someone carrying the weight of an entire company.
An entire career.
An entire scandal.
And somehow—
that realization scared her.
Because she knew how much pressure that really meant.
The line grew quiet again.
Then Kei spoke one final time.
Softly.
But firmly.
"Whatever happens tomorrow..."
A pause.
"I don't want you reading the comments."
No-Ah almost laughed.
"That's impossible."
"I mean it."
His tone sharpened slightly.
The closest thing to an order she had ever heard from him.
"They don't know you."
Silence.
"They know a headline."
Another pause.
"But I know you."
No-Ah's breath caught.
"And that's enough for me."
For a moment—
neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Neither knew what to say after that.
Eventually they said goodnight.
Eventually the call ended.
Yet even after the screen went dark—
No-Ah remained sitting there.
Phone still in her hands.
Heart still beating too fast.
Because somehow—
despite everything—
she felt a little less alone.
☆ ☆ ☆
[Kei]
The next morning felt different.
Not easier.
Not better.
Just clearer.
The decision had already been made.
There was no point running from it now.
Kei stood backstage.
A microphone clipped neatly to his jacket.
Several staff members moved around him.
Checking cameras.
Checking audio.
Reviewing schedules.
Preparing statements.
Preparing contingencies.
Preparing for disaster.
The atmosphere was tense.
Professional.
Controlled.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody joked.
Even the staff who normally chatted endlessly remained quiet.
Because everyone understood what was at stake.
Across the room—
Mrs. Yoon stood speaking with the public relations team.
The moment she noticed him looking—
she walked over.
"You ready?"
Kei nodded.
Mrs. Yoon studied him carefully.
Almost as though searching for hesitation.
Fear.
Doubt.
Anything.
Instead—
she found none.
Because for the first time since this entire nightmare began—
Kei knew exactly what he needed to do.
Not for himself.
For No-Ah.
For the people being hurt by rumors.
For everyone caught in the crossfire.
Mrs. Yoon finally nodded once.
Then handed him the prepared speech.
Kei looked down at it.
Several pages.
Carefully written.
Carefully approved.
Carefully polished.
He read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
Then quietly handed it back.
Mrs. Yoon raised an eyebrow.
"You don't like it?"
Kei met her eyes.
"It's fine."
A pause.
"But I want to say it my way."
For a moment—
she simply stared at him.
Then surprisingly—
she smiled.
Small.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
"Then don't waste the opportunity."
A staff member approached.
"We're ready."
Silence settled across the room.
The cameras were waiting.
The media was waiting.
The fans were waiting.
The entire country was waiting.
Kei took a slow breath.
Then stepped toward the stage.
And for the first time—
he wasn't afraid.
Because some things were more important than protecting his image.
And today—
he intended to make that clear.
☆ ☆ ☆