Heartstrings and Headlines

CHAPTER 7: Fault Lines

He smirked but didn't argue. Instead, he gestured to the menu. "Order whatever you want. It's on me. Well, technically, it's on the agency, but you get the point."

I rolled my eyes but picked up the menu anyway. As I scanned the options, I felt his gaze on me, and it made my skin prickle. When I finally looked up, he didn't bother to look away.

"What?" I asked, more sharply than I intended.

He shrugged. "You seem... off today. Something on your mind?"

I hesitated. The question caught me off guard. I wasn't used to people noticing when something was bothering me, let alone asking about it. Most people were too busy with their own lives to pay attention. But here he was, noticing.

"Just tired," I said finally, brushing it off. "Long day."

He didn't push, which I was grateful for. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his gaze thoughtful. "You're handling this better than I expected."

"This?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"The whole fake dating thing," he clarified. "Most people would've cracked under the pressure by now. But you... you're holding your own."

Was that a compliment? Coming from him, it almost felt like one. I wasn't sure how to respond, so I settled for a simple, "Thanks."

We fell into a surprisingly comfortable rhythm after that, talking about everything and nothing. He asked about my favorite songs to dance to, and I found myself asking about his mixtape, which earned me a rare, genuine smile. For a moment, it was easy to forget that this was all for show, that there were cameras discreetly capturing every interaction.

But reality hit when the PR team signaled for a posed shot. Yoongi leaned across the table, his hand brushing mine as he pretended to adjust my bracelet. The gesture was intimate, deliberate, and entirely fake. But my pulse quickened anyway, and I hated myself for it.

As the flash went off, I caught his eyes, and for a split second, I thought I saw something real there. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual guarded expression.

Back at the dorm that evening, I replayed the day's events in my mind. Every

glance, every word, every touch. It was exhausting, analyzing every detail, but I couldn't help it. Yoongi was a puzzle, and I was desperate to understand him, even if it meant driving myself crazy in the process.

Kazuha's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "You've been staring at the wall for ten minutes. What's going on?"

I sighed, flopping onto my bed. "Nothing. Just... thinking."

"About Yoongi," she guessed, sitting on the edge of her bed.

I didn't deny it. There was no point. "He's... confusing."

Chae-won's eyes softened. "Ara, are you sure this is just fake dating for you? Because it sounds like it's becoming more than that."

Her words struck a nerve, and I sat up, my chest tightening. "It's not. It can't be."

"Why not?" she asked gently.

"Because he's Min Yoongi," I said, my voice rising. "He's a member of BTS. He's..."

I trailed off, unsure of how to finish that sentence. Kazu waited patiently, her gaze unwavering, but before I could come up with something coherent, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Grateful for the distraction, I reached for it.

The name on the screen made me dizzy.

Jackson Wang.

I stared at the phone, dumbfounded, half expecting him to hang up, thinking it was a mistake. But his name stayed on the screen, bold and unignorable.