E S C A P E | | Bangchan

"Wrong name, right reaction" - C H A P T E R 8

It started with a blurry photo.

Jaeyun, stepping out of a black van, half-hidden behind sunglasses and a hoodie. A man walking beside her—close. Too close. Their hands weren't touching, but they might as well have been.

He wasn't Bang Chan.

He was Eunho from 8th Division, the rising actor everyone suddenly couldn't stop talking about. Tall. Sharp-jawed. Rumored to be sweet behind the scenes. Single.

The article dropped just past midnight:

"Jaeyun (ECLIPSE) and Actor Lee Eunho Spotted Together—New Couple Alert?"
Netizens speculate after recent late-night hangouts.
By morning, it was everywhere.

The hashtags trended. The photo was dissected. Her airport outfit was declared "suspiciously couple-coded."

ECLIPSE's company responded like they always did:

"The two are just friends. Please refrain from spreading unverified information."
But it didn't stop the storm. Not in this industry.

Chan saw it before he even got out of bed.

He stared at the headline for a long time. Then at the photo. Then back again.

He tossed his phone face-down on the sheets and sat up, jaw tight.

It didn't matter.
She could do what she wanted.
They weren't anything.

Right?

Still—he spent the whole day thinking about it. During practice. In the studio. Through two meetings and a brand shoot.

She hadn't even messaged him.

Not that she needed to.

Not that he cared.

(He definitely cared.)

They saw each other again three days later.

Another pre-recording for a joint stage. Stray Kids. ECLIPSE. Casual. Familiar.

Tension.

Jaeyun walked into the dressing room like nothing happened. Chin high. Hair curled. Phone in hand.

He was already inside, arms crossed, leaning against the counter.

"You've been busy," he said, voice light but eyes cold.

She didn't look up. "So has the internet."

"You didn't deny it."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't owe the truth to people who don't know me."

"Then who do you owe it to?"

That made her pause.

Their eyes locked.

"Are you asking as Bang Chan from Stray Kids," she said slowly, "or the guy who didn't talk to me for four years and only cares when someone else looks at me?"

Silence.

He stepped closer. Too close.

"You think I don't care?" he said, voice low now. "You really think I didn't want to break that guy's face when I saw those pictures?"

Her breath caught.

"But you didn't," she whispered.

His jaw flexed. "Because I don't know where we stand. You won't let me."

"You're not entitled to a place in my life just because you want it again."

"I know."

A beat.

"But I'm not going to pretend it doesn't get to me."

She stared at him, heart a mess, mind louder than it should be. Part of her wanted to fight. Part of her wanted to—

No.

Not here.

"Then deal with it," she said, stepping back. "Because the world doesn't stop turning when your ego gets bruised."

And just like that, she was gone.

But her perfume lingered, and so did the memory of what she didn't say:

It wasn't real.
It wasn't him.
And maybe it was all just a distraction from the one she couldn't have.