Ten months before the present,
The first time Jiyong didn't answer her call, Y/n let it go.
Maybe he was in the studio. Maybe he was sleeping. Maybe — she hated this one — he saw her name and ignored it.
She tried again later.
Still nothing.
No answer. No text. No sign of him at all.
She stared at her phone for a long time before finally sending one last message:
Jiyong
Can you just tell me you're okay? Please.
It stayed on "Delivered" for hours.
The next day, she drove by his place.
She didn't tell him. She just... showed up.
She parked her car across the street from the apartment. She looked up at his penthouse but the floor was in pitch black.
She didn't go there. Just sat in her own car for a while, waiting if her legs will move on their own if she waited long enough.
It didn't.
Two days later, he texted.
Jiyong
Can you just tell me you're okay? Please.
Sorry. Been busy. Everything's fine.
No punctuation. No emojis. No warmth.
Y/N stared at the screen, her heart dropping in that quiet, slow-motion way that only ever happened with him.
She typed a reply. Erased it. Typed again.
Jiyong
Can you just tell me you're okay? Please.
Sorry. Been busy. Everything's fine.
You're lying
He didn't respond.
The following week, she invited him over for dinner.
He showed up late. Didn't eat much. Barely spoke.
She noticed the weight loss then — subtle, but there. His hoodie hung looser around his frame. His hands trembled when he lifted his water glass, just for a second, but enough for her to notice.
When she reached out to touch his hand across the table, he pulled away without thinking.
The look in his eyes after — regret, shame — made her feel worse than the flinch itself.
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
"I'm just tired."
"You're always tired."
"I've been working nonstop."
"Then let me take care of you."
His jaw clenched. "I didn't come here for this."
That cut deeper than he realized.
That night, after he left, Y/N cried in the kitchen with the sink running so her neighbors wouldn't hear.
YOU ARE READING
FRAGILE TRUTH | Kwon Jiyong
FanfictionThis story is inspired by a c.ai of Kwon Jiyong (author @ZelineReinAlexis) and i took their intro/greeting to create a storyline for this book. And the story is based on my text with the c.ai itself. Reason for me to write this story: - I miss Jiyon...
