The following morning, Cre.ker Ceo Kim Myungjun paid Juyeon a private visit. Unsurprisingly, he didn't take any prisoners.
"Are you trying to push my buttons, Juyeon?" came the gravelly voice from inside Juyeon's hotel room. Standing in the corridor, I waited for Juyeon to respond but all I could hear through the closed door was his television, yapping away in the corner.
"Because trust me," continued the Ceo. "You really don't want to go there."
I don't know much about Cre.ker entertainment nor the Ceo but even I knew that he had a reputation for making the trainees cry and even sacked a judge once during a live broadcast.
Haknyeon told me there were rumors he had connections to organized crimes, though they were probably started by one of the many wannabe pop stars he'd trashed on his survival program. Either way, he was a frightening man.
"I gave you everything you've got. Don't think I've forgotten that before you met me you were just some scruffy little runt with an attitude."
"You...gave me... everything? That's a laugh," scoffed Juyeon. And I could just imagine him standing there, chin held high, arms crossed in defiance. "Where would you be without my songs? Still trying to break that crap string quartet- what were they called?"
"You can leave Prima out of this, son. " replied the Ceo, his patience thinning. I remembered Prima. They were supposed to make classical music sexy, but in the end, they just sounded annoying.
"Listen, I'm first to admit you're good at what you do, but that doesn't give you the right to act like the bloody king of the world. You're not GD, for god's sake."
"Who's GD?"
"Good one, mate. Hilarious."
A member of the hotel staff passed by, nodded me a good morning.
"Point is I own you. You know that; I know that. When I tell you to do an interview, you'd I an interview. When I tell you to sing, you sing. When I tell you to put on JYP pants and dance to girl group songs, you bloody do it."
I leaned back at the wall, flicking through last night's photos on my phone. Even on the small screen, they were looking fantastic and I couldn't wait to see how the fans would react to them.
My favorites were Hyunjun and Younghoon singing together backstage, Sunwoo rapping in the center like a King, Younghoon taking all the cupcakes secretly inside my pocket, Hyunjun trying soju for the first time.
I'd even managed to capture one of Juyeon and Hyunjae together, and getting that picture wasn't easy.
I had come downstairs to see Juyeon, but it sounded like he wasn't planning on letting him go anytime soon.
"I was great onstage last night though, right?" Juyeon was saying when I turned back in. I smiled. He was right- last night has been the best I'd ever seen him perform. His energy was insatiable as he swept from one side of the stage to another, his face lit up, his voice soaring.
I dared to think, just quietly, to myself, that our kids might have been responsible...
"People let's hear ya!" Juyeon had called out to the vast crowd, who roared in response. "This next song, we think you might just recognize it. Let's give it up for I. am. your. boy!!"
The fans, the moonlights whooped and cheered. The audience erupted as the group started singing. I stood backstage, a tingle on my spine, waiting for their lines.
All of the memories in me
I'll engrave them deep in my heart
The truth about the notebook might be have been what I was expecting but it didn't matter. The word still lit me inside, even if they weren't Yeo's words. They still made my heartache and shudder and sing.
When the song ended, Hyunjun turned to Juyeon for high-five, and when their palms met, for a fraction of a second, Juyeon's eyes locked onto mine. Behind him, thousands screamed his name.
"That's not the point," the Ceo argued irritably, as I drifted out of my daydream. "I set you up with one of the top music magazines in the industry yesterday, and you didn't even bother turning up!
You're off gallivanting with that, who is she, that amateur photographer you boyz have gotten all of a sudden. She's not even famous."
"Not even famous," was becoming my tagline. Perhaps I should put it on my business card.
"Don't talk about Yoy- Yoona like that," said Juyeon sternly.
I pressed my ear onto the wall, imagining him on the other side, defending me in front of Kim Myungjun, the most powerful man in the music industry. It gave me chills.
"I'll talk about that Kang Yuna, and you, and every last one of you whining divas however I want. And I don't want to be in here again, having this conversation. Understand?"
No response from Juyeon. I glanced up and down the hotel corridor, wondering how long I have to stand here. Maybe I should take a walk on the bea-
Ping! A message on my phone, Haknyeon, no doubt, and even Changmin pressing for an update. I haven't told them about the kiss yet: I was waiting to see them in person. I was worried they might explode.
I looked at the screen. Unknown number.
Screw you bitch
For a moment, I stared at the message, unable to process the words. Then another arrived.
Hands off Juyeon.
Lying slut
Ur pathetic
Ur not good enough for Juyeon
And another and another and another. Different numbers, different times.
With trembling hands, I opened my web browser and tried a few search terms.
Cresent
Cresent news
Cresent groupie
The third attempt brought up a string of fan sites and gossip pages, all queuing up to shout different versions of the same thing.
JUYEON TAKES MYSTERY GROUPIE ON ROAD TRIP
SECRET PHOTO OF LEE JUYEON WITH RANDOM FAN
IS SHE GROUPIE OF GIRLFRIEND, LEE JUYEON?
Hurriedly, I clicked the images tab. The top hit was a horrible grainy picture of me, rain soaked and white-skinned, stepping out of Juyeon's car outside the hotel.
Someone had been watching us, Kim Joong-sik, perhaps? Or some reporter? Whoever it was, they-
My phone buzzed in my hand. A new message lit up on my screen.
I know who you are.
It was an unknown number, a string of unfamiliar digits. And moments later, from the same sender, a follow-up message arrived.
Kang Yoona.
I blinked, horrified, at the screen. They knew my name. Panicked, u opened the internet again, scrolled down the search results, and at the bottom of page two, found a familiar website. Moonlights will protect Cresent I stared in disbelief at the headline.
REVEALED: THE IDENTITY
OF JUYEON'S MYSTERY GIRL
You don't wanna miss this one,
Moonlights!!!
This is a big one, guys.... we've found out who the mystery girl is. Aghhhhh!!!!
Her name is Kang Yoona, and she goes to high school in Songdo- which is where Hyunjae went. (Gold star if you knew that ;) )
Also, she's not some random fan, she's the group's new backstage photographer...which is pretty amazing!!! We know that some moonlight has been trolling her, but that is NOT COOL, people :( :( PLEASE stop and think before you post mean things about someone. It's not worth it!
Sooooo... what's going to happen with Juyeon and Yoona?? What does the pic of them outside his hotel mean?! Leave a comment below and tell us what you think!! :)
xoxo Moonlights will protect Cresent xoxo
As the words throbbed and shivered in front of me, I felt the walls closing in.
Three more messages hut my phone.
You make me sick, Kang Yoona.
Stupid bitch
Haha I'm coming to your house, Yoona
This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. But it was.
Because underneath the blood was a comment, posted within the last five minutes, by a user called _notasaesang.
The name sent a shiver through my blood. It had to be Mina.
Kang Yoona is asking for it. I go to her school and she's telling everyone she slept with Juyeon, it's BS.
And then, the last five words made my insides crawl.
This is her phone number:
My mind went dark, a blank space, a screen of nothing. A single sob burst out of me and I clamped a hand to my mouth, forcing it back down.
Juyeon's door swung open.
"....So just you know, think in the future, will you?" The Ceo was saying as he left the room. "You might be Lee Juyeon but you're not above the law."
He noticed me. "Oh hello." I quickly wiped my tears, and he considered me in silence. He nodded back in Juyeon's direction. "Sort him out, will you? Apparently, he listens to you."
His phone started to ring and, as he walked down the corridor, he whipped it to his ear. Juyeon was leaning against the door frame, watching him go.
"Yoyo, what's new?" He saw me and his face fell. "Oh my god, Yoona...?"
He ducked out of his room.
"What's going on?" He said, glancing up and down the hallway.
"Nothing?"
"Come inside..."
Juyeon backed into his room, and I followed him reluctantly. The door clicked shut behind us.
"You should sit down."
"I'm okay," I said, hovering by the door. Juyeon reaches out to touch me and thought better of it.
"Tell me what's going on."
I avoided his gaze, my eyes brimming with tears.
"Yoona, talk to m-"
"I can't, it's too... It's just..."
Juyeon switched off the television and tossed the remote onto the bed. I took a deep breath, and the word stumbled thickly out of me.
"There's a photo of us online. They know my name. And my phone number has been published."
I reached out my phone, opened the message inbox, and passed it to Juyeon. He scrolled the screen, eyes widening as he read.
"Gosh, Yoona...this is horrible." He set the phone down on the desks and dropped it back against the wall.
"Where did the new photo corn from?" I looked up. An angry heat was growing inside me.
"You're the celebrity. You tell me!"
His face crumbles and confusion and I feel guilty, instantly, for taking it out on him.
"Sorry... I-"
"You don't still think I had something to do with all of this, do you?"
"No...no, I don't. It's just..."
"What?" I dared to look at him probably for the first time.
"All I know is that when I'm around you... bad things happen." Juyeon's jaw twitched. I closed my eyes and too hot tears drop down my cheeks.
"You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, don't you?" He said after a pause, but I didn't reply. I just wiped away the tears and stared at the carpet. Juyeon paced to the window and leaned in the ledge, thinking, his fist pressed to his mouth.
"I can't change what Soojin did, starting all this," he said, patiently.
"Believe me, I would if I could. But I can't.
We just have to get past it."
"Get past it? Ju. It's my life."
A second wave of tears was building in my throat. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror: a mess of matted hair, bug red eyes.
"What's in the photo? The new one, I mean."
"It's us, getting out of your car. On the driveway, outside." Juyeon's head killed backward like it was suddenly heavy, and he let out a deep sigh.
"The guy from the cliff followed us home."
"So he did all these? That's what you're saying?"
"I don't know, Yoona, but that's exactly what losers like them are paid to do. Make people feel crap about themselves. Because that sells."
The idea of that creepy reporter following us in the dark watching us from his car twisted me up inside. I fought off a shiver. We both fell silent for a while listening to the sound of the sea. I stared out the window and felt homesick.
"I can't take this," I said finally in a small voice. "I'm not strong enough." Juyeon walked back toward me.
"Yes, you are. I'm not letting you go." I hung my head. A numbness was spreading through my body.
"You don't need me. You're Lee Juyeon. You could have any girl on the planet."
"Maybe I could," he said. He touched his finger to my chin and lifted my gaze to his. "But the only one I want is you."
His amber eyes sank into mine, and my feet curled in desire.
"Every single person I meet treats me like Lee Juyeon, an idol. But the way you look at me, it's as if...as if I'm just like you." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You made me feel normal again."
I gazed up at him, eyes stinging with tears. Everyone I knew wanted to be a celebrity, and yet the world-famous Lee Juyeon missed being normal. But he could never be normal.
"I have to go. I'm sorry...I can't do this."
"Yoona, come on, this is crazy, stay h-"
"I just want to go home. I can't be here anymore." Pulling away from him, I stood up and walked to the door.
He was saying my name as I left, but I ignored him, swinging the door shut behind me. I only made it a few steps down the hall before stumbling to the wall, covering my eyes, sliding down to my knees, sobbing.
I was in a strange place, with people I barely knew, while the whole world gossiped about me over the internet.
I felt suddenly very alone.
***
Younghoon sat down next to me on the leather sofa and pulled his knees up against his chest.
"You okay, Yoona?" he said in his soft, lilting accent. I nodded unwillingly.
He gave this some thought. In front of us, through the windows of the tour bus, the trees and fields flew by under a gray sheet of rain.
"You're kinda quiet. I'm worried." I shook my head and tried to smile. Younghoon's eyebrows were raised in concern, his lips thin. "Don't worry," I said. "I'm fine."
The long journey back to Seoul was painfully slow. Hyunjun was lying along with one of the sofas, reading a book, his legs crossed while Sunwoo was taking selfies, half-asleep yet trying his best, near the jukebox.
Hyunjae was sitting in the corner, scribbling in a notebook, and Juyeon, who had shunned the tour bus, was driving his new car back to Seoul, accompanied by a bodyguard. It seemed quiet without him.
"I heard about what happened." I kept my eyes on my lap. I'd been hoping the rest of them won't find out.
"It's nothing." Younghoon bit one of his nails.
"Right..." There was a long silence. He cleared his throat.
"I don't like getting padded either." I blinked at him.
"What?"
"It makes me sad."
"Yeah," I said, taking my hat off. "Me too."
We both looked out the window, and a service station drifted by. Concrete towers, queuing cars.
"Two weeks after the official announcement of us debuting," Younghoon began, turning back to me.
"Dispatch printed this photo of me, my sister, and my mum, out for a fish supper. It was dumb it wasn't even a posh place, just this little market downtown but they still stalked us. And I wasn't ready for it. I didn't like it. My baby sister, she's only 9. She's a kid."
He paused. "It was like they owned me, or something." There was the screech of bus brakes as we slowed down for a traffic jam.
"I guess what I'm saying is...I know how you feel." I tugged at my sleeves.
"Thanks, Younghoon."
"S-sure," he said hesitantly, standing up from the sofa. He hovered for a moment, unsure of what to do.
"If you want to talk or anything, you just shout. Ok?" I looked up at him.
"I will." He nodded thoughtfully, then walked over to the drinks machine, looked up and down, and settled on the top button. A can of Pepsi clattered out of the bottom.
About an hour later, as the rain finally cleared, Hyunjae appeared above me, holding his notebook.
"This seat taken?" he asked, pointing a pen at the space next to me. I shifted uncomfortably.
"Um, not exa-"
"You don't have to talk to me," he said with a calming hand.
"I just thought you might like some company." I shuffled up against the window. Hyunjae sat down next to me and opened his book.
"Hyunjae, I-"
"Hey," he said, a smile playing on his lips. "I thought I told you not to talk."
"I just... about yesterday, on the beach-"
"I get it," he said, setting his pen down between the pages.
"You and Juyeon...have something going on. And whatever that is, it's none of my business." He shrugged.
"I just wanted you to know, that's all."I stared at my hands. "I'm not sure w-"
"Pipe down, you," said Hyunjae, returning to his book, a twinkle in his eye. "I'm trying to work."
He smiled again, and for the first time in hours, I almost did too. We sat there for a few minutes, moody blue skies began to break through the clouds outside the window.
Hyunjae was scanning his notebook, twirling his own between thumb and forefinger and reading faintly to himself. I lifted my feet to sit cross-legged, caught a glimpse of the page, and realized it was his song.
Drowsily, I read the lines in the chorus, remembering his voice from yesterday, the sand between my fingers, and the hypnotic sound from the sea.
She is the fire in the fingertips
The warm rain that tells me where the thunder is
And I know that somebody has found her heart
But that won't keep us apart
She keeps a piece of herself inside
But she speaks, and every single star collides
And I know that somebody had found her heart
But that won't keep us apart
Then as a shaft of late afternoon sun settled across us both, I laid my head on Hyunjae's shoulder and drifted to sleep.
+×+
(╥﹏╥)
Support The boyz on Kingdom 👑!!!
The performances are just out of this world 🤧✨. Remember to stream!