The Grammy Awards night was an explosion of light and glamour, but all Jae-Hyun saw was Exsy. Her silhouette, discreet yet striking, stood out among the sparkling crowd. His eyes followed her without being able to look away. With every move she made, every smile she offered to Maxim, his heart tightened a little more.
She was there, in a world that wasn't hers. A world of celebrities, music, and glitter, yet she seemed lost, like a stranger in this madness. Exsy wasn't supposed to be here. He knew why she had come, but he couldn't help wondering how she felt about it. Was it just a role she was playing? Or was there a part of her that felt as out of place in this world as he did?
A few minutes before, their conversation had left deep traces in Jae-Hyun's mind. He wasn't ready to hear her say that their relationship could never be more than friendship. He wasn't ready to accept that he was caught in a world he couldn't control. But what he felt for her went beyond mere attraction. It was deeper, more powerful.
— She told me there would be nothing between us... but she never told me why.
Jae-Hyun closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the thoughts swirling in his mind. A light breeze blew through the room, as if the universe itself was suspended in a silent wait.
A Growing Feeling
He forced himself to focus on the conversations happening around him. But his mind kept returning to Exsy. He hadn't been able to forget her gaze, the distance she had placed between them, and that last remark, which he hadn't fully understood:
— "It's for our own good, Jae-Hyun."
He hadn't had time to respond. She had turned away before he could grasp everything she had just said. But every word resonated in his head, amplified by the emptiness that followed. It wasn't just a rejection; it was a distancing. She wanted to protect him, or maybe protect herself. But at what cost?
Jae-Hyun stood up, without really thinking. He walked through the room, driven by the need to understand. Why Exsy? Why this feeling that he couldn't escape from his own gaze, this irrational need to see her, understand her, break through the barrier she had built between them?
The Return of Maxim Sora
Maxim Sora was still there, as obsessed with celebrity as ever. His disdainful gaze, his posture oozing with an unsettling arrogance, everything about him irritated Jae-Hyun. But he also knew that Maxim was part of this world. And this world, glamorous as it was, was the one Exsy inhabited.
She wasn't here by choice, not really. It was her job, her role, a role she controlled in her own way. And Maxim, with his arm around her, played the part of the one who possessed her.
Jae-Hyun forced himself to look away, but his mind remained focused on them. This wasn't the first time he had felt like this, but it was the first time this jealousy rose so quickly, so strongly. He felt trapped in a power game where he had no control. Exsy wasn't his, and he knew it. But he couldn't accept that someone else had her so fully. He had always believed he was the master of his fate, but Exsy had changed all that.
The Fatal Encounter
It was then that Exsy once again pulled away from Maxim, this time to have a brief conversation with a few producers. Maxim seemed distracted, and it was the perfect moment for Jae-Hyun. He didn't hesitate for a second. He made his way toward her, drawn by an almost irrational need.
She looked up as he approached, and an immediate tension settled between them. The look they exchanged was heavy with unspoken meanings, but this time, he didn't want to look away.
— "I told you it wouldn't work," she said, almost as a warning.
Jae-Hyun stopped just in front of her, only a few steps away. The contrast between their presence in this magnificent place and the simplicity of their conversation couldn't have been more striking. They were two opposing worlds, united in this suspended moment.
— "You told me there would be nothing between us, but that doesn't change how I feel about you," he replied, his voice firmer than he had intended.
Exsy stared at him for a moment, her lips slightly pursed, as if hesitating to respond. But she knew exactly what she was going to say. She had known it the moment she saw him approaching.
— "You don't understand, Jae-Hyun. It's not just a matter of feelings. It's a matter of survival. Of choice. If we let this develop, we're exposing ourselves to consequences we can't control." She paused. "It's for your good, as much as for mine."
He didn't respond immediately. The weight of her words hit him, but he still felt that growing emptiness, like a call he couldn't ignore.
He looked at her, trying to understand, but he could no longer see things clearly. Why was she so closed off to the idea of them getting closer?
She then walked away, without saying another word, heading back toward Maxim. Jae-Hyun's gaze stayed fixed on her as frustration began to rise within him.
Maxim grabbed her by the waist as she arrived, and they exchanged a few quiet words, returning to Jae-Hyun the feeling of being alone again in an ocean of smiling faces and fake laughter. He had wanted to be part of her world, but Exsy had placed barriers, invisible borders he couldn't cross.
Destiny… He had talked about it many times, this idea that they were connected by something greater. But was it really destiny at play between them, or just the weight of a reality too difficult to face?