JISOO'S POV
Remind me to never get drunk again.
My head thrummed as I sat up in bed the next morning with a groan.
"Shit…" I muttered as I cradled my head.
My phone beeped and I groaned, reaching for it blindly on the table before I stared at the notifications and missed calls.
Oh no.
I immediately sat upright and my eyes widened as I stared at the link that Jun had sent.
The headline was clean and straightforward but it made my skin crawl: Inside Source Claims AURORA-NOVA Dating Rumor Entirely Manufactured for Publicity.
The outlet wasn't small. It wasn't a gossip blog like I expected or a fan account running speculation. It was a legitimate entertainment news site with a byline and a source described as someone close to both companies with direct knowledge of the arrangement.
I read it twice to be sure that I was seeing well, then I sat on the edge of my bed in the early morning dark and read it a third time.
Oh shit.
The article had details. The fact that neither party had confirmed the relationship despite months of public visibility. It stopped short of naming anyone directly but it didn't need to. The shape of it was clear enough that anyone paying attention could fill in the rest.
My phone started ringing and I jerked back to reality.
My manager.
"I've seen it," I said, my voice hoarse when I picked up.
"Come in. Now. Both companies are meeting at nine."
The company building at 8:45am had a specific energy that I had only felt once before, which was the morning after the original photos went viral. I didn't like it that time and I certainly wasn't a fan of it now as I went straight to the conference room.
Minjae was already there but we didn't acknowledge each other beyond a glance. Especially not after what I said last night. He was leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and his jaw set and the expression of someone who was already irritated. His manager was beside him talking to him quietly while mine steered me to the opposite side of the table.
Both CEOs came in together which was unusual. Sungho sat down and put his phone face up on the table and looked at the room.
"We've identified the outlet," he said without preamble. "We're in contact with their legal team. The article is technically within editorial boundaries which means we can't force a retraction but we can apply pressure." He looked around the table. "What we can control is the response."
"What kind of response are you thinking?" Minjae asked, his voice blank.
"Coordinated obviously. Both your teams put out statements that are warm, vague, and completely consistent with everything you've presented publicly so far."
My brow raised.
"So say nothing?" Minjae scoffed.
"Say nothing loudly, let it be clear," Sungho said. "There's a difference."
"Is there?" Minjae challenged.
Sungho looked at him. "The article has a source. One source that is unverified and unnamed. That's not proof enough to get everyone picking sides." He folded his hands. "Proof is what's on camera. We have the upper hand, boys."
I shifted uneasily and looked at the table.
The last thing I needed was another scandal to deal with on the day of the awards.
"Who is the source?" I said.
Sungho looked at me. "We're looking into it."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I have right now, Jisoo." He sighed.
Of course.
I held his gaze for a moment, then looked back at the table.
Minjae was watching me from across the room. I didn't look at him directly but I felt it.
"The statements go out by noon," NOVA's CEO said. "Both teams should draft, both companies approve." He looked between us. "And the two of you, do nothing on social media. Do not even acknowledge that the article exists."
"People are going to ask," I said.
"People are going to ask and you're going to be unavailable." He was firm in his words. "This is handled at the company level. Not by either of you."
Right.
The meeting went on for longer than I wanted but I listened to all of it and said nothing else and watched Sungho's face and thought about the folder he never made me sign and the contract clause and the specific way the company needed me right now and what happened to that need if the article gained enough traction.
They wouldn't need me again.
Fear gripped me again.
Finally, the meeting ended and we filed out. Minjae and I ended up in the corridor at the same time heading in the same direction toward the elevator and for a stretch of about twenty seconds we walked in silence.
"The source is someone who works directly with either of us." He suddenly said quietly.
My steps didn't falter. "I know," I said.
He didn't mention last night. Good, I didn't want to talk about it.
The elevator arrived and we both got in before the doors closed.
"Your company will protect itself first," he said, still looking forward. "If the article gains traction and the arrangement becomes a liability they will find a way to make it your problem specifically. Not theirs. Yours."
I looked at the floor numbers changing. "I'm aware of how my company operates," I said.
"I'm making sure."
"You don't need to make sure."
"Jisoo." He said it flatly. "I'm not doing this out of concern for your feelings. If this falls apart, it falls apart on both of us. I need you to be clear-headed."
The elevator opened and I stepped out first. "I'm clear-headed," I said.
I walked toward the exit without looking back.
As I slid into the car to go home and get ready for the awards, effectively pretending like my career wasn't about to end, I received a text from Seo Jun.
"You okay?"
I sighed and typed back. "Fine."
His response came immediately. "Taemin posted a story this morning before the article even dropped. Just a black screen with a blue heart. Not sure what it means but I thought you may have missed it and would want to know"
I stared at the text for a second.
Blue was AURORA's colour. Taemin rarely posted anything.
I leaned back against the seat and sighed.
What was even going on?
**********************
The awards were huge like every other year.
We arrived as a group and the cameras were immediate — fans and the press.
I smiled for every camera pointed at me and ignored every question about the article and by the time we were inside and seated, I was already irritated.
NOVA was three rows ahead of us and I saw the back of Minjae's head before anything else.
As if he sensed something Minjae turned slightly and his eyes found me across the three rows between us with a directness that shouldn't have been possible in a venue this size.
He turned back around immediately and I cleared my throat and looked at my programme.
The show ran for two hours and awards in categories I wasn't nominated in were called out.
I sat with my members and responded appropriately to everything happening around me and did not look at the back of Minjae's head.
If we didn't win group of the year again and the article continued to gain traction, they would get rid of me.
Hyunsuk was tense beside me, the way he had been before the results. Wonjae kept checking his phone and Jun sat quietly with his hands in his lap. Taemin was perfect as always as he sat there composed, warm, greeting people who passed our row, the face of a leader who was exactly where he was supposed to be.
But something told me to keep an eye on him.
The MC took the stage and the place went quiet as fans stopped cheering to hear. "And now. The award everyone has been waiting for." He paused for more effect. "Best Group of the Year."
The atmosphere seemed to change. That specific collective intake of breath that happened when something actually mattered.
Beside me, I felt Jun go very still, and on screen, the nominees came up. AURORA. NOVA. Four other groups. Our name in lights next to his and the whole year seemed to fall into this single moment. This was it.
I wanted to win. Just this once. It was all I ever wished for. I looked at my hands on my lap as the MC opened the envelope.
He paused and smiled, looking up at the crowd. "And the winner of Best Group of the Year is—"