The first time Jae noticed it, he almost ignored it.
"Cut! That's good!"
The director sounded satisfied. The staff relaxed. Because, it was another successful take. Everyone moved on like nothing was wrong. Except Jae.
"...Phi?"He tilted his head slightly,watching.
There it was again. That smile. The perfect, convincing smile, Aru shows to everyone. Exactly what the fans wanted. But, the eyes didn't match.
"You okay?"Jae asked. The answer came a beat too slow.
"...Yeah"A lie .. A clean one. But still a lie.
The next time he noticed it, was during the set. The place buzzed with quiet activity. Makeup touch-ups. Lighting adjustments. Script changes. Jae leaned back in his chair, watching from the side. Not obvious.
Never obvious. His co-star, Aru stood a few feet away, scrolling through his phone. Expression blank. And then, just for a second, it changed. Softened. Not for anyone here. The moment was gone before anyone else could notice it. But Jae did. Of course he did.
Jae stood up.
"You know,"he said casually, stepping closer to Aru. "You only look like that at one person." Jae said. There was no immediate response.
"...What are you talking about?"Aru asked after a minute.
"Nothing."Jae replied and smiled. A small smile.
Too knowing.
"But it's interesting." There was a pause and Jae continued.
"Especially since you're not supposed to. "That, got Aru's attention. His grip around his phone tightened slightly.
"...Be careful what you're implying."Aru said.
"I'm not implying anything."Jae said and smiled. Another smile but lighter this time. And continued.
"I'm just observant."
Silence stretched between them.
Tense.
Measured.
And then, "You still talk to him?"Jae asked. The question landed quietly. But it hit hard.
"...No."The answer came too fast. too clean.
It was a lie. Another lie.
"Mm."Jae hummed softly. He knew it was a lie, he didn't push nor did he expose him. He just filed it away for later.
Dressing Room
The room was empty when Aru walked in. Or at least he thought it was.
"...You're really bad at lying, you know."Aru froze and he slowly turned. There he was, Jae. Sitting casually on the counter. Like he belonged there.
"What do you want?"Aru asked.
"Relax."Jae said and shrug.
"If I wanted to expose you, I would've done it already."The place was silent after Jae said that but, it wasn't comforting.
"You love him."Jae said. Not a question. But a statement. Aru's jaw tightened.
"...You don't know what you're talking about."he said.
"I do."Was the reply Jae gave. There was a short pause.
"Because, I see the way you look at him."Jae took a step closer.
"And I see the way you don't look at me."That one stung.
"So what?"Aru asked, the words came out sharper than he intended.
"You want me to pretend better? Is that it?" A beat. Then, a quiet laugh escaped Jae.
"No." He said. He stepped back slightly. Creating space instead of closing it. He continued.
" I want you to stop suffering over something you clearly have't let go of."
Aru was surprised. That was unexpected. There was a pause, this time longer.
"...Why do you care?"Aru asked. Jae didn't reply immediately. After a minute,he replied. Honestly.
Simple.
Direct.
"Because, even tho I want no part of it, i'm part of it too."He gestured lightly between them. "This whole ' perfect couple ' thing,"A small smile.
"It only works if both parties are actually present."
Silence.
"And right now..."Jae added softly, "You're not here at all."
There was another pause. And then, "I will help you." That, definitely wasn't something Aru was expecting.
"...Help me?"Aru asked
"With him."Jae said. Everything went still. No name was mentioned but they both knew who the 'him' was referring to.
"Why?"Aru asked. There was a longer pause this time. Because the answer wasn't simple.
"Let's just say..."Jae looked away briefly, then back, "I don't like being used in someone else's tragedy."A faint smile this time.
"And I don't like seeing people pretend they're okay when they're not."
"I'm not going to expose you."Jae added. There was silence.
"But i'm not going to play blind either." He took a step back,towards the door.
"So here's the deal."he paused, hands on the handle.
"I'll cover for you when I can."he glanced over his shoulder at Aru.
"Give you time. Space. Opportunities."There was a short pause.
"But don't waste it."He opened the door.
"Because i'm not doing this twice."And then, he was gone. Leaving Aru alone, with the silence. The room felt quieter after that. Aru stood there for a long time. Processing. Because, this change things, Not safer. No... just different.
Later that night, another post started gaining attention. A clip from the event. Zoomed in and slowed down. Two frames. In one Aru was smiling at his new partner. The other, his gaze shifting. Past his co-star to someone else. Someone who didn't appear in the video.
Comments:
@minsoogotmyheart: He's not looking at Jae...
@idcimsayingit: Wait... who is he looking at?
@stillbelievearuzeyu: Am I crazy is this...
The comments Kept coming in. But this time, people weren't just watching. But they were starting to understand.