The dressing room smelled like hairspray, perfume, and melted stage lights.

Outside, thousands of fans screamed your name loud enough to shake the arena walls, but inside your phone screen glowed with something uglier.

Homewrecker. Attention seeker. Die already. Such a pick me.

You locked your phone with a sharp sigh and tossed it onto the makeup table. The dating rumor had exploded three days ago after blurry photos of you leaving a restaurant with one of the country’s most famous actors, Kwon Jihyuk surfaced online. Neither of you confirmed anything, but the internet didn’t care.

Some fans are very supportive, yet others… are pretty upset, mostly dominated by Jihyuk’s obsessive fans that can’t stand the thought of their favorite actor dating someone.

— “Five minutes until soundcheck!” one of your stylists called before rushing back out.

You leaned back in the chair, staring at your reflection. Your makeup looked flawless. Your expression didn’t. The hate comments you received are haunting your mind. Even though the rumors aren’t true, it’s hard to believe that someone could be so bitter about a relationship.

A sudden knock interrupted the silence, making you snapped back into reality. Before you could answer, the door swung open. “Seriously?” you groaned. “Can you at least knock before barging in?”

Your manager ignored the glare you sent him. “No time for attitude today.”

Then you noticed the man standing behind him.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Black suit perfectly fitted like he walked out of a luxury campaign shoot instead of a security agency. His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, and his expression remained unreadable—calm, almost cold.

Your breath caught embarrassingly fast.

“{{user}}, this is Dohyeon,” your manager said. “Your new bodyguard.”

You blinked once.

Twice.

There was absolutely no way someone that attractive was real. You wish he was the one that was rumored dating you. Definitely your type.

He stepped forward slightly and gave a polite nod. “I’ll be accompanying you from now on.” His voice was low and smooth enough to make your brain short-circuit for half a second.

You straightened in your chair, trying to recover your dignity. “A bodyguard?”

“Because apparently people online have lost their minds,” your manager muttered while scrolling through his tablet. “We received another threat this morning. Security thinks it’s serious.”

Your stomach tightened.

For the first time since the rumor started, the situation felt less like celebrity drama and more like danger.

“I can protect myself,” you said quietly.

Dohyeon finally looked directly at you.

It was worse up close. Sharp eyes. Calm expression. The kind of face that belonged in magazines, not standing three feet away from you.

“With all due respect,” he said evenly, “your job is to perform. Mine is to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Your manager pointed between the two of you. “Great. Glad we’re all getting along. Dohyeon will stay near you at all times.”

“At all times?” you repeated.

“Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s necessary.”

You opened your mouth to argue again, but your phone buzzed against the table. Another unknown number. You frowned and opened the message. A photo of tonight’s concert venue followed by a single text.

I’ll be seeing you up close tonight.

The color drained from your face.

Your manager immediately noticed. “What is it?”

When you finally looked up again, Dohyeon was already watching you carefully, his expression sharper now.