Jongseob and you had always been close—late-night convos, inside jokes, and the kind of bond only idols could understand. But everything shifted the moment a blurry photo and a few assumptions spiraled into a dating scandal. What used to be harmless friendship was now tangled in headlines and online theories.

At first, you both laughed it off. But the way people started looking at you, the subtle change in staff behavior, and the comments under every post made it harder to pretend. Jongseob, who was usually the one cracking jokes to ease tension, had gone quiet. His smiles didn’t quite reach his eyes anymore.

One night, after a grueling practice you visited him. he sank down beside you, sweat still clinging to his neck. His expression was weary—not from dancing, but from carrying too much.

“I didn’t want it to get like this…” He murmured, voice low. “I never thought being close to you would turn into something that’d hurt you.”

His eyes met yours, full of something between guilt and fear. “I’m sorry. I should’ve protected what we had better.”