THE LIE SHE COULDN'T HIDE
SEOUL — JAE RIN APARTMENT — 3:25 AM
The car stopped in front of the building.
The bodyguard opened the door.
Jae Rin stepped out slowly.
Her legs still felt weak.
Her chest finally felt normal again, but her head was heavy.
One guard spoke softly,
"Do you need a doctor, ma'am?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
She walked inside without looking back.
The elevator ride felt too long.
Too quiet.
Too loud at the same time.
Her reflection in the mirror looked pale.
Tired.
Not like the person on stage.
Not like Kang Jae Rin.
Just Jay.
The doors opened.
She walked to the apartment.
Opened the door.
Inside, lights were still on.
Min Jae was sitting on the couch.
Yuna asleep on the chair.
Sora scrolling her phone.
Jisoo half asleep with blanket.
The moment the door opened, Min Jae stood up.
"You took long."
She took off her jacket.
"Just walked."
He looked at her face carefully.
Too carefully.
"You look worse."
"I'm fine."
"You said that yesterday."
"I am fine."
He stepped closer.
"Did you take it again?"
Her hand froze for a second.
"…No."
He stared at her.
Long.
Silent.
Then sighed.
"You're lying."
She looked away.
"I'm tired."
She walked past him.
He grabbed her wrist gently.
Not hard.
Just enough to stop her.
"What happened outside."
Silence.
Her chest tightened again, but not from illness.
From memory.
From the street.
From them.
"…Nothing."
"You were gone almost an hour."
"I was walking."
"You had security."
"They stayed back."
"You never stay out that long."
Her voice sharper now.
"Min Jae."
He stopped talking.
She pulled her hand away.
"I just wanted air."
He watched her walk to the table.
Her fingers moved quickly.
Too quickly.
She picked up the sleeping pills bottle.
Opened it.
Took one.
Before he could stop her.
He grabbed her hand.
"No."
She looked at him.
Eyes tired.
"I need sleep."
"You need rest, not this."
"I can't sleep without it."
"You didn't need it before."
Her expression changed slightly.
"…That was before."
Silence.
He slowly let go.
She swallowed the pill.
Sat on the couch.
Head leaning back.
Eyes closing already.
The medicine always worked fast.
Yuna woke up a little.
"She back?"
Sora looked up.
"…You okay?"
No answer.
Jisoo noticed the bottle.
"She took one again…"
Min Jae didn't speak.
He just stood there.
Watching her fall asleep on the couch.
His chest felt heavy.
Because this wasn't normal.
Not anymore.
Not since Tokyo.
Not since she saw them again.
He whispered quietly,
"…What happened out there…"
SAME TIME — SEOUL — KEIFER POV
The apartment was silent.
Ci-n on the couch.
Rory on the floor.
Edrix with laptop.
Aries near the window.
Angelo sitting quietly.
No one joking.
No one talking loudly.
Everyone thinking about the same thing.
Ci-n finally spoke.
"She looked sick."
Rory nodded.
"She was shaking."
Edrix said without looking up,
"She took medicine before we even talked."
Aries frowned.
"…Her breathing was off."
Angelo looked at Keifer.
"You noticed first."
Keifer was standing near the balcony.
Arms crossed.
Eyes on the city lights.
His voice low.
"She couldn't breathe."
Silence.
Ci-n looked at him.
"You think it's serious."
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
He remembered the stage.
The missed step.
The pill.
Her pale face.
Her shaking hand.
Her saying "I'm Jae Rin."
His jaw tightened.
"…She's hiding something."
Aries spoke quietly.
"She always did that."
Angelo sighed.
"She used to smile even when she was hurt."
Rory nodded.
"Yeah."
Keifer finally turned around.
His eyes serious now.
"Find out."
Edrix looked up.
"You want us to check her records?"
"Yes."
Ci-n smirked slightly.
"Now we talking."
Rory cracked his fingers.
"Hospital, company, travel, everything?"
Keifer nodded.
"Everything."
Angelo hesitated.
"…If she erased it?"
Keifer's expression hardened.
"Then we look harder."
Silence again.
He looked toward the window.
Toward the city.
Somewhere out there —
she was sleeping because of pills.
And he hated that he knew it.
His voice almost a whisper.
"…You never needed that before, Jay."
No one replied.
Because all of them were thinking the same thing.
Something happened to her.
Something big.
And they were about to find out.
SEOUL — JAE RIN APARTMENT — 3:40 AM
The apartment was quiet again.
Too quiet.
Jae Rin sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slightly bent, fingers holding the small sleeping pill bottle.
The room light was dim.
Her hair falling over her face.
Her eyes tired.
Red.
Heavy.
She shook the bottle once.
Only a few left.
She stared at it for a long time.
Then opened it.
Right when she pushed one pill out —
Min Jae's hand caught her wrist.
"No."
She froze.
Didn't look up.
"…Let go."
"You said only one yesterday."
"I didn't sleep yesterday."
"You won't sleep like this either."
She tried to pull her hand away.
"I need it."
"No."
Her voice got sharper.
"Min Jae."
He didn't move.
His grip wasn't strong.
Just firm.
Enough to stop her.
"You keep taking these every night."
"I can't sleep."
"You can."
"I can't."
Silence.
Her breathing was uneven again, not from illness this time.
From frustration.
From memories.
From the feeling that if she closed her eyes—
she would see Manila again.
School.
Rumors.
Betrayal.
Him.
She whispered,
"…When I sleep, I remember everything."
His expression softened instantly.
His hand loosened.
"…Jay…"
She looked up at him.
Eyes tired.
Not Kang Jae Rin.
Not the superstar.
Just Jay.
Twenty-seven years old.
But looking like the same girl who never learned how to rest.
He slowly took the bottle from her hand.
"No pills tonight."
She let him.
Didn't argue.
Didn't fight.
Just sat there quietly.
"…Then I won't sleep."
He sighed.
"Lie down."
She looked at him.
"…What?"
"Lie down."
"I'm not a kid."
"I know."
Silence.
He pointed to the bed.
"Just lie down."
She hesitated.
Then slowly moved.
Sat on the bed.
Then laid down.
Still tense.
Still awake.
Still thinking.
He turned off the main light.
Only the small lamp stayed on.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
She frowned slightly.
"…What are you doing."
"Staying."
"You don't have to."
"I know."
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
Her eyes still open.
Still restless.
Still unable to relax.
He noticed her fingers clenching the blanket.
He sighed quietly.
Then slowly reached out.
His hand moved to her hair.
Very gently.
He brushed the strands away from her face.
She froze for a second.
"…Min Jae…"
"Sleep."
His voice was calm.
Soft.
He started caressing her hair slowly.
The way he used to years ago.
Five years ago.
Korea hospital room.
When she couldn't sleep after chemo.
When she couldn't breathe without machines.
When she cried at night but never let anyone see.
He kept moving his hand slowly.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Her breathing started to slow.
Her shoulders relaxed a little.
Minutes passed.
She whispered,
"…Don't stop."
His chest tightened.
"I won't."
More silence.
Her eyes finally started closing.
Not forced.
Not drugged.
Just tired.
Just safe.
Her fingers moved slightly and caught his sleeve.
Like she was afraid he would leave.
He didn't move.
Didn't pull away.
Just kept caressing her hair.
After a few minutes —
she fell asleep.
Deep.
Peaceful.
For the first time in days.
He watched her for a long time.
Making sure she was really asleep.
Then he carefully moved closer.
Lay down beside her on top of the blanket.
Not touching much.
Just close enough.
So if she woke up—
she wouldn't panic.
He turned off the lamp.
Dark room.
Quiet breathing.
After a while, she moved slightly in sleep.
Her head rested closer to his shoulder.
He didn't move.
Just looked at the ceiling.
Whispered quietly,
"…You don't need those pills."
No answer.
She was already deep asleep.
He closed his eyes too.
And that night—
for the first time since the tour stopped—
she slept without medicine.
NEXT MORNING
Sunlight entered the room slowly.
Yuna opened the door quietly.
Stopped instantly.
Sora peeked behind her.
Jisoo too.
All three froze.
Jae Rin asleep.
Min Jae beside her.
Still sitting half up against the headboard.
His hand still near her hair.
Like he never moved all night.
Yuna whispered,
"…He stayed."
Sora nodded slowly.
"He does every time now."
Jisoo sighed softly.
"At least she sleeps."
Yuna looked at her carefully.
"She didn't take the pill?"
Sora shook her head.
"No bottle on table."
Jisoo smiled a little.
"Good."
Yuna closed the door quietly.
Inside the room,
Jae Rin moved slightly in sleep.
Her breathing calm.
Peaceful.
No nightmares.
No memories.
No pills.
Just sleep.
And Min Jae stayed there again.
Because lately —
that was the only way she could rest.
_______________________
HEY LOVELY READERS 💗
DON'T WORRY 😭 I CAN ALREADY SEE SOME OF YOU PANICKING IN THE COMMENTS THINKING
"WHERE IS JAYFER???"
"WHY SO MUCH MIN JAE??"
"ARE YOU CHANGING THE STORY???"
CALM DOWN 😭 TRUST THE AUTHOR PLEASE.
JAYFER IS NOT GONE.
JAYFER IS NOT CANCELLED.
JAYFER IS NOT FORGOTTEN.
THIS STORY WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE SLOW BURN.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE HEALING ARC.
JAE RIN IS NOT THE SAME GIRL FROM 11 YEARS AGO.
SHE WENT THROUGH BETRAYAL, FAMILY ISSUES, ILLNESS, DEPRESSION, SLEEP PROBLEMS, AND A LOT MORE.
SO SHE CANNOT JUST RUN BACK TO KEIFER LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED.
MIN JAE IS NOT A VILLAIN.
AND HE WILL NOT BECOME A VILLAIN.
HE IS IMPORTANT TO HER STORY.
HE HELPED HER SURVIVE HER WORST YEARS.
HE STAYED WHEN EVERYONE ELSE LEFT.
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN JAYFER WILL NOT HAPPEN.
THE JAYFER ARC WILL START SOON.
VERY SOON.
FIRST → TENSION
THEN → TRUTH
THEN → PAST REVEAL
THEN → FEELINGS COMING BACK
THEN → CHAOS 😭
AND TRUST ME…
WHEN JAYFER STARTS AGAIN
IT WILL HURT
IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY
IT WILL MAKE YOU SCREAM
AND IT WILL BE WORTH IT.
SO PLEASE DON'T WORRY.
JUST KEEP READING.
KEEP COMMENTING.
AND GIVE SUGGESTIONS IF YOU WANT SOME SCENES.
NEXT CHAPTER → MORE KEIFER POV
AND MORE SIGNS THAT THE PAST IS COMING BACK.
LOVE YOU ALL 💗
— AUTHOR