The entertainment industry, one of the biggest and most looked after chunk of our society. It is one of the things that keep our society on its feet, it makes people enjoy living when everything gets hard – one that could keep a person enjoy their free time no matter what type of entertainment that is. The said industry is most famous in music and film, especially the person behind the popular song or the famous movie. Another thing that people enjoy the most about this industry, aside from consuming the products of their favorite people, is the gossip. Anything that involves their favorite artists, who is friends with who, who has worked with who, and most especially, who is dating who.

In Seoul, South Korea, there is one gossip that caused an uproar within the industry. For months, it has created a buzz within the public and has been the fuss all over, both in the industry and the general public.

One question has sparked and garnered the attention of everyone: Is Actress Bae Joohyun dating the famous soloist Son Seungwan?

Cameras flashed blindingly in front of Joohyun after the question was thrown at her, the never ending flicker of bright lights surrounded her and her colleagues as they sat on their seats for the incoming press conference. Everybody was silent and everybody waited for Joohyun to answer the most asked question that she received for the past 6 months.

All eyes were on her, from the reporters and journalists, even her colleagues were waiting for her to speak. She gave the reporter a polite smile and slight bow of her head, just like any of the dating questions that she has received about dating the crowd’s favorite soloist. She answered, “No, I am not dating her.”

Another round of flashes went around as she gave her answer, this time the reporter followed- up with another statement, “There’s an article that was posted earlier this morning attached with a photo with you two coming out of your apartment building, sources say that the singer doesn’t live in the same place as you.”

Whispers were heard the moment the article was mentioned and the journalists who haven’t read the post quickly pulled their phones from their pockets and searched for the said photo.

The actress never missed the stern look coming from her manager, a small tug from one corner of lips came from her hoping to reassure her manager. She then quickly ran her eyes back to the reporter and snorted at the statement, briefly shaking her head, “Seungwan and I are just friends, like how I’m friends with Seulgi.”

“But we’ve never seen Seulgi drop by at your home at four in the morning.”

“She has, but I guess paparazzis don’t find my friendship with Seulgi worth the gossip. Now, any questions about my colleagues or about our upcoming movie?” Joohyun placed her mic down, and bowed before taking her seat. She wanted to roll her eyes at the question, as much as she’s enjoying the rumors about her dating Seungwan, she’d appreciate it if the questions thrown were about her movie and not about her love life.

The road to the end of her new movie’s conference was gruesome and awfully painful. Aside from the downright inappropriate questions she’s receiving the other ones were equally boring. White flashes from numerous cameras came on flooding the moment the host of the conference ended the session. Reporters trying to get a good look at the most famous actress of the entertainment industry as of this moment.

Joohyun stood up and fixed the creases of her dress, and bowed to the press to make her exit. She sighed the moment she sat on the passenger seat and looked to her manager with a teasing smile on her face.

“Please don’t start, Yeri.” She let out while tugging the seatbelt.

Her manager scoffed at her statement and responded, “I haven’t even said anything!”

“You were about to, I know that eating grin.”

This time her manager, Yeri, forced herself not to laugh, “Well, as someone who’s seen and been involved with dropping and picking you off, I believe I should know too. What’s the score between you two?”

“Just take me home, please Yeri.”

“Okay, just tell me when you’re ready.”

//

“No, I’m not dating he–”

“Hey! I was watching!” Seungwan immediately turned to her best friend holding the remote control the moment the television went black.

“I don’t want to see any BS.”

“That wasn’t BS, now turn that back on.”

“Why are you guys even denying your relationship, it’s so obvious even the blind can see the tension between you two.”

“Just what she said, we’re not dating, Joy.”

She watched as her best friend rolled her eyes at her response, “Whatever, you two are obviously dating.”

Seungwan shrugged and brushed off her friend’s statement, “Okay, if it helps you sleep at night, my friend.” She answered with a chuckle.

“I just can’t understand you two, there’s been like numerous articles about you two being seen with each other and yet you two love to live in denial.”

“Trust me, Joohyun and I are just friends. No more, no less.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Seungwan chuckled amusedly at her friend’s response. Denial, she has to live with that for a while until she figures out what she and Joohyun really are, even if she wanted to give her best friend a concrete answer, Seungwan doesn’t know what the answer to the question is. She understands why Joohyun’s response to the reporter’s question is the same as hers when Joy asked her the same thing.

Yes, they have been meeting up discreetly but they have come to terms that this thing between them should remain between them.

No matter how many times a question is asked if you don’t know that proper answer to it the only response is a straight up ‘no’.

“Hey,” Joy’s voice and a tap on her shoulders pulled her off from her reverie, Seungwan raised her head to attend to her friend, “Wanna go grab dinner?”

“Oooh, that sounds like another article-worthy date with a famous actress.”

“Wouldn’t that be great? I haven’t had any dating rumors in a while.”

Seungwan heard Joy’s chuckle as she helped herself up, “Let me just get changed, you know to look good in whatever article that pops up about us.”

A laugh came right out from her friend, “Please do, it’d be bad if you look unattractive when you’re with someone like me.”

“Yeah, someone’s who looks even bad.”

“Hey!”

Seungwan laughed as she dashed right through her room, trying to avoid Joy’s incoming wrath from her teasing.

//

The Fall Ball is the grandest and most looked after gathering of famous and iconic celebrities in the entertainment industry, it is a charity event organized to provide assistance to people and parts of society who are in dire need of help.

The ballroom is now crowded with famous individuals and chatters could be heard here and there. Seungwan tapped her nails on the table staring off into space as she drank from her glass of champagne one after another.

“Do you plan to get drunk before they serve dinner?”

Seungwan gave Joy a sheepish smile, her friend has a point – they were only a few minutes in the event and she’s already downed two glasses of champagne, “Champagne’s tasty, couldn’t help it.”

Joy patted her back and shook her head the way Seungwan has been acting, “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“Mhm, I will mom.”

Her response earned a glare and an elbow to her arm and her friend’s reaction made her chuckle.

“Would it that bad if I will get my third glass of champagne?”

She asked while she looked at her watch to check on the time and when she didn’t get an answer Seungwan immediately raised her head up to nudge Joy. But the instant that she looked up, she now understood why every chatter became murmurs and almost everyone stopped what they were doing and heads turned to only one direction.

There wasn’t a spotlight in the room, the place was perfectly lit to match the ambiance of the event but it was as if her vision dimmed and focused only the woman walking straight ahead as everyone cleared a path for this certain someone to walk on.

Just like everyone else Seungwan’s eyes were like magnet and the woman in white is the steel, her eyes followed the newcomer’s every movement the moment they laid upon her. But unlike everyone else they didn’t receive the stare that the woman is giving Seungwan. It amazed her that even in this sea of good looking people this person managed to only look at her.

Seungwan caught the murmurs of the nearby table and she couldn’t help but smile proudly of what she just heard.

“Bae Joohyun is so pretty.”

Of course, pretty is an understatement. She thought to herself. Joohyun is bewitching and anyone who catches a glimpse of the woman will be caught under a spell that they could never get out of.

A smile cracked from the once stoic face of the lady in white and Seungwan couldn’t help but reciprocate the smile, but hers is a little wider if one could comment.

Everyone didn’t bother to look at where the actress was staring as they were so caught up with her beauty, some thought the smile that Joohyun has is for them and it made the actress want to laugh at their stupid looks in their faces.

They shared this little moment under their own secrecy, and if it was their normal meeting where there are only the two of them, Seungwan would have ran her way towards Joohyun and would lurch herself forward to the woman but that isn’t the case. There’re a lot of people and there’s a lot at stake if she tries to do something stupid.

So, she clenched her fists to stop herself from throwing herself to the woman and destroy everything that they were trying to hide from everyone’s eyes. Seungwan was the one who tore their gaze apart and let out a heavy breath that she didn’t know she was holding, as if trying to calm herself down.

The moment was fleeting and Seungwan craved more of it. Instead she forced herself to eye the empty glass in front of her, never noticing Joohyun’s apparent gaze.

“I’m going for that third glass.” She announces to her friend sitting beside her and stood up, never waiting for Joy’s response whilst looking for a nearby waiter.

Her thoughts about a certain someone came flooding instantly the moment she made her way to the waiter holding full glasses of champagne on his tray, she needed a drink, a distraction from the beaut she knows who’s sitting somewhere in these four walls.

Seungwan tapped the server’s shoulder and asked for two glasses of the wine, while pointing Joy as the excuse for the second glass. The guy gave her a glance as Seungwan gave her most innocent smile. The second glass most definitely isn’t for Joy. She just wants an escape, away from her lingering thoughts about a certain raven.

Just when she turned, it was as if the woman in her thoughts materialized in front of her and she was greeted with an amused and pleased smile when the raven saw her surprised expression.

“Hi,” Seungwan heard the greeting, Joohyun always speaks in her soft and alluring voice, almost inaudible for someone’s liking. But for Seungwan, for the love of God, even if Joohyun’s voice is almost inaudible at times she never fails to always listen to Joohyun’s voice

She gave a slight bow, to give respect to the actress and gave out a small smile, “Hi, Joohyun.” Seungwan felt her hands holding the glasses shake with her tightening grip and found herself shift under the actress’s gaze.

The greetings were short and yet Seungwan could feel the eyes pointing at them, and before she could end up ruining the night for everybody she had already excused herself, using Joy as the reason once again for that night.

Seungwan could hear the murmurs and noticed the nearby table’s probing eyes, like it’s their first time seeing her and Joohyun together. Well, technically the only time they could meet publicly and openly like this are during awards shows and charity events. Still, being under everyone’s scrutiny feels so uncomfortable, especially when she hears unnecessary comments about her and Joohyun, most especially anything negative about Joohyun. If only she wasn’t a public figure and if Jessica, her manager, isn’t that scary she would’ve fought for it for Joohyun.

The instant Seungwan came back at her table, her actress friend is already reaching out for the second glass in her hand, to which she pulled away from the woman’s reach. The action earned a raise of an eyebrow from her friend and she quickly gulped down the contents on one of the glass that she’s holding.

“Wow, are you that thirsty after that encounter?”

Seungwan glared at the woman, she knows