“Yi-an, get some rest, okay?”

“I will. Drive safe, noona, and text me when you get home.”

“Haha, okay! You did great today! Rest up!” 

Yi-an waved goodbye, watching the white van disappear around the corner. Clenching his fists, he reluctantly glanced at the luxurious apartment complex behind him. He really didn’t want to go home. After such a hectic day, Yi-an couldn’t fathom being alone in his large penthouse surrounded by a deafening silence. It was the perfect reminder of just how lonely this career path was. 

“...Maybe I’ll just stop by the club for a bit.”

Stepping back, Yi-an was about to turn around to hail a taxi near the main street when a sudden voice from behind startled him.

“Oh! Mr. Hallyu star! It seems you’re all better now, eh?”

Recognizing the voice of his elderly neighbor, Yi-an deeply bowed, greeting the kind but strict old lady. Despite her mean appearance, Mrs. Shim had been the first to warmly welcome him to the community when he moved in and often invited him over whenever she wanted to feed him a home-cooked meal. 

“Ah, hello! Um… I’m sorry, but what do you mean?” Yi-an asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her words. Has he been sick recently…? 

“Eh? My, that tall, handsome young man carried you home last time! Don’t you remember?”

“...Pardon? What man?”

With an irritated tsk, Mrs. Shim scurried closer to the idol, whispering in a low voice, “Your new boyfriend! He already seemed to know the passcode to your place. I even left him a plate of potato pancakes for you two to share. Didn’t he tell you?”

“Boyfriend…? Mrs. Shim, I think you’re mistaken; I don’t have anyone I’m seeing.”

“No need to be so shy! You both look wonderful together! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone~” Giggling behind her hand, Mrs. Shim waved goodbye as she left Yi-an at the entrance, completely flabbergasted.

“...What the hell? What is she saying?”

Her allegations were utterly ridiculous. He didn’t even have a boyfriend– much less “date” anyone except for the occasional hookup. Wait, is she talking about that time I brought that guy over from the club? Dammit, I didn’t think anyone saw me…!

~~~

“...No freaking way. What is this?!”

Yi-an gaped at the plate of potato pancakes on the second shelf of his refrigerator. How could he only notice this now? It had been sitting right there for the past two days! Was he blind or something? 

Pulling his phone out of his back pocket, Yi-an hurriedly called Tae-hee, one of the road managers responsible for taking care of him when Gina wasn’t around to do so. It had to be him; who else would bring him home at that time? 

“Yi-an hyung! What’s up?”

“Hey, Tae-hee. Did you bring me home the other day?”

“Huh?”

“You know, on Min hyung’s anniversary, did you bring me home from the company?”

“I was in Busan at the time… Did something happen?”

“N-Never mind, don’t worry about it. Good night.”

“Um… okay! Good night, hyung!”

Who was the man who brought him home if it wasn’t Tae-hee?! Was it really one of the guys from the club…? Nervously biting his nails, the singer found himself pacing around the living room, his anxiety level rising the more he thought about it. What if someone other than Mrs. Shim saw him? 

Yi-an grabbed his phone and searched for any scandalous articles about him as his heart thrummed in terror.  Fortunately enough, there were only articles about his new album and nothing about his love life. With a relieved sigh, Yi-an was about to plop down onto the sofa when he froze.

“No, it’s too early to feel relieved.”

Grabbing his face mask off the coffee table, the singer scrambled out of his home and headed to the security office on the basement level of the apartment complex. He had to stamp out any potential fires before they grew any bigger and burned down his entire career! Yi-an was about to knock when the metal door swung open.

“ASH?! Ahem, h-how may I help you, sir?” the chief of security squeaked in surprise, his cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. 

“... I need to check security footage of the penthouse corridors from the other night around 2 am. May I take a look?”

“Of course, please come in.”

Yi-an nervously stepped into the room full of monitors and security guards surveilling the screens for any suspicious activity. The young man smiled and gestured for Yi-an to sit as he pulled up the appropriate file and time slot the singer had asked to see. 

Clenching his teeth, Yi-an watched as the scene that Mrs. Shim had described rolled out on the screen. Dammit, she really hadn’t been lying! He had been hoping that she was mistaken… Gripping his palpitating chest, the idol leaned in closer, trying to make out the mysterious man. Was it CEO Lee? No, it couldn’t be; the silhouette wasn’t rotund or girthy like his mentor’s.  

A slight gasp escaped his lips as Yi-an bolted up from his seat. “Why is he….”

“Is something wrong?”

Yi-an balled his fists tightly and shifted his cold gaze to the chief security guard, “...Delete it.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I said to delete it. Delete this footage and make sure there are no backup files left.”

“… Yes, sir.” 

The singer watched the footage of his penthouse corridor vanish within seconds before he sauntered out of the room, ignoring the odd stares of the guards. Taking shallow breaths, Yi-an stood in the middle of the corridor, his mind racing at what he had just witnessed. Why did the heir of S&H Group bring him home? And how the hell did he know his passcode? That man opened the front door so nonchalantly as if he owned the goddamn place! 

“He's too dangerous... I need to stay the fuck away from him.”