Chapter 7: 

Distractions Part 2

The rumor mill didn’t just stir curiosity. It became opportunity. Within a month, both V and Lena’s agencies struck a deal: they would co-star in a luxury brand’s new campaign, shot not as a traditional commercial but as a two-minute cinematic short.

They played strangers who crossed paths in a foreign city. She was a painter sketching at a café terrace, he a traveler wandering the cobblestone streets. A forgotten scarf became the excuse for their first exchange. A night drive along the coast blurred into laughter, stolen glances, and finally a kiss under neon lights.

On set, V slipped easily into the role. To the director, he was perfect. To Lena, he was magnetic.

But off-camera, she noticed the subtle distance.

“You don’t have to look at me like that,” she teased once between takes, brushing at the makeup powder dusting his collar.

“Like what?” His grin was effortless.

“Like you’re acting even when you’re not.” Her gaze lingered, soft rather than accusing.

He only laughed, shaking his head. “Maybe that’s just my face.”

The final cut of the commercial was stunning. Their chemistry was undeniable. Fans clipped it, replayed it, dissected every smile, every brush of fingers. V and Lena Cho: Is It More Than Acting?

Lena didn’t feed the gossip but she didn’t hide her fondness either. She lingered near him during interviews, let her hand rest lightly on his arm a second too long, looked at him with something unspoken.

And V noticed. He always noticed.

He knew she was interested. She hadn’t said it outright, but the signs were clear in her gaze and in the way her laughter warmed when directed at him.

And though his heart remained detached, he considered it. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe if he let it, her warmth could thaw what he had buried. Maybe, in time, he could learn to like her—if only because part of him wanted to believe he still could.

For now, though, he played the part expected of him. The man everyone wanted to see. The man Lena thought she was beginning to know.

But behind the practiced smile, the comparisons never stopped. Even as her hand lingered, even as she looked at him like he was someone to be chosen, his mind still traced the memory of someone else’s grip, someone else’s gaze, someone who had never needed a camera to command him completely.

The LMC meeting ran late, the kind that dissolved into chatter once the agenda thinned out. V sat with his usual relaxed but attentive posture. Hana, perched across from him, leaned back in her chair, twirling a pen between her fingers with a catlike smirk.

“So,” she began, voice pitched just loud enough to draw a few ears, “how’s your new leading lady?”

V’s brow arched. “Which one?”

“Don’t play dumb.” Her grin widened. “Lena Cho. The nation’s sweetheart. Half the internet thinks you two are secretly married already.”

The table chuckled, a few throwing in harmless jokes, but Hana didn’t let it go. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “You know, I actually worked with her once. A shoot for a luxury brand campaign. One of those ad gigs I almost never take because they bore me.”

V tilted his head, feigning innocence. “And?”

“She was… polite,” Hana said, drawing out the word with deliberate vagueness. “But you can tell she’s grown up entitled. Nepo baby to the core. Her mom’s practically a screen legend. She carries it well, though. Knows how to say the right things, act approachable. Smart woman.”

The corners of V’s lips curved into that practiced, easy smile. “So you’re telling me I should be careful?”

Hana’s eyes gleamed. “I’m telling you she’s used to people orbiting her. But you’re V. People orbit you. I’m curious which one of you thinks the other is the sun.”

The others laughed, but V only hummed, sipping his water. “I’m not looking for astronomy lessons right now.”

“Oh, come on.” Hana tilted her head, mock-pouting.

V flashed a bright smile. “Anyway, that’s a glowing review, Hana. Should I pass it on to her?”

Some laughter circled the table, but before V could pivot away, Hana added, “Well, careful. She looked at you like she wanted more than just a co-star.”

That’s when Kaimin spoke up, low and clipped. “We should be focusing on the discussions that matter.”

The table stilled. Hana rolled her eyes, tilting her head toward him. “Are you jealous, Kaimin?”

The silence thickened instantly. Even Suhyun stiffened, her hand pausing halfway through jotting notes.

“…What? Did I step on a landmine or something?” Hana asked, glancing around.

Soojin leaned forward, incredulous. “What are you even saying, Hana?”

Hana shrugged. “Well, first it was Kaimin and V rumors. Now it’s V and Lena being the perfect couple. Maybe Kaimin’s jealous he isn’t the one getting the spotlight.”

A ripple of tension ran through the table. Han, seated a few chairs down, let out a sharp little laugh that didn’t sound entirely amused. “You’re bold, Hana. Either bold or reckless.”

“Bold, obviously,” Hana shot back.

V laughed lightly, cutting through the static. “I think Kaimin Shin doesn’t need dating rumors to be in the spotlight.”

That earned a few chuckles, easing the weight just slightly. But in the quiet that followed, V felt it—Kaimin’s gaze landing on him. He looked up. His eyes met Kaimin’s across the table. No expression, no words, just that unflinching look.

V’s chest tightened before he looked away, the brightness of his smile holding like glass over a crack.

“Oh my god. I’m joking. Why is everyone being so serious?” Hana muttered, half-laughing, half-defensive.

Suhyun cleared her throat, trying to redirect. “Anyway, about the project timeline—”

V leaned back in his chair, still smiling, but his mind was miles away.

Two days after the meeting, the headlines wouldn’t stop.

Perfect Pair: V and Lena Cho Spotted Dining Again?

New Power Couple in the Making? Fans Ship Vena.

Behind the Scenes of Their Romantic Commercial—Chemistry or Reality?

His phone wouldn’t stop buzzing, agency statements carefully vague, fans dissecting every glance in GIFs and slowed-down clips. V did what he always did: smiled, brushed it off, pretended it was all part of the game.

Then, late at night, his phone lit up with a name he didn’t expect.

Are you awake?

He stared at the screen. Most people didn’t text him so directly—there were assistants, managers, PR buffers. But Lena had bypassed all of it.

He replied. Unfortunately.

Her reply came fast.

Good. Means I’m not the only one losing sleep over the circus.

A faint smile tugged at his mouth. His fingers hovered before typing back. Lena had once told him she never had dating rumors before.

You’ll get used to it. This industry runs on smoke and mirrors.

Maybe. But it doesn’t sit right when they start writing stories for us, Lena replied.

Let them write. They always do. At least they make us sound interesting.

There was a pause, then another ping.

I thought you’d be annoyed. Despite my experience talking with you, my friends and other actors keep saying you’re cold and only bright on the surface. But you’re not, are you?

V leaned back against his headboard, staring at the ceiling. Cold. That word again. Cold because he didn’t let people close, cold because he smiled too perfectly, cold because he made it look easy.

Cold is just another word for quiet. People confuse the two.

This time it took her longer to respond. Quiet? Not sure about that. But I see how you listen. Most people in our world don’t. That’s rare.

He froze, thumb hovering over the screen. He didn’t feel rare. He felt hollow underneath a paper-thin charm.

Don’t mistake survival for depth, Lena, he replied.

Her typing bubble appeared, vanished, then appeared again. Still. I’d like to get to know the real you. Off-camera.

V shut his eyes briefly, exhaling. She wasn’t teasing or fishing for a line. It was simple, almost earnest.

He typed back slowly. We’ll see.

The words looked detached, but his chest ached as he sent them. Because even as Lena’s warmth lingered on the screen, his mind betrayed him, circling back to the man who had told him once—You don’t get to show up for endings when you weren’t here for the rest.

Still, he smiled at the phone because that’s what the world expected. And remembering the photograph of him and Kaimin, V thought that the rumors circling about him and Lena were a shield too and a scream in the dark that he was no longer thinking of getting invloved in Kaimin's life. 

At least, on the surface.