Idol of the Heavenly One - Chapter 50.1
Thud.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the waiting room. At that moment, my heart sank as if it had fallen to the floor. Yet my chest pounded like it was trying to break free. Thump, thump, thump. It was so loud it felt like a drum beating right beside my ear, and even my breathing faltered out of rhythm.
I stood there blankly for a while before my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor. I had no strength left to stand. Lowering my head, I wrapped both hands around it. My fingertips brushed against my skin, still burning hot, as if Baek Jae-heon’s forehead had just touched it.
Jealous, huh?
His last words echoed in my head. Was that really it? Was it truly jealousy? Was that why he cornered me, why he pulled me in so forcefully? Was it all because of that?
The harder my heart pounded, the more tangled my thoughts became. He had said it like it was a joke, but I couldn’t laugh it off. His expression, his eyes, his voice—everything about him told me he meant it.
I didn’t even know what I was feeling anymore. Was it excitement, fear, or just confusion? I couldn’t tell. All I knew for sure was that, in that brief moment, my whole world had been shaken to its core.
My throat felt dry, burning as if it had been scorched. Every breath made my chest tighten, and I felt restless, like my body didn’t know where to go. I didn’t know how to deal with these emotions, and that only made it worse.
Love has always been someone else’s story. Something that existed only in dramas or novels, a fantasy that didn’t belong in real life. I had always just watched it from afar, never stepping into it myself. I didn’t even know what it meant to feel fluttered. The most I had ever done was admire or respect someone, or hold onto shallow connections just so I wouldn’t be lonely.
But that word—jealousy—didn’t it mean he actually had romantic feelings toward me? Or did it mean something else these days that I just didn’t know about?
I pulled my knees up and buried my face in them. I wished someone could just tell me the right answer. I really didn’t know anything. Even if someone called me an idiot, what was I supposed to do when I genuinely didn’t understand?
“Baek Jae-heon. What on earth…”
The moment I closed my eyes, the scene from just before came rushing back, clearer than ever. His eyes close to mine, the brush of his forehead, his whispered voice. The images wouldn’t fade; they only grew sharper, driving me even crazier.
I had no idea how much time passed. Maybe only a few seconds, but it felt like forever.
Creak.
The sound of the door opening broke through the silence. I instinctively lifted my head.
“Myeong-hyeon?”
It was my manager’s voice. For a second, I thought it was Baek Jae-heon and froze, but thankfully it wasn’t. If it had been him, I might have screamed or started bleeding from the nose. I wasn’t exaggerating. That was how close I was to exploding.
My manager met my eyes, his expression shifting to surprise as he hurried toward me.
“What’s wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you sick?”
Only then did I realize how hot my face felt. No, it wasn’t just hot. It was burning, like I could roast sweet potatoes on it. Startled, I touched my cheeks with both hands, but it was already obvious. My breathing was rough, and my heart wouldn’t calm down.
“…Yeah, kind of.”
I forced out a short answer. My voice trembled, and though I hesitated dozens of times to say “no,” I didn’t even have the strength to lie. It was easier to just say I wasn’t feeling well.
My manager frowned slightly and pressed a hand to my forehead.
“You’ve got a fever. Your forehead’s burning. If you weren’t feeling well, you should’ve said so earlier. Are you okay?”
I nodded weakly.
“Just a little…”
“No, you’re not okay. Let’s get you back to the dorm and rest. If you push yourself any more, you’ll be completely wiped out. We’re flying out in two days, remember?”
Normally, he might have told me to rest in the waiting room for a bit until I felt better, but I must have looked bad enough that he immediately said we should go back.
And the moment I heard the word “dorm,” my body really began to ache. My strength vanished, my head spun, and I couldn’t say anything. I just quietly stood up. My body felt unbearably heavy, not because of fatigue, but because of the weight of what Baek Jae-heon had left behind.
And I had no idea how to handle it.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
