My Other Half [Jaehyungparkian] (suspended)

Chapter Seventeen - 1.1

After a month of disappearance, I come back with a short chapter, BUT I plan a double update, hopefully, it'll come this weekend.

*O0o°.°o0O*

Will alone was not enough.

"Younghyun, can you come here? The director would like to talk with you."

The sentence was short, harmless; to all appearances, at least, but it fell like a death knell to break down their whole world - again.

The short meeting that followed the request lit the sparks and rumours spread like wildfire. Rumble about Younghyun upcoming solo debut grew louder every day while he grew ever more silent.

Younghyun did not say a word about what happened during this meeting, but it was obvious that something happened. The way he behaved, the way he talked or stayed silent, everything felt wrong. They had very little time without a staff member and Younghyun was avoiding the topic every time someone tried to bring it up.

Despite his weird behaviour, Younghyun was spending more time with him than he ever did and that was saying something. They followed their training routine as if the last weeks had been a simple dream.

He was dedicated to making Jaehyung sing more and more every day. The way he insisted now was different from what he used to do, it was not right.

Jaehyung was afraid to think properly about what this was all about. He could tell Younghyun was bothered, lost most of the time in a world nobody could reach, not even Jaehyung.

The status quo lasted exactly two weeks.

Then, on a sunny Friday afternoon, Jaehyung came as usual for their rehearsal, only to find the room empty and Younghyun's phone out of reach. He waited for hours, unable to focus on work with his growing worries.

He asked around for updates, any information, but nobody found it necessary to keep him in the loop. Everything about Younghyun was like a national secret. He knew what to expect but did not want to hear the screams of his heart.

Was it the price to pay for ignoring him?

Before his anxiety could take over, he received a message from Younghyun.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, but I can't leave you in the dark no matter what they say. I can't come now... I don't know for how long. Wait for me. We'll work it out."

Obeying the request, Jaehyung decided to wait. He felt empty. He was not even mad at Younghyun for not telling him before. He knew best how secrets and boundaries worked in this world.

The following days, he resumed his old routine with Sungjin and Dowoon all over again. What used to be so familiar felt out of place now, but he tried to not show it too much.

He wondered for a long time how he managed to work so hard before he met Younghyun.

He was different now and he did not know how to enjoy the music by himself any more. Sungjin and Dowoom seemed to feel it as well. They were careful, more patient than ever and kindly avoided all references to Younghyun when they noticed it seemed to break his heart every time.

Jaehyung was half-living, dropping to the agency by habit more than drive, longing for the day Younghyun would be here with him again. He often wandered around the agency, heart heavy, with hope to get a glimpse of Younghyun.

He did not mean to eavesdrop on the group of trainees by the vending machine, but after hearing his name, he could not ignore their conversation.

"Did you see Younghyun's rehearsal?" one bleach blond-haired guy asked his friends.

"Yeah, it was good! I couldn't believe he would be the one to debut first, but I admit he's better than I expected," another one nodded.

"Me too, I asked twice if it was him, he's got a good voice and good presence," the third one, a skinny girl, added.

"Thinking he always skipped the vocal training, I'm jealous," the second one said again.

"It came out of nowhere though."

"Hum, dunno..." the girl replied. "Something has been up for a while... my friend said he had been working with private teachers."

"I heard he recorded something too."

"Oh really? I did not know."

"Someone told me he was invited as a guest for some show with GO5. They used to train together so now the company plans to use that to build his fanbase," the taller boy said.

"Wow! Pretty lucky for a soloist, that's quite a thing!"

"Yeah and he'll be the main act of the company's annual show."

"Is it confirmed?"

"Dunno, but that's what I heard."

"That's so fast! How come?"

"They already call him 'the new face of the agency'. The stages are just a warm-up."

"Isn't it like a make or break for him?"

"Yeah, I think so. They put a lot of money on him, already. But I think he can rock it solo."

Unwillingly, Jaehyung agreed in silence. He still wanted to believe they had a future together. Rumours are only rumours he tried to convince himself.