Sihyun stood on the rooftop of a tall building, his feet inches away from the edge of the railing.
The wind was cold as it blew past his skin, the darkness of the night deepening the sky above.
Despite that, the city in front of him was breathing with life, each building studded in bright lights.
Amongst all the captivating sights, his eyes were drawn to a massive digital board across the skyline with his own face plastered across it, staring right back at him.
It was an advertisement for a high-end perfume brand.
There, he wore his signature charming smile.
His damp-styled hair clung artfully to his forehead, and his plain white shirt was unbuttoned halfway, exuding unapologetic sensuality.
Sihyun tore his eyes away from that illusion.
He looked down past the railing to the streets below.
The people hurrying along the sidewalks appeared like ants — scattered and small, weaving through the glowing arteries of the city.
Letting out a deep sigh with brows furrowed in a troubled frown, he remained lost in his own thoughts.
But the moment was disrupted when he saw something move from the corner of his eyes.
Sihyun spun around abruptly, scanning his surroundings with caution—at nothing in particular.
Did his mind play a trick on him due to stress buildup? Was it distorting his reality?
Then, he felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket. He lazily fished it out to check the caller ID.
The name displayed was Nam Haeun, his elder sister.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to dispel any heaviness from it before engaging in a conversation.
"Sihyun, how have you been? These days, I've been busy to even check up on you."
Her warm voice greeted him as soon as he slid the screen to answer.
"I'm alright," he replied.
"Thank goodness. I was worried you'd be holed up in your room again, not eating or sleeping properly."
"My manager looks after me well in that regard," he spoke casually, while his nails anxiously rubbed against one another.
On the other end, the wailing of a baby bled through the speaker, followed by Haeun's soothing voice as she tried to calm the child.
Sihyun felt bad, knowing that his sister had to worry about him when she already had too much on her plate.
The call soon ended on a lighthearted note with promises to call back again, and he was left standing alone once more.
Letting the air drowse him for a moment, he stepped down from the ledge, landing on the hard concrete with a muted thump.
It was time to head back.
When he arrived at his apartment, both the CEO of his agency and his manager were already waiting for him.
Mr. Jeong, the head of management, started scolding Sihyun for going incognito for more than 12 hours.
"Have you forgotten about all the articles that got published the last time you went out and fought with some random guy?"
"The guy was drunk and started the fight for no reason," Sihyun said, correcting the record with nonchalance.
"That doesn't matter! Why even go out in the first place when we clearly told you to stay low for a while? Now there are more piled-up scandals," Mr. Jeong erupted.
The manager tried to calm him down, but it made little difference.
"I've had enough," Mr. Jeong cut in.
"Are you trying to destroy everything you've built over the last twenty years? Do you want to throw it all away just like that? You're not a kid anymore, Sihyun. Do I have to babysit you like one?"
As his superior rubbed his temples in exasperation, Sihyun casually made his way to the kitchen counter and poured himself a glass of water.
He then took a slow sip — indifferent to the scolding.
Smoothing his neatly combed hair with his palm, Mr. Jeong delivered a final warning: Lay low and stay out of any more scandals.
With that, he stormed out of the apartment.
The manager hurriedly ran out after the CEO, leaving behind Sihyun alone in the apartment.
The actor lazily slumped down on the sofa, lifting his arms to cover his face with his sleeve.
He could feel the exhaustion dragging down his entire body and just wanted to relax for the time being.
In the parking lot, the manager caught up to Mr. Jeong as he opened the door to his car.
"Mr. Kim, if Sihyun goes missing again, report it immediately. I trust you to keep an eye on him at all times," Mr. Jeong said, climbing into the front seat and locking the door behind him.
The manager, Mr. Kim, nodded diligently. "It seems like Sihyun is really having a hard time right now due to all those allegations."
"We're doing what we can," Mr. Jeong sighed, staring out the half-open window.
"The legal team is working tirelessly with detectives and we're throwing every resource we have into clearing his name."
He explained, then added, "Just keep him off the Internet for now. It won't do him any good to listen to all that criticism. Take care of his mental health more than anything."
Mr. Kim nodded once more, watching as the engine roared to life. He stayed until the car disappeared down the street before heading back to the apartment.
There, he found Sihyun lying on the sofa, playing a mobile game with muted focus.
"What are you craving for dinner?" Mr. Kim asked gently.
"You can pick," Sihyun mumbled, eyes glued to the screen. "I'm fine with anything."
Knowing this routine well, Mr. Kim decided to just order a mix of Sihyun's favorite meals — rotating between the twenty or so restaurants he usually liked.
That seemed to always solve the problem.
- - - - -
It was late at night and Mr. Kim, who was staying with Sihyun for the time being, had already gone off to sleep.
As he lay asleep comfortably on the bed, he didn't notice a dark silhouette entering his room.
Silently slipping past the door, Sihyun tiptoed towards the nightstand beside the bed, on a mission to retrieve his phone.
All of his other confiscated electronics were also stashed in one corner of the room, but after getting what he wanted, Sihyun slipped out again before Mr. Kim could sense anything abnormal.
Back in his own bed, Sihyun lay flat, scrolling through headlines and articles with his name in bold letters.
Dozens of pieces painted him as a cheater, an arrogant bastard, a violent delinquent and a fallen star.
It was an image that was seen through a distorted lens.
Most of the people in the comment section were expressing their frustrations, while some simply rode along with the hate train.
* Man, I've been totally duped by his good looks and didn't expect him to be such a shitty person lol
* I gave up on being his fan a long time ago. Best decision of my life.
* I've watched him since he was a child -_- didn't expect him to grow up into such a terrible human being.
* He should just off himself already.
With a quiet sigh, he finally clicked off his phone and stared blankly at the ceiling.
That was when he caught something moving past, just out of the corner of his eye.