Morning came too quickly.
Soorin woke to sunlight streaming through the blinds.
For a moment, she forgot where she was.
Then she felt the weight next to her.
Haejin.
Still asleep.
Still on the far edge of the bed.
Like he'd tried to maintain distance even unconsciously.
She checked her phone.
7:42 AM.
Thirty-seven missed calls.
Sixty-two messages.
All from news outlets.
All asking for statements.
She sat up carefully.
Didn't want to wake him.
Opened her messages.
One from Daehyun.
[Turn on the news. It's everywhere.]
She grabbed the remote.
Turned on the TV.
Muted it so Haejin wouldn't wake.
And there it was.
Every channel.
Every news outlet.
[BREAKING: AUREYA ENTERTAINMENT PA ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING AND MURDER]
The headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
Photos of Jiwon.
Her employee ID photo.
Candid shots from company events.
Security footage.
Soorin unmuted it.
