After wrapping up her "Jaked Up Coffee" campaign somewhere in New York — the one where every billboard, cafe, and train station seemed to have Jake's intense gaze and boyish grin staring back at her — Ivory knew it was time to go home.
Back to Iceland, and then to Italy.
Back to the roots of her next big venture — Rose Blush, her first serialized wine, something she had poured her soul into even before Jake happened.
Jake had kissed her forehead at the airport, lingering too long, squeezing her hand as if he could delay the inevitable.
But he had his own battlefield waiting: two music videos to shoot back-to-back for his chart-topping songs — "Standing Next To You" and "Seven."
And all of them required a leading lady.
A rising star.
Korea's new darling.
Soft-spoken, pale, demure — the "perfect" standard of beauty that Korean media loved to crown.
When Jake first received the concept draft for the music videos, he frowned immediately.
Flipping through the proposal in the company conference room, his jaw tightened with every page.
"No," Jake said firmly, closing the folder with a sharp snap.
His manager shifted awkwardly beside him. "Jungkook-ssiii, I know it's a little... cheesy, but—"
"Cheesy?" Jake echoed incredulously. "Making out in the rain under a neon-lit streetlamp is not cheesy, Head manager. With all due respect, It's straight up unnecessary. Please take that out."
His manager sighed.
"The label thinks it'll sell better with a strong romantic storyline. Especially since the actress they cast is Korea's sweetheart. Public will eat it up."
Jake scowled, opening the folder again as if sheer will could change the script.
"Fuck that. I'm not comfortable doing half of these scenes," he muttered.
He tried. He argued. He even asked for rewrites.
But contractual obligations were a stubborn mountain he couldn't move — and in the end, Jake had no choice but to agree, with gritted teeth, to most of it. (But winning on the part where kissing scenes were taken out. The Label knew his fans would cause chaos now that K-netz have somehow accepted that he has Ivory.)
On the first day of filming, Jake already hated it.
He disapproved of half the scenes — the lingering touches, the staged "accidental" falls into each other's arms — but the cameras kept rolling, and he had to keep smiling.
Professionalism first.
Jimin, tagging along with excitement at first (because who wouldn't be curious about Korea's sweetheart?), soon started to notice things.
How the actress giggled excessively at Jake's jokes — even the ones that weren't funny.
How she "forgot" her mark so she could stand closer.
How she pouted when Jake politely pulled away during breaks.
By the second lunch break, Jimin was simmering in his chair, glaring across the set.
🍑 Jiminnie: Bestie ur man is under ATTACK
🍑 Jiminnie: Operation Pick Me is LIVE 🚨
🍑 Jiminnie: SEND BACKUP 😭😭😭
Meanwhile, Ivory — back in her cozy bedroom in Italy, curled up with her laptop and glass of wine — nearly choked laughing when she read Jimin's texts.
Later that night, Jake called.
The video connected, and Ivory was greeted with the sight of her boyfriend flopped on his hotel bed, hair wild, hoodie wrinkled, pouting into the camera like a kicked puppy.
"She kept calling me 'oppa' every five minutes," Jake mumbled, dragging his cheek against the pillow.
Ivory bit back a grin. "Sounds exhausting, Mr. Jeon."
Jake huffed. "You have no idea. She even dropped her script on purpose so I'd pick it up. Twice."
From somewhere off-screen, Jimin's voice piped up:
"TELL HER ABOUT THE SHOULDER THING TOO, BRO."
Jake groaned, flinging a pillow at the direction of the voice.
Ivory laughed. "The shoulder thing?"
Jake peeked up at her through his messy hair. "She tried to 'wipe dust' off my shirt. There was no dust."
Ivory clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
Jake stared at her, a hopeless smile tugging his lips.
"I only want your hands on me," he said in a low voice, bashful but sincere.
Ivory wiped a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing so much. "Smooth, Mr. Jeon."
Jimin's voice cut in again, louder this time:
"TELL IVORY THE UNIVERSE IS TESTING YOU AND YOU'RE FAILINGGGGG—"
Jake sat up, grabbing another pillow and launching it with a war cry.
"Mind your business, Jimin-siii!"
The next day on set was even worse.
The so-called "Korea's sweetheart" — Han Seulgi — was armed and ready.
During one scene, she pretended to trip over a light cable just to crash into Jake's side, laughing breathlessly as she clung to his arm.
"Oopsie! JungKook-oppa, you're so strong," she said, batting her lashes like she was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.
Jake stiffened like a board, immediately taking a step back, mumbling awkwardly, "Be careful, noona."
Jimin, sitting nearby with a bag of popcorn like he was watching a reality show, choked mid-bite.
🍑 Jiminnie: BRO SHE STAGED A FALL.
🍑 Jiminnie: SHE STAGED A WHOLE DRAMA.
🍑 Jiminnie: S.O.S.
Jake was barely surviving.
The day dragged. Scene after scene. Forced smiles. Han Seulgi clinging too long to moments that should have cut already.
Jake silently counting down the hours until he could call Ivory again.
And then — the call came.
While Jake was changing outfits for the final scenes, Ivory called his phone.
Seulgi, who was lurking nearby like a moth to flame, saw it flashing on the chair.
Without hesitation, she picked it up.
She didn't even check who it was. She just answered, flipping her hair like she was starring in her own drama.
"JungKook's phone! Annyeong~" Seulgi chirped sweetly into the camera.
There was a solid, chilling second of pure silence.
The kind of silence that felt deadly.
Ivory, blinking slowly, smiled.
But it wasn't her usual radiant smile.
It was the kind of smile a queen wore before ordering someone's execution.
"...I'm sorry," Ivory said, voice dripping with a honeyed, icy politeness that could slice through glass, "I must have dialed the wrong number."
Seulgi giggled, twirling a strand of her hair.
"No, no! It's JungKookie's phone. He's busy right now," Seulgi said, tilting the phone so that Ivory could see her fluttering a hand at the camera.
Her smile sickly sweet. Territorial.
"Unnie, don't get jealous~" she cooed, voice sugary sweet. "We're just filming professionally! It's nothing serious, promise!"
Ivory arched an eyebrow, leaning casually against her seat, voice smooth and sharp like a well-polished knife.
"Jealous?" she echoed lightly.
"Oh, sweetheart. I don't get jealous. Especially over a co-worker."
Seulgi's smile faltered for a brief second, but before she could respond—
Jimin, bless his chaotic soul, appeared like a guardian angel.
He took in the scene instantly, plucking the phone from Seulgi's hand with polite, professional fingers and bowing slightly.
"Ahh, noona, thanks! That's his private phone, his girlfriend's calling. I'll take it!" Jimin said, his voice bright like the sun.
He smoothly plucked the phone from her hand before she could protest, then held the phone close to his face, grinning.
"Hi, Queen Ivory~ It's Jiminnie! Long time no see! Hope you're doing well! Jake's right here, one sec!" he said cheerfully. Turning the phone to himself, he greeted Ivory like his life absolutely depended on it.
He turned to Jake, he was sprinting toward him like he was about to tackle a burglar, had just exited the dressing room — now in black jeans and a loose white shirt — completely unaware.
"Bro. Phone. Emergency. Take it before she burns you alive."
Jake blinked, taking the phone — and froze when he saw Ivory's flat stare on the screen. Asking Jimin what happened mentally, while Jimin flicked his head towards Seulgi who's now fidgeting her phone.
Realization hit like lightning.
"Babe—" he started, panicked.
Ivory, still smiling sweetly, tilted her head.
"Hi, JungKookie~," she said smoothly.
"Glad to know your co-workers are very... hands-on."
Jake winced and internally died.
"I swear I didn't know she answered—!! I would never—! Jimin was supposed to—!!"
Ivory sighed theatrically.
"I get it, superstar. You're too famous to answer your own phone now."
Jake opened his mouth, but Ivory smiled thinly and added:
"Maybe I should let you get back to it. Don't want to interrupt your little K-drama. Annyeong~."
She ended the call.
Jake stared at the blank screen in horror.
He turned to Jimin like a man facing judgment day.
"Hyung, help me," Jake whispered.
Jimin patted his shoulder, nodding solemnly.
"You're on your own, buddy. Godspeed."
Jake buried his face in his hands, groaning dramatically.
Meanwhile, Han Seulgi watched from a distance, clueless, thinking she'd won something.
Spoiler: She didn't.
Jake was still frozen, staring at the dead phone screen like it was a bomb, when he heard her sugary voice again.
Seulgi, who is now standing nearby with her hands clasped like a shy fan, blinked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Oppa~" she started, biting her lip in a faux-cute way.
"You didn't tell me you have a girlfriend... 🥺"
Jake slowly turned to look at her.
It was not a nice look.
It was a 'are you serious right now?' look.
It was the kind of look that said: "Are you actually brain-dead?"
Because everyone — EVERYONE — knew about the absolute hellstorm he'd gone through just a few months ago.
Sayuri's post.
The damage control.
The entire internet losing its mind after Ivory's blurry face accidentally got out.
The company's official statements.
The fans' war on Twitter.
It was everywhere.
And here Seulgi was, playing dumb?
Jake blinked slowly at her once.
Then, with the driest professionalism he could muster, he gave her the coldest, blandest, most indifferent nod in the history of mankind...
And walked right past her.
Didn't say a word.
Didn't even breathe in her direction.
Seulgi stood there, awkward and blinking, as Jake made a beeline for Jimin and the manager, already barking orders to prep for the next shoot.
Jimin, walking beside him, tried — and failed — to suppress a laugh.
"Bro," he muttered under his breath, grinning,
"That was cold. Even for you."
Jake didn't even look up as he muttered back, deadpan:
"Not cold enough."
*
*
*
After the shoot wrapped that evening, Jake trudged back to the tent like a man who had just lost the will to live.
He threw himself onto the couch with a heavy groan, face-planting into the cushions.
His hat rolled off somewhere. His energy? Gone. His patience? Negative.
Jimin, Mr. Lee, and Manager Hyung exchanged glances, standing awkwardly by the door like they were attending a funeral. A very dramatic, very petty funeral.
Jake let out a muffled whine into the pillow.
"Hyung... Jimin... Mr. Lee..."
He turned his head slowly, looking utterly betrayed.
"How could you let her answer my phone?"
Jimin scratched the back of his head, trying not to laugh.
"Uh... technically... it was on the chair...?"
Mr. Lee looked like he wanted to disappear.
"I thought it was... face down...?"
Manager Hyung just sighed, dragging a hand down his face.
Jake sat up suddenly, hair a mess, his eyes wide and wild.
"I waited for that call!" he barked, pointing an accusing finger at the sky like it personally offended him.
"I cleared my whole night! I rejected extra takes! I sacrificed my sanity with that clingy—"
He stopped himself, inhaled sharply like a man remembering his professionalism.
Then promptly slumped back onto the couch, groaning louder.
Jimin couldn't hold it anymore. He snorted.
Hard.
Like a balloon deflating.
Jake threw a weak pillow at him.
"You don't understand," Jake whined dramatically.
"Do you know how rare it is to catch her free these days? And now she thinks I'm — I don't know — letting random girls answer my phone like a maniac?!"
Jimin wiped tears from his eyes as he laughed.
"Bro, you looked like you were about to cry when you realized."
Mr. Lee, brave enough now to sit down, patted Jake's back gently.
"There, there. Maybe Ivory will understand."
Jake buried his face back into the pillow again.
"I'm dead. I'm so dead," came his muffled, pitiful voice.
Manager Hyung just shrugged, resigned to the chaos.
"Well... at least she didn't dump you on the spot."
Jake made a small, wounded noise into the couch.
As if even mentioning that possibility stabbed him right through the heart.
And then—he bolted upright so fast, the others actually jumped.
"WAIT. WHAT IF SHE BLOCKS ME?!"
Panic exploded on his face.
Jimin immediately lost it again, doubled over laughing.
"Kook, she's not gonna block you—"
"She could!" Jake argued, grabbing Jimin by the shoulders and shaking him lightly.
"She's petty! She'll block me just to prove a point! I know her!"
Manager Hyung looked like he aged five years in one minute.
Mr. Lee hid his face, shaking with silent laughter.
Jake sat there, wide-eyed, like he was mentally drafting a tearful apology letter already.
"I need to send a voice note. A long one. Should I send flowers too? No, she might yeet those in a second. Chocolates? Ice cream? Should I just fly to Italy right now—"
Jimin peeled his fingers off his shoulders, still chuckling.
"Bro. Chill. Call her again. Apologize. Beg if you must. You're already her golden retriever boyfriend, it'll work."
Jake sat on the edge of the couch like his life depended on this one call. Everyone went quiet—like it was a high-stakes moment in a drama.
He hit dial. The speaker was on.
It rang once...
Twice...
Straight to voicemail.
He stared. "She declined me."
Then came Ivory's voice on the voicemail, dripping with sugar-coated sarcasm:
> "Hi! If you're my global superstar boyfriend, don't call me."
There was a pause—then she added with mock sweetness:
> "You're clearly too busy letting random women answer your phone."
BEEP.
Jake looked like someone just stabbed him in the chest.
Jimin gasped. Mr. Lee coughed. Manager Hyung legit wheezed.
Jake blinked at the phone, soulless.
"...She changed her voicemail just for me?"
***
Jimin's phone buzzed with a message.
It was from Ivory. He peeked at it and nearly choked on his water.
Ivory: Flying in tomorrow. Borrowing dad's jet. 3PM.
Also, I'm "5 months pregnant." (Fake bump. Tell NO ONE.) Play along or perish.
Jimin let out a silent scream, glancing at Jake brooding across the tent, arms crossed and mood darker than an eclipse.
There was no way Jake could know. This was going to be beautiful.
The next morning, Ivory didn't even wait for a full sunrise.
She packed a bag, grabbed her passport, kissed her mother goodbye, and borrowed her dad's jet like she was borrowing a sweater.
Her father simply patted her head and said, "Go teach that boy a lesson."
By noon, Ivory landed in Korea.
She wasn't just angry anymore.
She was plotting.
And what better way to drive the point home... than a little performance?
***
THE NEXT DAY – FILMING SITE, 3:02 PM
Jake stood outside his tent, still looking like someone had canceled his birthday.
Seulgi, once again, tried hovering nearby—offering him a drink, a towel, maybe her soul—but Jake ignored her entirely.
That's when a black van pulled up.
The door opened.
Ivory stepped out... in a flowy midi dress that hugged an extremely realistic fake baby bump. Sunglasses on. Hair down. And the face of a woman on a mission.
Han Seulgi, standing two feet away, paled like she'd seen a ghost.
Jake turned.
And then his soul left his body.
He blinked. Once. Twice.
"...What the—IVORY?!"
She walked over slowly, cradling the fake belly with dramatic care.
"Hi, Babe. You weren't picking up your phone. So I thought I'd... bring myself to you. And the baby."
Jake's knees actually buckled.
"THE WHAT?"
Jimin, already biting back laughter from behind them, choked out,
"She told you, bro! You should've answered the call."
Jake blinked once.
Twice.
Mr. Lee had to turn around to hide his expression. Manager Hyung covered his mouth.
Jake's hands flew to his hair. "Wha—Ivory—you're—WHEN DID YOU—ARE YOU—IS THAT REAL?!"
You could hear a pin drop.
Jake's brain fried for a solid two seconds. His mind went mentally bankrupt.
Then — he caught the wicked glint in Ivory's eyes.
Ah.
It was a prank.
A glorious, petty, genius-level prank.
Jake, ever the good actor, gasped dramatically, clutching Ivory's hands.
He dropped to his knees like they were in a makjang drama.
"My love, I'm sorry!" he cried, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm filming against my will! I swear on our baby's life!"
He stumbled forward and, without thinking, scooped Ivory right up into his arms, bridal style—like a panicking drama lead.
"WE NEED TO GET YOU INSIDE," he blurted dramatically, already power-walking toward his private tent.
Ivory gasped playfully. "Jake! I can walk!"
"YOU'RE PREGNANT! YOU CAN'T WALK—WHAT IF YOU FALL—WHAT IF YOU—WHAT IF I—I—"
"Move aside! Pregnant lady coming through!" Jimin shouted, biting back laughter so hard he sounded like he was crying.
Mr. Lee and Manager Hyung, completely catching the vibe, rushed over looking concerned and started ushering Ivory carefully toward Jake's private tent.
"Let's get you out of the sun, Ivory-ssi, for the baby!" Manager Hyung said seriously, bowing dramatically.
Jake, the ever-caring (fake) father-to-be, walked as fast as he could while whispering, "You're insane. I love you."
They disappeared into the tent, leaving a whole squad of stunned Seulgi team members and gossip-hungry staff behind.
Seulgi's team started murmuring in panicked whispers.
Is that Jake's girlfriend?! Is she—?
Wait—
They're having a baby?! Now?!
Frozen.
Mouths open.
Cameras flashing from a few set crew members who were already leaking theories to the group chats.
By the time Jake and Ivory disappeared inside the tent, the entire field was buzzing with whispered pregnancy rumors.
INSIDE JAKE'S TENT
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Everyone was dying.
Ivory pulled the fake belly off and flung it at Jimin, who ducked and screamed.
Jake collapsed onto the couch, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, his face beet red.
Manager Hyung wiped tears from his eyes.
Mr. Lee leaned against the wall, muttering, "This is better than Netflix."
Jake sat up, grabbing Ivory's face gently between his hands.
She gave him a mischievous grin. "Surprise!"
"You," he said breathlessly, "are the devil and my soulmate."
Ivory grinned, ruffling his hair.
"Next time, answer your damn phone."
Jake nodded solemnly.
"Noted. Never ignoring a call again. Ever."
Jimin flopped onto the couch beside them, tossing the fake belly into the air and catching it.
"I need to frame this. This fake baby saved my life."
Meanwhile, outside the tent — rumors already spread like wildfire.
Maybe Jake's girlfriend hadn't disappeared after the Sayuri scandal.
Maybe it wasn't fear.
Maybe it was... to protect the pregnancy?
The whole set was buzzing — but inside Jake's world, all he cared about was the woman laughing in his arms.
LATER THAT NIGHT – CELEBRATION DINNER (Samgyeopsal Feast)
To mark the MV filming wrap-up, Jake's team organized a casual samgyeopsal dinner near the set.
Everyone was there—crew, staff, actors—including Seulgi, still glancing anxiously at Ivory every five seconds like she expected her to pop out another secret bump.
Jake, at the head of the table, finally posted a photo on Weverse:
Ivory in a crop top and jeans, clearly flat-tummied, half asleep at the grill;
Jimin giving a cheesy peace sign;
Manager Hyung holding a lettuce wrap triumphantly.
Caption:
Celebration dinner. No babies. Just beef.
Rumors? Squashed immediately.
The smoky air buzzed with chatter and sizzling pork belly. Jake, sitting beside Ivory like a totally whipped man, stood up suddenly and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, listen up!" he announced, voice half-cheerful, half-terrified.
Everyone paused, chopsticks mid-air.
Jake dramatically swung an arm around Ivory's shoulders.
"This," he said, squeezing her proudly but also nervously, "is my girlfriend, Ivory. You might know her as... the fake-pregnant tornado that almost gave half the set a heart attack today."
The crew burst into laughter.
Ivory gave a little mock curtsey from her seat.
"Nice to meet you all. Sorry about the... spontaneous baby bomb."
She patted her (now obviously flat) tummy.
"False alarm, guys. Just beef in here tonight."
More laughter erupted around the table. Jimin was nearly falling off his chair.
Jake rubbed the back of his neck and grinned awkwardly.
"Yeah, uh... she's not actually expecting. Just petty. Extremely petty."
"Global superstar boyfriend deserves it sometimes," Ivory added sweetly, shooting Jake a daggered side-eye that made everyone cackle.
Jake laughed weakly, like a man walking the tightrope of fear and love.
Seulgi, still unwilling to give up, tried sliding herself closer to Jake during dinner. Offering him meat, pouring him water, laughing way too hard at anything he said.
Ivory?
Oh, Ivory was a menace.
At one point, when Seulgi fake-laughed so loud it startled the table, Ivory turned to Jimin and deadpanned, "Do you think if I laugh like that, Jake will give me his kidneys?"
Jimin, mid-bite, snorted meat juice through his nose.
Later, when Seulgi 'accidentally' brushed Jake's hand, Ivory muttered just loud enough for the table to hear,
"Sweetheart, you gotta pay extra if you want the full boyfriend package."
Jake nearly choked on his water.
Manager Hyung turned purple trying not to laugh.
Ivory leaned over, resting her chin in her palm with a dangerous little smile.
"Oh, wait. He's already booked. Lifetime subscription."
Seulgi just quietly chewed her lettuce wrap in defeat, while Jimin texted Yoongi live updates under the table:
Hyung. Ivory's on FIRE. She's my new religion.
She stood up awkwardly, bowing quickly.
"I-I'm sorry," Seulgi said, wringing her hands. "I didn't mean to...um... answer Jake's phone earlier. It's... it's just, it was ringing unattended, and I thought it was urgent—"
Ivory, cool as ice, smiled politely.
"No worries. Phones don't answer themselves."
Then she tilted her head and added,
"But I do recommend leaving them alone next time. You never know when you might answer a call from a very petty girlfriend."
Seulgi flushed bright red and nodded vigorously, sitting back down like a scolded student.
Jimin stuffed a lettuce wrap into his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Jake, cheeks burning, threw his arm tighter around Ivory's shoulder like a man seeking protection.
"Yeah," he muttered to no one in particular. "Girlfriend's terrifying. Totally fine with it. Totally."
Ivory just beamed up at him innocently.
"So proud of you, babe," she said, voice dripping with fake pride.
"Taking full responsibility like a real man."
Jimin lost it, banging the table as he laughed.
Manager Hyung leaned over and whispered to Mr. Lee, "She's a menace. I love her."
Mr. Lee just nodded solemnly, sipping his soju.