The luxury vehicle rolled through the thinly snow-covered streets of Seoul. It was September, yet due to climate change, snow had started falling abnormally early. Inside the vehicle, the ten members of BABYQUEEN and ASTRIX sat intermingled. At first, the atmosphere was a bit awkward... but it didn't take long before Lilia, as always, lit up the entire car with just one tap on her screen.
"Tadaaa! We're live, everyone!"
Lilia beamed brightly, switching on the Instagram Live on her personal account , which boasted nearly 50 million followers. Within just 30 seconds, the live view count skyrocketed past 25 million.
"WOAHHH BABYQUEEN and ASTRIX in the same car??"
"Look at all the couples!! Are you dating for real?!"
Comments flooded in like a blizzard, accompanied by a flurry of heart emojis, wedding flowers, and engagement rings. Lilia tilted the camera forward and back, revealing each couple one by one to the fans.
Sara and Elio were sharing a pair of earbuds, Sara gently leaning her head on Elio's shoulder, prompting fans to squeal in unison.
"We're not hiding it anymore," Sara blinked sweetly, intertwining her fingers with Elio's.
"We've made it official," Elio added softly, eyes warm and gentle.
Next came Serena and Julian, who were... in the middle of arguing over who won their mini handheld game.
"Official what?" Serena laughed, lightly slapping Julian's hand.
"Official that I won, obviously," Julian smirked.
"Alright then, we're officially dating!" Serena flicked Julian's forehead, sending fans into chaos with their cuteness.
Then the camera turned to Jennifer and Rayden, sitting close without saying much, simply holding hands.
"We are perfectly synchronized," Jennifer said calmly, her eyes glimmering with quiet emotion.
Rayden just nodded, but there was something unusually tender in his gaze.
Fans quickly dubbed them the "10 people, 5 official couples." But when the camera shifted to Layla and Damien, the mood... paused for just a beat.
A female fan commented:
"Why aren't Damien and Layla sitting next to each other? Are they dating or not?"
Layla flinched slightly. She was sitting beside Jennifer, while Damien leaned silently against the back of the seat behind her.
"Ah... no. We're just colleagues," Layla said softly, a hint of awkwardness in her voice.
The moment the words left her lips, fans erupted:
" No!"
Heartbroken emojis exploded across the screen.
"So sad! But Layla, you're still our nation's sweetheart!!"
"Layla baby, will you marry me??"
"She's too precious! Protect her at all costs!"
Layla chuckled, waving and responding warmly:
"Thank you so much, everyone. I'll keep working hard and won't let down your trust and love."
From behind, Damien remained stoic as always, though his brows furrowed slightly. A sharp-eyed fan captured the moment:
"Wait... did Damien just frown?"
"Is the cold boy jealous? Say something, oppa!"
"Layla just rejected you, Damien , make your move before it's too late!"
The atmosphere in the car had turned warm and playful, like a family gathering. Everyone laughed and teased one another, fueled by the fan comments.
Layla, cheeks slightly flushed, snuck a glance at Damien, then lowered her gaze with a shy smile , almost as if hiding a secret.
Meanwhile, Damien didn't say a word, simply watching Layla through the reflection on the car window. A faint smile touched his lips, small, fleeting, but full of feeling.
"ASTRIX and BABYQUEEN are endgame!"
"Get married already!!! What would their kids be named?!"
"This is the happiest fandom moment ever."
"The world needs more groups like them!"
"They look so perfect together it hurts."
"Wedding on Mars or Tokyo Level 5, we're down either way!"
"Okay but seriously, what would Elio and Sara's child be named?"
"Rayden's eyes when he looks at Jennifer… that's real love."
The mood inside the vehicle was now as lively as a little party. Everyone was laughing, teasing, getting teased in return by the fans.
Except for Layla and Damien... the most "silent" couple.
A sudden comment flashed:
"Damien and Layla , are you guys dating or what?"
Lilia quickly pointed the camera back to Layla. "This one's for you, unnie"
Layla just smiled politely, clearly flustered, and said:
"No, we're not."
And that sparked another wave.
"Ugh noooo!"
"Damien, what are you waiting for? Confess already!"
"We've been shipping you two for so long, don't do us dirty!"
"Damien is such a cold boy... soft inside, though!"
Across from her, Damien furrowed his brows slightly as he read the comments, still keeping that cool expression. But somehow, that only made the fanbase go even crazier.
"Did you see that? He frowned agan. So cute omg!"
"Layla's officially our national wife. Too late, we're adopting her."
"She got hurt cooking? Our girl's so wifey already!"
Layla laughed gently and leaned toward the mic on her collar.
"It's nothing serious, just a small cut from chopping food… I'm okay now!"
The fanboys exploded:
"I melt , my wife is perfect."
"She's so skilled, I can't handle it."
"I'm naming our kids now. Anyone disagrees, you're turning into a robot!"
While the fans kept flooding the comments with joy, Layla quietly removed her wireless earbud, leaned her head against the window, and drifted off into peaceful sleep. Her face was softly illuminated by the pale morning light and drifting snow outside, silent, delicate, like memories.
Damien, still seated across from her, rested his chin on his hand and watched her intently. This girl… had crept into his mind slowly, without noise or sparkle, just like September snow falling on rooftops.
"Why do you always carry everything alone?" he wondered silently, eyes still fixed on her sleeping face.
Behind them, laughter continued, and the fans' excited chatter filled the air,but for Damien, everything had faded into a quiet blur. The only sound that remained was Layla's steady breathing.
Lilia's camera suddenly caught Damien in the corner of the frame. No one knew why,but a fan immediately spotted it:
"Wait... Damien is watching Layla sleep???"
"that look ins't platonic, ma'am."
"Just hug her already! It's cold, Dami oppa!"
Ten seconds later, the comment section blew up again:
"Hug her! She's cold, bro!"
"We saw the love in your eyes. Don't deny it."
"Confess before someone else steals our national wife!"
"We wanna attend your wedding! Do it already!"
Everyone in the car burst into laughter from the sudden fan "attack." Rayden and Julian especially couldn't stop teasing Damien:
"Oof, you're loud now, cold boy."
"Should we buy rings or nah?"
Damien didn't reply right away. His gaze remained on Layla, her face serene, as if floating in a dream. After a while, he finally looked up and faced the camera. His eyes were calm, deep, like a winter lake.
His voice, low and composed, carried just the right sharpness:
"If she's ever cold… I'll be the first to know. And if she ever needs someone ,I'll be the last to leave."
…
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then the fandom erupted:
"omg , that's love ."
"That's the most beautiful answer in the universe!"
"Colleagues? My foot. That's pure love."
"Layla and Damien fandom is bowing up ."
"They're our new national couple!! Everyone move!"
Damien and Layla's follower counts shot up by the second. Likes, shares, fanarts, gifs, everything exploded. The hashtag DamiLa quickly trended in Seoul, Japan, the U.S., and even Vietnam.
The other couples , Jennifer and Rayden, Serena and Julian, Lilia and Lucas ,burst out laughing.
"We went public but they're hotter than us," Jennifer squinted playfully.
"Well… that's what happens when cold boys drop smooth lines," Serena folded her arms with a smirk.
In a quiet corner of the car, Layla stirred slightly at the noise, shifting a bit before slowly opening her eyes. She blinked at the laughing faces around her, then glanced toward Damien. Their eyes met.
Layla murmured groggily:
"What's going on…"
Damien paused, his expression still soft:
"Nothing. You just... looked beautiful in your sleep."
Layla's face flushed red. She turned to face the window, pretending not to hear. The livestream caught that moment perfectly,and once again, the internet lost its mind:
"She's blushing! ong they're endgame!!"
"This is like a scene straight out of a movie!"
Back in a dark, cold room, blue light flickered across Dr. Vex's wrinkled face as he watched with amusement. Five massive screens displayed the ASTRIX members, every expression, every heartbeat ,monitored and analyzed in real time.
A dry, manic laugh echoed through the room.
"Hahaha… Look at you, my precious creations... Seems like you've learned to love."
"Damien… that look in your eyes. Real love, huh?" he tilted his head, eyes narrowing.
"How laughable…"
Behind him, his AI assistant , an elegant holographic woman ,let out a chillingly sarcastic chuckle.
"Not just Damien, sir. Rayden, Julian, Lucas, and Elio are all showing signs of cardiac irregularities. It seems their synthetic hearts are... infected with emotion."
Vex spun his chair toward the control center, eyes gleaming with calculation.
"Let's see what happens on set... when they find out who the female lead is. When the roles are given. When love becomes a game on stage... Let's see how long the joy lasts."
"I can't wait. I really can't."
He replayed the clip of Damien watching Layla sleep ,the gentleness, the protective gaze, the undeniable emotion. Vex laughed again.
"Love? In my game? That's rich."
"But let them believe it's real... It's more entertaining that way."
The AI assistant tilted her head, mockingly amused.
"And Layla... our darling little center."
"I'd bet anything, if she knew Julian was cast as her love interest, she'd beg for a recast on the spot."
Vex raised an eyebrow, thoroughly amused.
"Is that so? Then let's grant her wish."
"Tell the director Layla may choose... Julian or Damien."
"Let her heart beat faster. Let the confusion begin."
The AI bowed slightly, voice dripping with venom:
"I predict she'll break under the pressure. Or at the very least... shatter."
"Nothing would be more poetic than watching a symbol of hope like Layla... collapse on her very own stage."
Vex leaned back into the shadows, voice echoing coldly:
"She won't die. I need her alive ,for the perfect tragedy to unfold."
"A broken Layla, a helpless Damien, and an ASTRIX torn apart by emotions... now that's true art."
A red light blinked faintly from the edge of the surveillance system.