Aru's Gamble
Aru Lee's reflection stared back at her from the gilded mirror of her penthouse suite. The copper-blonde hair, the carefully painted lips, the glittering jewelry — it was all flawless.
And yet, no matter how much she polished the mask, there was always another face haunting her.
Crystal Choi.
Her perfect composure, her quiet power, the way men like DG actually listened when she spoke. Crystal was everything Aru pretended to be, and worse — she had walked into PTJ's halls with Seong Min at her side.
Seong Min. The boy with the violet eyes. The one who had looked straight past her, like she wasn't even worth a second glance.
That indifference burned worse than Crystal's coldness ever had.
Her nails dug into her palm as she turned from the mirror. Across the suite, her boyfriend — Jin, the gangster in a suit two sizes too tight for his swollen ego — lit a cigarette, watching her with a crooked grin.
"Well?" he drawled, smoke curling upward. "You done sulking over that bitch yet?"
Aru's lips trembled, then curved into that practiced smile. "I'm ready. Let's do your plan."
Jin's grin widened. He crushed the cigarette into an ashtray and stood, looping his arm around her waist like he owned her.
"That's my girl. I told you — those PTJ clowns don't deserve you. They'll toss you aside the second you stop shining. But me?" His hand slid down her back, possessive. "I'll make sure you burn brighter than Crystal ever could."
Aru leaned into his chest, but her eyes, sharp and glittering, stared past him.
Not brighter.Stronger.Strong enough to make Seong Min look at her.
Even if it meant stepping straight into hell.
The meeting at PTJ ended in uneasy silence. Executives whispered about Aru's "sudden departure," while DG sat at the head of the table, his smile thin.
Crystal closed her notebook, her expression unreadable. "She's making her move."
DG exhaled slowly, his stage smile fading into something sharper.
"Aru thinks she's clever," he said, his tone stripped of charm. "But she doesn't realize what she's walking into. That man of hers—he doesn't invest. He consumes. And when he's done, there'll be nothing left to save."
Crystal's eyes narrowed a fraction, her posture still flawless, notebook snapping shut with a quiet click. "So you knew. And you let it play this far?"
DG didn't flinch. "If she wants to gamble her soul for a shortcut, I won't stop her. Everyone pays for their choices." His gaze slid, sharp as glass, to the figure leaning silently against the wall.
Seong Min.
"You understand that, don't you?" DG's words were directed at him now, a test wrapped in casual tone. "Every step you take here has a cost. And if you walk into Aru's mess, that cost might be higher than you can carry."
The violet eyes didn't waver. Seong Min's voice, when it came, was quiet but unyielding."I've carried worse."
For the first time, DG's expression flickered—just faintly. Recognition. Or maybe suspicion.
Crystal slid in before the silence deepened, her tone final. "Then it's settled. He'll handle it."
DG's smile returned, perfect and hollow. "Fine. But remember—if she burns, you both burn with her.
He rose, chair scraping lightly against the polished floor, and walked out, the weight of his presence trailing behind like smoke.
The door clicked shut.
Crystal turned, her eyes meeting Seong Min's. Calm. Calculated. Yet beneath the poise, something else flickered."This isn't about Aru," she said quietly. "It never was. It's about PTJ. About control. My father's name. DG's power. And your place in all of it."
Seong Min didn't answer. His silence was answer enough.
Because deep down, he already knew—DG wasn't wrong. Every step forward was a cost.
And the bill was coming due.
(next)
Aru strutted into the dim studio, her coat slipping from her shoulders, confidence wrapped around her like perfume. Her boyfriend's men smirked as they set up lights and cameras, contracts spread across the table.
"This," she whispered to herself, "is the start of my own empire. Crystal won't know what hit her."
She tilted her chin higher, already imagining the headlines, the stage, the spotlight fixed only on her.
But then—
Her gaze froze.
The cameras weren't the glossy PTJ kind. The lights were harsh, clinical. And the contract on the table wasn't about music, or acting, or debut schedules.
Her smile wavered.
"What… what is this?" she asked, voice tightening.
One of the men chuckled, sliding the papers closer. "Didn't your boyfriend tell you, sweetheart? You signed the real deal." His eyes gleamed. "Not just photos. Nude photos. Full spread. That's the investment you agreed to."
Aru's blood went cold. The color drained from her face, but the men only grinned wider, moving closer, shadows stretching across the walls.
And from the corner of the room—unnoticed until now—violet eyes watched.
Unblinking. Cold.
Seong Min.
Aru's lips parted in disbelief, shock breaking through the mask she wore so carefully.
Chapter End.
(sorry it took a while🤓)