The airport cameras flashed like gunfire.
Jae Kang adjusted his sunglasses, his signature smirk plastered perfectly across his lips, as fans screamed his name from behind the barricades. Their voices filled the terminal like a storm surge—pleas, declarations of love, desperate chants. Security guards flanked him as Daniel Jung led the way, fielding reporters with practiced ease.
"Global promotions in L.A.—how long will you be gone, Jae Kang?"
"Is it true you'll be collaborating with Hollywood sweetheart Mina Choi?"
The question sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd, their voices pitching higher. Jae didn't flinch, didn't respond—just gave his trademark wave, smooth and charming, the kind of gesture that made his fandom melt.
He looked every bit the superstar. Polished. Unreachable.
But when his eyes flicked up for the briefest second, scanning the crowd, Soojin saw it—the flicker of something softer. Something only she knew.
She stood in the shadowed corner, hood drawn low, mask covering half her face. No one noticed her. No one ever did.
Their gazes brushed for half a second, and her chest tightened. A silent goodbye.
Then he was gone, swallowed by flashing lights and the roar of his fans.
---
Back at the penthouse, the silence was deafening.
Soojin closed the door behind her and dropped her bag onto the couch. The spacious apartment, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and expensive modern décor, felt more like a museum than a home. She padded into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and stared blankly at rows of neatly stocked groceries Jae never touched.
The apartment smelled faintly of his cologne. She clung to that scent as though it could fill the void.
On the counter lay a note he'd left her. His handwriting was neat, rushed:
Don't wait up for calls. Schedule's tight. I'll message when I can. Stay safe. —J.
That was it.
Not I'll miss you. Not I love you.
Just business. Efficient. Controlled.
Soojin pressed the paper to her chest anyway, closing her eyes as if she could absorb the warmth of his hand from the ink.
---
She spent the evening in rehearsal again, throwing herself into the choreography until her muscles screamed. The other trainees laughed, gossiped, teased each other about celebrity crushes. Nari tried to drag her into their chatter, but Soojin's smiles felt hollow.
When rehearsal ended, she slipped away quietly.
She walked home through the neon streets of Seoul, the city pulsing with life around her—couples holding hands, friends laughing over street food, music pouring from shopfronts. To everyone else, she was Han Soojin: rising actress, idol turned star. Perfect, polished, admired.
To herself, she was just a ghost.
---
The bed felt enormous without him.
She curled into one side, hugging a pillow, scrolling through her phone. Jae's face filled her feed—airport photos, fan-captured videos, trending hashtags about his "global takeover." Clips of him smiling, laughing with Daniel at his side, radiating charm.
She scrolled further. Headlines screamed speculation:
"Jae Kang headed to Hollywood—rumored collab with Mina Choi."
"Fans can't wait to see the chemistry between Asia's heartthrob and America's sweetheart."
Her thumb froze.
Her chest squeezed painfully, even though she told herself it was just business. Just another move by Daniel, just another way to keep Jae at the top.
But she couldn't stop staring at the words: chemistry. Heartthrob. Sweetheart.
Chemistry with another woman, in public, while Soojin remained locked away in the shadows.
She tossed the phone aside and buried her face in the pillow, hot tears spilling before she could stop them.
---
The next morning, Clara Kwon's voice cut through the quiet of the practice room.
"Han Soojin. Don't look so tired—you have a fan meet in two days. Remember, your career is just beginning. You cannot afford mistakes."
Soojin bowed obediently, hiding her exhaustion. She wanted to scream, Do you know what it's like to be married to someone who can never admit you exist? Do you know what it's like to watch him smile for the world while I cry alone in our bed?
But she said nothing. She danced instead.
---
That night, she called him.
The international dial tone buzzed, and finally his voice came through, distant and faint.
"Soojin?"
Her throat tightened at the sound. "Hey."
"I only have a minute. Daniel's waiting."
She pressed her eyes shut, clutching the phone. "I just… wanted to hear your voice."
There was silence on the other end, then a soft exhale. "I'll be back before you know it."
"Do you miss me?" she whispered.
Another pause. Too long.
"You know I do," he said at last, voice even. Practiced.
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to cling to the image of the man who made ramen with her at midnight, who kissed her forehead when she was tired, who promised forever two years ago in a quiet, secret ceremony.
But the man on the phone was the superstar Jae Kang, polished and distracted. Already slipping away.
"I love you," she said anyway, her voice breaking.
The silence stretched again.
Then came the answer, quiet, rushed: "I'll call you when I can."
The line went dead.
---
Soojin lowered the phone slowly, her chest hollow. She stared out the window at the Seoul skyline, glittering and alive, while she stood motionless in the dark.
For the world, Jae was a star blazing brightly, untouchable.
For her, he was a husband slipping further out of reach with every mile, every spotlight, every staged smile.
She wrapped her arms around herself and whispered into the empty room:
"Am I really your wife… or just your shadow?"
The silence answered her.