Chapter 14 … Because Loving Someone Means Always Thinking from Their Perspective
Bang!
At those words, Sora slammed her fist against the desk. Her face burned hot, and heat surged up from deep in her stomach.
“Sora, what’s going on?”
“Stay out of it!”
She yelled irritably at her mother, who had knocked on the door. Damn this house. No one here knew the meaning of respecting privacy.
“What the hell is this?”
Sora’s fury was directed at Im Yuju. Love? What did she know? She was only twenty-five, acting like she knew everything. Marriage was reality—what did she know about reality? Oh, right. She had money.
Sora felt like she’d been subjected to unfair violence. Top stars belonged to a privileged class. They didn’t need to worry about the things ordinary people had to. How could she possibly understand Sora’s feelings? Did that privilege give her the right to trample on someone else’s?
She threw herself onto the bed and turned on her phone. Maybe she could find someone online who understood her feelings. But instead…
[On CoffeeOne Live—this S-R person is seriously disgusting.]
– They say Mr. Hyunjae really struggled before NovaGirls made it big. Fine, I can get breaking up because of financial circumstances. But calling him right after he got money? What kind of shallow person does that?
? Why excuse that part? It’s not like Hyunjae’s family was well-off and suddenly went bankrupt. She knew full well he didn’t have money when they dated for seven years. Then suddenly dumps him? If that’s the case, shouldn’t she have been upfront from the beginning so he could find someone willing to stick with him?
? Total lack of manners. But maybe she never even thought that far. Probably dated him for seven years without thinking, then one day realized she didn’t want to marry him.
? Lol, must sting though. Dumped the “junk car” and blocked him, only for that junk to transform into a supercar overnight.
[So that’s why Yuju’s lyrics hit so hard.]
– “If I say I love someone, I wouldn’t shout, ‘I dated them for seven years! Hey, everyone, come listen!’”
– “A timid guy like him went on live radio—weren’t you nervous? Aren’t you exhausted? Are you eating properly?”
– “Because loving someone means always thinking from their perspective.”
– Hearing that after the other one’s selfish words… wow, really makes you think.
? Seriously, when you date long-term, worry becomes second nature. Stuff like—he can’t drink but is dragged to work dinners again, his fatty liver’s back but he’s eating spicy food, this timid guy isn’t getting pushed around at work, right?
? Saying something like that after seven years? Just shows there’s something wrong with her as a person.
? But wait, wasn’t Yuju basically directing those words at Hyunjae? Didn’t the vibe feel… strange? Don’t tell me…
? I’m not the only one who felt it.
? Hyunjae was trying to let it slide because it was broadcast, but Yuju just couldn’t hold back. That was totally the energy of “I won’t stand by while someone insults my man.”
? Nah, don’t jump to conclusions.
[Hyunjae’s personality is amazing.]
– Calm, polite, even when provoked, he kept quiet for the sake of the show.
? Honestly, no one could endure seven years with someone like that.
Sora bit down on her lip until it hurt. Her chest was going to explode from rage. Was the whole world full of hypocrites?
They’d all do the same if they were in my shoes!
And what? Im Yuju and Hyunjae’s romance? Give her a break!
Brrr—
Her phone rang.
“Hello?”
[ You really never run out of tricks, do you? ]
It was Byeongjo.
“What are you talking about?”
[ A friend told me the radio’s blowing up, so I checked. Unbelievable. Do you love that house so much? Just because I couldn’t get us a newlywed place in Seoul, you ran straight there? ]
“What? That’s not even me!”
[ You think I’m some idiot? You think I don’t know you jumped ship from Hyunjae to me? You think I got into med school for free? You think I’m stupid? ]
“Don’t you ever get tired of bragging about your IQ?”
[ Forget it. We’re done. Honestly, you’re nothing but looks. And even those aren’t so special—yet you strut around like a princess. ]
“You son of a—are you done talking?”
[ Oh, I’m done. I should thank Mr. Hyunjae and Ms. Yuju. Imagine if I’d wasted 800 million won on a house for you. Know your place, Shin Sora. The whole nation’s seen your true colors now. You think you’ll still land the kind of guy you want with just your face? You’re finished. ]
“Hey!”
The line went dead. Sora shook with so much anger her teeth clattered together.
No. This can’t be.
She opened her Stargram. It was flooded with hateful comments. The injustice and humiliation made it hard to breathe.
The news feed showed yet another headline:
<Top Star Im Yuju—Does She Have Feelings for Her Manager Hyunjae?>
Her blood boiled. Trash yellow press with their baseless clickbait!
Meanwhile, messages poured in.
– Sora, that wasn’t really you, was it?
– We’re canceling this week’s meetup. Don’t come.
– Sora, that wasn’t right. You knew what kind of guy Hyunjae is.
Even the friends who once encouraged her to break up with him now blamed her.
Why am I the one in this situation?
Her hand trembled as she gripped the phone.
After the radio broadcast ended—
“I’m so sorry for causing trouble by acting on my own today.”
Im Yuju bowed her head in apology to PD Lee Sang-wan and the staff. Naturally, I followed, bowing too—because I was the manager.
“No, no, Yuju, why are you apologizing? Do you know how high the live ratings spiked thanks to your quick thinking? Don’t apologize! Do it more! Be even bolder!”
The PD’s grin stretched ear to ear. Regardless, Yuju insisted on apologizing to every staff member before finally getting into the car.
At the wheel, I glanced at her face. What was a top star thinking right now? I didn’t know what to do with all my thoughts. Should I ask why she did it? But could I really question someone who’d stepped in for my sake?
The onion bracelet stayed silent. Right—how I spoke was up to me.
“…Thanks. For standing up for me.”
Her face twisted as though she couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Ugh! I’m so pissed off!”
“Huh?”
“Seriously, what kind of person treats someone’s heart like a pebble on the roadside? I wanted to curse her out, but I couldn’t because it was broadcast!”
She looked like a completely different person from the radio.
“Why didn’t you say anything? Didn’t you want to curse too? You went pale back there—doesn’t that mean you had words bottled up? Come on, curse with me! Don’t make me look like the only crazy one here!”
“You said enough for both of us. Thanks.”
“Enough? Already? What are you, some saint?”
“…But we dated seven years. I knew who Sora was when I dated her. The breakup isn’t entirely her fault. Badmouthing her would just be spitting on myself.”
“Really?”
Yuju didn’t accept my words. If anything, her expression turned sharper—yet still beautiful. The thought struck me absurdly.
“People always say that after breakups. Like it’s some rule. But I hate vague talk.”
“What did I say vaguely?”
“You said, ‘It’s not all her fault.’ So what did you do wrong? What fault of yours justifies her barging in during work, shouting ‘This bastard’s awful!’ while you can’t even get angry?”
What did I do wrong? If anything…
“Well, marriage is reality. Until we broke up, I thought she was someone who’d start from nothing with me. But looking back, that was childish of me. Who would want to start life in a cramped room? It was naïve to think so….”
Yuju cut me off.
“That’s gaslighting. She said marriage is reality, right? Funny, I’ve never seen anyone who says that actually define what ‘reality’ means.”
“……”
“Reality just means ‘what is.’ For her, reality was you, wasn’t it? Your tiny room, your face, your effort, your character—that was reality. Marriage wasn’t defined yet. So really, her idea of marriage was the unreal one, wasn’t it?”
I had no reply. Was this how singer-songwriters always talked?
Yet her words filled me with a deep satisfaction. They were exactly what I’d always wanted to say.
“Why hate starting from nothing together? That way, the struggles and painful times would all belong to both of you. If you meet after success, you only get a part of their life, not all of it….”
She trailed off, glancing at me.
“Anyway, you didn’t do a single thing wrong! Got it?”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“Geez, just curse with me already….”
Relief washed over me. Talking with her made me realize—I’d been blaming myself. I thought I bore responsibility for a seven-year relationship collapsing.
But Yuju had spoken aloud the thoughts I’d buried, thinking them too shameless. How could I resent a girl who stayed with me despite having nothing?
Yet hearing it from someone else made it okay. I was grateful beyond words that she had gotten angry on my behalf.
She’s right. I wasn’t wrong. Anyone would see this was unfair.
At that moment—
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
“Uh… uh….”
Vines began sprouting from the bracelet around my wrist, writhing like tentacles. They curled around my finger.
Wait—can’t she see this?
Apparently not. She could see the bracelet, but not the strange phenomenon happening right before my eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“No, no… nothing.”
The vines wrapped tighter, forming a thin ring. Then a pink flower bloomed on it. Pink—the color of Yuju’s debut song, her first album’s theme….
“Anyway, stop overthinking. Just focus on being my manager, okay?”
“Of course.”
When I got home, the flower vanished. But the ring remained, unremovable.
<Top Star Im Yuju—Does She Have Feelings for Her Manager Hyunjae?>
“Unnies, look at this!”
Mina exclaimed, staring at the article.
“What do we do? What if Hyunjae oppa ends up being Yuju sunbae’s exclusive manager? The radio’s already gone viral….”
“Yoon Mina! Don’t jinx it. We promised we’d stay together, remember?”
“Still… if this gets bigger, he’ll have to work more with Yuju sunbae, right?”
As Nari scolded her, Hayoung muttered from the corner:
“Crazy… Hyunjae oppa and Yuju sunbae’s compatibility is 100%. How is it 100% with every celeb he manages? Is the app broken…?”
“Are Yuju sunbae’s profile details—like her birthday—correct?”
“Of course. She revealed it on a variety show.”
“…We were nobodies before Hyunjae came, and now we’ve made it. If he leaves….”
Silence fell. Then Mina said:
“But why hasn’t Dabin unnie come out? Is she still asleep?”
“Dunno. I’ll check.”
Lately, Dabin had been acting strangely. It wasn’t just enthusiasm—it was overdrive. She’d stay up all night practicing until the others dragged her to bed. With a digital single coming up, practice was fine, but wasn’t this too much?
Mina knocked on Dabin’s door. No response.
“Unnie, I’m coming in… unn—oh my god! Unnie!”
She froze. Dabin had collapsed on the floor beside her keyboard.
“Ugh….”
A groan. Thankfully, she was only asleep. Mina picked up the scattered sheet music. Then she noticed something.
“Unnie… did you compose this song?
