Chapter 8: Only I notice you
894 Words
Kai started looking for Eli unconsciously.
It happened slowly.
Small things at first.
During performances, his eyes drifted naturally toward darker corners near barricades. During fan events, he caught himself scanning crowds for familiar black hoodies and quiet eyes.
And whenever he found him—
something inside Kai relaxed immediately.
Dangerous.
He knew it was dangerous.
But exhaustion made dangerous things feel comforting lately.
—
“Smile more.”
The photographer lowered the camera with visible irritation.
Kai immediately apologized.
Again.
The studio lights burned painfully against his eyes while staff members whispered nearby adjusting concepts for the next magazine shoot.
Three hours.
They’d been here for three hours already.
Kai’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
His shoulder still ached from rehearsals.
And Manager Lee hadn’t stopped hovering around him once.
“Fix his makeup,” the manager muttered toward the staff. “He looks dead.”
Humiliation burned quietly beneath Kai’s skin.
Nobody defended him.
Nobody ever did.
Kai lowered his gaze while makeup artists rushed toward him again.
Then—
His phone buzzed inside his pocket.
Unknown Number.
No.
Not unknown anymore.
Kai immediately looked down.
You haven’t eaten today.
His heartbeat stumbled.
Slowly, Kai glanced around the studio instinctively.
Bright lights. Moving staff. Cameras.
Then—
Near the back exit.
Eli.
Black cap pulled low while pretending to scroll through his phone beside equipment cases.
Kai froze.
How did he even get in here?
The realization should’ve alarmed him.
Instead—
a smile escaped before he could stop it.
Tiny.
Real.
The photographer suddenly straightened excitedly.
“There! That expression!”
Camera shutters clicked rapidly.
“Keep that look!”
Kai blinked in surprise.
Meanwhile across the room, Eli quietly lowered his phone.
Watching.
Always watching.
And for some reason, Kai didn’t mind anymore.
—
After the shoot ended, Kai slipped quietly into the hallway behind the studio while staff remained distracted packing equipment.
He already knew Eli would be there.
And he was.
Leaning silently against the wall near the emergency exit like he belonged there.
Kai stopped in front of him.
“You’re insane.”
Eli looked up calmly. “Probably.”
The immediate agreement made Kai laugh unexpectedly.
A genuine laugh this time.
Eli visibly relaxed hearing it.
That tiny reaction did something strange to Kai’s chest.
“You can’t just sneak into places like that,” Kai whispered.
“You skipped breakfast.”
“That’s not the point.”
Eli tilted his head slightly. “You smiled though.”
Kai froze.
Because he was right.
Kai touched his own face unconsciously like he’d forgotten how smiling felt naturally.
“It was a stressful shoot,” he muttered weakly.
Eli studied him quietly for a moment.
Then: “Your manager insulted you in front of the staff.”
Not a question.
Kai looked away immediately.
“He does that sometimes.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Kai knew that silence now.
It meant Eli was angry.
Very angry.
“You shouldn’t let people talk to you like that.”
Kai suddenly felt tired all over again.
“You make it sound easy.”
Eli stepped closer slowly.
Not enough to invade space.
Just enough for Kai to feel his presence fully.
“No,” Eli said softly. “I make it sound wrong.”
Kai’s chest tightened painfully.
Nobody had ever looked genuinely upset over his suffering before.
People pitied idols. Envied idols. Desired idols.
But this?
This felt personal.
Like Eli experienced anger on Kai’s behalf.
And somehow that made Kai feel more vulnerable than comforted.
His phone suddenly rang loudly.
Manager Lee.
Kai’s entire body tensed instinctively.
Eli noticed.
Of course he did.
The warmth in his expression disappeared immediately.
Coldness replaced it so quickly Kai almost stepped back.
“Answer it,” Eli murmured quietly.
Kai hesitated before lifting the phone shakily.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
Kai glanced at Eli briefly. “Hallway.”
“Then come back immediately. Investors want pictures.”
The call ended before Kai could respond.
Kai lowered the phone slowly.
Exhaustion flooded through him.
Sometimes he wondered if anyone would notice if he simply disappeared one day.
Then Eli spoke quietly beside him.
“I would.”
Kai looked up sharply.
Eli stared at him calmly.
As if answering thoughts Kai never said aloud.
The hallway suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Kai laughed nervously. “You’re scary sometimes, you know that?”
For a moment, something flickered across Eli’s expression.
Not offense.
Sadness.
“I know.”
That answer hurt more than Kai expected.
Because Eli didn’t sound defensive.
He sounded resigned.
Like he already accepted what kind of person he was.
Kai’s chest ached strangely.
Then before thinking properly, he reached forward—
and fixed the slightly crooked collar of Eli’s hoodie.
The movement froze both of them instantly.
Kai realized what he’d done too late.
Eli went completely still beneath his touch.
Those dark eyes widened slightly.
Kai pulled his hand back quickly.
“Sorry, it just looked uncomfortable—”
“You noticed.”
Soft.
Almost breathless.
Kai stared at him.
Eli’s expression looked dangerously open now.
Like one tiny act of kindness affected him far more than it should have.
And suddenly Kai understood something terrifying:
Eli wasn’t obsessed with fame.
He was obsessed with being seen.
Which somehow made everything far more dangerous.
- Writer
