My idol's dark secret

The interview (2)

For a moment, the studio seemed to hold its breath.

All eyes turned toward Kai.

The bright stage lights reflected faintly in his eyes, but his expression remained calm—almost too calm for a question like that. Around him, the other members of Eclipse sat quietly, the weight of the moment settling heavily in the air.

Kai slowly lifted his microphone.

"Well…" he began, his voice low but steady, "standing on a stage that once belonged to someone else is never something you can take lightly. I knew from the moment I joined Eclipse that there would be comparisons, expectations, and probably a lot of doubt from people who loved the group before I was even part of it."

He paused briefly, his gaze drifting toward the audience before returning to Jinwon.

"But instead of thinking about replacing someone," he continued, choosing his words carefully, "I decided it would be better if I focused on proving that Eclipse could still move forward. Minjae was an important part of the group, and that history will always exist. I'm not here to erase that. I'm here to do my best so that Eclipse can continue standing on that stage."

A soft murmur of approval spread through the audience. Jinwon nodded thoughtfully, clearly impressed by the composed response.

"That's a very mature way of looking at it," he said. "Still, I imagine the pressure must have been overwhelming at times."

Before Kai could answer—

A faint series of notification sounds echoed from the front rows of the audience.

Then another.

And another.

At first, no one paid much attention. Phones often went off during recordings.

But within seconds, the murmuring grew louder. Fans began whispering to each other while staring at their screens in confusion.

Across the city, in Chaeyoung's apartment, the television was still glowing in the living room.

Eunha leaned forward excitedly, gripping the pillow in her arms.

"I told you this interview was going to be good," she whispered quickly. Chaeyoung nodded quietly, her eyes fixed on the screen as Kai spoke.

Even Hyunwoo, who had been pretending not to care earlier, found himself paying attention.

Then—

Ding.

All three of their phones vibrated at the same time on the table. Eunha frowned slightly and picked hers up.

"Probably another fan notification," she muttered casually.

But the moment she opened it—

Her eyes widened.

"Wait… what?"

Hyunwoo glanced over.

"What is it?"

Eunha turned the phone toward them.

On the screen was a trending post spreading rapidly across social media. It was a photo.

A slightly blurry photo taken at night.

And in the center of the image—

Someone wearing a dark jacket and cap gripping another by the collar, his other fist raised mid-swing, the motion frozen in brutal intensity near a riverside road.

The caption beneath it read:

"Isn't this Eclipse's Kai?"

Chaeyoung's heart skipped. "That… can't be real," she whispered. Hyunwoo grabbed his phone quickly..Another notification popped up. The exact same image.Within seconds, the post count began climbing.

Thousands.

Tens of thousands.

Back in the studio, Jinwon suddenly received a message through his earpiece.

His expression changed almost instantly.

For a moment, he hesitated.

The producers behind the cameras were whispering frantically. The audience murmuring had grown louder now, many fans staring down at their phones in confusion. Jinwon cleared his throat.

"Kai…" he said carefully.

Kai looked up.

"There seems to be something trending online right now during this broadcast."

Taeyong's brows tightened slightly.

Seoyeon glanced toward the audience suspiciously.

Jinwon continued cautiously.

"A photo has just begun circulating across several platforms… and many viewers are claiming that the person in the image might be you."

The giant screen behind them flickered.

The producers had already pulled the image.

And then—

The screen flickered, and the photo came into full view. A grainy, shadowed image of a man gripping another by the collar, his other fist raised mid-swing, the motion frozen in brutal intensity, the tension in the frame so sharp it almost seemed to leap off the screen.

The angle hid most of his face.

But the build.

The hairstyle.

It looked disturbingly familiar.The studio gasped. Seoyeon leaned forward sharply.

Taeyong's jaw tightened.Jisoo looked shocked.

But Kai…

Kai didn't move.

Jinwon turned toward him slowly.

"Kai," he said carefully, "this photo is said to have been taken last night near the Han River around midnight." The room felt suffocatingly quiet.

"Fans are wondering," Jinwon continued, his tone calm but serious, "whether this person might actually be you."

He paused before asking the question that had suddenly become unavoidable.

"Were you there last night?"

The camera zoomed in.

Kai stared at the photo on the screen. His eyes narrowed slightly. Because the person in the picture—

Looked exactly like him.

And yet…

He had absolutely no memory of assaulting that person.

Jinwon tapped his earpiece lightly, glanced at the camera with a smooth, practiced smile, and addressed the studio audience.

"We'll be back shortly," he said, his tone calm, almost teasing. "Just a short break while we prepare the next segment."

As soon as the screen cut to a commercial, Eunha's patience snapped. She grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at the TV with a frustrated yell. "I knew that Jinwon guy was a total jerk!" she shouted, her face flushed with anger. "That photo is obviously fake! My Kai could never do something like that. Never!" She crossed her arms and planted her feet firmly, as if daring the world to disagree.

Hyunwoo leaned back on the couch, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at his phone. "The photo isn't exactly clear," he said calmly, his fingers already flying over the screen. "It could be anyone. Why don't we find out who that guy is—the one Kai supposedly attacked?"

Eunha's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Hyunwoo, you're a genius!" she said, clapping her hands together. "Okay, team, let's get searching. Now!" The three of them leaned over their phones, fingers tapping furiously, scrolling through headlines and social media feeds. Screens flickered, notifications buzzed, and tension built as the minutes ticked by.

Then—

A breaking news alert popped up, flashing across all their screens in bold red letters.

The three froze.

The anchor's voice came through the television, low and grim.

"Breaking news: Early this morning, a body was discovered near the banks of the Han River. The victim, identified as Lee Min Woo, a man in his forties with a long criminal record, was reported missing prior to this morning. Preliminary reports indicate that he died from strangulation. Investigators note clear signs of a struggle at the scene."

The camera cut to a grainy mugshot of the man.

Eunha, Chaeyoung, and Hyunwoo stared at the screen in stunned silence, their eyes wide, hearts hammering.

"Wait… isn't that the same man from the photo?" Chaeyoung whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

The news continued, each word heavier than the last.

"Authorities are currently investigating Lee Min Woo's death, a man known to have evaded capture for years. Details surrounding the incident remain unclear, but initial reports confirm that the crime took place near the Han River early this morning…"

Eunha yanked the remote from the coffee table and muted the television, her hands shaking as she ran them through her hair.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded, her voice cracking with panic and disbelief.

"Eunha—calm down," Hyunwoo said cautiously, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down?!" Eunha snapped, spinning to face him, eyes blazing. "Now everyone—the fans, the media, the public—are going to think my Kai killed that man! Do you understand what this could do to him?!"

Chaeyoung's lips pressed into a tight line. She leaned forward, her own phone still open to the news feed. "This isn't just about a photo anymore," she muttered under her breath, almost to herself. "Something serious is happening. And it's happening fast."

Eunha's fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I don't care if it's fake or a hater posting lies… they'll believe it. And Kai—my Kai—could be in real danger!"

Hyunwoo's jaw tightened. "Then we don't waste a second. We need to find out everything before this blows up."

The three sat in tense silence, the muted TV flickering like a heartbeat, as the weight of what they'd just seen sank in.