Caught in the Frame
When we returned to the penthouse, the sunset had dipped low behind the skyline. The city outside glowed in layers—neon signs blinking, headlights streaking past like fireflies, and high-rise windows flickering to life one by one.
I expected to feel relieved walking back in.
Instead, a strange restlessness sat in my chest.
Maybe it was the walk. Maybe it was the warmth of Kian's sleeve against mine, or the realization that I didn't tremble once while outside. I should've been proud, but a shadow of unease trailed behind me like smoke.
📢 System Update:[Adaptability Rating: 68%][Emotional Thread (3/5) Stable][New Trigger Approaching: External Event Imminent]🚨 Warning: Public Variables Changing
My breath hitched. What does that mean? But the system didn't answer further. Just blinked out quietly like always.
Kian disappeared into his study after we returned. I didn't ask what he was working on. He didn't offer. That was the thing between us—we shared a couch, a bond, small touches… but not everything. Not yet.
I curled up in the lounge with a tablet. I wasn't snooping. Just curious. One of the system-recommended tasks was: "Explore Current Events – Gain Context," and it had been hovering gray for days now.
So I tapped open the news feed. Local. Business. Lifestyle.
Then I saw it.
[BREAKING] Elros Corp CEO Seen With Unknown Omega at Park – Who Is the Mystery Boy?
My blood ran cold.
The image wasn't sharp—shot from a distance—but it was unmistakable. Me. Sitting beside Kian on that bench. My hand brushing his sleeve.
The headline screamed louder than the words ever could.
"Claimed or Courted? A New Face Emerges in the Elros Sphere."
I clicked off the screen so fast I nearly dropped the tablet.
My heart pounded. My head felt light.
Kian didn't tell anyone about me. So who—?
📢 System Alert[External Attention Detected][Level 1 Threat Assessment: Mild Exposure]🎯 Suggested Action: Alert Alpha or Activate Concealment Protocol
No. No, no, no. I wasn't ready. This wasn't supposed to happen yet. I hadn't even finished figuring out how to sleep without flinching.
The idea that the world—the public, the press, strangers—could see me?
I stood up too fast. My knees wobbled.
That's when Kian walked in.
He noticed instantly.
"What happened?" His tone didn't rise, but I could feel the shift in the room like a drop in air pressure. Controlled tension.
I couldn't speak. I just held out the tablet and watched his face tighten with each passing second.
He said nothing for a long time. Then finally: "This shouldn't have leaked."
"…Is it bad?" I asked, my voice barely audible.
"No," he said sharply, then softened. "It's just… too soon. For you."
I looked away. "I didn't think anyone would care. I'm nobody."
"You're not nobody," he said quietly. "Not to me. And apparently, not to the press either."
📢 New Task UnlockedStay beside Kian during a public announcement (optional)💠 Reward: 150 Points🔒 Locked until host accepts media presence
I stared at the floating notification. Public. Announcement. That felt a thousand years away from where I was.
"I can shut it down," Kian said suddenly. "The article. The photo. All of it. My PR team can spin it into nothing."
"…Do you want to?" I asked.
Kian blinked, surprised. "What?"
"I mean, if I'm just… temporary. I get it."
His face hardened—not in anger, but something else. Frustration? Pain?
"You're not temporary, Rui," he said. "You may not believe that yet, but I do."
I looked down at my hands. They were trembling again. So much for progress.
Kian stepped forward slowly, giving me time.
He didn't pull me into his arms. Just touched my wrist. Gentle. A soft brush of skin.
"You don't have to face them. Not yet. But if and when you're ready... I'll stand beside you."
I nodded, just once.
The fear hadn't disappeared. But something heavier was forming beneath it.
Trust.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the tablet again. The article had already been replaced with some celebrity breakup drama. The world had moved on.
But my name wasn't on it.
Just a photo.
Just a shadow.
I could still hide—for now.