Chapter 4 : Only the audience didn’t know

“They watched us fall in love again and again.

Too bad they didn’t know we weren’t acting.”

The first promotional poster dropped that morning.

Six faces, three couples, posed in perfect symmetry.

Pond’s arm around Phuwin.

Joong and Dunk back-to-back, barely touching.

Aou’s fingers brushing Boom’s sleeve.

The fans went wild.

#LoveUnscripted trended worldwide within the hour. Edits flooded in – slow zoom-ins, soft music, captions like “chemistry off the charts” or “THEIR EYES?? HELLO??”

But backstage, those eyes were tired.

Phuwin sat in the makeup chair, his stylist touching up his foundation while he scrolled through the chaos on his phone. His feed was nothing but their faces – his face – repeated endlessly. Reblogged, reposted, reinterpreted.

A comment caught his eye:

“I bet Pond still likes him for real. You can’t fake that look.”

His heart jolted. He locked the phone.

Across the room, Pond was doing an interview. Phuwin watched from the mirror, studying how Pond smiled, how he laughed at the interviewer’s jokes, how naturally charming he was when under lights.

He used to love that.

Now he didn’t know whether it made him proud… or scared.

Because falling for Pond once was easy.

Falling again? Terrifying.

In the greenroom, Dunk sat alone, rehearsing lines. Joong entered quietly, holding two bottled waters.

“You’ll dehydrate if you keep talking to yourself,” Joong said, offering one.

Dunk accepted it, not looking up. “Talking to myself is safer than talking to you.”

Joong blinked. “That’s fair.”

Silence.

Dunk sighed. “This isn’t just about us anymore, you know?”

Joong nodded slowly. “I know.”

“We’re a brand. A product. People expect us to be in love, but not too in love. Real, but not messy. Cute, but not complicated.”

He paused, voice quieter.

“And when we are complicated, they don’t know what to do with us.”

Joong sat beside him. “Maybe we show them it’s okay to be complicated.”

Dunk looked over. “And if the company says no?”

Joong met his eyes, calm and unwavering. “Then we say yes louder.”

Elsewhere, Boom scrolled through the production team’s group chat while waiting for his scene. Messages popped up nonstop:

“Boom and Aou’s dynamic is too cold. Needs more tension.”

“Push the idea of unspoken feelings. Don’t make it obvious yet.”

“No real dating allowed – makes it hard to control the narrative.”

Boom stared at the last line. His chest tightened.

Aou deserves more than this.

So do I.

He walked out to the hallway, found Aou leaning against the wall, reading something on his phone.

“Are you dating anyone?” Boom asked abruptly.

Aou looked up, blinking. “Right now?”

“No. In general.”

Aou pocketed his phone. “Only in silence. Secretly. Regretfully.”

Boom stepped closer. “Then maybe it’s time you dated out loud.”

Aou smirked. “Is this a confession?”

Boom smiled, just slightly. “It’s a dare.”

That night, the six of them stood side by side at the live press event. Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted names. Fans screamed from behind barricades.

A handler whispered in Pond’s ear, “Don’t hold Phuwin too close. Company said we’re keeping the romance subtle.”

Pond nodded, turned to Phuwin, and smiled like nothing had changed.

But when the cameras flashed again, he gently reached for Phuwin’s hand.

Just two fingers.

Barely touching.

Enough to say: I’m still here.

Phuwin’s lips curled into the softest smile of the night.

Only the fans didn’t know they weren’t acting.

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