Chapter 5: Close Enough to Burn
Seoul's skyline shimmered in the moonlight, but Lee's thoughts were far from beautiful. The silver necklace lay heavy in his palm, like a quiet threat or a promise yet to be made.
He ran his fingers over the charm again and again, wondering what it meant, why a man like Leejoon, brutal and unreadable, would gift something so soft, so sentimental.
He stood in front of the mirror again, hair undone, no wig, no makeup. Just Lee. Not Lia.
His eyes, bare and searching, stared back with one question:
How long until someone finds out?
The next morning at Golden Media Group, the air was tense, more tense than usual. People whispered in hallways, phones buzzed without answers, and everyone seemed to glance over their shoulders more than once.
Lee walked in with his usual quiet composure, dressed plainly in slacks and a crisp shirt, sleeves rolled up, clipboard tucked to his chest.
He'd barely reached the end of the hallway when Minah cornered him.
"You didn't answer my texts," she said with a forced smile, though her voice held a sharpness underneath.
"I was working," Lee answered calmly.
Minah's brow twitched. "You were at that underground art show last night. Don't lie, I saw you tagged in a background photo. That was… Lia, wasn't it?"
Lee's chest tightened.
He masked it quickly with a polite smile. "That was a model I style often. We look similar."
Minah stepped closer. "You know, Lee… I don't like secrets. My father doesn't either."
Lee didn't answer. He couldn't. Not without unraveling everything.
"Be careful," she said, her voice like silk over steel. "In a place like this, pretty boys with too many eyes on them tend to get swallowed whole."
She walked away before he could reply, heels clicking like gunshots against the tile.
Later that day, the CEO himself summoned Lee to his office. The air inside was stale, the blinds drawn, a storm pressing in through the tinted windows.
Han Doyun was seated at his desk, one hand turning over a gold fountain pen while the other tapped a manila folder.
Lee bowed politely. "Sir."
"Close the door," the CEO said.
Lee obeyed, spine straight, heart racing.
Han studied him for a moment before sliding the folder forward. "Photos."
Lee's hands stayed at his sides.
"Of her," Han continued. "Lia, isn't it? The model who's suddenly appearing at every underground show worth talking about."
Lee said nothing. His lips parted slightly, but no words came.
"I had someone look into her," the CEO went on. "No agency files. No registration. No tax history. But her face…" He leaned back. "Her face reminds me of you."
The silence was suffocating.
"Tell me something, Lee," he asked coldly. "Are you playing dress-up behind this company's back? Or are you playing me?"
Lee clenched his jaw. "It's not like that."
"Then tell me what it is."
"I needed extra work," Lee said, his voice steady. "Styling doesn't pay enough. I modeled, but I couldn't do it as myself. No one would hire me."
Han Doyun stared. "So you dressed as a woman and made the city fall in love with a lie."
Lee's pulse pounded in his ears. "No one got hurt."
"You think I care about them?" The CEO stood slowly. "You lied to me. You walk my halls, earn my trust, and sleep in the shadow of my name."
Lee's throat tightened. "I didn't mean..."
"You didn't mean to make my daughter fall for you? Or me?"
The silence cracked like glass.
Lee couldn't answer.
"I should fire you," Han said. "But I won't."
Lee blinked. "What?"
The CEO stepped closer, voice low. "Because men like you are useful. You know how to wear masks. You know how to play both sides. That makes you dangerous. I like dangerous."
He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder firm, deliberate.
Lee stood frozen, skin crawling.
"Get out," Han said quietly. "But Lee run again, and you'll wish you hadn't."
That night, Lee stumbled into his apartment, ripping off his clothes, dragging himself into the bathroom where he splashed water on his face again and again. The cold hit him like guilt.
He stared at himself in the mirror red eyes, flushed skin, trembling lips.
Everything was spiraling.
Minah suspected.The CEO knew.And Leejoon…
God. What would he do?
As if summoned by thought alone, Leejoon texted.
Leejoon:Come outside. Now.
Lee hesitated. Then obeyed.
A black car was parked beneath the streetlight. The window rolled down.
"Get in," Leejoon said.
They drove in silence. Past midnight traffic. Past glass towers and grimy alleyways. Lee didn't ask where they were going. He just sat, heart beating louder than the engine.
Finally, they arrived at the edge of the city, a quiet overlook. The kind of place lovers went when they didn't want to be seen.
Leejoon stepped out first. Lee followed.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then, finally:
"You lied to me," Leejoon said.
Lee flinched. "I'm sorry."
"I didn't ask for sorry. I asked for truth."
Lee took a shaky breath. "I never meant to fool you. I was just… surviving."
"Surviving by playing with fire?"
Lee turned to face him. "You were never supposed to fall for Lia."
Leejoon's eyes darkened. "Too late."
Silence stretched between them. The wind whipped through the trees.
Then, Lee did something he'd never done before.
He reached up… and pulled the pins from his hair.
Let the curls fall. Let the mask slip.
Lia faded.
And there he stood Lee. The boy. The truth.
Leejoon's face didn't change. Not right away.
He just stared.
Then: "How long?"
"All my life."
Leejoon stepped forward slowly. "You're… both."
Lee nodded. "And neither."
Another step. "You lied."
"I didn't know how to tell you."
A breath.
Then, quietly so quietly:
"You're the most honest person I've ever met."
Lee blinked. "What?"
"Everyone lies," Leejoon said. "But you, you just tried to survive. That's not a lie. That's… brave."
Lee's heart cracked wide open.
Leejoon reached for his hand, gentle for the first time.
"I don't care what you wear. I care who you are when no one's watching."
Lee swallowed hard. "Then stay."
"I will," Leejoon said, eyes unwavering. "But don't ever lie to me again. Not about who you are."
Lee nodded, tears stinging his eyes.
Because for the first time… someone saw all of him.
And didn't walk away.
To be continued…