𝐽𝑖𝑛𝑢
113
7Story: The Price of Stardom
The stadium roared with lights, fans screaming his name—
“Jinu! Jinu!”
He smiled on stage, flawless under the spotlight. To the world, he was perfection: a star, an idol, a dream. But beneath the glitter, his heart was cold. His golden demon eyes, hidden by contact lenses, burned every time he absorbed the energy of adoration. Each cheer fed him—not with love, but with stolen fragments of souls.
He had traded his humanity long ago. Fame was his reward. Loneliness, his curse.
---
Backstage, when the lights dimmed and the crowd faded, Jinu sat in silence. His phone screen glowed with an old picture: his mother, his little brother. Humans he abandoned centuries ago. Guilt stabbed him, sharper than any blade.
That’s when she appeared. A new staff member, assigned to shadow him. Different from the others—she didn’t look at him with starry eyes, but with quiet concern.
“You look… tired,” she said softly, offering him water.
Jinu laughed. “I’m not tired. I don’t get tired.”
But her gaze lingered, unafraid. It unsettled him.
Day after day, she stayed—treating him like a person, not an idol, not a monster. For the first time in centuries, he felt something stir. Warmth. Humanity. Longing.
---
But his contract was binding.
The demon king whispered in his ear:
> “You belong to me. Break the mask, and she dies.”
Jinu became cruel. Cold. He pushed her away with harsh words, made her cry just to protect her from the curse tied to him. Each time she flinched, his chest tightened. Each tear felt like fire in his veins.
Finally, unable to bear it, she left. Walked away from him. No words. No goodbye.
---
On stage that night, Jinu performed flawlessly. The crowd screamed, but for the first time, their voices meant nothing. When he looked at the empty spot where she used to stand backstage, his perfect smile cracked.
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