Chapter 69 — The Morning No One Understood
6:00 AM
The first rays of sunlight crawled through the window blinds, brushing the AUREUS dorm in muted gold. Everything smelled like quiet coffee and unspoken exhaustion.
In the kitchen, Minjae was already making toast—badly.
Hyunjae walked in shirtless, hair flat on one side and sticking up like electricity had kissed him in his sleep.
"Who microwaves bread?" he mumbled.
"I was trying something new," Minjae defended, holding up a burnt corner. "Crispy innovation."
Sungchan groaned from the hallway, voice hoarse: "Innovation is not setting off the smoke alarm."
And in the middle of it all—
Jaeheon Walked In
Hair damp.
Shirt plain.
Eyes calm.
He poured himself black coffee without a word, as usual. But something was different.
Not in his face.
Not in his posture.
But in the stillness around him.
He seemed lighter.
Like a storm that had passed silently in the night.
The Group Noticed—Quietly
Rin paused from wiping the countertop.
Minjae lowered his half-burnt toast.
Hyunjae raised an eyebrow.
They didn't say anything. Not directly.
But they saw it.
The way Jaeheon scrolled his phone, once, locked it, and smiled—not the cold smile, not the polite smile, but the one that felt real.
It Was Small. But Enough.
"Did something good happen?" Minjae asked, cautiously hopeful.
Jaeheon took a sip of his coffee and, for once, didn't avoid the question. But he didn't answer it either.
"Toast's burning," he said simply, nodding at the microwave with a smirk.
Sungchan bolted: "Minjae!"
Laughter erupted in the kitchen. It broke the morning like sunlight through frost.
But Rin? Rin didn't laugh.
He watched Jaeheon closely.
Something had changed.
But He Would Never Ask
No one would.
Because the rule was unspoken:
They never talked about her.
They never mentioned the ball.
They never asked if she replied.
They just... waited.
Waited for the day he'd smile like that again.
And now?
He had.
Even if none of them knew why.
Meanwhile—Fan POV: @GoldOrbitTheory
[🔍] okay WHY IS JAEHEON GLOWING??
that smile this morning????
idc what anyone says—something happened.
it's not the comeback. it's not the toast. it's NOT THE COFFEE.
IT'S THE HER. i don't know who she is, i don't know where she lives, but SHE EXISTS.