Between Us: A Collection of Moments
"The Royal Romance" — 3
Ji-Cheol’s mind buzzed with frustration as the conversation in the room continued, the words circling around him like vultures picking at a carcass. The Crown Prince sat there, calm and poised, the weight of his position giving him a detached air as though none of this affected him personally. The CEO nodded along with whatever the head of PR said, his face betraying no emotion.
Meanwhile, Ji-Cheol’s skin felt too tight, the air too thick. He could barely keep up with the threads of manipulation being spun right before his eyes.
The head of PR, always sharp and professional, leaned forward slightly, her voice as smooth as silk but with an edge of cunning that sent a shiver down Ji-Cheol’s spine.
Kang So-Ra
We’ve seen that the public responds well to the mystery.
So-Ra said, her fingers tapping lightly on the table as she laid out the next steps like pieces in a game.
Kang So-Ra
The rumors of Mr. Gong’s relationship with her royal highness have sparked significant interest, but it’s not enough. We need to keep them guessing, keep the story alive.
Ji-Cheol’s stomach churned, the bile rising in his throat as he heard her next words.
Kang So-Ra
The next move is to release a few more well-timed ‘leaks.’ Paparazzi shots of the two of them—private meetings, maybe an intimate dinner. Enough to keep the public curious.
Kang So-Ra
Let them think they’ve uncovered a scandal themselves. The key is to make it believable, but not too obvious. Then, once the speculation reaches its peak, we’ll confirm the relationship with a formal announcement.
Her eyes darted to the Crown Prince for approval, who gave a barely perceptible nod. Ji-Cheol’s grip on the arms of his chair tightened, the wood groaning under the pressure of his fingers. His jaw clenched as the head of PR continued with a carefully rehearsed smile.
Kang So-Ra
Of course, the final reveal will be the announcement of the engagement. The public will be so fixated on the royal romance between you and the Princess that they’ll have no room for anything else—least of all the tax evasion issue.
The mention of the tax scandal felt like a punch to the gut. So that was it. That was the real reason behind all of this. Ji-Cheol’s head swam with the implications.
The royal family’s hands were dirtier than anyone knew, and they were willing to throw him—an actor, an entertainer—into the fire to shield themselves. The public would eat it up.
Royal scandals, love stories, and celebrity gossip were irresistible distractions. He had seen it time and time again, but he never thought he’d be on the receiving end of one so intricately planned.
His heart pounded in his chest, his pulse deafening in his ears as the others in the room discussed the finer details of the plan as though they were planning a simple marketing campaign.
But Ji-Cheol wasn’t a product, and this wasn’t just some harmless PR stunt. This was his life they were playing with, his reputation they were willing to tarnish to save their own skins.
He sat there, listening to them talk about him as if he weren’t even in the room, his frustration mounting with every passing second. They spoke about how the public would speculate about his connection to the Princess, how curious they would become about his every move, and how, eventually, the announcement of their supposed engagement would divert attention from the royal family’s financial indiscretions.
The Crown Prince remained silent through most of it, though his sharp eyes occasionally flicked to Ji-Cheol, as if daring him to speak out.
But Ji-Cheol knew better. This wasn’t a room for objections. This was a room where decisions were made without his input, no matter how much he hated it. He was a pawn in their grand scheme, and there was little he could do to change that now.
Ji-Cheol’s throat tightened. He wanted to say something, anything, to protest this entire charade. But what could he say?
The royal family held all the power, and any resistance from him would likely result in consequences he couldn’t afford. Still, he felt like he was suffocating, trapped in a game he didn’t want to play.
Kang So-Ra
We need to keep the princess and Mr. Gong in the public eye.
Kang So-Ra continued, her voice cold and calculating.
Kang So-Ra
Photos of the two together, rumors of secret dates, hints at a future royal wedding. By the time we release the official statement, the public will be so wrapped up in their fantasy of a royal romance that the other issues—tax evasion, legal inquiries—will be nothing more than background noise.
Ji-Cheol felt a cold sweat break out across his skin. His life was being turned into a spectacle, a tool to protect the image of the royal family and the government.
Every interaction he had with the Princess would be scrutinized, dissected for clues about their fabricated relationship. The media would hound him, and the public would become obsessed with the false narrative they were about to spin.
His hands itched to slam down on the table, to stand up and tell them all to stop. But the look on the Crown Prince’s face—a mixture of amusement and authority—kept him frozen in place. Ji-Cheol understood, with painful clarity, that this wasn’t just a suggestion. It was an order, dressed up as a conversation.
The Crown Prince finally spoke again, his voice calm and measured but with an undertone of impatience.
Hyun-Su
This will work, Ji-Cheol. For both of us. You will come out of this as the nation's sweetheart, attached to royalty, and we will resolve our… issues. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Mutually beneficial? Ji-Cheol almost laughed.
Gong Ji-Cheol
(What do I get out of this?)
His life would be reduced to a spectacle, and the royal family would walk away with their reputation intact while his remained forever linked to a scandal that never even existed.
But he couldn’t refuse. Not here. Not when the Crown Prince and the entire royal institution were counting on him to be their scapegoat. The weight of the decision was crushing, and the walls seemed to close in around him.
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