About this book

The Unseen Cracks in the Smile

Dark Psychological Romance • Obsession • Possessiveness • Idol AU • bl, Toxic Relationships • Jealousy • Slow Burn • Emotional Drama, tws boy group MAIN CHARACTERS Shinyu oldest Dohoon 2 Youngjae 3 Hanjin 4 Jihoon 5 Kyungmin maknae Hanjin —(han zhen) chainese The Puppet Master Hanjin is beautiful, intelligent, calm, and almost impossible to read. To everyone else, he appears sweet, quiet, and harmless. Behind that image, however, is someone who understands people frighteningly well. He knows exactly what they want to hear, what they fear, and how to make them do what he wants. Hanjin doesn't believe in love. People are useful. Feelings are weaknesses. Relationships are transactions. He has never cared about anyone enough to lose control. Until Kyungmin. Around Kyungmin, Hanjin's carefully constructed mask begins to disappear. He becomes quieter, softer, and strangely honest. For the first time, he doesn't feel the need to manipulate someone. And that scares him more than anything. Shinyu — (shin junghwan) The Leader Responsible, mature, controlled, and respected by everyone. Shinyu is used to putting his group and career before himself. But after falling for Hanjin, that discipline slowly disappears. Hanjin rejects him. Instead of accepting it, Shinyu becomes obsessed. His feelings transform from love into something darker: a desperate need to possess the person he cannot have. The more Hanjin pulls away, the more Shinyu wants him. Kim Dohoon — The Second Obsession Dohoon is confident and charismatic, but his feelings for Hanjin expose a completely different side of him. He knows Hanjin doesn't love him. He knows Hanjin rejected him. Yet he can't let go. When he discovers that Hanjin is dating Gyuvin, jealousy takes control of him. Dohoon begins competing with Shinyu, Gyuvin, and eventually anyone who gets close to Hanjin. He doesn't want Hanjin's attention. He wants all of it. Youngjae Youngjae is caught between the increasingly strange behavior of the older members and Hanjin's mysterious personality. He notices things other people ignore. The way Shinyu watches Hanjin. The way Dohoon's expression changes whenever Gyuvin is mentioned. The way Hanjin can manipulate an entire room without raising his voice. Youngjae slowly realizes that something is seriously wrong. Jihoon Jihoon is one of the few people who tries to keep the group together as tensions rise. He cares about Hanjin but doesn't completely understand him. As the obsession surrounding Hanjin becomes harder to hide, Jihoon finds himself questioning whether Hanjin is actually the victim—or the person controlling everything from the shadows. Kyungmin — The Exception Kyungmin is Hanjin's roommate and closest person. He has seen Hanjin at his worst. He knows about the silence behind Hanjin's smile, the coldness behind his eyes, and the loneliness he refuses to admit. But Kyungmin doesn't try to fix him. He simply stays. And somehow, that's enough. Hanjin can lie to everyone else. But he struggles to lie to Kyungmin. Their relationship begins as an unusually close friendship before slowly becoming something neither of them can ignore. Kyungmin is the only person Hanjin doesn't want to use. He's the only person Hanjin is afraid of losing. Kim Gyuvin — The Boyfriend Gyuvin enters Hanjin's life when Hanjin needs something from him. Hanjin knows exactly how to make Gyuvin fall deeper in love with him. And it works. Gyuvin becomes completely devoted to Hanjin, believing their relationship is real. But while Gyuvin sees Hanjin as the person he wants to spend his life with, Hanjin initially sees Gyuvin as nothing more than a useful connection. The problem begins when Gyuvin realizes there may be someone Hanjin cares about more than him. Kyungmin. Sunwoo — The Friend Who Fell Sunwoo has known Hanjin long enough to see sides of him that other people don't. He initially believes they're simply close friends. Then he realizes he's in love. Unlike Shinyu and Dohoon, Sunwoo doesn't immediately try to claim Hanjin. He waits. But watching Hanjin become surrounded by people who want to possess him slowly destroys his patience. WATTPAD-STYLE SYNOPSIS Hanjin knows exactly how to control people. A smile here. A carefully chosen word there. A little affection when necessary. People become puppets. And Hanjin has never regretted pulling their strings. As a rising K-pop idol, he has everything to lose. So when Shinyu and Dohoon confess their feelings, Hanjin rejects them without hesitation. Love isn't worth destroying his career. He expects them to move on. They don't. Instead, their love becomes obsession. Then Hanjin starts dating Gyuvin for his own benefit. Gyuvin falls completely in love with him. Shinyu becomes jealous. Dohoon becomes possessive. Sunwoo realizes he's in love with his best friend. And slowly, Hanjin finds himself surrounded by people who would do almost anything to keep him. But none of them understand the most dangerous secret. Hanjin isn't afraid of their obsession. He's afraid of Kyungmin. Because Kyungmin is different. Kyungmin doesn't worship him. He doesn't obey him. He doesn't fall for his carefully constructed lies. He simply looks at Hanjin and sees him. And somehow, when Hanjin is with Kyungmin, the puppet master forgets how to pull the strings. For the first time, Hanjin doesn't want to control someone. He wants someone to stay. And that feeling may be the one thing capable of destroying him. Next, the story can open with Chapter 1: “The First Confession”, where Shinyu becomes the first person to openly confess to Hanjin, while Kyungmin quietly notices that Hanjin's reaction isn't as emotionless as he pretends.