Siwoo, who had returned to the dorm, rummaged through his wardrobe after showering.
Since it was filming, it seemed like he shouldn’t dress too comfortably, but wearing something too formal for ‘Ocean Story,’ which covered a lot of casual topics, also seemed uncomfortable.
Siwoo, who selected an oversized white shirt with thin black slacks, headed toward the vanity table with various accessories.
He wore silver earrings and put on several thin bracelets on his left wrist.
He put a few rings on his empty fingers.
“You’re going like that?”
“It’s long sleeves but it’s thin so I think it’ll be okay. If it’s hot I can just roll them up. But are we filming outside in this weather? When we do it with Sangjun hyung, isn’t it mostly indoor filming?”
“Well, it is mostly indoor filming.”
Even when getting his hair done and receiving makeup at the shop, Siwoo absentmindedly fiddled with his cell phone.
[What are you doing?]
[Preparing for unit filming.]
A faint smile appeared at the corners of Siwoo’s mouth as he checked Evan’s message. And in case he was waiting for a reply, he quickly sent an answer.
[What are you wearing?]
[Black slacks and a white shirt.]
[It’s hot outside.]
[Surely they won’t do outdoor filming in this weather? If it’s really hot, I’ll just roll up my sleeves. Do you know what filming it is?]
“Siwoo-ssi. Please receive your mission.”
Siwoo, who had been exchanging messages with Evan, looked at the camera director, writers, and the director holding out an envelope toward him as the makeup room door opened.
“Ah! Is filming starting?”
Siwoo, who received the envelope with both hands while smiling brightly, looked at the director instead of the camera.
“Please check and read the mission.”
Nodding his head, Siwoo opened the envelope and took out the card inside.
—I hope you become close.
For the next six hours, you will carry out missions to become close with the most awkward person on the team.
If you clear all the presented missions, sufficient rewards will be given, so please participate actively.
The person you need to become close with today is Evan.—
The corners of Siwoo’s mouth, who read the card with neatly typed paper attached, twitched unstably.
Is this crazy?
Evan Lewis! This is your doing, right!
Siwoo gulped down the saliva pooled in his mouth. But he was still smiling toward the camera.
Siwoo, who read the card once more with his eyes, had to read the card out loud this time. Because he had to explain the situation to the viewers.
“But I’m close with Evan.”
We even rub lips. What do you mean we’re awkward? If rubbing lips is awkward, if we’re best friends, oh no, that would be a big problem.
Siwoo handed the card he’d finished reading back to the director.
“But what’s the mission? You obviously won’t tell me about the reward, right?”
Not just one or two hours but what would there be for the two of them to do for six whole hours?
“Then here’s the first mission.”
Siwoo received the new envelope the director handed over. The fingertips of Siwoo opening the envelope and taking out the card trembled slightly.
—Have time to share sincere conversations in a quiet place without anyone’s interruption.—
Is this really for becoming close? When he got that far, the director rushed him saying they needed to move to change locations. At his words, Siwoo bowed his head slightly and stood up.
While the camera wasn’t capturing him, Siwoo bit down hard on his molars. This smells ominous somehow. A feeling-like-feeling that someone’s intention has gone into it.
“But where am I going? I haven’t met Evanie yet. We need to meet to either get closer or drift apart.”
“Evan is also moving to the meeting place now.”
When he went down to the first floor, the door of the van that had been waiting opened. What is this really trying to do? Though he got in the car, Siwoo couldn’t easily shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
“But Director. Who planned this?”
“Me.”
“Huh? Why?”
If Evan had suggested it, he would have nodded thinking “I see,” but since the director said it was him so matter-of-factly, Siwoo’s mouth fell open.
“Do you know how many comments requesting a unit shoot between you and Evan there are after each broadcast? Your discord rumors are famous. The second album is coming out soon, so we need to put that to rest. Just show that you became really close during our break period, something like that.”
“Then you should have told me. Why do it so suddenly like this? I thought I was doing a unit with Sangjun hyung today.”
“If you know everything, it’s no fun.”
“What’s the schedule?”
“Secret.”
Looking at the director who said “secret” so confidently, Siwoo took an empty breath. But that rest was brief too, when the camera started rolling again in the car, Siwoo straightened his back and sat properly.
“We’re really close though. We don’t need to do this. Uh, um, Evana! Let’s get along well today?”
On the way to meet Evan, Siwoo had to give comments filled with excitement. Of course, that was acting. Excitement my ass. It felt like being dragged to hellfire.
Please please please. Let’s just film normally like that.
I can get through this filming safely and properly, right? Siwoo kept tapping his thigh with his fingertips in his complicated feelings.
[You. You knew, right?]
[What?]
[This filming now.]
[I didn’t know either. I was just dragged out after being in the office until just now.]
The corners of Evan’s mouth, sitting comfortably in a chair at the quiet cafe where filming preparations were finished, were gently raised. Just from the messages, he could feel Siwoo trembling.
[Where are you? What’s the schedule for this? Even if they don’t tell me, they’d tell you.]
[Coco.]
[WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
At the exclamation marks attached after the word “why,” Evan finally burst into a small laugh. Why does it seem like it has voice support? Moreover, when the scene of him looking up at him while blinking round eyes was even conjured up, he covered his mouth that kept rising meaninglessly with one hand.
[It’s just filming, filming.]
[Yeah, it’s filming. Just try doing anything weird.]
[I can see you coming in. See you in a bit.]
Siwoo looked at the cell phone screen blankly while pouting his lips after seeing Evan’s last message. Yeah, as Evan said, it’s just filming. That’s why I’m more anxious. Is the fortunate thing that there’s editing? As if he’d really arrived, the van stopped soon.
Getting out of the car, Siwoo raised his head to look from above.
The moment he saw Evan standing on the second-floor terrace waving his hand slightly toward him, his insides that had been bubbling until just now coolly released. That handsome face shone in the bright sunshine. The saying about having a halo must be for times like this.
The smile completely vanished in an instant from Siwoo’s face that had been grinning without realizing it.
Someone tell me this is a coincidence.
Evan standing on the terrace was wearing black shoes, wearing black slacks, and wearing a white shirt. If you had to pinpoint the difference between the two, it was about that compared to Evan who was dressed formally in a suit style, Siwoo was dressed casually.
If you had to say what was the same, it was that both wore the same composition.
Anyone can see this is a couple look.
It was the first time in his life that filming that hadn’t even started yet approached tiredly.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“……What do you want to drink?”
Whether they’d rented the entire cafe for filming, Siwoo, who passed the first floor with only staff and went up to the second floor, exchanged awkward greetings while standing face to face with Evan. This is much more awkward than I thought.
That’s why he ended up saying the safest-seeming “what do you want to drink?” But at the same time as finishing those words, Siwoo clenched his fist. It’s ticklish. It’s ticklish. What do I do with this cringiness?
“I’ll go and come back.”
Looking at Evan’s back as he pressed and released his shoulder with one hand and passed by his side heading to the first floor, Siwoo unclenched his fist.
“Mango bingsu!”
And then he didn’t forget to order what Evan liked.
“Huh? You don’t usually eat mango bingsu.”
Evan, who had stopped midway down the stairs, asked back.
“You like it.”
You like mango. So you eat mango bingsu well—he definitely saw it in an interview he did before the regression, and they’d actually eaten mango bingsu together too.
“Right. You want lemonade?”
“No. I need an iced Americano today.”
Instead of sweet lemonade, it seemed like he needed to come to his senses while drinking bitter coffee.
One second feels like 10 minutes.
“What should we do now?”
After Evan, who had gone down to the first floor, came back up, the two sat by the window.
Instead of words, the director held out envelopes to the two.
What kind of thing is this? With beverages between them, Siwoo and Evan were diligently writing something. They need time to get to know each other? And so they’re testing how well they know each other.
Really childish.
While thinking that, Siwoo’s hand, which had been diligently writing down answers, stopped.
—What does Evan like most?
He raised his head to look at the production staff. These questions themselves, the setting they were filming right now, all of it was like that. Write down how close you are.
—Me.
Siwoo wrote confidently. It probably wouldn’t be the correct answer, but that wasn’t important. This was what fans wanted.
Siwoo’s hand, which had been meticulously answering questions, moved to the table. Though he had confidently said iced Americano, Siwoo’s hand went not to the iced Americano but to the lemonade next to it.
Siwoo’s face, who drank the lemonade while holding the straw with his lips and shaking it slightly, frowned a bit.
“Why?”
“It’s not good.”
Siwoo thought lemonade was the perfect beverage for hot weather. That’s why in summer he’d always have lemonade. Lemonade that he would have enjoyed normally, but not now.
“It doesn’t taste good? Want to eat something else?”
“Not really. I want to eat the lemonade I had at your house. That was really freaking delicious.”
Though they were filming, both Evan and Siwoo spoke comfortably.
“I’ll have it brought over.”
“Huh?”
Siwoo, who had been exchanging conversation with his eyes on the paper without looking at Evan, suddenly raised his head at the strangeness. But Evan sitting in front was already on a call with someone.
