A soft humming flowed from Evan’s mouth as he drove with one hand, the car window slightly open. It felt like going back to the old days. Siwoo wasn’t the talkative type. Even when traveling by car like this, the two would listen to music rather than have conversations.
But they held hands frequently. As that thought crossed his mind, Evan’s gaze turned to the camera in front. Should he just hold hands as he pleased and let them edit it however they wanted? Evan’s gaze, which had taken on a displeased expression, briefly touched Siwoo who was still fast asleep, then fell away.
They would arrive at the cafe he had looked up in a moment. He should wake him now.
Forgetting that he had just been conscious of the camera, Evan gently grasped Siwoo’s hand. He slipped his fingers between the loosely spread fingers and pulled his small hand toward himself without hesitation.
And he brought his own lips to Siwoo’s warm hand.
With his gaze ahead and holding the steering wheel with one hand, Evan rubbed his lips against the back of Siwoo’s hand. He set his teeth and lightly bit at the plum scent that rippled and deepened as Siwoo’s pheromones, which had been docile, stirred.
“Siwoo-ya, wake up.”
Whether he actually intended to wake him or not, he called Siwoo in a voice smaller than the humming he’d been doing just moments ago.
“Kim Siwoo.”
As he fiddled with his hand and called his name, he could clearly feel Siwoo stirring slightly beside him. Evan’s lips curved up a bit at the cute behavior of letting out a small sigh, as if he didn’t want to wake up.
“You have to wake up.”
At first he moved carefully, but now playfully making smacking sounds on purpose, he kissed the back of Siwoo’s hand.
“Mmm.”
He tried to stretch with both arms, but since one hand was held by Evan, Siwoo stretched extending only his other arm and shook his head finely to chase away the remaining sleep. Siwoo’s brow furrowed as he drowsily opened his eyes that still weren’t completely open and looked around.
Inside a car driving down a quiet road. The camera installed in front. And Evan kissing his hand as if he would devour the back of his hand. At the situation that didn’t easily connect, he stared blankly at him while he was driving.
“Ah. Where?”
Siwoo’s gaze, about to ask where they were going, touched the camera.
“They say there’s a cafe if we go a bit further. Let’s rest there a bit before we go.”
Ah! Filming. The moment he realized they were in the middle of filming, Siwoo quickly pulled out his hand that Evan was holding. He straightened the seat that had been reclined back and hastily removed the clothes covering him.
The map, where’s the map? Did Evan come all the way here looking at the map alone?
He punched Evan’s arm once for no reason as he laughed seeing him flustered in an obvious way. He wasn’t too worried about such things since the production team would edit it however they wanted.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Hey. You should have woken me if I was sleeping during filming. If you just let me sleep…… By the way, where is this?”
Finding the map that Evan had folded and placed beside him, Siwoo quickly unfolded it and placed it on his lap, then raised his head to check the passing road signs.
In the meantime, Siwoo’s gaze, which had been touching his left hand to hide his embarrassment, turned to his hand.
The ring that had definitely been on his index finger had moved to his ring finger again. Does he find this prank amusing? Siwoo, who moved the ring that Evan had switched while he was asleep back to his index finger, clicked his tongue and turned the map.
“I went down the wrong road and wandered a bit, but it doesn’t seem too far from the campground. They say there’s a cafe over there, so let’s stop by for a moment.”
“Does the production team know?”
Still not fully awake, Siwoo held up the map to cover his face and yawned languidly. Then he picked up the walkie-talkie beside him. If they were planning to stop by a cafe and rest, he had to tell the production team.
“This is Siwoo.”
“Huh? Contact came! Isn’t your walkie-talkie working? Neither of you answered the phone. Where are you going now?”
At the production team’s voice heard as soon as he sent the transmission, Siwoo looked at Evan.
“We both put our phones on silent and vibrate-off since we’re filming, and the walkie-talkie is……”
“They say there’s a cafe nearby, so let’s stop by for a moment and rest before going.”
Evan cut off Siwoo’s words as he tried to explain to the production team while looking at him. Before he could properly grasp how the situation was unfolding, Siwoo was in the parking lot of a cafe where the beautiful scenery could be seen at a glance.
“The other team is wandering around a bit too, so they say it’ll take about 30 minutes to arrive, so since we’ve come this far, let’s rest for a moment and do a live together, just the two of you.”
“A live all of a sudden?”
Siwoo, who had gotten out of the car and was moving his body lightly, questioned the production team’s suggestion.
“They’re talking with the cafe, so if it gets coordinated, just briefly. Show the scenery here, mention that we’re filming ‘Ocean Story.’ You know, something about late autumn scenery and such. And since it’s getting cold, be careful of catching a cold. End it with something like that.”
Along with the positive gesture shown by the staff member who had gone inside as they came out, the movements of the staff waiting outside became faster.
Two mugs filled with warm coffee and appetizing desserts were placed on a table outside the cafe. And his hair, which had been slightly disheveled while he slept, became neat again after going through the stylist’s hands.
A live with just the two of them, Evan and him, and no one else.
Evan, who usually brought truly reliable and positive feelings, was someone whose tension couldn’t be relaxed at times like this. He had to keep a close watch on the surprise actions that occasionally popped out. If it were recorded, the editing team would sort everything out, but in a live, it had no choice but to go out as is.
“Hello.”
At the same time as Evan held the phone and pressed the button, the live started.
Though it was a sudden live, the number of participants increased quickly and chats containing content expressing surprise at the sudden live went up rapidly.
Siwoo waved both hands toward the screen. And while looking at the chat window, he covered his mouth with one hand and laughed at a phrase that caught his eye.
“No way. You all say Evanie is cool, so why do you call me cute? Pink is for men! Don’t you know?”
The two were wearing the sportswear that Ocean was modeling for. Since he wore whatever the stylist gave him, he hadn’t thought much about it, but their hoodies seemed to be the same design with only different colors.
Many comments came up asking if it was couple fashion, seeing Evan wearing dark gray and himself wearing baby pink.
“We stopped by a cafe for a moment while filming ‘Ocean Story.’ Both are Americanos and……”
“The weather’s gotten cold, hasn’t it? The sunshine is nice, but the wind is a bit chilly, so hot Americano is…… Should we try the ddungcarons too?”
Evan and Siwoo talked to keep the sound from being empty. When the wind that blew for a moment made the hoodies flutter, Siwoo put on the hood.
“Mm…… It’s delicious, but it’s the sour taste that Siwoo likes. It seems like lemon?”
At Evan’s words after taking a bite of the ddungcaron first, Siwoo’s gaze turned to the ddungcaron. As the ddungcaron Evan had been eating approached near his lips, he instinctively opened his mouth and ate it.
“This…… isn’t lemon. It seems like orange.”
After confirming the taste of the ddungcaron he just ate, Siwoo talked about the taste while holding the mug in front with both hands. It seemed they were filming outside to avoid causing trouble for people, but it was cold weather to be wearing just one hoodie.
Even while drinking coffee, Siwoo’s gaze was fixed on the chat window.
“The other members? They’re somewhere else right now.”
For a moment, Siwoo looked at his own phone shining light beside him.
“It’s Yechan! Everyone, Yechan is calling. I think he’s watching our live.”
Siwoo answered Yechan’s call faster than Evan could stop him.
“What! What is it. Why are only the hyungs going to a cafe? Ddungcarons, I eat ddungcarons well too.”
Since he answered on speakerphone, Yechan’s fast words went out through the live as is.
“Yechan-ah, greet them first.”
“Hello, I’m Yechan. Right now we’re lost and wandering around, you know? We went around the same place twice so Sangjun hyung and Chan hyung fought. But why are Siwoo hyung and Evan hyung on a date?”
At Yechan’s fast words, Evan laughed loudly. Siwoo also couldn’t hold back his laughter and leaned on Evan’s arm beside him, giggling.
“It’s not a date. We also wandered around lost and came in because there was a cafe.”
“What? It’s not a date? Eating delicious things in a place like this isn’t a date?”
Evan refuted Siwoo’s words as he pointed out specifically that it wasn’t a date.
“Date or whatever. We’re on a strange trail so there’s not even a cafe nearby! Are only you guys eating delicious things? I can drink Americano well too.”
Whether Evan and Siwoo were bickering over whether it was a date or not was drowned out by the sound of Chan, who had taken the phone after Yechan, yelling.
“Got it. I’ll buy ddungcarons and coffee.”
Whether they thought enough content had been captured, at the PD’s gesture to end the live, the two said goodbye and ended the live.
“Are you cold?”
As soon as the live ended, Siwoo, who was shivering while drinking the coffee that had gone cold, nodded instead of answering.
Then should we go? Following Evan as he stood up from his seat, Siwoo avoided his touch as he put his arm around his shoulder.
The murmuring of people could be heard.
At one time, when celebrities passed by, people’s gazes would gather, and the shower of flashes directed at them was truly enviable.
Their lives where they called out names and heard cheers really seemed like stars in the sky. At their action of just trying to put arms around shoulders, the gaze of people making loud noises and watching them through the window suddenly felt burdensome.
What if it had been ordinary? They would visit cafes like this, link arms or hold hands like ordinary lovers. If they had a bit of courage, they might have even kissed. As friends, as members of the same group, there’s no gaze that sees the two of them being together as strange.
But if their relationship wasn’t the general relationship those people think it is, how would their gazes change?
When the staff ahead opened the door heading to the parking lot, Siwoo quickly followed behind him. But soon Evan’s arm, who had caught up to him, wrapped around his shoulder.
