“So even if I make you uncomfortable, just endure for a few days.”
“It’s not like that…… It’s not because of sunbae.”
If he said here, yes, I’m quitting because of you, Baek Iseon, it would only amount to admitting that he was still conscious of Baek Iseon.
“Really? Then that’s fortunate.”
“……”
“Anyway, I came to tell you this. Then keep working. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“Okay.”
Baek Iseon turned around. He was walking back toward where Baek Huiseon was. Jang Juwon held the water bottle he’d handed him tightly in his hand and blankly watched his retreating figure growing more distant.
The shoot began even in the hot weather. The fortunate thing was that because there were many trees, they blocked the sunlight to some degree.
“Baek Iseon, lie down.”
Baek Huiseon said. Baek Iseon laid his body down on the soft dirt path. His expression was quite serious. Jang Juwon felt a strange feeling. Actually, until now, Baek Iseon had seemed like an idle person who played around. Of course, his face was handsome, he studied well, and he was good at sex, but well, anyway, that’s how it was.
‘Was this the part-time job he said he didn’t want to do.’
For something he didn’t want to do, he himself was also very focused on the work. He could see that Baek Huiseon using him as a model wasn’t simply because he was her younger brother. He understood Baek Huiseon’s work style very well.
“That’s good now.”
When Baek Huiseon lowered her camera, Baek Iseon also got up. His whole body was covered in dirt.
“Change his clothes and prepare for the next one.”
“I’ll help!”
It was Shin Jisu. Suddenly she shouted loudly and rushed to Baek Iseon. Everyone was flustered. The most flustered was Baek Iseon. Shin Jisu smiled with a good-natured face and grabbed Baek Iseon’s hand to help him up. Then she dragged him toward the van. She opened the van door and forcibly shoved Baek Iseon inside, then immediately slammed the door shut with a thud. Everything happened in an instant before anyone could stop it.
“……”
Suddenly left alone together, Baek Iseon looked at her with an expression of disbelief. Shin Jisu paid no attention and said what she had to say.
“Sunbae. You owe me a debt, don’t you?”
“So?”
“You need to repay it.”
“……”
“……”
Baek Iseon frowned and brushed off the dirt on his head.
“How?”
Having heard the answer, Shin Jisu grinned. Baek Iseon felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety. She thrust her face close to him. Baek Iseon unknowingly pressed his body against the backrest. Shin Jisu slowly opened her mouth.
“I’m interested in your noona.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
Excited, Baek Iseon yelled loudly. Regardless, Shin Jisu continued her words with a smile in her eyes.
“Nope.”
“Do you even know how old Baek Huiseon is? No, before that, she’s not interested in women!”
“I don’t care. I’m confident.”
“Wow…… You’re really a nutcase.”
“I’ve heard that a lot.”
“I swear……”
Baek Iseon was at a loss for words. She had definitely intended this from the beginning. Though he didn’t know how she found out, it had felt suspicious from when she started talking about debts.
“You knew from the beginning. That I’m Baek Huiseon’s younger brother.”
“I only guessed.”
“Right, so that’s why you kept harping on about debts. Ha, haha……”
“Oh my, don’t misunderstand. I purely wanted to help Juwon.”
“……Then why do I have to repay that debt?”
“Should I go to Juwon and tell him? That thanks to me, sunbae and Hyun Youngjae……”
“Fuck, so what do you want from me!”
Baek Iseon struck the seat with his fist. Shin Jisu smiled meaningfully.
“Arrange a meeting for me and writer-nim.”
“……”
“So we can be alone together.”
“Haah……”
“……”
Shin Jisu patiently waited for his permission to fall.
“Why does it have to be my noona?”
“Would you believe me if I said Baek Huiseon is my first love?”
“No.”
“She’s my first love.”
“You really shouldn’t say things like that……”
Baek Iseon irritably ran his hand roughly through his hair. Then suddenly he got worked up.
“That’s my noona. You know? Family. How can I, how can I let my family with a nutcase like you……”
“Same for me. Juwon is like my real younger sibling, and I’m anxious about leaving him with a nutcase like sunbae.”
“……”
“……”
An invisible war of nerves broke out between the two. However, neither of them denied the other’s words. Eventually, Baek Iseon opened his mouth first.
“Haah…… Just the meeting. Nothing else. You, if you hurt my noona, I won’t let you off.”
“If sunbae hurts Juwon, I’ll kill you.”
“Shit……”
“Now, you need to change clothes.”
Shin Jisu handed him clean clothes. Baek Iseon took off his dirty top, and Shin Jisu looked at Baek Iseon doing so, and the two of them thought.
‘Crazy bastard.’
‘Crazy bitch.’
* * *
Two days later, the outdoor shoot was finished. At the strong request of the staff exhausted from the heat, a company dinner was arranged. Baek Huiseon smiled as if she had no choice and reserved a restaurant near the studio. At first, Jang Juwon wasn’t going to attend, but because Shin Jisu was sparkling with excitement beside him, he couldn’t not go. So now, Jang Juwon was sitting in front of a table crowded with people. Right next to Baek Iseon at that.
He’d tried to sit as far away as possible, but as soon as Baek Huiseon appeared, Shin Jisu suddenly switched seats with Baek Iseon. She, who had said let’s switch seats for just a moment because she had something to ask, just stayed put.
“……”
So Jang Juwon just silently drank soju. Surprisingly, Baek Iseon didn’t pay attention to Jang Juwon. He thought he would talk to him needlessly again and spout jokes that put him in an awkward position, but he was just quietly conversing with the other staff sitting at the same table. The atmosphere couldn’t have been better, and naturally the topic revolved around Baek Iseon. All sorts of questions poured toward him, such as how do you normally maintain yourself, do you have a girlfriend, do you have plans to debut, and so on. Baek Iseon dealt with them appropriately with a smiling face, but he didn’t actually answer the questions and slipped away, deflecting the conversation. The already drunk staff didn’t seem to notice. Anyway, seeing them ask the same questions two or three times, they probably weren’t that curious.
Another round of cheerful laughter was heard. Jang Juwon knocked back his glass and glared sideways at Baek Iseon, who was laughing so happily. It was irritating. Baek Iseon laughing so carefreely next to him was quite irritating. He wasn’t refusing the glasses the staff handed him and was downing them one after another as they were given. He seemed to be in a good mood, or maybe a bad mood.
