Different Dreams in the Same Bed (16)
The concert hall’s main spotlight swept across the inner VIP section. VIP A-1, because it was almost right in front of the stage, it felt like you could reach it with just an outstretched hand. It was a spot immediately visible to the members’ eyes.
‘…How is he sitting there?’
Sejin doubted his own eyes. It was Lee Dogyeom. He had a slogan resting on his lap and was quietly catching his breath while looking at the stage. Sejin’s brow furrowed very slowly and very slightly.
‘Why would someone who doesn’t know any celebrities….’
VIP seats weren’t easy to obtain. If it was an invitation seat, he would have received it from someone connected, but he didn’t even want to think about what kind of connection that might be. He even felt his vision darken for a moment. Sejin’s restless hand twitched.
‘This won’t do.’
Sejin braved his fear and quickly approached Dogyeom in the VIP section. After avoiding Dogyeom all this time, seeing his face directly made him feel like he’d go crazy with curiosity. He had to hear from those lips how he was here, who he’d come to see. His large frame quickly squeezed through the crowd. That small, slender back was right before his eyes. Just as he was about to call out to Dogyeom who had his back turned.
“Excuse me, you’re Lee Dogyeom-ssi, right?”
Someone urgently came up from the passage below the stage. A man in a black hoodie wearing a staff pass. It was Han Siheon’s manager who’d been giving instructions from earlier. Dogyeom’s shoulders jumped as if startled. Sejin’s back instantly stiffened.
‘Why is Han Siheon’s manager talking to Dogyeom….’
The manager spoke without even catching his breath.
“After the performance ends, please come straight to the waiting room. Siheon-ssi said…. Ah, please wear this first.”
He pulled out a black necklace from his pocket. Just by looking at it, it was absolutely something an ordinary fan could never receive.
[ARTIST ZONE — FULL ACCESS]
Anyone wearing that necklace could freely enter backstage, dressing rooms, even restricted areas. Dogyeom’s hand hesitated as he received the necklace.
“For… for me?”
“Yes. It’s Siheon-ssi’s instruction. Since it’ll be hard to figure out the route after the concert ends, I came to let you know in advance.”
“Ah… yes.”
The manager confirmed Dogyeom was hanging the pass around his neck, then briefly explained the route to the waiting room. Click, the plastic card made a sound as it touched his chest.
Sejin unconsciously turned his back sharply and moved his body in the opposite direction. It felt like his heart dropped down with a thud.
‘Han Siheon is interested in Dogyeom….’
Dogyeom in the VIP section.
The idol manager’s free pass.
A call to the waiting room.
The puzzle pieces fit together too clearly. Veins bulged on the back of Sejin’s hand. Today’s main character. A star idol incomparable to himself was interested in Dogyeom? Sejin didn’t want to believe it. Dogyeom was from the same orphanage as him. But….
‘He’s different from me.’
Dogyeom was born with something that captivated people. Sejin, who’d watched him from the side for a long time, knew that better than anyone. Even he himself had his heart stolen…. That had just also reached someone called the best alpha. Considering Dogyeom’s charm alone, it was more than enough. Beyond simply being pretty, he had a freshness and a precarious beauty not easily found.
“Security Team 3 standby. Begin controlling entrance B.”
The radio came through the earpiece, but Sejin couldn’t give any answer for a moment.
What was even worse was what came next. Siheon briefly appeared on stage. As he scanned the audience, he stopped his head in Dogyeom’s direction. Then he raised his large hand high and waved it around ostentatiously to be seen. The corners of Siheon’s mouth rose. Dogyeom waved his hand slightly with a stiff expression, as if reluctantly. To Sejin, who was right below the stage, that scene was all too clearly visible.
‘He’s incomparable to me….’
Sejin’s hand instinctively gripped the radio tightly. He tried to turn his gaze away, but throughout the entire performance, he could too clearly see the star on the flashy stage glancing at Dogyeom.
‘…I’m seriously going crazy.’
Sejin’s jaw tensed. He didn’t even want to imagine what expression he was making right now.
***
Right in front, the lights on the stage exploded on.
In an instant, with hot cheers, AETHER’s members and Han Siheon appeared. Just a few meters away. A distance where it seemed you could touch them with an outstretched hand.
The lights slid along his cheekbones and jawline. The adam’s apple of his throat and the curve of his lips, even the pupils reflecting the camera flash—a literally surreal existence was right in front of him.
“Kyaaaaaah.”
The fans screamed as if crying, and phone lights swayed like the Milky Way. In that overwhelming heat, Dogyeom suddenly saw his own situation too clearly.
‘He’s from a different world than me….’
Siheon’s smile filling the electronic billboard. To Dogyeom, it felt violent.
‘Are you properly showing me your position and my position?’
He was a sparkling star on stage, and Dogyeom was one among the tens of thousands of fans surrounding him. The most insignificant existence even among them. In front of the familiar melody, flashy performance, and stage full of passion and thrills, Dogyeom’s fingertips grew coldly cold.
Siheon’s intention might simply be the alpha-characteristic desire to show off, wanting to boast his best appearance. But Dogyeom knew the world too well to accept it purely.
‘One million won in one go.’
‘Depending on how you do, even ten million won is nothing.’
That voice hit his ears again. The free pass necklace rattled against his chest. This small piece of plastic suddenly felt too heavy.
‘A slightly pretty toy. But… not for long. Just… the disposable kind used once and thrown away.’
Dogyeom’s fingers quietly grasped the end of the necklace. His eyes met Siheon’s on stage fleetingly. Cheers erupted among the fans, but Dogyeom’s heart sank strangely.
‘Right. Something like me is just….’
The inside of his throat tightened hotly.
‘…That much. Nothing more, nothing less.’
Every time Siheon’s voice rang through the hall and speakers, the audience’s cheers rolled in like waves. To Dogyeom, strangely only his own breathing sounded loud. Some thought slowly began to dominate his mind.
‘Right… it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’
His heart sank once heavily.
‘Take it. Since it’s come to this… take it. Just think about the money.’
Dogyeom slowly nodded his head. What remained for him wasn’t pride or love. It was reality. Jeongbae hyung’s hospital bills wouldn’t leave his mind.
‘…If not now, when else will I earn such big money? It’s an opportunity some people can’t grasp in their entire lives. I… I just need that.’
Dogyeom gripped his thigh tightly.
‘Don’t think about my feelings or anything.’
At that moment, the stage lights illuminated Siheon’s face even brighter. Dogyeom slowly lowered his gaze.
‘Just once.’
***
The concert ended successfully. Heat and excitement enveloped the singer and staff. On the other hand, anticipation and anxiety about the remaining schedule tomorrow circulated.
The waiting room, a mess with all kinds of costumes, props, equipment, flowers, and gifts. A small presence was hesitating among the people coming and going. It was Lee Dogyeom.
“Oh, hair stylist. Thank you for coming all the way here. It’s an honor.”
“Congratulations on the concert. I enjoyed the performance so much.”
Gahyeon was the first to approach and request a handshake. His grip was unusually strong, so Dogyeom unconsciously squinted his eyes. Just as he turned his head, burdened by the piercing stare.
“Back off. He’s my guest.”
Siheon, who’d taken off his top, pushed Gahyeon away. Dogyeom felt rather embarrassed by that overreaction. As if he were some powerless being who absolutely needed protection.
“I was in such a good mood seeing you came.”
A bright smile full of anticipation and excitement appeared on Siheon’s face. Long arms wrapped around his shoulders. He stroked his arm with sticky hands without hiding the alpha-characteristic body odor.
‘It’s disgusting.’
Dogyeom struggled to hold back the urge to shake him off. A man with dazzling beauty. The best alpha everyone wanted. And the person who would give him what he wanted. He hypnotized himself that way. Siheon’s long fingers wrapped tightly around his arm.
‘I’m an adult now. Just think about Jeongbae hyung. Compared to what hyung went through….’
Hyung’s warm touch. Kind expression. Affectionate tone. The more he ruminated, the more the disgust felt from the touching hands disappeared.
“Let’s go. I want to be alone with just the two of us.”
A small whisper reached his ear. To someone it might be sweet temptation, but to Dogyeom it was no different from a death sentence. The entire time he was dragged along by his arm, people’s murmuring sounds and curious gazes focused on Dogyeom.
“Is it that guy today?”
“Wow, he’s pretty good-looking.”
“He’s in charge of hair but wagged his tail….”
“It’s like Cinderella.”
As if not even afraid of scandals, Siheon walked confidently with his hand wrapped tightly around his waist, showing off his trophy. The manager and everyone else seemed to think ‘that’s just how it is.’ The rumors about being a troublemaker didn’t seem to be false.
“Come on, get in.”
They came straight to the parking lot through the performers’ exclusive passage. One road manager followed, scanned the surroundings, and when there was no particular presence, bowed and disappeared.
The silver, subdued-colored German sedan was a famously expensive model. It was Dogyeom’s first time riding in an imported car. His body unconsciously shrank at the seats that clung to his body and the stately interior design. As soon as he sat obediently in the passenger seat, Han Siheon personally fastened the belt while rubbing his body against him.
“Why are you so quiet? No need to act coy. We’re both players, aren’t we?”
“……First, to somewhere with just the two of us….”
“Got it. Got it. Let’s hurry to the hotel. So picky.”
Siheon, whose body was heated to the limit, urgently started the engine and set off. Dogyeom thought he wished his body wrapped in the seat would just disappear.
But when he thought of the person he most wanted to see, his fingers curled up on their own and his mouth closed.
