Whether fortunately or unfortunately, for the time being there were no scenes where Yuchan appeared in Dohyeong’s filming.
Should he be grateful to the FD who arranged the schedule like this? Or should he be grateful to the writer who wrote the script like this?
Either way, thanks to that, he could approach the filming with a somewhat lighter and more comfortable mind throughout.
“Dohyeong-ssi!”
When he was finishing up and greeting the staff, Director Na called Dohyeong.
“Ah, Director-nim. You worked hard.”
At Dohyeong bowing and greeting, Director Na smiled warmly.
After patting his shoulder, he asked Dohyeong as if something had occurred to him.
“You know we have location filming starting tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. I know.”
“That… even if it’s a little uncomfortable.”
“It’s okay. I’m not uncomfortable. Rather, I’ll be more comfortable than others.”
Even while watching Dohyeong smile brightly, Director Na could only pull up a bitter smile and didn’t say anything else.
Right, he just nodded briefly and tapped his arm a few times.
Dohyeong, who finished greeting everyone, approached Wootae who was waiting for him in the distance.
“Did you do well?”
At Wootae welcoming him with a smile, Dohyeong nodded.
“Yeah. I did well. Who do you think I am?”
“Kim Dohyeong who makes me worry.”
“No, Kim Dohyeong who does good work.”
At Dohyeong’s joking appearance, Wootae let out a hollow laugh.
After confirming Dohyeong sat down, he got in the driver’s seat. Rather than starting the engine right away, he became lost in thought for a moment.
“Dohyeong.”
Dohyeong, who had been checking his phone, raised his head.
“Yeah?”
“…By any chance.”
“By any chance?”
“Haven’t you felt like someone’s been photographing you or watching you lately?”
Someone photographing him or watching him.
It didn’t seem like he’d particularly felt that. If so, other actors besides himself should have felt it too.
In the first place, these days it was all the filming set or home.
Then suddenly, the day he went to the department store with Hakyung came to mind.
He moved his mouth to say something, then swallowed it back down.
“Why all of a sudden?”
Wootae, who had been hesitating, let out a sigh and opened his mouth.
“The CEO called. EndPatch said they’re going to break a dating scandal about you.”
Dating scandal. At those words, Dohyeong’s eyes shook greatly. The phone he’d been holding in his hand fell to the floor.
He wondered if this was what it felt like when thunder struck in his head. It felt like it made a loud sound and came crashing down, then he felt it shaking finely.
No, calm down. Dohyeong picked up his phone and took a deep breath.
Could that gaze he felt at the department store have been EndPatch? It was a sensation that felt strangely unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
But when Yuchan chased after them, he said there was no one there.
“Do you have any idea?”
At Wootae’s question, he swallowed once. But he soon changed his mind. Nothing would change by hiding it, and it wouldn’t get better by covering it up.
“Hyung, actually…”
Let’s tell the truth. Once he informed them of the situation, the agency would also prepare an appropriate countermeasure.
Throughout the story, his insides felt stuffy. Why was it so full of ups and downs? Couldn’t he just spend peaceful days immersed only in acting?
Although only bitterness remained in his heart, scratching at Dohyeong, he couldn’t unload it anywhere.
***
Wootae, who heard Dohyeong’s entire story, told him not to worry.
Since it was a problem for the company to solve, he also added encouragement that wasn’t quite encouragement, telling him to focus on the drama for now.
But once he knew trouble had come, it wasn’t easy to relax. Even though it was time to come home and rest well, he couldn’t fall asleep.
It felt like someone outside was monitoring his every move.
_’Kim Dohyeong-ssi! Please say a word about your current feelings!’_
_’Hello, this is from A Story. Don’t you have anything to say about the divorce from Jung Haesung-ssi?’_
_’There are rumors you aimed for fame by using Jung Haesung-ssi as a stepping stone, is that true?’_
These were things that happened right after breaking up with Haesung.
Wherever he went, people asking questions poured out. He refused and drew the line several times, but they didn’t give up.
Deeply rooted memories and experiences make a person anxious. All the more so with the possibility that it could recur at any time.
He wrapped his body tightly in the blanket and buried his face. If only sleep would pour over him at least. No matter how much he closed his eyes and counted sheep, it didn’t get better.
“…I’m cold.”
Even though there was no chill, his whole body felt cool. As he curled up more, his phone flickered with light.
Since he usually turned off even the vibration when sleeping, most of the time he couldn’t receive contact from anyone. How lucky. Boasting needlessly, he picked up his phone.
Who contacted him? Yuchan? If not that, Wootae? Either way, both of them worry a lot.
Thinking he should answer that he’s okay, he unlocked it, but was flustered at the message sent by an unexpected person.
Jung Haesung
Are you sleeping?
It was Haesung. Why did he always reach out his hand at times like this? It was both bitter and grateful that he noticed like a ghost. Various impressions came.
To the point where he wondered if he was watching from somewhere. If not, there’s no way he could figure out the moment of weakness so perfectly.
Jung Haesung
I heard the news. EndPatch.
At the following message, Dohyeong gripped his phone hard.
Jung Haesung
It’s not what my manager said, CEO Yoon contacted our company.
He wasn’t replying even once, but sending consecutive messages was exactly like his own past appearance.
His own appearance chattering beside Haesung who never answered once. This reversed situation was unfamiliar, but he decided to watch silently.
Jung Haesung
The company can also respond legally sufficiently, so don’t worry too much.
It seems like lately he’s been rambling on like this often.
His hand moved without him knowing. Thinking that he wasn’t unaware of his past self, laughter came out for no reason.
Jung Haesung
I’m thinking it’s because you want to get close.
Because you said so yourself.
That you want to get close to Kim Dohyeong. He thought a yes answer would come back, but the consecutively arriving message overturned Dohyeong’s thoughts.
Jung Haesung
No.
Instead of wanting to be there with you.
Dohyeong bolted up from his seat. Rubbing his eyes wondering if he might have seen wrong, he stared at the screen intently.
Then, a call came. After quietly looking at the screen with Haesung’s name, he carefully answered the phone.
“…Sunbae?”
[Not that, can’t you call me like before? We’re not working right now.]
“…But-“
[I want to hear it.]
His heart sank.
This is a foul. To strike at a moment of weakness and say such things.
Dohyeong, who had been hesitating for a moment, bit his fingernail and opened his mouth.
“Haesung hyung.”
[Are you unable to sleep because you’re anxious?]
“…A little. I guess so.”
[……]
Haesung didn’t say anything. Just as the sound of his exhaling breath lingered in his ear.
[Can you open the window for a moment?]
At Haesung’s words, he turned his head. Maybe the moon rose beautifully? Or maybe stars are twinkling? Well, either way, if it’s for a change of mood.
Dohyeong obediently got up from his seat and walked near the window. When he slightly opened the closed window, beep! A short horn sound was heard.
[Below.]
At Haesung’s following voice, when he lowered his gaze, he saw his car blinking its hazard lights.
“What brings you all the way here?”
[I thought you wouldn’t be able to sleep.]
“…How did you know that?”
At Dohyeong’s question, Haesung hesitated for a moment.
Since they were far apart it wasn’t clear, but he could see him scratching his head or repeatedly gripping and releasing the steering wheel.
“Hyung.”
[After the divorce before, I was… worried.]
He gripped the phone attached to his ear tightly.
What those words meant right now. He desperately wanted to grab him and ask, but he didn’t have the courage to go down.
If he met someone then. It wouldn’t end as a simple dating scandal.
[So I came here for a moment before. Here, to this spot.]
“Even then, I… couldn’t sleep?”
[You did. Light was leaking from your room. Was it a mood lamp?]
“Right. The one I got as a gift on my birthday.”
[I remember. It was moon-shaped.]
You remember. He thought he wouldn’t know anything about himself, to the point of not even recalling. Because he thought that something called his interest was a word not permitted to him.
Dohyeong, who had such thoughts, leaned his face against the window frame with his arm resting on it.
[Anyway… I’ll watch over you from here, so don’t worry and sleep.]
Watch over? When Dohyeong turned his head to look at both ends of the alley, Haesung’s faint laughter reached his ear.
[The paparazzi. If they’re lurking around, I can at least report them to the police.]
“It’s okay. Why would you go that far?”
[Because I want to.]
Because it was so different from Haesung’s appearance until now, Dohyeong couldn’t help but be flustered.
As he blankly looked at Haesung below, a short sigh was heard.
[Won’t you let me?]
“…But.”
[I want to do it for you. I….]
There were no following words, but Dohyeong didn’t press further.
He just looked down for a long time. Because that clear gaze looking up at him reached him clearly.
Dohyeong nodded, closed the window, and walked to the bed and lay down.
Telling him to just go back would be typical of himself. Somehow the words wouldn’t come out.
No, he might not have wanted Haesung to leave.
“Then… just until I sleep. Just until I fall asleep.”
Haesung let out a faint laugh.
[Yeah, okay.]
Haesung’s following voice was warm.
Dohyeong breathed evenly without saying anything. There was no obsession that he had to say something like before.
It was a miraculous thing. Just hearing Haesung’s breathing and letting him hear his own breathing, yet his heart became this peaceful.
No, actually this too was something in his memory. Long ago, when they were married, it was like this. Not anything else, but there were countless days when he found stability and comfort just by hearing Haesung’s breathing.
Recalling the past, his throat stung again. He shook his head and carefully put down his phone on the bed.
Now that he’d lain down, sleep didn’t pour over him right away. He tossed and turned several times, pulling up the blanket, gripping it, fidgeting with his feet.
[Hurry and sleep. Don’t toss and turn.]
At Haesung’s words, Dohyeong burst into giggles.
At those words, his eyelids began to grow heavy. He slowly closed his eyes, yawned, and buried his face in the blanket.
“Hyung.”
[Yeah.]
“…Thank you.”
There was a lot he wanted to say. That he wanted this version of you before too. The question of why you’re only taking care of me like this now.
But he didn’t want to drag up the past anymore. He wanted to fall into a deep sleep intoxicated by this comfort Haesung created.
[Me too.]
Why? The words asking back only lingered in his mouth, not bursting out.
[And….]
He really wanted to hear the next words, but Haesung’s voice that had been lingering in his ear soon flew away and disappeared.
No, he must not have heard it because he dozed off.
Actually, Haesung muttered alone for quite a while after that. Occasionally when he heard Dohyeong tossing and turning, he stopped talking abruptly and maintained silence as if confirming he was falling asleep.
[I’ll try. I will.]
Following the quietly murmured sound, a faint laugh continued.
A notification that a message had arrived appeared on the flickering screen, but Dohyeong had already fallen into deep sleep.
[Manner call from Choi Sunshine-nim. This is a call for you. 02:32 AM]
[Manner call from Choi Sunshine-nim. This is a call for you. 02:35 AM]
Choi Sunshine
Dohyeong, I just heard the news
What the hell is that about?
Contact me when you wake up
Haesung’s call still hadn’t ended.
Sleep well, have good dreams. Haesung’s quietly murmuring voice would be gently fluttering beside Dohyeong wandering through deep dreams.
