After finishing the first day of filming, Yoonjo returned to his lodging. Sprawled out on the bed, Yoonjo looked through the photos he’d taken today. Various images of Seonwoo were captured on his phone screen. After staring at the screen for a while, Yoonjo rolled over. He placed both hands neatly on his stomach and slowly recalled the day’s events.
Filming was tedious and hectic, yet fascinating at the same time. To be honest, the most fascinating thing was Seonwoo. Seonwoo standing in front of the camera was a real celebrity.
He was a dazzling person who sparkled and shone, drawing even more attention because of it.
“Ha…”
He wanted to shout it to the whole world. He wanted to yell out every little fact—that Seonwoo was his boyfriend, that they shared the same bed, that they opened their eyes together every morning. He knew he couldn’t, but the impulse to do so struck him from time to time.
Rolling back and forth on the bed while wrapping himself in the sheets for no reason, Yoonjo suddenly realized the room was too quiet. He was always with Seonwoo on the bed, but not today.
That said, he couldn’t just barge into Seonwoo’s room out of the blue. For one thing, Yoonjo’s position was temporary manager, and Woojin had also asked him to.
‘Leave Seonwoo alone at night. He’s the type who uses his room alone. He can’t sleep well if someone’s next to him.’
“As if he can’t sleep. Seonwoo hyung is the one who sleeps the best…”
However, he couldn’t insist in front of Woojin that that wasn’t the case. All he could do was nod his head repeatedly and say he understood.
After rolling around on the bed a few more times, Yoonjo suddenly sat up. Come to think of it, how long had it been since he’d been alone like this? During the break and even after it ended, he’d been stuck by Seonwoo’s side the whole time. Of course, they were apart during the day, but not at night.
Should he try contacting him or not? But why did hyung pretend he couldn’t cook when he’s so good at it… Yoonjo fiddled with his phone, thinking about this and that following his stream of consciousness. Then he saw Seonwoo’s message that arrived at just the right timing and broke into a broad smile.
「What are you doing?」 10:12pm
「Just here. What about you, hyung?」 10:12pm
The read receipt appeared, and only after a long while did Seonwoo send a reply. A cute rabbit emoticon knocking on a window came with it too.
「Can you open the window for me?」 10:20pm
Wondering why the window all of a sudden, Yoonjo pulled back the curtain. There was nothing outside. Curious, Yoonjo opened the window and went out onto the terrace.
There was still nothing. Because there was a mountain right in front, everywhere was just quiet. The moment he picked up his phone to reply to Seonwoo,
“Yoonjo-ya, move to the side.”
“Huh?”
He heard Seonwoo’s voice. When he instinctively stepped back, someone landed lightly in front of Yoonjo. Yoonjo’s eyes widened at Seonwoo’s sudden appearance.
“…Hyung?”
“I missed you, so I came.”
After kissing his cheek, Seonwoo picked up Yoonjo as he was and went inside the room. Closing the curtain with one hand, he patted Yoonjo’s butt a few times.
“When you said you were just here instead of saying you missed me, how could I just stay still?”
His heart tickled. It felt like a small pink ball of fluff was bouncing around inside. Yoonjo barely suppressed the broad smile that kept trying to burst out and spoke with a deliberately stern tone.
His lips were already distorted comically, but Yoonjo himself didn’t realize it.
“You have filming tomorrow too, hyung. You should go to bed early.”
“I came because I can rest well if we sleep together. Doesn’t a temporary manager also have to take responsibility for their celebrity’s good sleep?”
“Ugh…”
When Seonwoo replied playfully with a laugh, Yoonjo finally couldn’t hold back and hugged him. Burying his face in Seonwoo’s neck, Yoonjo swung his feet that were floating in the air a few times before mumbling.
“We’ll just hold hands and sleep.”
When his back touched the bed, the mattress rippled a few times. Seonwoo, positioned above Yoonjo, asked with his eyes prettily crinkled.
“Should we not kiss either?”
What a wicked person. Yoonjo looked back and forth between Seonwoo’s plump lips and his eyes before managing to give an answer.
“Just… just up to kissing…”
Smooch-.
Seonwoo’s lips immediately attached to his cheek. Yoonjo flinched and opened and closed his mouth before pressing it shut. Usually he did it two or three times, so why just once today?
“One more time.”
“How many times should I do it?”
“Fifty times…”
At Yoonjo, who spoke in a small mumble, Seonwoo laughed with his throat. Cute and lovable Ji Yoonjo. A kid who doesn’t even know how to hide his feelings. You, who shows your emotions as they appear.
Seonwoo bit and released Yoonjo’s cheek while asking in a gentle tone.
“It wouldn’t be enough even if we did it all night, would that be okay?”
Smooch, smooch-. After repeating it a few more times, Yoonjo’s body trembled and he stretched out his arms to pull Seonwoo’s neck into an embrace.
“…So you’re really just going to kiss?”
His gaze was somewhere on that wall, not on Seonwoo. It seemed like he couldn’t face him. Seonwoo lightly grabbed Yoonjo’s chin to make him meet his eyes, then opened his mouth.
“No.”
The beginning was clearly a soft tapping, but as it became the second time, the third time, it gradually changed. Yoonjo accepted Seonwoo groping inside him with a willing heart. The two people’s lips repeatedly attached and separated. Through the gaps, their red tongues were subtly revealed.
After devouring each other for a long while, the two slowly separated. Yoonjo licked his lips that glistened with saliva with his tongue and spoke quietly.
“Will they… hear us outside?”
Anyone would think it was a useless worry, but Yoonjo looked more serious than ever. Seonwoo laughed shortly and pulled up his shirt to put it in Yoonjo’s mouth. Interlacing his fingers with Yoonjo’s like that, he whispered. Perhaps because of the breath touching his ear, Yoonjo kept flinching.
“Try to hold back well while biting that.”
This place has no soundproofing at all. Seonwoo, who added casually, moved closer to Yoonjo.
***
The sky was clear and the day was sunny. Even the wind blew pleasantly with a gentle rustle. Yoonjo swept up his hair that was damp with sweat and smiled brightly. Today, more than any other day, Yoonjo seemed overflowing with energy as he roamed here and there around the filming site.
As if he’d secretly eaten some tonic all night, his skin was smooth and glossy. It was as sleek as a peeled egg.
“Yoonjo-ssi, please help over here!”
“Yes~!”
Seonwoo quietly watched the back of Yoonjo fluttering away. Where does he keep running around to… If he’s a manager, shouldn’t he stay by his celebrity’s side?
He wanted to scold him and keep him attached by his side, but to begin with, Seonwoo was the type who didn’t really care what his manager did.
The filming staff were already subtly observing Seonwoo, saying it had been a long time since he stood in front of a camera—if he did things he didn’t normally do, it would just add unnecessary rumors on top of that.
“You’re the temporary manager, right?”
At the filming director’s question from right beside him, Seonwoo barely tore his gaze away from Yoonjo.
“Yes, that’s right.”
The filming director was a man of mature age. Until just a few years ago, he’d been a chief producer (CP) in the entertainment department but was an eccentric who came down to the field. And he was also the assistant director of the first variety show Seonwoo appeared in. The filming director sat on the edge of a nearby flower bed and asked indifferently.
“Where’s your little shadow?”
“Woojin isn’t my manager anymore. And what do you mean little shadow? He was just doing what he should as a manager… Woojin would be hurt if he heard that.”
“Not him.”
Seonwoo, who was about to sit on the edge of the flower bed, paused. Then he looked at Yoonjo without realizing it. Like someone searching for something to rely on, that gaze was tenacious to no end.
“You’re saying all sorts of things to someone who came back after 5 years.”
“I also know that thing you did was to cover for that little shadow.”
“That’s an interesting speculation. Please continue. I’m curious about the next part of the story too.”
At the gentle question, the filming director scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh.
“Alright, alright. Why are you being so sharp? People have been talking a lot lately about him spreading himself too thin here and there. Anyway… I warned him. What power do I have now? I’m just an ordinary cameraman now. I’m leaving.”
Seonwoo, who didn’t even ask what it was about, just kept looking toward Yoonjo.
Until just a moment ago, he was bustling around in the distance, but now he was nearby. Then their eyes met. Yoonjo whispered something to a filming staff member, then immediately approached Seonwoo.
“Is something wrong, hyung?”
“The one with something going on is you rather than me, Yoonjo. You looked busy.”
When Seonwoo gestured toward the filming site with his chin, Yoonjo hesitated, then lightly ran his tongue over his lips and whispered in Seonwoo’s ear.
“Well, there are a lot of people over there who need help and…”
While at it, he could weed out bastards saying bad things about Seonwoo, so it wasn’t bad. It was worth diligently squeezing in among the staff and picking up bits of conversation here and there. But Yoonjo couldn’t say everything straightforwardly and mumbled. Then Seonwoo tapped Yoonjo’s stomach.
“You don’t have to do it, so rest. You overdid it yesterday.”
Yoonjo’s face turned bright red and he tried to say something, but soon pressed his lips tightly shut. It was because of Seonwoo’s expression that seemed a bit stiff. Yoonjo hesitated, then reached out his hand to sweep up his hair.
“Is something really wrong? Why are you sweating so much?”
“It’s because it’s hot.”
At his demeanor of not wanting to answer, Yoonjo rolled his eyes this way and that. Just as Yoonjo was wondering if he should change the subject of conversation, he saw Seonwoo’s fingertips. Somehow they felt cracked and split. Yoonjo carefully held that part as if wrapping it and opened his mouth.
“You know, hyung. Even the last time you practiced cooking with me… you couldn’t even hold a knife properly. When did you practice? I was so surprised yesterday because you were really good…”
“They’re saying the shoot is starting now. Please get ready.”
At the words that suddenly cut in, Yoonjo’s question disappeared before it could even finish. Seonwoo, who got up from his seat, stroked the head of Yoonjo, who was wiggling his fingers for no reason.
“If I learn too quickly, I won’t have anything left to teach you.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. I did it because I wanted to be with you longer. So, Yoonjo. Don’t worry. And don’t think strange things either.”
Watching Seonwoo walk away, Yoonjo clenched both fists tightly. Feeling his face keep getting hot and flushed, he lowered his head deeply. He just pushed at the floor with his toes for no reason.
Was Seonwoo originally someone who said things like that so casually? The answer didn’t take long to surface. No. It wasn’t just a day or two that he’d given vague answers to whatever was asked and pretended not to know even when he did.
“Ah… really…”
His heart pounded, creating vibrations. The vibrations that spread and spread finally reached even his fingertips, making his whole body tingle. If he could, he wanted to hug Seonwoo right now.
Yoonjo, who suppressed the impulse by holding his own hands several times, raised his head. At that moment, his expression hardened stiffly.
At the end of Yoonjo’s gaze was Seonwoo, as always. And beside him was…
“Hello. I’ve come to visit as a special guest today. I look forward to working with you.”
Seo Yeongyeom was there.
