In the end, he could only answer his words. He set down his phone and hurried to prepare. Even that was possible because there were items Dowon had someone leave behind. The clothes he’d worn out yesterday were quite fine, but he could tell the prepared clothes were on a different level from what he usually wore.
It was when he awkwardly put on clothes just unwrapped from packaging and checked again in front of the mirror before sitting on the bed. He breathed in deeply and exhaled again. In the message box he checked again, Dowon’s words saying he’d come soon, several unknown contact addresses, and notifications that didn’t matter if unchecked were bustlingly displayed.
Moving the screen around meaninglessly here and there, he checked his schedule. The drama filming he was participating in now had one session left. In total filming sessions, about two more seemed to remain. Though he was familiar with the drama production environment of being filmed and edited almost in real time, this time it felt particularly overwhelming.
Normally, he would have thought it fortunate to have even a little more work, and would have auditioned for other roles whether they overlapped or followed one after another, and if there was a part, he would have filmed concurrently. Though there was a health issue, in his current state, it didn’t seem like he could do it at all.
The sporadic schedule visible on Muyoung’s calendar with schedules written was marking auditions from before organizing. There was also a schedule Section Manager Kim had shared. But more important than that was.
Hospital. Checkup.
It was a checkup written simply, afraid someone might see it. Not knowing he’d cause problems with pheromones right away, he’d been thinking of asking Dowon to really go together maybe in 2-3 weeks. He didn’t know if he could say it even a month later.
Rather, wouldn’t it be better to go alone this time? While agonizing, he unconsciously bit his lower lip a little. While looking at the calendar, he frowned at the fishy taste of blood that burst out. Had the room been dry? He roughly pulled a tissue visible beside him and pressed it down on his lip. Just then, the bell rang, as if Dowon had arrived.
First, Muyoung, who hurriedly opened the door, moved his body aside so Dowon could enter inside. Dowon, who faced him with a much more relaxed expression than yesterday, tilted his head to the side and narrowed his brow. Then his hand approached his face before his body standing at the door.
“Are you hurt?”
While Muyoung was dazed for a moment at Dowon’s serious expression and question, the tissue he’d been pressing to his lips was snatched away. He seemed to understand why he’d had that expression. Dowon’s touch, carefully examining Muyoung’s lower lip and tapping it a few more times, was quite cautious.
“……Oh, no. It must have been a bit dry.”
“It seems like it’ll sting for a while, so you should be careful.”
Muyoung, who had been roughly nodding his head, picked up the items and phone he’d prepared and approached Dowon again. Though there was no one beside the two leaving the room, Muyoung could tell Dowon had also received someone’s help. Even more so because he was wearing clothes with a completely different atmosphere from yesterday.
“I’m really sorry about yesterday.”
“It’s okay. Muyoung-ssi had a hard time too. It’s fortunate it ended at this much.”
“That’s right……”
“If you’re okay, let’s move with my car. You must be hungry too.”
“Then work today……”
“Don’t worry about such things.”
Dowon, who smiled and led Muyoung as if embracing him with one arm, acted as if last night’s events were nothing. Even while going down to the parking lot, comfortably asking after each other and talking about what would be good to eat, Muyoung unknowingly examined Dowon thoroughly. He really seemed okay as he said. And he himself also had no big problems now. It was hard to imagine yesterday’s sudden situation at all.
Only after getting into Dowon’s car and fastening his seatbelt did Muyoung, feeling a bit more relieved, breathe shortly. He thought that perhaps the fact he wasn’t the only one who experienced something rough had subtly become something to rely on.
“Is there something you don’t like?”
“Pardon?”
“I heard you sigh. You even bit your lip raw.”
“This is……”
He thought about vaguely making up a lie, but it was obvious no excuse would work on someone who already knew. He had nothing to say except to fumble and bring up another topic.
“……I just remembered yesterday.”
“You were in a bad mood because of that?”
“……”
To say he was in a bad mood wasn’t quite it, but to say he felt very good wasn’t it either—in a state of neither this nor that, he couldn’t answer and fumbled. After only moving his lips ambiguously, he just turned his head toward the window. The sky, clear and blue as if entering autumn, looked quite refreshing. While he hesitated to answer, silence flowed in the car heading toward their destination.
The one who couldn’t endure that silence was Muyoung.
“……They said yesterday’s incident might not have been because I suddenly felt unwell.”
Muyoung, who conveyed the story he heard the previous day while hesitating a bit, straightened his gaze that had been looking out the window.
“Mm, did Dr. Kim explain it to you?”
“Yes, he told me while saying I should get tested. That CEO-nim got caught up in it because of that too.”
In fact, even now Muyoung didn’t know the exact cause. It would be that way until he checked in detail at the hospital. He was only guessing based on what Kim Youngseok, who visited yesterday, said. Both Dowon and he had improved, but they needed to know precisely to prevent recurrence. Fortunately, he also felt relieved to hear the answer that it wasn’t because of him. Though expression was difficult since he’d never been deeply entangled with anyone through traits in any way, now he felt he should be honest with Dowon about anything.
“……And I heard you must have suffered a lot too.”
“That much is okay. It’s not like my body was unwell or anything. The problem is Muyoung-ssi.”
The movement of his fingers fiddling with each other while clasped together on his lap stopped abruptly. It wasn’t a reproaching voice. It wasn’t a worried voice either. Would it be excessive sentiment if he felt warmth instead from the flat voice just stating facts without highs or lows? Had he become this weak? Every time he faced the broken parts, he became uncomfortable as if his insides were all visible. Even if only he knew it anyway.
“I’m also, fine.”
“First, we’ll arrive soon, so let’s finish talking over a meal.”
Muyoung nodded at Dowon’s words and bit his dry lower lip. But he immediately released the force at the stinging sensation reflexively. The part that had peeled off in the morning must have been bitten by his teeth again, as a dull pain didn’t fade until getting out of the car.
They came to a Korean restaurant with private rooms for a meal. Though he thought they were going quite far, his stuffed-up insides loosened a bit at the scenery that was more elegant than expected. Though they hadn’t even left Seoul, it seemed more so because the entire space with the building where the restaurant was located and the decorated garden was shaped exactly as if inside a mountain. Whether it was a place Dowon visited often, his movements receiving guidance were natural.
The interior was neat. The private room where they had to sit on the floor was good for not being too burdensome in decoration and being cleanly organized, but above all, the faint comfortable scent of wood that permeated made his mind relaxed even before eating.
“It’s good for eating comfortably, so I personally come here often.”
“Still, I don’t think I could come alone.”
“You shouldn’t come alone. You should come with me.”
Warm tea was placed before Muyoung, who smiled along with Dowon’s banter delivered with a light laugh. At a temperature neither too hot nor cold, the savory aroma moistened his mouth.
“I thought it wouldn’t be good to eat something too heavy, so I asked for a non-spicy type. The pre-meal porridge is delicious, but the portion is small, so if rice seems too much, tell me. I’ll ask them to change it to porridge.”
“No, I think it’ll be fine. I’ll eat.”
“It’s better than in the car, at least.”
Had his expression naturally relaxed at the words containing consideration, even though it was a small smile? Muyoung, who had no idea until Dowon spoke, awkwardly stroked his face.
Whenever he had many thoughts alone, he thought he shouldn’t do that, but it didn’t improve well. Afraid misunderstandings would arise because of this personality, he became more careful, and then he would speak even less. It was a not very good habit.
“Yesterday was also my first time experiencing something like that, and I was just sorry. It felt like CEO-nim ended up experiencing something he didn’t need to be involved in because of me.”
“Mm, does Muyoung-ssi even need to apologize to me?”
“This… isn’t it something that can’t be helped?”
“It’s not like Muyoung-ssi made it happen because you wanted it.”
Clatter. The sound of Dowon’s teacup being placed on the saucer rang quietly. Muyoung, who had been looking into the half-emptied cup, locked eyes with Dowon sitting in front. It seemed he could hear the sound of wind chimes hung as decoration in the distance. At the same time, he recalled himself collapsing in the elevator, the large hands embracing him, and Dowon’s embrace naturally handling the bewildering situation that had been practically his first experience.
“However the matter unfolded, I owe CEO-nim a debt, and it was something that happened while being with me, so……”
“So you’re going to keep watching my mood and apologizing?”
“……Rather than that.”
He wanted to convey the next words well somehow. But just then the prepared meal came in, and for a while he could only watch the colorful foods filling the table.
The bowls neatly filled with appetizing side dishes soon occupied the empty space. The warm pre-meal porridge made with black sesame was smooth.
“Should we eat first?”
“……Yes.”
As Dowon said, the pre-meal porridge was delicious. At an appropriate temperature and not sweet, the savory sesame aroma going down smoothly suited Muyoung’s taste. It was a texture he liked so much he wanted to postpone other food, so he looked regretfully at the bowl that emptied quickly. Then, after rinsing his mouth with tea, he brought up the story he couldn’t finish earlier.
