“The barbecue is all ready, so I came to call you.”
At that answer, a feeling of dismay briefly crossed Haeyoung’s face.
Originally, he had planned to quickly change clothes and go back downstairs to help with preparations, but having run into Seonwoo, he absolutely couldn’t pretend not to know him.
From the time he chased after Seonwoo up to the second floor, he acted completely as his heart led him. Why did he do that? Haeyoung pointlessly mulled over the obvious question that wasn’t worth asking himself.
‘…It’s not like I’m twenty years old.’
It probably started after entering this house. A dreamlike space always full of warm heat where there was no need to worry about anything, and the refrigerator was always full of things to eat whenever you opened it. The house that was just a filming location was more comfortable than expected.
The power of a space separated from reality was great. Being able to divert his attention from the worries he’d been having all along while mingling with new people must have also played a part. That must be why.
Haeyoung glanced at Seonwoo standing beside him and swallowed a sigh inwardly. He thought he’d be able to hide his feelings well, but he seemed to have overestimated himself too much. Haeyoung, who had been making an awkward face, picked up the microphone he’d placed on the side table again.
After fixing the microphone back inside his knit, he left the room following Minho who was waiting for him. Standing on the stairs going downstairs and glancing back, he could see Seonwoo following behind him. When their eyes met, he raised his eyebrows for a moment, then soon his smiling face filled his vision as he folded his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Minho, who had turned around halfway down the stairs, made a puzzled face as if asking why he wasn’t coming. Only after discovering such a Minho did Haeyoung come to his senses and went down the stairs while composing his expression.
“Oh? Haeyoung-ah.”
It was when he was entering the dining room to go out to the garden. Dain, who was holding a bowl as big as a tray with both hands though he didn’t know what she was trying to put in it, acknowledged Haeyoung when she saw him.
“Dain-ah, are you trying to take that out?”
Haeyoung approached her and naturally took the bowl she was holding. Dain, who had the plate snatched away by Haeyoung as smoothly as water flowing, blinked for a moment before belatedly nodding her head.
“Jaehwi oppa said he needed a plate to put meat on.”
“…He’s already grilling meat?”
“Yeah, everyone said they were hungry. It’s already 8 o’clock now.”
At her words, Haeyoung, who hurriedly pulled his body out through the glass door leading to the garden, soon made a blank expression.
Everything was already set up and there was nothing for him to help with. A tent or whatever it was, a huge canopy to block the cold air was also perfectly installed. It was already awkward to just add a spoon to a fully set table, but this time there wasn’t even a corner to place a spoon.
“Ah, I should have helped too.”
Dain, who looked up at Haeyoung making a troubled face, hurriedly waved her hands.
“No! This was like this from the beginning…”
She, who had been flustered trying to soothe Haeyoung, suddenly closed her mouth. Then she soon moved her lips and hinted, ‘The production staff prepared it.’ At the sight of Dain whispering while being conscious of being caught on camera, Haeyoung let out a hollow laugh along with relief.
Meanwhile, Soyoon, who wore a thick coat over clothes that looked more comfortable than before, also entered the dining room. Once she came out too, Haeyoung stepped into the garden where people were gathered together with Seonwoo.
“Hyung.”
“You’re back?”
At the short call, Jaehwi, who turned his head, discovered Haeyoung approaching beside him.
He was standing in front of the grill on one side of the garden holding tongs. Seeing the other cast members sitting down one by one at the table set up beside them, it seemed he had offered to grill the meat. Haeyoung, who confirmed the situation with a glance, approached Jaehwi and asked.
“Should I grill it?”
“No, it’s fine. Sit down.”
Jaehwi shook his head at Haeyoung, who reached out his hand as if asking for the tongs.
He, who had thought of at least grilling the meat himself, let out a short sound of regret, going “Mmm,” at Jaehwi’s refusal. Still unable to readily move his feet, Haeyoung raised his eyebrows upon discovering someone hidden behind Jaehwi’s build.
“Sehee noona?”
“You’re just seeing me now?”
After reflexively greeting Sehee, who was smiling mischievously at him, Haeyoung stared blankly for a moment before quickly turning his head. Then he looked at Jaehwi, who was silently grilling meat. He thought he was just quietly looking down at the grill, but his eyes met with Jaehwi, who was also glancing at him from the corner of his eye.
Since he hadn’t seen anyone approach Jaehwi after coming out to the garden, Sehee must have been beside him from before he came out. Haeyoung’s eyes, who was looking between Jaehwi and Sehee alternately, slightly narrowed.
“Hmm…”
Though there was a thought crossing his mind somehow, Haeyoung didn’t bother to say it out loud. He wasn’t the type to take much interest in other people’s love affairs in the first place, and there was no need to bring up useless words in a situation where the cameras were clearly rolling.
Haeyoung, who handed the plate he was holding to Sehee, quietly turned his steps.
“Haeyoung-ah, here.”
When he turned his body toward the table, he could see Seonwoo calling him as if he’d been waiting.
At the sight of him standing alone while everyone else was sitting, Haeyoung’s fingertips slightly trembled. Haeyoung, who approached without hesitation, gestured as he sat down. It was a gesture telling him not to stand but to sit down quickly.
In the center of the table, there was plenty of space empty for a wide plate to go in, which seemed to be a place to put meat. Haeyoung, who ended up sitting closer to the center because he’d taken a seat first, glanced at Seonwoo sitting at the edge.
‘It seems a bit far though…’
While Haeyoung was looking between Seonwoo and the table alternately, Jaehwi came into the tent holding a plate piled with meat and grilled vegetables. The meat with steam rising looked glossy on the surface and had an appetizing appearance, cooked crispy.
Sehee, who entered following behind Jaehwi, sat across from the empty seat where Haeyoung was. Because of that, Jaehwi’s seat naturally became across from Seonwoo.
“You’re hungry, right? Let’s eat quickly.”
“Wow, thank you for the food!”
“I’ll eat well, Jaehwi oppa!”
At Jaehwi’s calm words, the people who had been waiting excitedly picked up their chopsticks one by one. The meat that had been piled up quickly disappeared by half as several people attacked it at once.
Haeyoung, who was watching that scene, also stretched out his arm to grab the tongs and picked up a few pieces of hot meat gathered in the center. Then, after placing them on Seonwoo’s clean plate in front of him, he reached out again to bring a few pieces of meat for himself to eat.
“How was everyone’s date?”
The one who spoke up was Hyuna sitting at the end of the table diagonally. Haeyoung, who had been chewing meat in his mouth, raised his head at her question.
Her words, which didn’t sound entirely light, were like a stone thrown into a lake that seemed calm. In the suddenly created ripples, people’s gazes subtly entangling created a strange current. In that atmosphere, Haeyoung, who was putting grilled meat in his mouth, discovered that her gaze was directed beside him.
He glanced sideways following Hyuna’s gaze. In his peripheral vision was Seonwoo, who was looking around while holding meat with his chopsticks.
“Ah.”
Haeyoung, who let out a light sigh briefly, picked up the sauce dish beside the meat. Then he transferred all the sliced garlic in the small bowl placed in front of Seonwoo into his own bowl. Because he knew he didn’t eat raw garlic.
Haeyoung scooped out a little bit of the sauces into the empty bowl and placed it back in front of Seonwoo.
“Thanks.”
Seeing the sauce bowl being placed in front of him, Seonwoo greeted him with a voice full of laughter. As always, to Seonwoo who gave thanks without fail even for trivial actions, Haeyoung also casually nodded.
The two were continuing their meal naturally as they always had, one step away from the current spread across the table. Until Sehee’s voice that followed could be heard.
“Seonwoo-ssi also has arms though.”
Hmm. At the words that leaked out along with a nasal sound, Haeyoung’s body, which had been bringing meat to his lips, froze stiffly. When he raised his gaze to look at Sehee sitting in front of him, he could see her sending a knowing look.
…What the. Suddenly feeling wronged by that gaze, Haeyoung tilted his head while putting the meat that had been floating in the air into his mouth. Sehee showed a brazen smile to Haeyoung, who was looking at her while silently chewing meat.
At Sehee’s words, Seonwoo’s gaze turned to Haeyoung. His slightly turned head had been directed at Haeyoung sitting beside him all along, but Haeyoung was still looking at Sehee. Following the eyes that weren’t directed at him, Seonwoo slowly opened his mouth.
“That’s right…”
At the affirmation uttered in a low voice, he could see the gaze that had been directed forward turning toward him. Their eyes met with Haeyoung, who was slightly frowning without being conscious of it.
Watching himself being captured in those unwavering pupils, Cha Seonwoo pleasantly pulled up the corners of his lips. Laughter suddenly appeared in his dry eyes.
It was when Haeyoung somehow felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding at the sight of Seonwoo smiling at him with his eyes. Seonwoo clenched the hand holding the chopsticks and propped his chin on it.
“Before I can even make a move, Haeyoung does everything. Did he read my mind?”
