Screeeech!
Crash!
It was better to fall alone than to fly forward and crash. Seungun’s field of vision instantly turned from front to side. In the midst of his body spinning round and round, a tearing scream interjected. The expensive motorcycle body, not knowing how scary repair costs were, rolled clattering across the asphalt road.
“What are you people! Are you crazy!”
“Seungun-ah! Seungun-ah!”
The filming site became a scene of chaos in an instant.
Seungun, who was lying prone on the road, hunched his back. Having rolled several times on the hard asphalt, he first tried bending his fingers. They moved fine. Was it because he’d worn many layers of clothes underneath? It seemed like they had served as cushioning. In the distance, Myeongwoo ran over calling Seungun’s name until his throat would burst.
“Haa, haa….”
There was no problem with his limbs as he rolled over. He had miraculously avoided a major accident by a narrow escape. As soon as the blue sky came into his view, the thought that came to him was ‘at least I saved my life.’ He moved his stiff arms to first throw off the heavy helmet. His face, drenched in sweat, instantly felt cool. With his vision cleared, he saw people running over in a swarm. Myeongwoo was the first to support Seungun.
“Gasp, what do we do!”
“Are you okay?”
“119! Call 119!”
“Emergency room!”
He was the one injured, yet the people around him were making a fuss instead. Seungun, feeling awkward, opened his mouth.
“Myeongwoo sunbae. I almost died.”
“I know, man! I thought you were going to pass away too!”
“Fortunately, the clothes were thick and I wore a helmet, so it seems I got away with this much. Ah, the motorcycle. What happened to the motorcycle?”
“Are you curious about the motorcycle in this situation?”
“They said it was really expensive.”
“Seungun-ssi, are you really okay? Take off your clothes. We need to check for injuries, don’t we?”
“Seunggwon-ssi! Don’t move! You absolutely need to rest!”
Director Kim shouted this way after raging as if he would devour the culprits of this incident. Two police officers got out of their car with deathly pale faces and looked this way. More than that, Seungun couldn’t help but worry about the motorcycle. It got wrecked because of him. If he had ridden just a bit slower as the director said, it wouldn’t have gotten so wrecked.
“The motorcycle is completely destroyed…. I’m sorry, Assistant Director-nim.”
“What are you saying? It’s incredibly fortunate that you weren’t seriously hurt. Don’t say such things.”
“I’m also fortunate that it’s only this much—.”
“Let’s wrap up the filming.”
Gi Siyoung suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, yes. We should, ah, Suyoung-ah call the motorcycle company. And uh, Seungun-ssi too…. But Seungun-ssi, are you really okay? If you’re okay, until the ambulance comes, we and those police officers….”
“I said let’s wrap up the filming.”
Gi Siyoung’s expression as he looked at the assistant director was cool enough to make the heat disappear. The assistant director, whose position became awkward in the middle, stammered his words.
“Ah, of course, yes. First, going to the hospital comes first. Seungun-ssi, you really worked so hard today.”
“Yes.”
The assistant director took the helmet from beside Seungun. Then, after apologizing once more, he hurriedly vacated the spot with the murmuring staff. Myeongwoo still lamented what on earth was happening, stomping his feet.
“Why is 119 so late? Did you call them?”
“Uh, no. I was about to call but didn’t because he seemed okay…. Should I call now?”
A staff member said while taking out their phone. Myeongwoo hit his chest as if frustrated.
“Never mind! I’ll call them myself! Ha!”
“Seeing how you’re worried about the motorcycle first, I guess you’re fine?”
At Gi Siyoung’s question, Myeongwoo opened his mouth as if to say what kind of nonsense was that.
“Fine, what! Even if he looks fine on the outside, this isn’t just any accident, it’s a motorcycle accident. Do you not know how scary traffic accident aftereffects are?”
“Sunbae-nim, why are you like this, I’m fine, really.”
At Myeongwoo’s fuss, Seungun stepped up to restrain him instead.
“See, that’s what I’m saying.”
Gi Siyoung pointed at Seungun with his chin.
“He fell well on his own. The action was top-notch.”
“Seungun-ah, even if you’re okay now, when you wake up tomorrow your thoughts will be different. Right now, the hospital first—.”
“No. Gi Siyoung-ssi is right. It’s really not enough to call an ambulance. Really.”
“Are you serious?”
Myeongwoo asked carefully while tapping his phone. At Seungun’s firm nod, Myeongwoo couldn’t help it anymore either.
“How’s your arm? Can you drive?”
“Hey, Gi Siyoung! You really—!”
“If you can’t, say so now. Then you need to go to the hospital. Don’t hide it and drive only to injure many people in the middle of the road.”
“No, I can drive.”
Only after stubbornly insisting did he feel pain as if one shoulder would dislocate. However, when he faced Gi Siyoung, the desire to go to the hospital completely disappeared. It was an arrogant expression like ‘you should have switched when I offered to switch.’ Gi Siyoung kept poking at the irritable personality he lived hiding with a tree branch. Seungun passed him and headed toward the action director.
“How’s your body! Are you okay?”
“Yes. Where’s the wardrobe team? I want to return the clothes before I go.”
“What clothes to return? Just go straight to the hospital first.”
“They’re damaged. I think I need to wash and return them.”
“Goodness, why are you so stubborn? No need to wash them. The wardrobe team will say the same. So just take them. You’re fine, so go to the hospital first.”
“Then I’ll be going now.”
Seungun greeted in a subdued voice. Watching his retreating back, the action director clicked his tongue.
“He’s a talent to be regretted. Good mask, slender… uses his body well… if he just gets his path opened in this field, he’ll get a lot of stunt offers for lead actors.”
A man with such a strong sense of responsibility like that should join his crew. He was too comparable to someone who completely ghosted when an audition spot opened up. The action director’s regretful gaze continued for a long while until Seungun disappeared.
“……”
The shoulder pain of Seungun, who received a ‘hospital first’ declaration from the action director in one go, got worse as time passed. First, he wanted to take off his clothes and examine what state he was in. While looking around for a nearby restroom, Gi Siyoung suddenly popped out from among the people. He stared at Seungun’s temple dripping with sweat and asked.
“Where are you going?”
Seungun responded with a tired face.
“The restroom.”
“What if I need something right now, why are you going without saying anything? Someone with such a strong sense of responsibility, even when Myeongwoo hyung is running around busy alone, you go to the restroom first without a word?”
“Hey, I’m fine. What’s with you?”
Myeongwoo gritted his teeth and poked Gi Siyoung’s side.
“Is there something you need?”
“Where does it hurt?”
“…No.”
Seungun said with effort while wiping his sweat. Now even spitting out one word was a bit difficult. Come to think of it, he still hadn’t drunk the cool water he’d resolved to drink after filming ended. Once he became aware of his thirst, he became even more parched.
“I’m going crazy being all sweaty and sticky, so go to the car and bring me some clothes to change into.”
“…Understood.”
Seungun swallowed dry saliva. Without saying anything more, he headed to the parking lot. Perhaps it was just his mood, but the distance to the parking lot felt eons long. He grabbed his elbow as if to fix the arm that seemed about to fall off. Watching that appearance, Myeongwoo reproached Siyoung.
“Aren’t you really being too much to Seungun? Where else can you find a kid who works as hard as Seungun? If we’re being precise, even today’s injury—.”
“……”
“Siyoung-ah, did you hear me? Where are you suddenly going!”
Gi Siyoung brushed off Myeongwoo’s words and walked with big strides. Seeing the figure stubbornly heading to the garage with clearly slowed steps that anyone could see, he was dumbfounded. He was so flabbergasted he couldn’t even laugh.
With that arm, he wouldn’t be able to hold even one light summer outfit. If that appearance got into other people’s eyes, it was obvious he’d only receive image damage from abuse of power controversy. Gi Siyoung absolutely hated his name being mentioned in such gossip.
“……”
When Seungun stood in front of the car, he felt hopeless. It seemed like if he let go of the hand supporting his aching arm, the shoulder would dislocate right away. Come to think of it, the car key was with Myeongwoo, not Seungun. Thinking about the distance to the waiting area made him feel hopeless.
Sweat poured down like rain. The sweat that came down from the top of his head wetted his whole body like rain. If it were up to him, he wanted to throw off the stuffy leather jacket first, but his whole body was so sticky he absolutely couldn’t take it off alone.
“Why aren’t you opening the door?”
Im Seungun closed his eyes and opened them slowly. Gi Siyoung’s voice sounded like a stretched tape. His pupils shook. Now even his insides were churning. He wanted to cut off his dangling arm. The pain that came up belatedly had become that severe.
“Your complexion looks really terrible.”
“……”
The faces of the two people were reflected in the tinted glass window with distance between them.
“Your complexion looks like not even a dung fly would land on it, are you really okay not going to the hospital?”
“Every single time….”
“……”
“Every single time….”
“What did you say?”
Gi Siyoung brought his ear close. The distance between the two people, which had gotten closer, was reflected in the black window. Their sticky cheeks stuck together with a smack.
“Every single time that manners you ate with your rice….”
“What are you saying? Your voice is so small I can’t hear anything.”
“Still, I’m clearly two years….”
Seungun’s voice crawled in like an ant.
“Older than you… that point….”
“Even corpses talk.”
Gi Siyoung silently grabbed Seungun’s shoulder joint. Seungun, whose face turned ashen, turned his head that way. Crack! A bone sound was heard. Seungun screamed. It was a painful shriek enough to make the world collapse.
