But the voice came out sharper than he’d intended. It had even startled Siyeon himself — so of course Chae Yuno’s hand froze in midair. He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then slowly lowered his hand and smiled. His expression carried a trace of hurt, and Siyeon’s throat went dry.
“…I’m sorry. I was just startled.”
Chae Yuno tilted his head. And, uncharacteristically, took a step back.
“No. I must have come on too strong.”
An uncharacteristically self-deprecating remark — and it made things awkward in a way Siyeon hadn’t expected. Feeling oddly sheepish for no good reason, he brought his fingertips to the corner of his eye. The stubborn eyelash still tickled his vision.
“…Did something get in your eye?”
At Chae Yuno’s slightly deflated question, Siyeon this time gave a quiet nod. He started to approach again, but stopped himself clearly this time. Like someone who understood he needed permission first.
“Want me to get it out?”
Honestly, he was pretty sure he could do it himself with just a mirror. But smoothing over the awkwardness this way wasn’t a bad option. And surely, even he wouldn’t pull another stunt right after that scene. If he had any sense at all.
Siyeon hesitated for a brief moment, then reluctantly closed his eyes.
“Yes, please.”
That’s when it happened.
Instead of touching his eyelash — Chae Yuno’s breath grazed his cheek, barely there.
And then —
Peck.
A brief, slightly warm and moist press of lips — it touched the corner of his mouth and was gone in an instant.
What?
Startled, Siyeon’s eyes flew open. Right in front of him, Chae Yuno was smiling, the corners of his eyes creasing prettily. His expression far lighter than just moments ago.
“What is this…”
To think he’d end up pressing lips with another man. The unexpected contact made his hand clench into a fist without thinking.
This guy is pulling his tricks again.
That gleaming, luminous face came into view. Infuriatingly, he was smiling. As if it was nothing — even looking like he was enjoying himself just a little.
The irritation was real — but at the same time, there was something he couldn’t help but acknowledge. Whether it was the male lead buff working its magic or something else entirely, he was simply on a different level from the average man you’d pass on the street. It was like his face was literally glowing, like a well-polished bar of gold.
Setting aside gender entirely and going purely by objective aesthetic standards — he had long since cleared whatever threshold would make the question of is physical contact possible or not even a conversation worth having.
…Well. Whether that meant his tendency to act however he pleased was forgivable was, of course, a separate matter entirely.
“What was that?”
“What do you mean, what — I kissed you.”
“So why?”
Siyeon glared at Chae Yuno, roughly scrubbing his lips with the back of his hand. From around where their lips had met, Chae Yuno’s pheromones still faintly lingered at the tip of his nose. Cool and fragrant — the scent of flowers. Not overpowering. Oddly, cleanly pleasant.
The fact that it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant caught even Siyeon off guard for a moment. He should be angry. He had every right to be annoyed. So why was he feeling so… ambiguous about it?
Maybe that was why. Instead of yelling, what came out first was something uncharacteristically shy.
“If you’re going to do something like that in the future, ask me first.”
“If I ask, I can do it?”
Chae Yuno’s eyes lit up as the question came back at him. Siyeon made an unimpressed face, eyes sharp.
“You wouldn’t stop even if I said no.”
That must have hit exactly right, because Chae Yuno didn’t deny it — just raised an eyebrow. Either way, they were supposed to be pheromone partners or whatever. They’d have to do what needed to be done. It wasn’t like lips touching was going to wear anything down. No need to assign it any great meaning. It was just part of the contract. That’s all.
It was a rationalization bordering on resignation — but the moment he let himself think of it lightly, what had felt so weighty just moments ago suddenly didn’t seem like much at all.
“I’m hungry. How much longer are we going to walk?”
Siyeon looked away from Chae Yuno and turned his body. He had a feeling that if their eyes met again, he’d be on the receiving end of another teasing remark. Sure enough, an animated voice chimed in from just behind him.
“Let’s go eat then. I made a reservation at a Korean restaurant near here that I think you’ll like. Do you like borigulbi?”
“Borigulbi?”
“Yeah, do you like it?”
Siyeon echoed the question without thinking. Gulbi was gulbi — but what was borigulbi? Like pork fed on green tea leaves, was it gulbi fish raised on barley? A random image drifted through his mind, but asking felt embarrassing. And he was worried that pretending to know might lead to saying something even more strange — so Siyeon simply kept his mouth shut.
In the meantime, Chae Yuno had drifted close enough that their shoulders were nearly touching. Siyeon could feel his gaze following him, but he deliberately looked away.
“No. I’ve never had it.”
“Really? You mix it into green tea broth with rice and lay the flaked fish on top — it goes down so easy. If it doesn’t suit your taste, we can order something else. Let’s just go see the menu first, follow me.”
Chae Yuno described the food so vividly that Siyeon’s hunger sharpened by the moment. Rice soaked in green tea broth, topped with finely pulled, glossy strips of gulbi. Even the faint, savory fragrance of cool green tea. It was a combination he’d never heard of in his life — but his mouth was already watering with the urge to try it.
“…Talking about food made me suddenly incredibly hungry.”
“That’s why I said let’s hurry. Not that way — we need to go this way.”
A light touch caught his wrist and pulled him along. It was close enough to walk, but Chae Yuno said taking the car would be much faster, as though it were nothing.
If that was the case, why had they stopped by this walking path at all instead of just heading straight to the restaurant — but Siyeon kept that to himself. The way Chae Yuno breathed in the open air and rolled his shoulders back looked oddly unburdened.
Could it be that he finds it just as stifling — maybe even as much as I do? A thought that briefly passed through him. Though that too was just his own unsupported speculation.
He doesn’t need to hold on this tight.
Whether it was the size of his hand or something else, what had started as holding his wrist had somehow turned into something closer to holding hands. Their fingers overlapped naturally, and Siyeon was just starting to wonder if anyone watching might think them oddly close — when voices drifted over from the far end of the path.
“Wait… isn’t that… him?”
“No way…”
Unfamiliar voices carried on the breeze from the tail end of the walking path. It didn’t take long for the suspicion that they might have recognized Chae Yuno to sharpen into certainty.
“I’m telling you it’s him. Look — the side profile is exactly the same.”
“Come on, that’s actually Chae Yuno?”
It was a fair distance away, but with eyes following them now, Chae Yuno slowly turned his head and glanced toward the murmuring cluster. His expression was remarkably calm — as though this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Only then did he seem to realize his mask was still half-lowered. He quickly tidied himself up and pulled his cap down low. Then, leaning slightly toward Siyeon, he tugged the top of the turtleneck Siyeon was wearing up to cover the lower half of his face.
“Let’s go.”
Chae Yuno whispered just low enough for only Siyeon beside him to hear, then immediately turned in the direction of the SUV. Whether to avoid drawing more attention, his stride was unhurried enough that fleeing felt like too strong a word.
“Keep your face down as much as possible.”
“Wait — wouldn’t it be better if we split up and—”
“Right now, do what I say.”
Chae Yuno’s hand lightly wrapped around Siyeon’s shoulder and cut him off. Not wanting to draw any more eyes, Siyeon quietly fell in step.
The two moved away from the walking path and along the low fence toward the parking lot. Footsteps followed persistently from behind.
So this is what they call sasaeng fans? Whether it was the unfamiliar situation or something else, his heart was beating absurdly fast. Being tangled up with Chae Yuno and risking exposure was a problem — but there was no denying a strange, almost illicit thrill running alongside the worry, like watching something happen to someone else.
“Get in first. Getting caught on camera right now would be a headache.”
They slipped behind the SUV, and Chae Yuno pulled the passenger door open first. Siyeon was practically ushered inside, and then Chae Yuno climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door.
In an instant, the noise from outside shattered against the glass and dulled to a low thud. Thanks to the heavy tinting, being photographed was no longer a concern — but the car was moving faster than Siyeon had ever felt it before.
Hands holding up phones. Faces blurring past beyond the glass. Had that been a close call? Or had they already been caught? Everything had happened so fast his head was spinning.
Drained somehow, Siyeon stared blankly out the window. His eyes drifting around with nothing to land on — and then a voice, lower by a note than usual, reached him.
“Sorry. Did that startle you?”
Even in a quiet area, I shouldn’t have let my guard down. Chae Yuno added, sounding mildly troubled. Siyeon shook his head.
“More than that… will it be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a public figure. If something ends up on a gossip site, it could…”
Siyeon’s words trailed off unfinished, and Chae Yuno was quiet for a moment before pulling out his phone with one hand still on the wheel.
“It’ll be fine. That’s what agencies are for.”
“Sorry?”
“If photos get posted, I’ll have them taken down right away. Quick response is what matters in situations like this.”
He said it lightly — but his fingers were already moving fast across the screen. He sent a message to someone, then immediately opened a different window.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your name doesn’t come up.”
He was familiar enough with this that he handled it quickly. Instead of looking out the window, Siyeon turned his head and watched Chae Yuno’s profile. And Chae Yuno, without looking away from the road, said something loaded.
“Still the same, though. Worrying about me first.”
