LS Ch 36

Inside the moving car, the furrow between Yiwon’s brows deepened as he stared at his phone.

“Relax your face. Are you planning to meet the advertiser looking like that?”

At Doyoon’s remark, Yiwon reluctantly loosened the tension in his brow, but his eyes remained fixed on the screen.

“This is just too much.”

In the two hours he hadn’t checked his phone, there were no missed calls, no messages. It wasn’t just these two hours—it had been days. Since about a week before the drama finished filming, nearly fifteen days had passed without a single message from Han Jewoo.

Hoping Jewoo had unblocked him, he had tried sending a message first and even called—but no response. He was furious at the lengths he had to go to, then anxious because the shoot was over and he couldn’t even see him anymore. His emotions were a mess.

With a long sigh, he tossed his phone onto the seat beside him and leaned the back of his head against the chair’s headrest. His schedule was packed, so he had no choice but to keep moving, but his mind was elsewhere.

“What did Han Jewoo’s manager say?”

Since he couldn’t reach Jewoo, he had asked Jewoo’s manager if he could at least find out where he was.

“The same thing. He keeps repeating that he doesn’t know.”

Because Yiwon kept pestering him, Doyoon had been contacting Jewoo’s manager, Jiho, once a day. The response was always the same. He had gone on a trip. He hadn’t said where. He didn’t know when he’d be back. It was as if Jiho was playing a pre-recorded message. And now, Doyoon was simply repeating it to Yiwon.

“There’s no way his manager doesn’t know. And they’re cousins, too.”

Yiwon muttered, covering his eyes with his arm. He must not have been sleeping well—he looked particularly exhausted these past few days.

He doesn’t not know. He just doesn’t want to tell you.

Doyoon held back the words he wanted to say. The real question was why Kang Yiwon was so fixated on Han Jewoo, but he didn’t ask. He had a feeling that not knowing was better. No—at this point, “pretending not to know” seemed like the wiser choice.

“Can I take a break for three days?”

Yiwon asked, keeping his arm over his eyes. As soon as the drama filming ended, he had been caught up in a back-to-back schedule of postponed commercial shoots, leaving him with no time to rest. But it was rare for Yiwon to say he wanted a break. He had debuted at a young age, spent years working without proper sleep, and never once complained.

“One day, maybe.”

“One day isn’t enough to find him.”

He didn’t specify who he was looking for, but it was obvious.

Han Jewoo.

He was affecting Kang Yiwon far more deeply than expected. Maybe the agency head had been right—they shouldn’t have let him take that drama role.

At first, when Jewoo disappeared, Doyoon thought it was for the best. He assumed Jewoo was drawing a clear line to avoid being overwhelmed by lingering emotions from the role, and he had even felt relieved. But looking at Yiwon now, it was anything but a relief.

With each passing day, Yiwon was becoming more of a wreck. If this continued, it would start affecting his work.

“Let it go. Get out of that drama.”

Doyoon knew it wouldn’t help much, but he still offered the advice, just in case. Yiwon let out a groan.

“It’s not like that. I don’t know why everyone keeps saying I can’t move on.”

There was no strength in Yiwon’s voice.

“Who said that?”

“Han Jewoo.”

Of course. Doyoon had expected as much.

Jewoo had always been the type to immerse himself completely in his roles during filming, but once the shoot was over, he drew a clear line. The problem was Yiwon.

“I’m not caught up in the role’s emotions.”

Yiwon mumbled to himself.

Stopping at a red light, Doyoon checked the rearview mirror and sighed.

Yiwon probably wasn’t wrong. He was never one to get overly emotional in his roles. He had always been the type to research and analyze thoroughly, relying on technique rather than deep emotional immersion. Because of that, he had sometimes been criticized for lacking depth in emotional acting.

And yet, despite being a BL drama, his emotional performance this time had been praised for its depth.

When people complimented him on his improvement, Yiwon had simply said, “It’s because my co-star is Han Jewoo.”

Doyoon should have realized it then.

“Was Han Jewoo someone you admired?”

It wasn’t impossible—Jewoo had been acting for a long time and was technically Yiwon’s senior. But then again, there were plenty of veteran actors to admire.

Yiwon didn’t answer.

So it wasn’t admiration. If it were, he would’ve said so easily. His silence only made Doyoon more suspicious.

“You’ve met Han Jewoo before, haven’t you?”

If this wasn’t about the drama, then there had to be something else. Thinking back, Yiwon had been unable to take his eyes off Jewoo even during the poster shoot. At the time, Doyoon had assumed it was just curiosity—Jewoo had a uniquely captivating presence for someone their age.

But now that he thought about it, Yiwon had never stared at anyone so blatantly before.

“Seven years ago.”

Yiwon’s answer nearly made Doyoon hit the brakes too hard. Seven years ago? That was when Yiwon had just debuted in an idol group.

“And last year, too.”

Last year?

Doyoon hadn’t been their manager seven years ago, so he had no way of knowing about that. But last year?

No matter how hard he searched his memory, Yiwon and Jewoo had never appeared on the same program together.

“He probably doesn’t remember, though.”

Yiwon’s voice was weary, and a sigh slipped out.

So, Han Jewoo had no memory of it, while Kang Yiwon had been fixated on him all this time.

“That sounds like stalking.”

Yiwon let out a weak laugh at the offhanded remark. The fact that he didn’t even deny it made Doyoon even more concerned. It would be bad enough if the person in question were a woman, but it was a man… Up until now, on set, it had been brushed off as half a joke and half a product of getting into character, given the nature of a BL drama. But moving forward, that excuse wouldn’t fly.

Hadn’t Han Jewoo already taken all of this into account? He had been in the industry longer than Yiwon and was handling things far more appropriately. If he continued to keep his distance, that would probably be for the best… At least, that’s what Doyoon had vaguely hoped. But looking at how restless Yiwon was, he realized that would only create a different problem, and the mere thought of it gave him a headache.

“Can you find out where Han Jewoo is?”

Yiwon rarely ever asked for favors. He was the type to silently follow instructions and do his job. So seeing him ask with a face that looked like he was on the verge of death made Doyoon uncomfortable. But if he went looking for Han Jewoo himself, wouldn’t that look ridiculous? If they were in the same agency, it might be understandable, but for a manager from a different agency to go searching would only fuel strange rumors.

“Did you try reaching out to other actors?”

“Sihyeon hyung and Yejun said they don’t know either.”

“What about Choi Jiyoo? You two seemed pretty close.”

Yiwon’s expression twisted slightly. Whether it was because he hadn’t thought of that or because he didn’t want to consider asking a woman, Doyoon wasn’t sure. But after a brief moment, he eventually sent a message, as if he’d resigned himself to it.

“Did she know?” Doyoon asked casually while driving. He, too, was starting to get curious about where Han Jewoo had disappeared to since Yiwon was looking for him so desperately.

“I’m asking for Choi Jiyoo’s contact info.”

“Wasn’t she in the group chat?”

It seemed Yiwon didn’t even have Choi Jiyoo’s personal contact information. Since all the actors around his age had a group chat together, Doyoon assumed he could just message her there. But Yiwon replied that he had left the group chat after filming ended. It was good in a way—keeping his distance from people meant there was no risk of scandals. But at times like this, it made him seem a little too indifferent.

Han Jewoo was the only exception.

A moment later, Yiwon made a call.

“This is Kang Yiwon. Do you happen to know how to reach Jewoo hyung?”

It seemed like the person on the other end was Choi Jiyoo. Seeing him skip any pleasantries and get straight to the point, Doyoon let out a silent sigh.

“If you know where he is…”

Yiwon suddenly fell silent, listening intently to the response on the other end.

“For how long? … Ha… So, in the end, you’re just telling me to wait quietly.”

Yiwon sighed and ran a hand down his face. Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted. After ending the call, he rested his forehead against the window and remained silent.

The atmosphere was too heavy for Doyoon to say anything. He focused on driving, but his mind was tangled with thoughts.

What would happen if Han Jewoo cut Yiwon off completely? Or, on the other hand, if he accepted him? Kang Yiwon… there was no way he could hide it.

Doyoon had always thought that if Yiwon ever fell in love and started dating, he’d be skilled enough to keep it a secret. He wasn’t someone whose emotions easily showed on his face, so Doyoon had assumed it wouldn’t be an issue.

But now, looking at him, he realized he was wrong.

Yiwon’s emotions weren’t just overflowing—they were leaking out in all directions. He couldn’t even hide it in his eyes.

Once the drama’s airing date was set, there would be press conferences, interviews, and promotional appearances on variety shows. Every single time, would Kang Yiwon be able to conceal those feelings?

In the past, Doyoon wouldn’t have doubted it for a second.

But now, his trust in Yiwon was at an all-time low.