LS Ch 10

“I bought it because I remembered you said you wanted it.”

At Yiwon’s reply, Jewoo swallowed dryly, trying not to show it.

He went out just for that? And bought coffee for everyone else too?

The question that lingered on his tongue seemed like it shouldn’t be asked. It was as Yiwon said. What kind of answer had he been hoping for? What did he want to confirm?

“Thanks for thinking of me. Next time, I’ll treat.”

He replied casually and stood up. It felt like he shouldn’t dig any deeper. He should stop here, where a colleague buying another colleague a coffee was just a simple, unremarkable act.

“It’s late. You must be tired, so rest. I’ll head out.”

As he turned to leave, he felt a strong grip on his wrist with a thud. Looking down, he saw Yiwon holding onto his wrist.

“Why…?”

Thinking there might be something more to say, he asked, but Yiwon looked up at Jewoo.

“Are you tired?”

“Huh?”

Maybe because it was such an obvious question, or because he hadn’t expected it in this situation, Jewoo dumbly echoed back.

“Can’t you stay a bit longer?”

Kang Yiwon suddenly acting childlike was hard to get used to. Yiwon’s eyes, which had been on Jewoo, slowly moved towards the bed. For no reason, Jewoo felt his mouth go dry.

“Don’t you want to play a game?”

At the follow-up question, Jewoo just blinked. Yiwon smiled and let go of Jewoo’s wrist, then picked up his phone that was on the bed.

“I installed a new game, but it’s easier with two people rather than playing alone. Don’t you play mobile games?”

“I do, but…”

When waiting endlessly on set, nothing was better at killing time than mobile games. As a result, he had accumulated several games on his phone.

But to be held back to play games at this hour.

“What game is it?”

Feeling the tension dissipate, he sat back down on the bed and asked. Yiwon showed him the game installed on his phone.

“It’s simple. You clear quests as you level up to get items, but the level 10 quest requires a party. I don’t know anyone in the game, and I haven’t joined a guild, so doing it alone is impossible.”

So, he wanted Jewoo to install the game and clear the quest together. Fortunately, Jewoo was familiar with this type of MMORPG; you could reach level 10 quickly just by following the quests. While Jewoo was leveling up, Yiwon, sitting beside him, explained the controls and gameplay.

Once at level 10, the party quest appeared, and with Yiwon’s character, they formed a party and cleared it easily. They continued playing, losing track of time until it was midnight. Thinking that any more would affect tomorrow’s shoot, Jewoo started to wrap up and stand, but Yiwon spoke up, saying, 

“Hey.”

“What if I said I wanted to look good to you, so I booked the restaurant and bought the coffee? What would you do then?”

Jewoo thought this topic was settled, but Yiwon brought it up again. Looking over, Yiwon was staring at his phone game.

“What’s there to do about looking good or not? We’re colleagues. And I already think you’re great.”

He chose the most neutral response possible. He didn’t want to reveal how he had overthought things in the wrong direction, so he avoided going further into that.

“Not in that sense.”

Yiwon looked away from his phone to Jewoo.

“Do you want to date me?”

At the words thrown out so casually, Jewoo’s eyes widened in shock. He had his suspicions, but he hadn’t expected such a direct proposition. Despite his annoyance with the SNS comments, he had genuinely admired Kang Yiwon for his sincerity and seriousness in acting, but it was never in a romantic context.

“Why are you so surprised?”

Yiwon laughed and tapped Jewoo’s shoulder with his fist.

“Is dating something to be so shocked about?”

Unlike the frozen Jewoo, Yiwon’s tone remained light and cheerful.

“I’m still a novice at acting compared to you. And it’s my first time with the BL genre. My manager asked if I could really immerse myself in the emotions. Even I think it’ll be tough when it comes to scenes with deep emotions, so I need your help.”

“Help?”

When Jewoo asked for clarification, Yiwon nodded.

“Because you’re my co-star.”

Only then did Jewoo start to understand what Kang Yiwon was after.

“You want me to help you practice acting?”

“Not just reading lines. I need to understand what real romantic feelings are like to grasp ‘Geonhwon’s’ choices.”

“So, you’re suggesting we date?”

“More like a simulated romance, I guess.”

At the term “simulated romance,” Jewoo’s eyebrows furrowed.

“I want to maintain that emotional line even when we’re not filming.”

Yiwon’s eyes, looking at Jewoo, were more serious than ever. He genuinely seemed eager to perform well as ‘Geonhwon’.

There were actors who could instantly dive into their roles when the director called “Action” and snap out of it when they heard “Cut,” but there were also those like Yiwon, who lived with their characters throughout the filming of a project. Since each style was different, it was hard to judge which was better.

Was Kang Yiwon the latter? If so, then Jewoo could understand his request.

“What exactly do you want to do?”

Leaving room for negotiation rather than outright refusal, Yiwon’s mouth curved into a gentle smile. Even just smiling seemed to soften the surrounding air. His good looks were definitely his biggest asset. When another actor had said they felt fluttery watching him, Jewoo had laughed it off, but now, seeing that smile up close, he could understand the feeling.

“Like ‘Geonhwon’ does with ‘Haeyul’, I want to do the same even when we’re not filming.”

At Yiwon’s answer, Jewoo thought for a moment before frowning.

In the drama, ‘Geonhwon’ was an incredibly devoted man. He had killed his kin to survive and become emperor, even starting a war under pressure from his subjects to marry, taking ‘Haeyul’, who was once a king, as a hostage. Yet, in love, he was pitifully pure. Once he began to show his long-held unrequited love, he had no regrets. ‘Geonhwon’s’ life existed solely for ‘Haeyul’. To send ‘Haeyul’ back to his country, ‘Geonhwon’ had to die, and even then, he thought he was unforgivable for deceiving ‘Haeyul’, vowing to watch over him from the shadows.

Because of the fantasy historical drama setting and their unique statuses, ‘Geonhwon’ could be someone who gambled everything on love, unlike anyone in the modern world. To do what ‘Geonhwon’ did in everyday life was honestly too much for Jewoo. He couldn’t even fathom what, how much, or in what way this would involve.

“You just need to go along with it. I’m not asking you to treat me the same way ‘Haeyul’ does. Just acknowledge that I’m immersed in my role and play along appropriately.”

Yiwon added an explanation, sensing Jewoo’s hesitation. When he thought about it, it wasn’t a difficult request. There were indeed actors who were kind or looked at their on-screen lovers with affection throughout the filming period to stay in character. This often led to actors from the same project actually dating after filming.

But this being a BL drama, that wouldn’t happen.

What if Kang Yiwon had been a woman? What if this drama wasn’t BL but a regular romance? Then there wouldn’t have been a need to make such an explicit request. Even if one seemed immersed in their role, they would just let it slide.

Was this ultimately due to prejudice against BL?

“Okay.”

Once he decided that his reluctance stemmed from prejudice, it didn’t seem like a big deal. At Jewoo’s agreement, Yiwon smiled and stood up. Then, suddenly closing the distance, Jewoo tensed up and stepped back. Ignoring this, Yiwon moved forward, matching Jewoo’s step back, and slightly bent down. With their faces too close, there was no reason to avoid it, so Jewoo stayed still as Yiwon shifted direction. His lips stopped just short of Jewoo’s ear.

“Sleep well.”

His breath brushed against Jewoo’s earlobe, making him involuntarily shrug. As Yiwon pulled back, he met Jewoo’s eyes with a smile. At this point, Jewoo was starting to get confused whether Yiwon was acting as ‘Geonhwon’ or just playing around.

“You sleep well too. Don’t stay up playing games and be late tomorrow morning.”

Adding an unnecessary piece of advice, Yiwon nodded with a quiet smile.

Jewoo didn’t look back once as he left Yiwon’s room and walked to his own. The hotel hallway was empty due to the late hour, and Yiwon didn’t follow, but Jewoo hurried back to his room as if chased by something.

Once inside, he closed the door and pressed his hand to his chest. He felt an inexplicable discomfort around his heart. Images of Kang Yiwon smiling with his eyes crinkled kept flashing before him.

This… Before any simulated romance or whatever, my heart might not survive.

He hadn’t known that Kang Yiwon could smile so beautifully. To have to see that not just during acting but in daily life… He should have refused. Regret came too late; the water had already been spilled.