LS Ch 15

“Why did you come, hyung?”

Even though Jiho was his manager, he usually didn’t visit Jewoo after work unless it was necessary. Since Jewoo wasn’t the type to sneak out and cause trouble, Jiho generally left him alone to rest.

“That.”

Instead of answering, Jiho pointed to the supplements and vitamins he had placed on the table.

“You seemed especially worn out today. Make sure to take these before bed.”

“It’s not that bad. But thanks anyway.”

Once Jewoo finished getting dressed and thanked him, Jiho stood up, saying he should head out now.

“Should I let Kang Yiwon in?”

Jiho stood by the door and asked, just in case.

“What, are you going to tell him to leave after he came all this way?”

Jewoo’s response made it clear it was a pointless question. Jiho nodded, opened the door to let Yiwon in, and then left.

“You’re here?”

Jewoo asked casually, looking at Yiwon, who was awkwardly standing by the door. As he had mentioned to Jiho earlier, Yiwon had been visiting Jewoo’s room occasionally since the day he had suggested they date. Most of the time, there was no particular reason. Sometimes he’d come over saying he couldn’t sleep and wanted to watch a movie, or he’d suddenly suggest playing games. The more he acted like that, the more Jewoo saw him as a younger brother.

“Why are you just standing there? The ceiling isn’t going to collapse.”

When Jewoo told him to come in and sit down, Yiwon finally entered and perched on the edge of the bed.

“Did you shower?”

He asked, even though it was obvious. Jewoo didn’t feel the need to answer and just shook his hair with the towel.

“It’s late.”

It was later than usual because Jewoo had taken his time after returning to the hotel. Still, it wasn’t like Yiwon, who had just gotten back to the hotel, had any right to comment.

“Did filming run late?”

“No. I’ve been back at the hotel for a while.”

“Then why are you only coming now…?”

Yiwon’s brow furrowed as if he were deep in thought. Jewoo ignored him, put down the towel he’d been using to dry his hair, and grabbed a hairdryer, sitting in front of the mirror. Even though it was a hassle, he figured it was better to dry his hair now so it wouldn’t be a mess in the morning.

“Give it to me.”

Before Jewoo could react, Yiwon, who had somehow appeared right behind him, snatched the hairdryer from his hand. If Yiwon wanted to dry his hair, Jewoo didn’t see a reason to refuse, so he just sat still and watched Yiwon’s reflection in the mirror. When Yiwon turned on the hairdryer, warm air blew through Jewoo’s hair.

It was clear Yiwon had never dried someone else’s hair before—his hands were clumsy and awkward. Jewoo wasn’t even sure if his hair was being properly dried.

“Give it to me. I’ll do it myself.”

Jewoo reached out to take the hairdryer back, thinking it would take forever if he left it to Yiwon, but Yiwon dodged his hand. It seemed like unnecessary stubbornness, but Jewoo was too tired to argue and just let it be.

“Are you close with your manager?”

Yiwon suddenly asked.

“Of course.”

Jewoo’s answer was matter-of-fact, but Yiwon’s hand stopped moving. The hairdryer was blowing hot air in one spot, so Jewoo tilted his head to the side. Yiwon seemed to realize his mistake and quickly moved the hairdryer again.

“How close are you?”

The question felt odd, so Jewoo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at Yiwon’s reflection in the mirror. Yiwon was staring down at Jewoo’s hair, avoiding eye contact.

“Are you closer with him than with me?”

When Jewoo didn’t answer immediately, Yiwon asked again.

“Yeah.”

Jewoo’s straightforward answer made Yiwon’s hand freeze again. This time, Jewoo turned around and took the hairdryer from Yiwon’s hand, turning it off. The loud noise had been distracting, and Yiwon’s sullen expression at the mention of the manager was starting to bother him.

“Of course I’m closer with him than with you.”

Jewoo didn’t see any reason not to answer. He had known Kang Yiwon for less than a month. Compared to his cousin, whom he had known his entire life, the answer was obvious. But Yiwon’s face fell like a dejected puppy.

Why is he making that face? I really don’t get it.

For some reason, seeing Yiwon so downcast made Jewoo feel uneasy too.

“Shouldn’t you be closer with me than with your manager?”

Yiwon muttered, still not looking directly at Jewoo.

“Why should I be closer with you?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jewoo wondered if they sounded too harsh. Normally, he would have softened his response, but for some reason, his words came out blunt today.

“Your manager is just a professional relationship, right? I’m…”

“You’re what?”

Jewoo pressed, catching the trailing end of Yiwon’s sentence. Yiwon looked up and met Jewoo’s gaze. He seemed to hesitate, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“Aren’t we kind of dating right now?”

The question made Jewoo almost sigh out loud. At this point, he was genuinely curious about how Yiwon’s mind worked.

*Wasn’t this whole dating thing just pretend? Don’t you have someone else you’re actually dating?*

He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and forced a soft smile instead.

“I saw the video.”

He asked casually, as if it were no big deal, in the same tone he’d use to joke with a colleague about a scandal.

“The video…”

Yiwon frowned, clearly understanding what Jewoo was referring to.

“That’s why I was late today.”

Yiwon added that if it weren’t for that incident, he would’ve arrived two hours earlier. Jewoo silently listened, thinking that whether he came two hours earlier or not didn’t make much difference since it was already late for filming anyway.

“There’s nothing going on between me and Kim Arin. My manager was there, and so were the stylist and a few other people.”

For some reason, Yiwon desperately explained and defended himself. He said they had run into Kim Arin’s team after finishing a magazine interview. Since they were from the same agency, the staff naturally suggested they eat together, and that was all—they had a meal at a nearby restaurant and then went their separate ways.

Well, that was more or less what Jewoo had expected.

“I guess you two sat next to each other while eating. The photo they took made it look like it was just the two of you.”

Even if the two teams had eaten together, did they really have to sit side by side? Usually, people would avoid such situations to prevent exactly this kind of scandal.

“That was because Kim Arin moved seats…”

“Oh, really?”

“It was only for a moment. She got up in less than five minutes.”

Yiwon desperately defended himself. As Jewoo listened, he wondered why he was even hearing this explanation. Kang Yiwon didn’t need to justify himself so thoroughly. But why was Jewoo interrogating him like this?

He shook his head, unsure of when the atmosphere had turned so awkward, and took a deep breath.

“Okay. That’s enough. No need to explain further.”

At the end of the day, Kang Yiwon’s personal life was his own. Even though they were filming together, it wasn’t Jewoo’s place to judge.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. But if you’re going to date anyone, keep it a secret for now. At least until a month or two after the drama airs. This is a romance-based drama, after all. If viewers find out you have a girlfriend, they won’t be able to immerse themselves in the story.”

The truth was, Jewoo wasn’t feeling great about the situation. He wanted to frame his discomfort as concern for the drama.

“……”

Yiwon stared at Jewoo with a stiff expression, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was hard to tell if he understood Jewoo’s words or if he had other grievances.

“I’m not going to date anyone other than Han Jewoo.”

The blunt answer caught Jewoo off guard. He had no idea how his name had even come up in this conversation.

“Got it. I’ll be careful too until the drama finishes filming.”

Jewoo already knew how seriously Kang Yiwon took this drama. He assumed this was an extension of that. But for some reason, Yiwon’s frown deepened, as if he wasn’t satisfied with Jewoo’s response.

“What about your manager?”

Jewoo was baffled as to why the manager kept coming up. He couldn’t understand why Yiwon kept bringing him up.

“You said you’d be careful. Then don’t go around half-naked in front of your manager either.”

The blatant demand made Jewoo groan inwardly.

*Is this kid seriously jealous of Jiho hyung?*

He was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t speak. First of all, Jiho was someone who could never be a romantic interest, and more importantly, he was the same gender. Jewoo wasn’t gay, so why would he… Oh, right. Yiwon was a guy too.

For some reason, Jewoo felt a strange confusion about his own sexual identity. This was definitely a problem caused by filming a BL drama.

*It’s all Han Jiho’s fault. Why did he push me into this drama?*

He swallowed a sigh and spoke up.

“Do you know Jiho hyung is my cousin?”

At the word “cousin,” Yiwon blinked in confusion.

“My cousin. Manager hyung. Even if he were a woman, he wouldn’t be a potential romantic interest. Wait, why are you even bringing up men as potential romantic interests for me?”

Finally realizing the situation, Yiwon grimaced and covered his face with one hand, seemingly embarrassed.

“I’m a guy too.”

He muttered in response. So, because Kang Yiwon was a guy and Jewoo had gone along with this pseudo-romance, Yiwon seemed to think that Jewoo could consider men as potential romantic interests.

“You’re ‘Geonhwon.’”

If it weren’t for the role, Jewoo would never have entertained this nonsense about a pseudo-romance.