LS Ch 20

Though several years had passed, to Yiwon, it felt like it happened just yesterday.

“How dare you forget all about it.”

Mumbling to himself, the hand that had been stroking Jewoo’s hair moved towards his face. He wanted to pinch his cheek but didn’t want to wake him, so he stopped just before touching it. Feeling reluctant to pull back, he gently touched Jewoo’s earlobe.

“Mmm…” Jewoo stirred a bit but didn’t wake up. Confirming it was okay, Yiwon’s touch became a little bolder, using his thumb and index finger to caress the earlobe. Jewoo turned his head as if annoyed and buried his face into Yiwon’s hand. Now, Jewoo’s cheek filled Yiwon’s palm.

The warmth felt through his palm brought a soft smile to Yiwon’s lips.

Maybe even more than he expected… it’s not bad at all.

Though he held the script in his other hand, Yiwon’s eyes were fixed on Jewoo’s face, unable to move.

🎞️✮⋆˙

“What, where’s your partner?”

Sihyeon, arriving at the set an hour later than usual, asked while looking around. Jewoo just shrugged.

“Yiwon isn’t filming today.”

“Another schedule? When is he coming back?”

“In three days.”

“Three days? What’s he doing?”

“He went to Paris for a luxury brand ambassador ad shoot.”

“That’s like another world.”

Sihyeon marveled at the news which didn’t relate to them.

“But how do you know so much?”

Although Sihyeon had asked Jewoo about Yiwon’s absence, she didn’t expect such a detailed answer. It was intriguing that he knew more than she anticipated.

“He was chattering away on the messenger? He even sent photos. Look.”

Jewoo showed her the photos Yiwon had sent on his messenger. They weren’t just casual shots but nicely composed ones.

“Would he normally send photos like this?”

“Because he’s Kang Yiwon.”

To Jewoo’s confusion, Sihyeon seriously answered that it was because he was Kang Yiwon. Though his antics on set made him seem like a big, playful dog, outside of that, it would be weirder if Kang Yiwon didn’t look perfect. Whatever he did, it was like he was in a photoshoot; that was Kang Yiwon.

“He should send these to a girl.”

Sihyeon scoffed at Jewoo’s grumbling about what use he had for such posed photos.

“He doesn’t even send them. I’ve added him as a friend, but we’ve never even exchanged a greeting.”

“Really?”

That was unexpected. Whenever he was not at the set due to overlapping schedules or other commitments, Jewoo would get messages from Yiwon to the point of annoyance.

“He doesn’t talk much in our group chat either. Didn’t you notice?”

Thinking about it, Sihyeon was right. Since Jewoo received frequent personal messages from him, he hadn’t realized Kang Yiwon was quiet.

“Even on set, he only talks when you’re around; otherwise, he’s quiet.”

Was that so? Jewoo wasn’t too sure about that. Yiwon often played pranks on him, and recently, there had been some physical contact that occasionally made him tense up.

“Is Yejun there?”

“Over there. They’re practicing for the next battle scene.”

Jewoo pointed to where Yejun was sparring with other martial arts actors to coordinate their movements. They practiced repeatedly because even a small mistake with the swords could lead to injury.

“We’re finishing early today.”

Sihyeon mumbled after checking the filming schedule.

“Because there are no ‘Geonhwon’ scenes. But I have filming all day today.”

With Yiwon gone, Jewoo had more scenes to shoot. They decided to film all the scenes originally scheduled for later that day.

“So you’re already down?”

At Sihyeon’s comment, Jewoo looked at her with just his eyes.

“Do I look down?”

“Not really? But your energy seems lower than usual.”

“Does it?”

He hadn’t noticed until Sihyeon pointed it out. He thought he was acting as usual, but where was the difference in energy coming from?

“Change your expression first. Why, missing your boyfriend?”

Sihyeon teased with a mischievous laugh.

“Maybe.”

His calm response made her pause. Jewoo’s reaction was different from what she expected.

“Really missing him?”

“Kind of. Even though people who are always there might not notice, I feel it. There’s something missing without that guy following me around.”

When Jewoo admitted it so straightforwardly, Sihyeon exclaimed, “Wow.”

“What about yesterday? I wasn’t at the set yesterday.”

“Ah…”

Jewoo let out a low groan and turned his head.

“What’s with that reaction? Did you not even notice I wasn’t here yesterday?”

“Ha ha ha…”

He tried to escape the situation with an awkward laugh, but Sihyeon quickly wrapped her arm around his neck, holding him back.

“Hey, my neck! You’re choking me!”

It didn’t hurt, but he exaggeratedly squirmed.

“You’ve known Kang Yiwon for such a short time, and you’re taking better care of him than me, with whom you’ve been through thick and thin for years? Wow, that’s too much.”

Sihyeon was making a fuss, pretending to be upset.

“You buy dinner. Then I’ll let it go.”

“Dinner?”

“If we finish early, let’s go out for something delicious. I crave meat, meat.”

Sihyeon, who had been eating at the hotel restaurant for a while, was tired of it and insisted they should go out to the city today. Jewoo agreed to pay, and only then did he escape from her grip.

“Kang Yiwon, you…”

He called out Yiwon’s name thoughtlessly and then paused. He had just explained to Sihyeon that Yiwon wasn’t at the set, yet he had forgotten it so quickly. It was because having Kang Yiwon by his side had become so familiar that his name came out first when suggesting going out to eat.

Habits are really scary.

He was worried that by the end of this drama’s filming, he’d naturally be seeking out Kang Yiwon.

“Are you taking Yejun too?”

“Yeah. Ask Jiyoo to come with us.”

Even as he took care of inviting the other actors, the absence of Kang Yiwon felt strangely empty. Not all actors were always on set, but his absence was particularly noticeable.

🎞️✮⋆˙

Is filming done for today?

Just as they arrived at the restaurant, a message came from Yiwon.

Yeah. We finished earlier than expected, so we’re out for dinner.

With who?

The usual crew.

Who’s that?

When asked, he listed the names of Sihyeon, Yejun, Jiyoo, and a few other actors.

I’m the only one missing.

His reply seemed like a pout, making Jewoo smirk.

Next time you can join too.

He responded that there would be another chance to eat together before filming ends, but even after the message was seen, there was no reply for a while.

“What are you doing?”

Jiyoo, sitting next to him, looked at him suspiciously as he was only staring at his phone.

“Kang Yiwon. He messaged me.”

“What did he say?”

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she leaned closer to Jewoo. Although she didn’t peek at the screen, she was eager to know what they were talking about.

“Just checking if filming was over.”

“But you’ve been talking for so long?”

The actual conversation wasn’t much, but it looked like he was staring at his phone for a long time from an onlooker’s perspective.

“Really, that’s all…”

He was about to show her the messages to prove there was nothing significant, but then his phone vibrated with another incoming message.

Not with everyone, just the two of us. I want to go out with you.

After reading the message, Jewoo quickly stuffed his phone back into his pocket, regretting hiding it. If he had just shown it, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but now his actions made it look even more suspicious.

“What’s that?”

As expected, Jiyoo teased him about looking suspicious.

“Hiding it makes it seem even weirder. That’s from Kang Yiwon, right? Why? He misses you?”

At her playful tone, he shook his head, saying it wasn’t like that, but his phone vibrated again in his pocket. Even though he wanted to ignore it, Jiyoo noticed the vibration.

“I won’t look. Check it.”

With her mischievous smile and turning her head away, he had no choice but to check. Pulling out his phone, he saw another message from Yiwon.

I miss you even after just one day. Don’t you miss me?

Choi Jiyoo must have been preparing to sit back and enjoy this. Just as she spoke, a message saying he missed him came through, making him flustered. As he pondered what to reply, another message came in.

Send me a photo at least.

What kind of photo was he asking for?

I sent a lot earlier.

That message made him smirk. He didn’t have any photos where he posed like Kang Yiwon.

“Everyone, look here.”

He turned on the camera of his phone and held it up, and everyone turned to him, making V-signs and posing for the photo. He sent the group photo to Yiwon and waited for a response.

What’s this? Can’t even see your face properly.

Jewoo was in the front, so his face should have been visible, but the photo was a bit blurry due to the shaking.

I’ll let it slide today. Eat a lot. Just don’t overeat.

Fortunately, Yiwon didn’t push for another photo. Jewoo smiled slightly as he replied, telling him to finish his work well, and then put his phone down. He thought about sending another photo when he got back to the hotel but didn’t mention it.