LS Ch 23

Jewoo, dragging his suitcase into the suite, let out a soft exclamation. Since they had to find the closest hotel to the filming location, which was in a rural area, somewhat distant from the city, the hotel itself wasn’t luxurious. However, the suite was indeed a suite, significantly larger than other rooms, with a nice view to boot.

“Feels like we hit the jackpot.”

“There’s even a bathtub here.”

Yiwon said after checking out the bathroom.

“Really? But why is it so big?”

Following Yiwon’s words, Jewoo went to see the bathroom, and there was indeed a large bathtub. It wasn’t the kind you’d find in a regular home but a spacious one where two or three people could fit.

“You could take a half-bath in there.”

“It would take forever to fill with water, though. You’d get tired just waiting for it to fill up.”

Jewoo responded casually and turned back. He pushed his suitcase to one side of the living room and slumped onto the sofa. With the expansive windows, the view of the mountains would be spectacular during the day.

“The view is nice.”

As he admired it, Yiwon approached and looked out the window.

“This?”

He asked with a puzzled look. In fact, it was pitch black outside at night, so there was nothing to see.

“Use your imagination. Or look at it tomorrow morning. Will we see the sunrise in the morning?”

Jewoo answered offhandedly, and Yiwon chuckled, seemingly amused.

“You won’t see it. It’s south-facing; there’s no way you’d see the sunrise.”

“Is that so?”

Jewoo had never even considered which direction the hotel faced. He found it surprising that Yiwon knew this.

“Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

Even though they had removed their makeup, they were sweaty from filming all day and needed a proper wash.

“Is there only one bathroom? Then you go first. I’ll sort out my stuff while you do.”

Although it was a better suite than other rooms, it wasn’t a luxurious five-star hotel. Unfortunately, there was only one bathroom.

“Alright, then.”

At Yiwon’s concession, Jewoo stood up.

“Choose whichever room you like.”

Scanning briefly, there were indeed two bedrooms as the director had said, each with a large bed. Since they were just sleeping, the structure or view of the room didn’t matter as long as there was a good bed. He told Yiwon to choose his preferred room first to unpack and then went into the bathroom.

Seeing the bathtub, he had the impulse to fill it with hot water and soak, but that would take too long, making Yiwon wait. Maybe he could use the bathtub on a day when filming ended early. Putting aside his longing for a half-bath, he undressed and stepped under the shower.

Yiwon, left in the living room, sighed softly as he heard the sound of water from the bathroom.

“Han Jewoo, it doesn’t look like he brought any clothes in with him.”

Since he went in just with his body, he probably didn’t even bring underwear. The evidence was Jewoo’s suitcase neatly placed in front of him.

He won’t come out completely naked, will he?

He was starting to worry that this might actually happen. Given that Jewoo used to walk around with just a towel in front of his manager without any hesitation, there was a high chance he’d do the same today.

No, am I like my cousin?

He thought he should be more careful in front of someone who wasn’t his cousin but then shook his head, thinking better of it. To Jewoo, he was just another guy, so there was no need for caution.

It’s not caution I want; it’s awareness.

If Jewoo came out undressed without a care, it would truly mean he didn’t see him as a romantic prospect, which bothered him. After all, he had suggested they date.

He briefly considered rummaging through Jewoo’s suitcase to bring him some underwear and clothes but then chuckled to himself. If Jewoo wasn’t aware, perhaps he should play along and pretend not to notice. There was no need to refuse if he was going to show off.

He dragged his suitcase into the bedroom closer to the living room, and the bed was indeed very large. The bed in his previous room was queen-sized, but this one seemed king-sized.

This could even be big enough for two people to sleep together.

He chuckled at the thought that crossed his mind. What kind of expression would Han Jewoo make if he suggested they sleep in the same room? Would he dismiss it casually, or would he show some awareness and become stiff? He thought he was quite actively pursuing Jewoo, but Jewoo’s reactions were always subtle. Sometimes it seemed like he was aware and on guard, but then he would act as if nothing was happening.

He knew that Jewoo easily agreed to date because he took it as an extension of acting. Of course, he had used acting as an excuse at the beginning, but that wasn’t the only reason…

Unexpectedly sharing a room might just be an opportunity.

“Shall I push a little harder?”

He murmured to himself quietly while looking towards the bathroom. For now, he was looking forward to how Jewoo would come out of that bathroom.

🎞️✮⋆˙

“Oh, I messed up.”

After finishing his shower and drying off with a towel, Jewoo realized he hadn’t brought any clothes to change into. He had never brought clothes with him when going to shower; he lived alone at home and always had his own room during hotel stays while filming. Since no one would see him, he didn’t feel the need to bring underwear.

He looked at his clothes hanging on the towel rack, wondering if he should put them back on. During the shoot, he changed outfits so often that they were still clean enough not to need changing. But not the underwear. He didn’t want to put on underwear that was already sweaty after cleaning himself up.

Should he go out just wearing pants, without underwear? No, that would be too much hassle since he’d have to take the pants off again to put on underwear. Maybe he could quickly drag his suitcase into the bedroom if Yiwon wasn’t in the living room. Fortunately, there was a large towel he could wrap around his waist to cover himself from below.

He hoped Yiwon wouldn’t be in the living room, but then he thought it was silly. So what if he was there? What if he saw him? After all, they were of the same gender, like going to a public bathhouse together. He was overthinking it. If it had been Sihyeon or Yejun, he wouldn’t have worried and just gone out.

His mind was jumping around, wasting time. Standing alone in the bathroom, he started to feel the reality of the situation. Whatever it was, it seemed better to just face it head-on.

Click. 

The sound of the bathroom door opening made him tense for no reason. Through the open crack, he saw his suitcase standing next to the sofa. If he could just grab that and rush into the bedroom…

“Did you come out? Want something to drink?”

At Yiwon’s voice, Jewoo flinched. Yiwon, sitting on the sofa, turned around and shook the bottle of water he was holding.

“No. I’ll find something to drink myself.”

First, he needed to get dressed. He swallowed those words. To get the suitcase, he had to go towards the sofa where Yiwon was sitting. And unfortunately, Yiwon was sitting right next to the suitcase.

Should he ask Yiwon to push the suitcase towards him? He hesitated because going closer felt awkward, but the words didn’t come out. He could just brush it off casually, but asking him to push the suitcase might make Yiwon think it was strange, revealing that he was conscious of him.

He licked his dry lips, moistening them with his tongue, and walked towards Yiwon. When he was with Jiho, he never worried about a towel falling off or walked around half-naked without a care. But now, even with a larger towel than usual, he was tense, worried that it might loosen around his waist. Still, he tried to look calm as he walked to the suitcase.

“Aren’t you going to shower?”

He decided to speak as he normally would, rather than just grab the suitcase and leave, which might seem odd.

“I should.”

Yiwon answered as he stood up. As he turned, they faced each other directly.

It’s okay. It’s no big deal. Yiwon won’t care…

He tried to act as nonchalant as possible, but he noticed Yiwon’s gaze moving downward. It swept over Jewoo’s chest with such precision it couldn’t be dismissed as a misunderstanding, then stopped at his waist. He wanted to ask what he was looking at, but he couldn’t predict how Kang Yiwon would react if he did.

“Which room did you unpack in? I need to unpack too…”

Feeling increasingly awkward standing face-to-face, Jewoo grabbed the suitcase handle to turn away when Yiwon stepped closer. Instinctively, his body tensed. He hoped Yiwon hadn’t noticed, but since he had turned his head away, he couldn’t tell if Yiwon had seen his tension.

“Do you always come out like this after showering?”

“Huh?”

He looked up at the question, and their eyes met. Fortunately, Yiwon’s gaze was now on his face. Or maybe not so fortunately. Kang Yiwon’s eyes, devoid of any amusement, felt burdensome.

“If you keep doing this, it might be… a bit problematic.”