LS Ch 34

With his mouth shut and eyes lowered, Choi Jiyoo also just watched him silently.

“Listen.”

After a long silence, she spoke first.

“If you’re really that confused, why not try running away?”

At her suggestion, Jewoo looked up at her.

“Running away?”

He was puzzled by what she meant by running away, and she smiled gently.

“Kang Yiwon would be shocked to hear this, but I’m on your side, after all.”

She leaned in closer to Jewoo, though it didn’t mean much with the table between them.

“Block him. And escape.”

“Huh?”

Her straightforward suggestion was so simple that he had trouble understanding.

“There’s not much filming left, right? If I remember correctly, we’re near the end.”

Jewoo nodded in affirmation. If everything went according to schedule without further issues, all filming would be done in a week.

“It’s perfect timing. Once filming is over, you won’t see each other easily anyway, so block Kang Yiwon and go on a trip for a while. Don’t answer calls from anyone related to this shoot, including me. Spend some time away, take some distance, and calmly think about whether these are your feelings or Haeyul’s. Maybe things will become clearer than they are now.”

When he asked if that’s what she meant by “escape,” Choi Jiyoo smiled brightly.

“What kind of escape are you thinking of? Just go off the grid and don’t answer calls; that’s what I mean by escaping.”

She wasn’t wrong. From his perspective, it was just taking some time, but to Kang Yiwon, it might feel like he was running away.

“Are you worried if you can do that? Because you feel sorry for Kang Yiwon?”

Jewoo felt a twinge at her observation. He was indeed thinking that.

“You seem decisive, but sometimes you’re too soft. Isn’t this the time to think about yourself rather than considering Kang Yiwon’s situation? I think you need to sort things out clearly to avoid hurting Kang Yiwon too.”

Everything she said made sense. Jewoo nodded, indicating he understood, and she stood up, telling him to think moderately and then go rest, though Jewoo only smiled silently in response.

After she left, he was alone again. Jewoo picked up his phone, opened the internet app, and searched for flights. Even if filming ended as scheduled, there could still be post-production work like when Choi Jiyoo was called back today. So, he couldn’t go too far. If something came up, he needed to be able to return quickly.

He chuckled at himself for worrying about work even at a time like this. This must be why Choi Jiyoo commented on his work ethic.

Setting aside all other thoughts, he booked a flight. As Choi Jiyoo suggested, he needed to step away from his current life. With some distance, maybe his feelings and Kang Yiwon’s would become clearer. Even if it was running away, it was time he needed right now.

🎞️✮⋆˙

From early morning, there was incessant knocking at the door. Jewoo, still not fully awake, covered himself with the blanket to block out the noise. He wished whoever it was would just leave, but the knocking didn’t stop. Now, even his phone was ringing. At least, they weren’t shouting loudly, perhaps mindful of the early hour.

“Who the heck is doing this at dawn?”

Muttering with irritation, he stretched out his arm to find his phone. He grabbed the phone from beside his pillow and sighed when he saw the name on the screen.

“Uh.”

He pressed the answer button and gave a short reply, and a long sigh came from the other end.

…Finally, you pick up.

It was Kang Yiwon.

“Don’t you sleep?”

Checking the time, it was only 6 AM.

Are you in your room? Open the door first.

A groan escaped him involuntarily. If he didn’t open the door, Yiwon would keep bothering him. Reluctantly, he got up and went to the door. As soon as he turned the handle, Yiwon pushed his way in.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

The question came as soon as they saw each other, and Jewoo’s head throbbed from not being fully awake. He held his forehead with one hand as he sat on the bed, with Yiwon’s gaze following him.

“So you went ahead and changed rooms without even discussing it.”

Yiwon added with a tone full of dissatisfaction.

“Yeah.”

Jewoo sighed in response.

“If I had answered, you would have argued about that. That’s why I didn’t.”

At Jewoo’s explanation, Yiwon’s face twisted in frustration.

“It’s only natural since you made decisions without consulting me.”

“I discussed it with you. You just didn’t accept it.”

When Jewoo firmly stated that he had already suggested returning the room to its original state first, Yiwon pressed his lips into a thin line.

“That wasn’t a discussion. That was a notification.”

“Notification or not. We never needed to keep sharing a room in the first place.”

“If it was just about sharing a room, we could’ve just used separate bedrooms.”

“There’s no need to spend a lot of money on a suite.”

“It’s not about the money!”

Yiwon snapped. Jewoo took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling noticeably. Of course. That excuse was never going to work. After all, it wasn’t like he was paying for the hotel out of his own pocket, so pretending to care about the cost didn’t make any sense.

“I’ll be honest.”

There was only so much he could evade. It seemed better to just lay it all out and try to convince Yiwon.

“I want to put some distance between us.”

At Jewoo’s words, Yiwon’s expression froze.

“All of a sudden? Why?”

“Because I’m confused.”

After agonizing over it all day yesterday, his mind felt clearer now. Since he had already made up his mind, there was no hesitation. But Yiwon, who had received this abrupt declaration without warning, was caught off guard.

“This thing between us… I started wondering if it’s really right.”

“Hah!”

Yiwon let out a sharp breath and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Of course, he’d find it ridiculous. Jewoo understood how he felt. He knew how one-sided his words sounded.

“Do you like me?”

He didn’t beat around the bush. There was no need to. He already had a good idea of what the answer would be. Yiwon had been openly expressing his feelings for a while now.

“I do.”

As expected, the response came without hesitation.

“Are you sure that’s really your own feeling?”

At Jewoo’s question, Yiwon tilted his head slightly, as if wondering what he meant.

“Not ‘Geonhwon’s’ feelings?”

“No!”

The firm denial made Jewoo smile bitterly. At least Kang Yiwon had more clarity than he did.

“I’m confused.”

Yiwon’s eyes widened at Jewoo’s response.

“The fact that I’m drawn to you, that things progressed so easily between us—I don’t know if that was really my own will, or if I was just influenced by ‘Haeyul’s’ emotions.”

Hah! Yiwon’s exasperated sigh was even louder this time. His face clearly showed just how baffled he was.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to be so affected by my role either, and it’s throwing me off.”

“So, you’re saying that everything between us so far was just you getting swept up in ‘Haeyul’s’ emotions?”

“…….”

Jewoo couldn’t say no. But admitting it outright felt just as uncertain. He truly didn’t know. That was what confused him the most.

“I just need some time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time to sort things out for myself.”

“Sort out what, exactly?!”

Yiwon was getting angrier than expected.

“Did you seriously plan to end everything once filming was over?”

Jewoo shut his mouth again. He had assumed they would stay friends, but he hadn’t thought their relationship would continue beyond that. At the very least, whatever this thing they had right now—something that felt like dating—he figured it would naturally fade away when the filming ended.

“Ha, so that’s really what you were thinking.”

Yiwon’s face twisted. He looked hurt, maybe even shocked, but Jewoo couldn’t bring himself to offer any words of comfort. He knew he was being cruel, but if he let things drag on and later realized he had been mistaken, they would both end up more hurt in the end.

“You should think about it, too. Whether your feelings are really yours.”

“Don’t project your confusion onto me.”

Yiwon’s voice dropped to a low, serious tone.

“Instead of just getting mad, think about it rationally. You wouldn’t want me to stay confused and just go along with things, would you?”

“The fact that you’re even confused is shocking enough that I don’t know what to say.”

Still, Yiwon took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down. He turned his head, grimaced, then took another deep breath before finally looking back at Jewoo.

“What if it turns out you’re not confused?”

“…….”

“What if, even after thinking it through, you realize you feel the same way as I do? Will you stop running away then? No excuses about us being the same gender, or being too busy—will you face it properly?”

Jewoo met Yiwon’s gaze and couldn’t even blink. His mouth felt dry under the sheer intensity of Yiwon’s stare, and he had to resist the urge to swallow.

“Answer me.”

“……I will.”

“If that’s the case, then I won’t hold back either.”

Jewoo wasn’t sure what Yiwon meant by that, but a chill ran down his spine.

“Until I figure things out, you need to wait patiently. Don’t push me.”

Yiwon frowned, clearly displeased by the demand. But in the end, he nodded. That alone gave Jewoo a moment of relief.