LS Ch 5

Even in portraying emotions between men and women, there was a subtle awkwardness to his acting; could he really capture the feelings between two men? Even as Kang Yiwon’s manager, Doyoon couldn’t guarantee that. That’s why he had tried to dissuade him, but oddly, Yiwon was insistent on doing this particular project.

“Could it be that…”

Doyoon started to say something but decided against it, frowning and closing his mouth.

“Why? What were you about to say?”

Yiwon pressed, curious.

“Do you by any chance like men?”

“That’s really out of the blue.”

It was an absurd suggestion, judging by Yiwon’s reaction.

“I was just thinking it’s strange. You’re at the age where you should be interested in romance.”

“If I recall correctly, I never had the time for romance.”

“Even when you’re on shows with female celebrities, you keep your distance noticeably.”

In reality, when Yiwon appeared on variety shows with female celebrities around his age, he would deliberately stand far away or not even look at them.

“The CEO told me not to get involved with anyone.”

The CEO had made it very clear at the time of debut: no dating during group activities, with threats of penalties for any breaches. However, while this was strictly enforced at the beginning, after a few years, those who wanted to date found ways to do so discreetly. Moreover, being friendly with female celebrities during filming was generally accepted among fans without much comment. Being too distant would fuel rumors of bad blood or other speculations.

“Isn’t it better not to give them any excuse for rumors to start?”

Even so, Kang Yiwon was unique. He kept such a thorough distance from women that the company didn’t need to worry, but among fans, there were whispers that he might not be interested in women at all. This led to the strange situation where he was paired with Han Jewoo in styling a few times, leading to rumors of them being a ‘couple item.’

From Han Jewoo’s perspective, being labeled as a ‘couple item’ just because they matched styles a few times must have felt like an out-of-the-blue accusation. Doyoon hoped Jewoo hadn’t seen those comments.

“Was it because of those comments that you insisted on this project with Han Jewoo?”

“If I was worried about comments, wouldn’t I have avoided it even more?”

That was true. Actually, Doyoon was concerned not only about the BL genre but also because Han Jewoo was mentioned as the co-star, thinking it would be better for Yiwon not to do this project.

“You said it’s better not to give any excuse.”

Once the drama was released, it would only fuel more baseless suspicions and fantasies among fans. Yiwon must have known this, yet his actions seemed contradictory.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Yiwon trailed off, suggesting there might be another reason but one he didn’t want to discuss at the moment. Since Yiwon wasn’t the type to cause unnecessary trouble and was diligent in whatever he took on, whether modeling or acting, Doyoon didn’t feel the need to nag further.

“I still wonder if this is the right choice.”

At Doyoon’s sigh-laced comment, Yiwon chuckled and leaned back deeply into his seat.

‘Why did you have to choose that one? What were you lacking? You could have been filming another drama during that time. Even if people’s perceptions have changed, the market share is different. What are you going to do with a BL drama?’

The agency CEO had immediately opposed it, even getting angry at Doyoon for bringing that script to Yiwon. But because Yiwon was so insistent, he ended up participating. If it flopped, both Yiwon and Doyoon would be in hot water.

“Let go of any regrets since we’ve already started.”

Whether or not he knew Doyoon’s inner thoughts, Yiwon answered easily.

“Do you have some kind of assurance that it will go well?”

At Doyoon’s question, Yiwon laughed as if to say it was an absurd suggestion.

“There’s no such thing.”

“I really can’t figure you out.”

Although he never fully understood Kang Yiwon, this time he genuinely couldn’t comprehend why he wanted to participate in this project.

Regardless of whether it made sense or not, filming had already started, so now they could only hope it would end safely and be a success.

🎞️✮⋆˙

When they arrived at the poster shoot location, Kang Yiwon was already there. Jewoo greeted the director and the crew, then approached Kang Yiwon to speak first.

“You got here early.”

Jewoo himself had arrived about ten minutes before the scheduled time.

“I came from nearby.”

That was his entire response. The conversation didn’t continue, leading to an awkward silence.

“Why are you two like that? Try to get a bit closer. You’ll be filming together for a while. Jewoo, why don’t you start talking first?”

One of the staff members commented, having noticed how distant they seemed.

Even when he tried to talk, he only got short replies; how could a conversation proceed?

Jewoo swallowed his desire to complain and smiled brightly.

“Can I talk casually?”

“Go ahead.”

“Then you can call me ‘hyung’ too.”

After checking, Jewoo found out that Kang Yiwon was three years younger than him.

“Ah…”

Instead of answering, Yiwon made a subtle expression. Jewoo wondered if he had offended him by suggesting they use informal speech so abruptly, making it hard to continue the conversation.

“I didn’t know you were the older one.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t look it.”

So, was he saying Jewoo looked young?

“Is that a compliment?”

“Well…”

It was an ambiguous response.

“We’ll start with the makeup for both of you. Please come over here.”

Just then, a staff member came and told them to follow. They put on wigs, received makeup and hairstyling, and changed into costumes. Jewoo had appeared in historical dramas before, so he was used to long hair, hanbok, and the different vibe it brought compared to modern dramas.

“Should we do a half-up hairstyle with this length? Do you like it? There will be days when we tie it all up depending on the scene.”

The long hair was a bit warm around his neck. Given that the shooting would stretch from late spring into summer, tying it up might be the better option, but for ‘Haeyul,’ who was a hostage in an enemy country, loose hair seemed more fitting.

“I think this is fine as it is.”

When Jewoo smiled in agreement, the staff member seemed relieved and smiled back.

“The clothes were made to fit Jewoo, but they look even better on you than expected.”

Jewoo’s outfit was predominantly white with blue embroidery on the belt and shoulders. Subtle wave patterns were also woven into the white silk.

Pure, clean, and noble.

The clothes seemed to embody the words used to describe ‘Haeyul’.

“Wow.”

Hearing an exclamation from one side, Jewoo turned to see Kang Yiwon, fully dressed, coming out of the opposite dressing room, surrounded by staff. In contrast to Jewoo, his outfit was based on black. His hair was tied in a topknot with a small crown, and a dragon was embroidered with gold thread on his clothes.

He had captured the aura of ‘Geonhwon,’ especially the ruthless emperor who took ‘Haeyul’ as a hostage, as described in the script. His tall, sturdy build made the black dragon robe look particularly good on him. Now Jewoo understood why the staff were cheering upon seeing him. Jewoo, too, couldn’t help but be genuinely impressed and couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Their eyes met when Jewoo, staring blankly, felt Kang Yiwon’s gaze. Since their eyes had already met, avoiding it would seem silly, so Jewoo just smiled, but there was no change in Kang Yiwon’s expression.

“Should we start with individual shots or together?”

Feeling awkward, Jewoo asked the staff member in front.

“We were told to shoot together first. We’ll take a few shots, then follow the director’s instructions.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Jewoo felt Kang Yiwon’s gaze still on him. Looking over, he saw Kang Yiwon still staring at him in the same way their eyes had met earlier.

Was there something wrong? Feeling self-conscious, Jewoo looked at his clothes once more and adjusted them.

“Kang Yiwon, Han Jewoo, if you’re ready, please come this way.”

Even as they entered the set at the director’s call, Kang Yiwon’s gaze followed him.

“Is there something strange about me?”

Finally asking him directly, Kang Yiwon only then made a short “ah” sound and turned his head.

What was that, so anticlimactic.

“Can you two please stand facing each other?”

At the director’s request, they stood facing each other, and whether they liked it or not, their eyes met again. Kang Yiwon’s eyes subtly moved, scanning Jewoo from head to toe.

“Look into each other’s eyes.”

Following the director’s words, Yiwon’s eyes locked onto Jewoo’s face. Jewoo, looking back at him, swallowed hard.

His gaze was so intense it felt like it could burn a hole through Jewoo’s face. Did this guy always stare at people this hard? Yesterday, during the script reading, sitting next to each other, it hadn’t felt this intense.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“How am I looking at you?”

Even while asking this, Kang Yiwon’s gaze didn’t waver.

Like he could eat someone alive.

Jewoo couldn’t bring himself to answer honestly, so he just took a few short, sharp breaths. No matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t something one man should say to another, even if he was playing his lover in the drama.