LS Ch 9

The next day, Jewoo woke up about 30 minutes earlier than usual and went to Yiwon’s room. He arrived at the door but hesitated. He wanted to ask if Yiwon had chosen the restaurant because of something he had said, but he also wondered if it was an unnecessary thing to do. However, if Yiwon had gone out of his way to be considerate, he should thank him and apologize for thoughtlessly dragging others along.

After dinner the previous night, Yiwon hadn’t said much. He didn’t show that he was upset, but there was something off about him; he seemed to smile less than usual. With these thoughts, Jewoo couldn’t ignore his concerns.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Thinking Yiwon might not have heard, he knocked several more times but still no response. Could he have gone to the wrong room? He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Jiho.

Is Kang Yiwon in room 810?

ㅇㅇ (Yep)

With only two circles in response, he let out a chuckle and knocked on the door again. He waited, thinking Yiwon might still be asleep, but there was no reply even after a long wait.

According to the shooting schedule, there was no early morning shoot… Could he have something else to do?

Ultimately, he had to give up and turn back. Unlike Yiwon, Jewoo had a scene to shoot first thing in the morning, so he needed to head to the set soon.

“You’re down early?”

Jiho, waiting in the lobby, checked his watch and spoke.

“I couldn’t meet him. He wasn’t in his room.”

“Really? Where did he go so early in the morning?”

Jewoo was curious himself. He had gone to Yiwon’s room to ask because he thought it might be awkward to ask at the filming location, but he couldn’t meet him. After getting into the car to head to the set, he sent a message to Yiwon asking where he was, adding that he had gone to his room but found no one there.

I went out for some fresh air. Is something up?

Jewoo typed ‘You yesterday’ but then deleted it. It wasn’t an urgent matter, and he felt the atmosphere might become strange if he asked through messages. It would be better to mention it casually when they met later.

No, just missed you.

He sent it off mixed with a bit of humor, then wondered if it was weird. He stared at the message he had sent for a while, frowning. What else could be strange about it? When he made similar playful remarks to other friends, he usually got replies like “Stop talking nonsense” or “Are you crazy?”

But there was no reply from Kang Yiwon. The message was clearly read, but there was no response, which made Jewoo even more anxious.

Could it be that this guy doesn’t get humor? What if he took it the wrong way?

Since they were shooting a BL drama, he thought Yiwon might interpret it in that context, which made him regret his actions.

As he was contemplating sending another message to clarify it was a joke, his phone chimed with a new message from Yiwon.

Just wait a little if you miss me. I’ll be there soon.

“Ha!”

Jewoo burst into a hollow laugh after reading the message. This was definitely a humorous response, right? Feeling like he had overthought it, he relaxed, the tension draining away. He read Yiwon’s message a couple more times and chuckled.

If Yiwon’s feelings weren’t hurt, that was all that mattered.

🎞️✮⋆˙

After finishing the morning’s first scene, they moved locations. While the staff were busy preparing for the next shoot, the actors who had scenes next were resting on one side.

“Hello.”

Turning around at the sound of Yiwon’s voice, Jewoo saw him approaching with something in both hands. Jewoo squinted to see what he was carrying.

“Coffee?”

There were cups full of coffee in a carrier. It looked like he was holding about eight cups in each hand. Instead of answering Jewoo’s question, Yiwon just smiled and distributed the coffee to the sitting actors. He gave one cup each to the older actors first, then handed whole carriers to the actors his age, telling them to pick whatever they wanted.

“Here.”

For Jewoo, he personally handed over a cup. As soon as he took it, the rich aroma of coffee beans wafted out.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

After thanking him, he took a sip; the smooth taste of milk touched his tongue. A caramel latte? Jewoo looked up at Yiwon, who was also choosing a cup to drink. When he received the coffee, he hadn’t paid attention, but now he noticed the StarBox logo on the cup.

There were no StarBox chain stores near the filming location or the hotel. How far did he go to buy this coffee? Jewoo just fiddled with the logo on the cup without drinking, and Yiwon looked back at him.

“You’re not drinking? You said you wanted it.”

“Uh…”

His mind got complicated, similar to the previous evening. Could he have gone out of his way to buy this because I mentioned wanting it? No way.

He was overthinking it. It might have just been a coincidence. Didn’t Kang Yiwon say he went out for some fresh air? Maybe he just happened to pass by a chain store and decided to buy coffee.

How likely is such a coincidence? No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed like Yiwon might have gone out specifically to book the restaurant and buy coffee, but was he being too sensitive?

“You…”

He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. Maybe he was mistaken. Since they were filming a BL drama, even the smallest actions or words could be misinterpreted. If that was the case, bringing it up might make things awkward for both. Was there a way to ask casually, mixed with humor?

“What?”

Seeing Jewoo struggle to continue, Yiwon tilted his head in curiosity.

“Nothing. Just, thanks for the coffee. And for last night too.”

With his mind still not settled, Jewoo brushed it off. At the thanks, Yiwon gave a slight smile. It was a nice smile that slightly curved the corners of his mouth.

🎞️✮⋆˙

Due to the rain from the previous day, they had more scenes to shoot, so filming ended later than usual. After getting back to the hotel and showering, it was already past 10 PM. Jewoo lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, blinking. He couldn’t shake off the unease that had been nagging him all day.

“Ah, really!”

He sat up abruptly, exclaiming loudly. If it was a misunderstanding, if he was wrong, then he’d just feel embarrassed for a moment, and that would be the end of it. Instead of stewing over it alone, it would be better to ask directly.

He left his room and headed towards Yiwon’s. They were on the same floor, just around the corner.

Knock knock. After knocking and waiting, he heard a “Yes” from inside.

“It’s me, Han Jewoo.”

After announcing himself, he heard the sound of the lock being undone, and the door opened. Yiwon’s face, visible through the door crack, clearly showed he was wondering what the matter was at this hour.

“Can I come in for a bit?”

Pointing inside with his eyes, Yiwon made a short “Ah” sound and stepped aside to let him in. The layout was identical to Jewoo’s room. With no proper place to sit, Jewoo perched on the edge of the bed, and Yiwon came in, standing in front of him.

“Want something to drink?”

Yiwon opened the mini-fridge in front of the bed, revealing canned beer and bottled water.

“No.”

Jewoo shook his head. He had briefly thought about having a drink to ask casually, but that might affect tomorrow’s morning shoot.

Since he declined everything, Yiwon just took out a bottle of water and closed the fridge.

“Don’t stand, sit. It hurts my neck looking up at you.”

It was uncomfortable looking up at the tall guy standing there. When Jewoo gestured towards the chair in front of the vanity, Yiwon obediently pulled it over and sat down in front of him.

“Did you book the restaurant yesterday because of me?”

He asked directly without beating around the bush. Yiwon blinked at Jewoo before finally laughing, saying, “Was that what you were curious about?”

“Doesn’t it sound a bit strange to say it was because of you?”

At the mention of phrasing, Jewoo slightly frowned. He had expected this kind of response. Even he thought his words were a bit silly.

“I just wanted to eat what you listed off. I thought it would be nice if we ate together since we were going out anyway.”

That was a pretty straightforward reason.

“I felt bad for dragging Sihyeon and Yejun along too.”

The orders were already placed, which meant the number of attendees was predetermined.

“I had reserved for four from the start, so it wasn’t a problem. I thought the managers would come with us. Oh, the managers might have been inconvenienced since they had to eat separately.”

In the end, it was an okay situation, but something still didn’t sit right with Jewoo. Even though it was common for managers to dine separately from actors, he felt something was stuck in his throat.

“What about the coffee this morning?”

He thought Yiwon might say he bought it while out for some fresh air, but Yiwon didn’t answer immediately. He looked at Jewoo in silence. After a while, his eyes moved away from Jewoo’s face.

“I don’t know what kind of answer you’re looking for.”

His voice was mixed with a slight sigh.

“Because of the caramel latte, huh?”

Yiwon asked without looking at Jewoo, then chuckled slightly.