SDM 55

“Chae-yoon!”

Director Lee Jun-ho came running out in his socks to greet Seong-woon warmly. It had been so long since Seong-woon received such welcoming treatment from a director that he was too dumbfounded to speak. He barely made it into the waiting room set up in the front yard of the police station, where they had permission to film, still processing how ‘he’ was treated.

“Did the exam go well?”

“Yes, more or less…”

“Then you can give a killer performance today, right?”

‘That’s too much pressure.’ 

Seong-woon is used to acting for so long that he’s not greatly affected by such words, but if it were a rookie actor who just debuted, they might have fainted at the director’s words.

“Yes, I’ll try my best.”

“Very good. Ryu Chae-yoon acts like someone who’s been acting since childhood, doesn’t he? I love it.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Oh, and please thank the Chairman for the padded jacket. He’s not someone I can thank directly.”

The director was wearing the same brand and design of padded jacket as Seong-woon, but in a different color. So it seems everyone except Seong-woon received black padded jackets.

The mother who loves her youngest son so much must have wanted her youngest son to stand out and look the most beautiful on this filming set. Seong-woon nodded awkwardly with a smile.

The director laughed loudly, patted Seong-woon’s back twice, waved his hand cheerfully, then disappeared into the set. Seong-woon wanted to believe it was meant as encouragement.

“I’ll do your makeup now.”

The stylist had done the base makeup, but now they needed to create bruises and torn wounds since this was continuing from the previous scene. The makeup director and assistant spent a long time meticulously creating scars around the eyes and mouth, alternating between regret and admiration.

“It was a shame to cover up your face, but now that it’s done, this looks pretty too!”

“Thank you.”

Seong-woon moved only his lips, blinking his eyes as the thin brush touched his cheek. Their hands moved faster, pleased by the simple greeting.

“I was thinking of showing some swelling too, but the director said this is just right, so let’s not. Let’s just assume you don’t bruise easily.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it. You can wear this shirt and pants now.”

As Seong-woon stood up, Hyeong-seok immediately approached to check his face and help him take off his clothes. It was difficult to take off the turtleneck that completely covered his neck without smudging the makeup.

“Maybe I should have gotten the makeup done after taking off my clothes.”

“That wouldn’t work, it’s too cold. The costume is just one shirt… Should I complain?”

“No. It can’t be helped. It would be funnier if an undercover cop who was beaten up, worked over on concrete, and thought to have sunk in the West Sea suddenly appeared at the police station dressed prim and proper.”

That’s right, in the scene they filmed last time, Shin Kang-woo (played by Ryu Chae-yoon) was doused with water, beaten to a pulp, then hammered in a drum and thrown into the sea, as far as the organization knew. But he didn’t actually die, and Shin Jung-woo (played by Baek Sang-hyun) saved him and took him to the police station.

So now, he’s not an undercover cop, but a mole sent by Shin Jung-woo. He infiltrated with the mission of installing transmitters and wiretaps on the police.

“Surely you won’t be doused with water again, right?” Hyeong-seok asked with a worried expression.

“Hmm…”

It’s not water dousing, but…

“A water cannon?”

“No way!”Hyeong-seok shouted loudly. 

Startled, Seong-woon covered both ears and opened his eyes wide. Hyeong-seok closed his mouth tightly, but he still looked like he wanted to shout.

“Last time too… after getting doused, your heart… you ended up in the hospital like that. And now again? Absolutely not! This is for our actor’s health…”

“That’s right, it can’t happen.”

Sang-hyun, who had entered by pulling back the tent, supported Hyeong-seok. Hyeong-seok, who had been looking at Sang-hyun with sharp eyes as if he didn’t like him at all, nodded and crossed his arms as if agreeing with those words.

“But why do you dislike Sang-hyun sunbae, hyung?”

“What? I don’t dislike him.”

“Just now, the corner of your eyes…”

Hyeong-seok lied very calmly, but Seong-woon read the expression he had just made.

“Of course, he dislikes me. He probably thinks I seduced you.”

“Seduced…?”

Shaking his head, Seong-woon took out a hand warmer from his pocket and kneaded it. Sang-hyun, dressed in a shirt, vest, jacket, and long coat all perfectly matched from one brand, casually sat down on a shabby plastic chair.

“The water cannon will only wet the ground. I spoke with the director.”

“…You did, sunbae?”

“I said I didn’t want to get rained on.”

“You don’t like getting rained on?”

“No.”

“…But when you act, you get rained on, fall into frozen ponds, and things like that.”

When he mentioned falling into ponds, Baek Sang-hyun raised one eyebrow sharply. Then he stared at Seong-woon for a while before casually replying.

“If I get wet, you have to get wet too, right? There’s no need to be dragged along by the director’s stubbornness. The script originally says ‘after it rains’.”

“…So you didn’t say you didn’t want to get rained on.”

“I said we should follow the script. I told him it’s disconcerting to change things without prior notice.”

There was commotion outside. 

‘What’s going on?’ 

It’s not time for filming to start yet since they’re still setting up. Just as he was zipping up his padded jacket because of the cold, the waiting room door burst open and Sang-hyun’s manager rushed in. With a very flustered face, he looked around and then grabbed Sang-hyun’s arm.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Let’s, let’s talk outside.”

“Why go somewhere else? Here is okay too.”

Realizing that at least Ryu Chae-yoon and his manager were from RBS and that the eyes, ears, and mouths outside were scarier, Sang-hyun’s manager lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“What?”

“I heard Star File contacted the company, saying they’re going to break a scandal about you.”

‘Baek Sang-hyun having a girlfriend…?’ 

Seong-woon unconsciously half-opened his lips. It was a combination of words he had never imagined before.

Does Baek Sang-hyun even have time for that? He’s been running around under a director who’s frantically trying to finish filming within a month. Meanwhile, he’s making barley tea for Seong-woon, cooking for him, and even going to the gym with him. Where on earth would he find time to meet someone else…

But Seong-woon had seen countless celebrities who met their lovers by giving up sleep even during busy periods. In the midst of that, some even cheated, and had not just a second but third and fourth partners.

Just as his mood was about to sour, Sang-hyun laughed as if it was ridiculous and said in an incredulous voice,”Hyung. You follow all my schedules and know everything I do. How could I possibly have a girlfriend?”

‘Right, and Baek Sang-hyun said he liked Ryu Chae-yoon, so wouldn’t it be a man, and not a woman?’

 Even though he had this pointless thought, his mood didn’t improve at all.

‘No, that can’t be, it doesn’t make sense. He said he liked me and asked to date, right? Ah, that’s right. What’s two-timing when there were some bastards who managed three relationships without getting caught while still keeping up with their schedules!’

Feeling his gaze towards Sang-hyun becoming sharper, Seong-woon turned his body to try and completely ignore that side. But Sang-hyun wrapped his arm around Seong-woon’s shoulders and pulled him towards himself.

“Chae-yoon. You tell them. Did I have time to go out and meet someone?”

“…How would I know that?”

“What do you mean you don’t know? You were at my house the whole time.”

“If you met outside, I wouldn’t know.”

“That’s true, but… why are you so curt?”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

‘It seems like I am in a bad mood. I’m not sure why, though…’ 

Seong-woon was in a very bad mood. He was about to furrow his brow, so he pressed his index finger firmly to smooth it out, then forcefully removed Baek Sang-hyun’s arm wrapped around his shoulders and slipped away.

“They must have photos or something, right?”

“They’re not showing them. They’re just telling us to ask you…”

“What do they want?”

“Money and advertising.”

‘Those reporter bastards are all the same.’ 

Seong-woon tried to ease the tightness in his chest by drinking the barley tea he got from the coffee truck sent by Ryu Chang-yoon as if it were cold water, but it wasn’t easy. It felt like a heavy stone was lodged in his chest.

“Hyung, I don’t feel well.”

“Do you think you’ve got indigestion? Or does your chest feel tight and stuffy? No, we need to go to the hospital right away…!”

Is there really another problem with his heart? Seong-woon checked his ECG for a while, sitting in place as Hyeong-seok instructed, experiencing these symptoms for the first time. But fortunately, the smartwatch showed normal results.

“The company keeps asking for photos… Just a moment.”

Sang-hyun’s manager, who had briefly taken a phone call, took out a tablet from his bag, operated it for a while, and then looked at it intently with Baek Sang-hyun. Then they both raised their heads and looked at Seong-woon with the same expression.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hmm… Do you want to see too?”

“See what? …No thanks.”

‘Why would they want me to look at some photos when just hearing about it is so unpleasant?’ 

Seong-woon had been openly displaying his sour mood from earlier, unable to hide it. He couldn’t help it. Not knowing what he was angry or disappointed about, his emotions were fluctuating wildly, and he couldn’t even think about trying to control himself.

Sang-hyun’s manager, whose expression had become blank, flipped the tablet around and showed Seong-woon the photos one by one, swiping his finger across the screen. And they were…

“…Huh?”

“This is… Ryu Chae-yoon, right?”

There was a series of burst shots showing Seong-woon sitting in front of Baek Sang-hyun’s house two weeks ago and then being let in. Since he was completely covered by a long jacket, it was hard to determine the gender, but Sang-hyun’s attitude as he led him in was so careful that these guys must have thought they were onto something.

“That’s right…?”

“And this?”

And the second piece of evidence sent by Star File was from just yesterday when Sang-hyun and Seong-woon came out together and headed to the car, getting into the car, and then a photo of the car leaving the parking lot taken from the front…

The zoom was so extreme that the figures were blurry and smudged. So, at first glance, Seong-woon, wearing a hat and padded jacket, could be mistaken for a tall woman. If it was seen through the eyes of someone who already thought Sang-hyun had a romantic partner, it was a photo that could easily lead to a misunderstanding.

‘ We look so happy, don’t we?’

 Even in that low-quality photo, Seong-woon could tell that he was smiling very brightly. Only the tip of his nose and lips were visible under the pulled-down hat, but he couldn’t believe how deep and beautiful an arc they formed.

But compared to Sang-hyun, he was decent. Sang-hyun hadn’t covered his face at all, and his expression was so sweet that if it had been spring, bees would have swarmed to him. His eyes were… it seemed like it would be hard to act like that even in a great romantic comedy.

“What should we do?”

Sang-hyun asked Seong-woon. The anger that had been clogging his chest subsided, and he felt completely refreshed. After thinking quietly for a moment, Seong-woon blurted out, “Let’s tell them to release it…”

“Even if we deny the dating rumors, just the fact that it breaks…”

“We can turn it into an interesting episode.”

“Interesting? How?”

“Anyway… the person in those photos is me from the start. So, we can let them know it’s completely absurd, and we might be able to draw that attention to our side.”

Seong-woon chattered on for a while. The two managers and one actor didn’t take his suggestion lightly, and through some additions and adjustments, they created a story.

“Then… I’ll tell the company to release it.”

With their fists clenched, Sang-hyun’s manager and Hyeong-seok started calling the company from a corner, while Baek Sang-hyun looked down at Seong-woon for a moment.

“Okay. Then, while you’re filming, sunbae, I’ll write a post to upload it on SNS.”

“You’re not angry anymore?”

“…Angry?”

“You were really angry earlier.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“I just felt like I had indigestion.”

“I’m sure you were angry.”

“I’m telling you I wasn’t.”

“You were upset when you heard I might have a girlfriend, weren’t you?”

“Well… I suddenly thought of those people who two-timed or three-timed…”

Baek Sang-hyun chuckled and leaned down to whisper in Seong-woon’s ear. His nose, which looked like it might cut, parted Seong-woon’s hair. His breath brushing against his earlobe sent chills down his whole body.

“Why did you think about two-timing or three-timing?”

“Well…”

“What made you think one leg was already taken?”

When Seong-woon jerked his head up, Sang-hyun smiled more brilliantly than ever before. The person who had looked cold and icy in a navy suit with a bluish-gray coat over it seemed to melt in an instant. Seong-woon stared blankly at him, his eyes crinkling.