TMB Vol 6 Part 3 Side Story
by CherrySa Seung-yeon Lee Il-seo (1322) seem to be dating well recently too
- Sharing Clothes
(Picture)
(Picture)
The cardigan that Sa Seung-yeon often wears is already famous among fans, but recently, Lee Il-seo was caught wearing it in a video from Lee Il-seo’s agency’s practice room haha.
(Picture)
T-shirt
(Picture)
Hoodie
(Picture)
T-shirt
But it’s not just one or two haha. It’s like they’re just sharing a closet?
- Eating the Same Food on the Same Day
(Video)
If you watch this interview at 1:30, there’s a part where Sa Seung-yeon says that the food he often makes these days is avocado sandwiches
(Picture)
Here, in Lee Il-seo’s pictorial interview, he says he ate an avocado sandwich this morning
But the shocking thing is
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Sa Seung-yeon’s interview schedule date and Lee Il-seo’s pictorial interview date are the same dayㅋㅋ They ate breakfast together~ Sa Seung-yeon must have made it
- Sa Seung-yeon’s Phone Background
(Picture)
It’s blurry so it’s hard to see, but isn’t it Lee Il-seo no matter how you look at it?
(Picture)
A composite of the face angle
It looks like Lee Il-seo’s smiling selfie haha
Comments (1322)
-Wow, but I never thought Sa Seung-yeon would have his lover as his background picture lol He just wants to reveal it
-Okay, I get that they’re dating, so please share Sa Seung-yeon’s background picture Please
↳222 T_T Please, Lee Il-seo doesn’t even use social media, so his selfies are really rare
↳3 It’s legendary even though it’s blurry, please…. Let’s see it together, Sa Seung-yeonㅡㅡ
-The blessings of Temperature of Overflow never cease
↳That’s why it’s still ranked in Mongflix
↳The dating rumor bait comes up when the ranking drops
-Sa Seung-yeon is so funny, he never admits it but he never denies it either;; lol
↳When there were dating rumors with Lee Yeon-ju, his agency gritted their teeth and sued lol lol It’s practically an admission
-Lee Il-seo, stay healthy♥
-Lee Il-seo caught Sa Seung-yeon and is succeeding in everything lol lol He lied about being a Beta and his image is good, it’s like a hidden camera
↳Those crazy fans are really disgusting;;
↳They never look at the explanations and only dig up the hate comments
↳Screenshot complete
-At this point, aren’t they just asking to be noticed?
-(Meme) Re-watching the parking lot kiss
↳Wow
↳They look good together
↳This day, the entire community was turned upside down
↳Ooh…. Lee Il-seo is being eaten up
↳Look at the size difference. Lee Il-seo isn’t small either, but Sa Seung-yeon is so broad-shouldered that Lee Il-seo looks like a keychain.
↳If you watch Temperature of Overflow, Lee Il-seo had muscles in the beginning and was lean but solid, but in the later part, he just became bone-thin… It seems like he hasn’t recovered his body since then ㅠㅠ I like him with some muscles
↳Maybe he became an Omega, so he won’t be able to build muscles like before
-Since there was pain, I hope they meet well. Support support!
↳That’s right…ㅠㅠ Seeing them meet well even after that incident makes my heart ache
-Sa Seung-yeon’s fans will turn on crazy mode and more hate posts about Lee Il-seo will come up
↳Those fans are really transparent now
↳They’ll say Chae Geum-soo this and Beta that and pregnancy this and that, and if you refute everything, they’ll say Lee Il-seo’s face is strong, the Sserigari route is obvious lol lol
↳Even if you sue them, they’re like cockroaches, they can’t be eradicated
-(Deleted comment)
↳It came out right away
↳I already took a PDF of it lol You know Lee Il-seo’s agency never shows leniency, right?
↳Tsk tsk, crazy person, go wash up
-I’m jealous, dating Sa Seung-yeon
↳I’m jealous of Sa Seung-yeonㅠㅠ
↳I’m Lee Il-seo
↳Sa Seung-yeon
↳Uh-huh
↳Thx thx~
↳Ah, both of them are so childish with their power struggles
↳What are you guys doing lol lol
-Wow, I’ve never seen Sa Seung-yeon like this;; Are they getting married?
↳Eh, they’re both too young
↳But people with traits usually do it a bit early
↳They’re both at their peak in the entertainment industry, why would they bother
[View More Comments]
Seung-yeon, who was scrolling down, saved the page as a PDF with his chin propped up. Then he copied the address of the post and sent it to CEO Kim Jin-hong. The message window with Kim Jin-hong, the CEO of Il-seo’s agency, only contained PDF saves and addresses of internet articles or posts related to Lee Il-seo, and the results of the processing.
If it was just about him, he would usually just laugh it off, but this post was attacking Lee Il-seo as well. Knowing Lee Il-seo’s personality, which was very sensitive to ‘dating rumors,’ he couldn’t just leave it alone.
Sometimes, when he brought up how to deal with dating suspicion posts or comments that came up on the internet, Il-seo already knew all the details and looked unusually sensitive, not like Il-seo, asking if they hadn’t been deleted yet.
Il-seo was sincere about ‘Sa Seung-yeon’ himself, not just ‘dating rumors.’
When he was busy, Seung-yeon himself often forgot the dates of his interviews or pictorial releases, but Il-seo always contacted him first and gave his impressions in a strangely excited voice. Sometimes it was surprising. Considering that his nine years of unrequited love included a period of liking him as a fan, it was probably Il-seo’s daily routine to have such detailed interest, which made his heart ticklish and heavy.
Then, some time ago, Seung-yeon learned that two work offers had been canceled after Il-seo revealed that he was the father of the child Il-seo had miscarried (CEO Hwang, who had made a slip of the tongue, was almost forced to terminate his exclusive contract with Seung-yeon), and since then, he had started reacting even more obsessively to dating rumors.
Il-seo, who immediately denied the dating rumors, couldn’t make a false statement because Seung-yeon refused cleanly, but he was busy reporting every dating related post that came up on the internet.
“Being too thorough isn’t that great of a feeling, but.”
Still, he hated Il-seo being anxious even more. Seung-yeon clicked the mouse, closed the internet window, and stretched. At that moment, Seung-yeon turned his head at the sign of pheromones that he felt even before he heard the sound.
“You woke up early.”
Il-seo, who had woken up from his sleep, was walking towards Seung-yeon, tidying his messy hair with his hands. His slightly swollen white face was still covered with sleepiness that he hadn’t shaken off yet.
The reason he came to find him in the study as soon as he woke up was probably because of Lee Il-seo’s pheromones, which were rampant in the morning. Il-seo instinctively looked for Seung-yeon especially when he woke up. Even if he woke up briefly in the early morning, he would burrow into his arms, and in the morning, he would walk to Seung-yeon without thinking, with the same half-awake expression.
Whether it was because he had become accustomed to looking for pheromones unconsciously when he was pregnant, or whether it was Lee Il-seo’s unique sleeping habit, it was an action that made Seung-yeon’s lower body feel heavy just thinking about it. Seung-yeon, who got up from his chair, hugged Il-seo. As expected, his warm body snuggled into his arms comfortably.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I didn’t dream at all.”
“You must be tired.”
Il-seo had started filming his next drama a few days ago. Seung-yeon’s house was much closer to the main filming location than his own house, so Il-seo often came here after filming. Sometimes Seung-yeon would wait for Il-seo at the filming location and pick him up, and sometimes Il-seo would wait for Seung-yeon in the empty house.
Seung-yeon also resumed his activities in earnest, and both of them became very busy, so it was difficult to see each other unless they made time like this. Even though they were busy just sleeping when they came home, the two were satisfied enough just sleeping together in the same bed.
It was clear that both of them couldn’t concentrate on their work and their sleep quality gradually deteriorated if they didn’t see each other for a few days, so they made an unspoken promise to show each other their faces as much as possible during their overlapping time, excluding work.
“Wash up and come out to eat breakfast.”
“Yes.”
Watching Il-seo walk towards the bathroom, Seung-yeon also prepared a simple breakfast. Various food ingredients began to pile up in Seung-yeon’s refrigerator, who couldn’t cook well but didn’t really enjoy it.
Il-seo had been noticeably getting sick more often since his major surgery. He was already annoyed that the filming of his next work had started somewhat quickly, so he had an obsession with making sure he ate properly and sending him off somehow. Seung-yeon diligently took out and prepared the ingredients. Before long, a delicious whole wheat sandwich and juice were placed on the table. Il-seo raised his eyebrows at the neatly shaped sandwich in the bowl and let out a small exclamation.
“Thank you for the food. Do you have a schedule today, sunbae?”
Il-seo, who took a big bite of the sandwich, asked, munching with his cheeks full.
“Yeah. In the afternoon. What time do you have to go?”
“By nine o’clock.”
“Should I give you a ride?”
“No, Kyung-hyun hyung is coming.”
Il-seo, who quickly finished the sandwich, took the empty bowl to the sink. Then, he should have gone to his dressing room as usual to choose clothes, but Il-seo picked up his clothes that he had taken off yesterday again. Seung-yeon looked at Il-seo questioningly.
“Aren’t those the ones you wore yesterday?”
“Ah….”
Seung-yeon’s brow furrowed as he looked at Il-seo, who was hesitating.
“Why are you wearing clothes that have been rolling around on the set all day again? Wear mine.”
“Your clothes are too big….”
“They’re comfortable because they’re big. And stop looking at the internet.”
“…Yes.”
As expected, the quick-witted Lee Il-seo had seen the post pointing out that he often wore his clothes. Il-seo, who didn’t know that even his clothes would be scrutinized by the public, vowed never to wear Seung-yeon’s clothes again, but Seung-yeon grabbed the clothes in his hand, rolled them up like a ball, and threw them into the laundry basket as if he were playing basketball. In the end, Il-seo chose a reasonably small shirt from Seung-yeon’s shirts and wore it.
Kyung-hyun hadn’t arrived yet, so Il-seo and Seung-yeon sat side by side on the sofa and shared coffee. Il-seo, who was sipping coffee, put down his cup as if he had remembered something and asked.
“Sunbae, will your schedule end late next thursday?”
“Yeah, probably. I think the morning print ad will be quick to shoot, but I don’t know when the CF shoot will end.”
This week was a busy week with minor schedules. Seung-yeon asked, because Il-seo’s eyebrows seemed to droop strangely at his answer.
“Why?”
“It’s Sunbae’s birthday that day…”
Sa Seung-yeon wasn’t even remembering it. He couldn’t understand why being born was something to celebrate according to his values, and he didn’t particularly remember or celebrate his birthday because he hated giving meaning to specific days.
“Really? I don’t celebrate my birthday.”
When Seung-yeon replied without a change in expression, Lee Il-seo bit his lip as if he were the one in trouble. Only then did Seung-yeon realize that he had prepared something for his birthday and quickly changed his words.
“I’ve always been too busy to celebrate. Should we celebrate together this year?”
“Yes. If you have time, would it be okay to spend it together?”
At the cautious but delighted question, Seung-yeon finally let out a crooked smile.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
Seung-yeon asked, watching Il-seo’s ears turn red, and Il-seo nodded several times, embarrassed.
“Yes. I don’t have many scenes to film that day either. If it’s okay with you, I think I can see you in the evening.”
“Okay. I’ll finish as quickly as possible too.”
Who could refuse a date request with that expression and voice? Seung-yeon had to clench his fist tightly to suppress the feeling of not wanting to let Il-seo go. Annoyingly, Il-seo’s cell phone on the coffee table rang as if it had been waiting. Il-seo got up after confirming it was a message from Kyung-hyun.
“I’ll go now.”
“Okay. Don’t overdo it.”
Feeling regretful, Seung-yeon followed him to the front door and kissed Il-seo’s cheek. Il-seo raised his heels and kissed Seung-yeon’s lips once more before quickly running outside.
“That kid, really.”
What was he supposed to do when he just left like that? Seung-yeon turned on the wall pad and watched Il-seo disappear before lying down on the sofa with a noticeably gloomy expression. To replace the warmth of the disappeared Il-seo, he turned on the large TV, and Il-seo’s video began to play.
Seung-yeon’s eyes lost their vitality. A day without Il-seo was just boring.
*
“Cut, okay.”
As soon as the cut sign was given, the stylist brought a small handheld fan to Il-seo’s face. Il-seo drank water and quickly skimmed through the next script.
He didn’t sweat easily, but it was hot. As June approached, the temperature rose quite a bit during the day, so filming under bright lights for a long time quickly made his neck hot.
“Il-seo. Do you want to drink this?”
At that moment, a tall man strode towards Il-seo. It was Lee Soo-heon, who had been filming and spending the most time with Il-seo in this next project. Lee Soo-heon was the main character of this drama, and Il-seo was a supporting character who followed him, the main character and his senior. He wondered if they could become close, but perhaps because they had many scenes together, they became close not long after the first filming.
What he offered was fresh fruit juice. It was orange flavored, as if he already knew Il-seo’s tastes. Il-seo’s face brightened.
“I bought it while buying my coffee, junior.”
“Thank you, senior.”
Il-seo smiled brightly and accepted the juice. The two sat side by side, drinking coffee and juice while preparing for the next cut.
“This school is really pretty.”
“Right? They decorated the nameplates on the trees in a cute way.”
The role Il-seo played was a junior lawyer at the same law firm, and the setting was that he had first met Lee Soo-heon in high school. Now it was time to film the past scenes, so they were wearing school uniforms and filming at a rented high school.
He really liked the script, but he was concerned about directly playing a high school student in the middle. He wondered if he could wear a school uniform again at this age, but fortunately, the reactions around him during the camera test seemed to be not bad. Il-seo and Lee Soo-heon checked their lines and quenched their thirst with drinks.
“Il-seo, I bought medicine.”
At that moment, Kyung-hyun approached, handing him water. Il-seo put down the script, received the medicine, and tore open the packaging. Lee Soo-heon, who had been staring at Il-seo swallowing the medicine, asked.
“Il-seo, are you sick?”
“Ah. I’ve had a bit of a fever since earlier.”
“Is it a cold?”
“I think so, but it’s okay. It’ll go down quickly if I take medicine.”
Il-seo replied calmly and drank bottled water. Lee Soo-heon, who was looking at him with worried eyes, tilted his head and asked.
“Didn’t you have a cold about two weeks ago too? You were coughing.”
“Ah, yes.”
Il-seo scratched the back of his head, feeling like he remembered, and spoke in an awkward voice.
“My immune system isn’t very good… It’s often like this.”
“The filming hours will get longer and longer, so it must be hard.”
“It’s okay. I’ll get better soon since I took medicine.”
“Il-seo is so cheerful, it’s nice to see.”
Il-seo swallowed a laugh at Lee Soo-heon’s compliment. Being in poor condition had somehow become a weakness that Il-seo wanted to hide. The set already didn’t try to use omegas well, so it would be a disadvantage if he even got the image of being weak.
So Il-seo smiled more cheerfully and did his best on set. At the assistant director’s announcement to start the next filming, Il-seo stood up and strode forward under the hot sun.
*
Il-seo groggily opened his eyes at the sensation of something cool touching his forehead. Il-seo, who recognized the unique scent spreading from below his nose before the blurry figure in the darkness, unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth.
“Sunbae…?”
“Don’t wake up, just go back to sleep.”
Instead of answering, Il-seo groped for Seung-yeon’s hand that was on his forehead. Seeing that Seung-yeon’s hand was pleasantly cool, it seemed that he had quite a fever. He thought he had a slight fever on set during the day, but by the evening filming, he also had body aches.
“Sunbae…”
“Yeah.”
He had a lot to say, but he was too sleepy to say it properly. Il-seo mumbled the word “Director” and fiddled with his hand a few times before slowly releasing his strength and falling back asleep.
Seung-yeon, who silently raised the corners of his mouth, looked around Il-seo’s room with eyes accustomed to the darkness. Seung-yeon’s eyes darkened as he looked at the bottle of water and glass on the table next to the bed, and the torn cold medicine wrapper.
His evening schedule was over, and he had a brief phone call with Il-seo. He felt a fleeting sense of unease in Il-seo’s answer that he was resting in the van for a while during filming. It was strange that he, who usually stayed on set instead of going to the car, was in the van, and unsettlingly, the end of his voice was slightly hoarse. As soon as his schedule was over, he stopped by Il-seo’s house, and as expected, he was sleeping with a fever and a tired face.
Until he arrived at Il-seo’s house, the recurring delusions tormented Seung-yeon.
Was he seriously ill? Had he been holding it in and collapsed alone? When that desperate scene of Il-seo’s complexion turning white and even his breathing gradually becoming quieter like a receding tide came crashing in, he lost strength in his extremities and felt nauseous. At times like that, filming was out of the question, and eating, sleeping, or even just staying still was impossible, so he had to check Il-seo’s condition with his own eyes to feel relieved.
It was something he had repeated several times since Il-seo was discharged from the hospital. There were days when his voice was simply hoarse from fatigue, days when he was in poor condition and sick like this, and once, there was a day when he couldn’t wake up and had to go to the hospital for an IV drip.
Seung-yeon, with a heavy expression, looked around the officetel. Seeing the disposable porridge bowl next to the sink, it seemed he had bought late-night snacks from the convenience store. If it were Lee Il-seo’s manager, he wouldn’t have let him eat such things, so he hadn’t told anyone that his body was in this condition after all.
He was worried that the recent filming schedule was getting tighter, but as expected, his body couldn’t hold out first. Il-seo tried to endure while hiding that he was sick as much as possible, but Seung-yeon easily noticed even the slightest change in Il-seo’s voice.
He once again touched the forehead of Il-seo, who was asleep with a fever. Still, he was relieved that the fever didn’t seem too high. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a moment with his arms crossed, Il-seo’s cell phone vibrated. Seung-yeon, who woke up before Il-seo at the short, regular sound, moved his eyes and saw that several message pop-ups had appeared. But the contents were not visible due to the lock.
Long, straight fingers picked up the cell phone. A field for entering the lock password appeared on the cell phone with the default background, and Seung-yeon’s fingers moved as if they knew the answer.
「456600」
The lock was released, and the accumulated pop-ups were read in a row. Seung-yeon read the accumulated messages without hesitation. Seung-yeon’s eyes, which had been reading the names and message contents of the people who contacted Il-seo for personal or work purposes with an unpleasant look, stopped at one message.
「Senior Lee Soo-heon: (Gifticon)」
「Senior Lee Soo-heon: How’s your fever? Make sure to eat porridge and take your medicine.」
Seung-yeon’s eyes narrowed as he read the contents and checked the sender again. Lee Soo-heon. He was an actor two years older than Seung-yeon, but his debut was later than him. He already knew that Lee Soo-heon was the lead role because he had skimmed through the cast information when Il-seo chose his next project. He didn’t have any personal acquaintance with him, but Seung-yeon knew him. Lee Soo-heon, who had decent acting skills and a not-bad mask, was an actor who was leading the recent film industry, and there had been articles linking him with Seung-yeon several times, and recently, he had received a movie offer as a two-top lead.
Seung-yeon scrolled backwards through the screen with his finger, looking at the past messages exchanged between Lee Soo-heon and Il-seo.
「Senior Lee Soo-heon: You did well today.」
「Senior Lee Soo-heon: Il-seo, you left your juice behind~」
「Senior Lee Soo-heon: Il-seo, the Director is looking for you.」
Seung-yeon’s expression gradually turned cold. The two people’s friendship, which existed on the periphery of small talk and work-related matters, was felt in the messages they exchanged from time to time. Seeing Il-seo’s outgoing messages answering the texts, he barely managed to maintain his expression, and wrinkles formed on his forehead.
Basically, Lee Il-seo had reverence for people who were good at acting. If Lee Soo-heon treated him just a little bit well, Lee Il-seo would definitely follow him well. As his imagination grew, he felt like ice cubes were rolling around in his chest. Seung-yeon’s finger, which was about to delete Lee Soo-heon’s number along with the message that had just arrived, hesitated. It was because he remembered a conversation he had with Il-seo a long time ago.
-Director Seung-yeon. Do you know Senior Lee Soo-heon?
-I don’t know him well. Why?
-Ah, I heard he’s been confirmed to appear in the next project.
Il-seo had asked about Lee Soo-heon first while preparing for his next project. Seung-yeon, who had already been looking into him since Lee Soo-heon was being considered for the role, was bothered by even the fact that his name was on Il-seo’s pretty lips. Perhaps because the image of Il-seo calling a person his age “senior” and following him so easily came to mind, he became even more nervous.
But he would be seeing Lee Soo-heon every day on set, and he would definitely be talking to him while filming tomorrow as well. If he faced Lee Soo-heon without knowing that the messages had been deleted, it would be Il-seo who would be in trouble.
Seung-yeon frowned and bit his lip silently before releasing it. As he looked at Il-seo’s face, who was sleeping soundly without knowing anything, the wavering feelings subsided, but sending this innocent kid to the set felt like releasing a herbivore into a swamp full of crocodiles. To the innocent and pretty Lee Il-seo, even a single grain of fine sand was harmful, let alone crocodiles.
It was a feeling he was experiencing for the first time in his life, but he had no intention of wielding Il-seo as he pleased. From what he had seen, Il-seo had a strong ego. He seemed delicate and innocent, but he was a kid who valued judging, deciding, and accomplishing things on his own. Seung-yeon, who had almost been properly abandoned by him for trying to wield him as he pleased, let out a short sigh and put Il-seo’s cell phone back in its original place.
He didn’t doubt Il-seo’s love. He had faith that the mature Il-seo would do well on his own. But that son of a bitch who contacted him so casually was really annoying. Pheromones surged suddenly, and as if by coincidence or necessity, Il-seo frowned and stirred for a moment. Seung-yeon quickly calmed his mind and pulled up the blanket that had fallen down.
Seung-yeon, who had been touching Il-seo’s forehead and neck from time to time, only closed his eyes for a moment when Il-seo’s fever subsided in the early morning.
*
“It wasn’t a dream.”
Il-seo, who opened his eyes, muttered to himself as he looked at Seung-yeon, who was closing his eyes in an uncomfortable position on the bed. Seung-yeon always came to mind first when he was sick, so he thought he was having a dream about him again today. It seemed that Seung-yeon touching his forehead wasn’t a dream.
Il-seo, who was lying on his side and looking down at his sleeping face, forgot to think for a moment. His dense eyelashes, chiseled nose, slightly parted lips, and chin were all so beautiful that it would be difficult to draw them even if he were told to draw them as they were.
Il-seo, who had been admiring Seung-yeon with his mouth slightly open, quickly closed his mouth, scolding himself for not admiring his face right now. He felt sorry for Seung-yeon, who must be tired from his own schedule, sleeping in a cramped bed with his large body crumpled up because of him. He tried to slip a pillow under Seung-yeon’s head, who was sleeping with his head on his arm without even using a pillow, but his eyelids twitched, and Seung-yeon opened his eyes. Obsidian-like eyes immediately reached Il-seo, and Il-seo clenched the pillow tightly, suppressing the tingling sensation in his heart once again.
“Are you awake?”
As soon as Seung-yeon, who asked in a sleepy voice, got up, he touched Il-seo’s forehead. He checks his temperature with his hand and asks about his condition again.
“How’s your body?”
“I’m really okay. Did you come because you were worried?”
“I came because I missed you.”
Il-seo just smiled at the lie he uttered so casually with a smile. He knew that he wasn’t someone who wouldn’t come if he told him not to, and honestly, it was selfish but good to see his face like this. Seung-yeon, who reached out and checked the time, realized it was still early dawn and lay back down on the bed.
“Do you have to leave early? Why are you already awake?”
“No, I was worried you’d be uncomfortable, Sunbae. You barely slept, right?”
“Yeah, I didn’t sleep.”
Seung-yeon, who made a playful, whining voice, reached out and laid Il-seo back down on the bed. Their bodies overlapped, and Il-seo ended up lying on top of Seung-yeon. Seung-yeon hugged Il-seo even tighter to prevent him from moving, as Il-seo wriggled to get out of the way as much as possible, worried that he would be uncomfortable.
“Just stay still for a bit. Let me hug my boyfriend and sleep.”
Il-seo’s face flushed. It was still a time when he could be a little lazy, so Il-seo also burrowed deep into Seung-yeon’s arms and closed his eyes. But he didn’t fall asleep again, perhaps because he had gone to bed early yesterday. Il-seo quietly enjoyed the leisure while being held in Seung-yeon’s firm arms. But the moment Seung-yeon changed his position, something hard touched him. A heavy mass of flesh revealed its presence where his thigh and Seung-yeon’s lower body met.
‘…He’s hard.’
He slightly moved his leg to avoid Seung-yeon’s hardened penis, but Seung-yeon pressed his lower body against him again. He didn’t know if he was asleep or not. Il-seo’s attention was entirely focused on the hard thing that was clearly felt under the thin training pants that were touching.
Once he became aware of it, he felt like his own would grow too, so Il-seo sang the national anthem in his head. Until the East Sea’s waters and Mount Baekdu wear away, I want to do it. Il-seo, who had rewritten it in the worst way, squeezed his eyes shut and buried his forehead in Seung-yeon’s chest.
“Why do you keep wriggling?”
“I’m sorry.”
Seung-yeon, who intertwined his legs and hugged his whole body tightly, muttered in a languid voice.
“Il-seo’s hard.”
“Director is too.”
“Is that so.”
Seung-yeon leisurely replied, raising the corners of his mouth loosely. It was a very different reaction from his hard lower body. Il-seo, who had been watching his mood for a while, asked in a small voice.
“…Should we do it quickly?”
“I said hug me, so hug me.”
Unlike his request to hug him, Seung-yeon was already hugging Il-seo tightly with both arms. Il-seo knew. After that surgery, Seung-yeon became incredibly sensitive if his body was even slightly unwell. He wasn’t that weak anymore, but Seung-yeon always treated him like glass that was in danger of breaking.
He felt good about it, but he also felt sorry for him because Seung-yeon’s anxiety seemed to be transmitted to his skin. Il-seo put his weight on Seung-yeon’s body and hugged him completely. Before long, Seung-yeon’s breathing, which had fallen back into a deep sleep, spread evenly.
*
Il-seo checked the clock with an anxious look. It was the time when filming should have ended a long time ago, but he was still filming, and the last scene was still a long way off.
“Filming is getting longer.”
It was an unexpected situation. The filming team shooting a commercial nearby and the drama filming team’s paths became tangled, delaying filming, and Il-seo’s turn kept being pushed back, eventually making his return home much later than expected.
The shooting still had quite a few scenes left, but it was already evening. They should be leaving around this time. Kyung-hyun, who had been glancing at Lee Il-seo’s anxious face as he constantly checked his watch, spoke with a sympathetic voice.
“You said you had plans with Seung-yeon today, right?”
“Yes. It’s his birthday today…”
“It doesn’t look like you’ll make it. Shouldn’t you contact him?”
“If I hurry a bit, maybe I can see him tonight. I should at least tell him I’ll be late.”
“Okay. Focus on the shoot for now.”
Il-seo texted Seung-yeon with a regretful expression. But Seung-yeon must have been busy with his own schedule because he didn’t reply immediately. Il-seo couldn’t take his eyes off his text message exchange with Seung-yeon until right before going into the shot. He put down his phone with a disappointed look when he heard a staff member calling for him.
Il-seo checked his phone every break. However, every time he clicked on a new message pop-up, it was just spam. His repeated expressions of hope followed by disappointment were so noticeable that Lee Soo-heon, who was waiting for the shoot with him, even asked if something was wrong. Il-seo awkwardly forced a smile and vaguely avoided answering.
Seung-yeon replied somewhat late. But Il-seo was in the middle of shooting a long, final cut at the time, and his phone was left unattended.
The shooting finally ended at two in the morning. Il-seo, realizing that it was pointlessly past twelve, let out a long sigh as soon as he checked his phone.
「Are you going to be very late?」
「Don’t worry about my birthday. Let’s see each other when your shoot ends early.」
Seung-yeon had sent two messages with a time gap between them. The message after twelve-thirty was sent to comfort him, knowing that he cared about Seung-yeon’s birthday more than anyone else.
“……”
Il-seo’s eyes drooped as he got into the van. Seung-yeon’s fan cafe was already filled with posts celebrating Seung-yeon’s birthday as soon as it turned twelve. Il-seo was a fan himself, but now that he was clearly his lover, he felt so disappointed that he couldn’t even celebrate his birthday on time.
Next to him on the seat was a box tied with a ribbon, looking forlorn. It was a cake that he had custom-made for Seung-yeon’s birthday. Kyung-hyun, who had started the engine, frowned and said,
“I picked up the cake for you. What are you going to do?”
Kyung-hyun’s worried eyes were already speaking his mind. Even though tomorrow’s shooting started in the afternoon, giving him a bit of leeway, Kyung-hyun, who had always seen him tired, probably just wanted him to go home and get some more sleep. But Il-seo asked Kyung-hyun for his understanding.
“Hyung, I’m really sorry, but… could you take me to Myeongnae-dong first?”
“Myeongnae-dong? At this hour?”
“Ah, yes. There’s a high school next to Myeongnae Station there. That’s where I need to go.”
“Aish, alright.”
Kyung-hyun, knowing that he couldn’t dissuade Il-seo, started the car without saying much. Il-seo immediately called Seung-yeon. The phone connected before the third ring.
—Yeah, Il-seo.
“You weren’t asleep.”
Il-seo thought that Seung-yeon might have been waiting for his call. He always called after the shooting, whether it was dawn or morning. Seung-yeon chuckled at Il-seo’s voice. His voice, which became a bit huskier in the early morning, came through the phone.
—Did the shoot just end? It’s late.
“Yes. The location got mixed up with another shooting team.”
—You must be tired. Are you on your way home?
“Um… Seung-yeon hyung. I’m sorry, but can I see you for a bit now?”
Il-seo knew that it was already past twelve and that it was a nuisance to ask to see him at this hour. He knew it was just his selfishness wanting to see Seung-yeon, but he blurted out the question while looking at the bag containing the prepared gift and the cake.
He didn’t want to waste this opportunity to celebrate his birthday as a lover, not just a fan, for the first time.
—Il-seo should get some sleep.
“…I miss you.”
Unable to hold back when he heard Seung-yeon’s hesitant voice trying to refuse, Il-seo whined once more. Seung-yeon burst out laughing on the other end of the phone. The image of his face with deep dimples as he laughed made Il-seo’s ears, which were holding the phone, feel hot.
—Where are you? I’ll come to you, so get some sleep in the car.
“No, not there today…”
Il-seo seemed to have mentioned an unexpected place, as there was a brief silence on the other end of the line. The call ended with Seung-yeon’s agreement.