SDM 73
by Sorai@writer_jjj
Lee Jun-ho isn’t just ‘pong’ this time. He’s become ‘dang’ confident! Did he receive some divine inspiration? The bright light contrasting with the noir atmosphere is paradoxical. The tension is so thick it’s hard to breathe, and just when it loosens, Baek Sang-hyun’s words sharpen it again. The actors’ performances shine. Their explosive chemistry heightens the drama’s tension to the max.
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@writer_jjj
While it sequentially follows the noir genre formula, it doesn’t quite deliver the expected scenes. It’s closer to an emotional piece. The complex narrative between Gye Su-gwang and Shin Jung-woo, and between Shin Jung-woo and Shin Gang-woo, is something for the audience to unravel and enjoy.
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@writer_jjj
Baek Sang-hyun was already a reliable actor, but I didn’t expect him to excel in this kind of role too. The cruelty mixed in his soft voice and the gap with his tightly buttoned vest keeps pulling the audience into tension. Wouldn’t Shin Jung-woo’s first appearance scene be counted among the iconic runway scenes in Korean film history?
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@writer_jjj
Ryu Chae-yoon is amazing. Not a rough gem waiting to be discovered, but already a diamond. She doesn’t care about shining on her own, but never detracts from the drama. Without the background knowledge that she’s a newcomer, you would never take her for a rookie.
Ryu Chae-yoon, youthfully dancing at the “Orbit Collision” press conference
(Video)
(Article photo)
(Article photo)
(Article photo)
1379 comments
Why is a K-pop talent in the film industry…
➥Don’t think about taking them away
➥➥I’ll just use them for a bit!
➥➥➥Tch
I heard there was a fight at RBS too lolhahahaha The idol and actor departments both want to recruit them..
➥I heard the idol casting team got criticized? (Office worker community screenshot)
➥➥hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaDid they really do casting?
➥➥➥They were serious
Did you know? They say you lose your memory when you see something too beautiful in the world. Did you know? They say you lose your memory when you see something too beautiful in the world. (repeated several times)
Even the article photos are flawless
Why only upload this? What about Baek Sang-hyun?
➥Hey, you…
➥➥Satan, get away
➥➥➥Why? He was doing pretty wellhahahahahahahahahahaha
➥➥➥➥It’s just that Ryu Chae-yoon did so well that it makes for a comparison, but Baek Sang-hyun did well too
Wow, look at him doing his own makeuphahahahahahahahahaha Other actors came with light makeup, but he’s the only one with full makeup including eye makeuphahaha
➥Sigh, you jerk criticizing someone who just came from a live music show
➥➥Is he an idol? What music show?
➥➥➥MCed
Fulfilled my lifelong wish, I can die happy now
➥Aren’t you the guy who always asked for dyed hair and contact lenses?
➥➥Yep
➥➥➥You just wished for it, good
Baek Sang-hyun youthfulhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
(Video)
He dances well if you mute it
1777 comments
OMGhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Wow, it’s true. He dances well when muted?
Hey, I fixed the sync (Video)
➥hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
➥A fan fixed the sync for himhahahahaha
➥It matches perfectly if you delay the sync a bit?
Is he tone-deaf?
Finally found a flaw in the perfect Baek Sang-hyun. At this rate, I might have a chance to marry him lol
➥Is this person crazy?
Seems like it takes some time for him to output the dancehahaha
This is even funnier hahahaha The one with Chae-yoon hahahahaha (Video)
➥Oh my god, this is hilarioushahahahahahahahahaha Why is he exactly half a beat slow?
➥➥By the way, I heard he practiced for 2 weeks for this (whispers)
➥➥➥Dance trainer LOLhahahahahahahahahaha The practice video is so funnyhahahaha Chae-yoon saying “I’m not actually debuting, you know?”hahahahahahahaha You can feel the intense frustration from the collapsed Baek Sang-hyunhahahahahaha
➥Ryu Chae-yoon is like a water ghosthahahahahahahahaha The way she calls Baek Sang-hyun saying she can’t do it alone.. It was kind of cool. Thanks, Chae-yoon
After the press conference ended, Seong-woon was dragged to another company dinner. He kept nodding off even in front of the grill. It was truly beyond his control.
Starting from 3 AM, he went to the shop to bleach his hair three times, do makeup, wait for pre-recording, read scripts, rehearse, pre-record a special stage… Even a normal person would be on the verge of collapse after such grueling work, but Seong-woon didn’t even qualify as normal.
“You’re about to fall in,” Baek Sang-hyun said, slipping his hand between Seong-woon’s forehead and the table. Seong-woon stumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes, forgetting about his eye makeup. Then, startled by the makeup smearing on his hands, his eyes widened.
“Yeah, if you’re tired, go home first,” the director said with an unusually kind smile. Seong-woon unconsciously pouted and grumbled.
“Who was it that stopped me when I said I wanted to leave…”
The words slipped out unfiltered due to his drowsiness.
“I did! Thanks to Chaeyoon’s ‘Useful’ dance, we got at least 200 more articles!”
Despite the production company president and director acting chummy with linked arms, Seong-woon couldn’t bear it anymore. Even with meat sizzling on the grill, he had no appetite and felt like he needed to sleep right away.
“Let’s get up,” Baek Sang-hyun said, gently coaxing Seong-woon as he hugged him from behind and lifted him up. Seong-woon, who had been dozing heavily, couldn’t regain his senses and leaned on Baek Sang-hyun.
“Huh?”
“Let’s go home, okay?”
Stroking Seong-woon’s fluffy white puppy-like hair, Baek Sang-hyun motioned to Hyeong-seok, who was seated in the corner. Hyeong-seok, who had been watching them without eating, quickly came over to support Seong-woon.
“Well then…”
As Seong-woon tried to bow politely but stumbled, everyone looked at him with worried eyes and urged him to go home and rest.
Even though they had insisted on bringing him to the dinner after the press conference ended, they should have let him go earlier. Seong-woon grumbled inwardly as he barely kept his eyes open and left the restaurant.
Seong-woon, who had fallen asleep as soon as he got in the van, only opened his eyes when he flopped onto his bed.
“Young master?”
“…Yes.”
“You need to remove your makeup before sleeping. Please get up for a moment. I’ve prepared all the cleansing products…”
“Mm… I’ll do it myself…”
He really felt like he was dying from sleepiness. Seong-woon waved his hands around, trying to shoo away the buzzing, fly-like person. Then darkness again, and he opened his eyes once more because someone was hugging him tightly.
“…Is it Baek Sang-hyun?”
Seong-woon stroked the head nestled against his chest, not particularly surprised. Only his manager and Baek Sang-hyun could enter this house.
“Yes.”
“Did you drink?”
“A little, including your share.”
“What share… You know I can’t drink.”
As he brushed up Baek Sang-hyun’s hair, their eyes met. Finding the playfully curved eye corners pretty, Seong-woon gently caressed the corner of his eye with his thumb.
“You didn’t even wash up?”
“Yeah… I was too sleepy…”
“How about now?”
“I think I can make it to the bathroom.”
As Seong-woon barely managed to get up, Baek Sang-hyun picked him up. Accustomed to being carried, Seong-woon was moved to the bathroom. He widened his eyes in surprise to see the once-barren area above the sink now filled with fancy containers.
“Looks like the manager prepared them.”
“…I don’t even know how to use them.”
As Seong-woon picked up various items, Baek Sang-hyun skillfully soaked a cotton pad with makeup remover and gently placed it on Seong-woon’s eyelids.
“Do I just leave it like this?”
“It needs to soak in a bit to remove the makeup.”
“How do you know how to use these?”
“I once had to do a penalty on a company variety show.”
“Ah, I think I saw that video clip.”
Seong-woon was giggling with the damp cotton pad on his eyes when he suddenly swallowed his laughter at the soft touch on his lips. It was just a brief kiss, but it felt so sweet that his lips curled up involuntarily.
“How do you manage this every week? It must be exhausting.”
“From next week, I only need to go for script readings. They won’t do such extensive styling either.”
As Seong-woon kept his eyes closed, Baek Sang-hyun gently cleaned around his eyes with the cotton pad. Then he started to softly massage Seong-woon’s face with a light oil.
“How far are you planning to go with this?”
“I’ll finish it even if you fall asleep.”
The warm hands that had been endlessly massaging his entire face carefully pulled away. Seong-woon, who had actually dozed off from the warmth, slumped forward before barely managing to straighten up.
“Okay, just lower your head and wash your face, and we’re done.”
“I’ll do it myself.”
“I can do it for you…”
“What am I, a kindergartener?”
Fumbling for the faucet, Seong-woon turned on the water and splashed his face. Even after washing for quite a while, a slippery feeling remained, so he kept wiping his face. Baek Sang-hyun chuckled, draped a towel over Seong-woon’s face, and patted it gently.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“Cute, my foot…”
Apparently intent on finishing the job, Baek Sang-hyun even carefully applied basic skincare products to Seong-woon’s face, whose eyes were still closed, before picking him up again.
“I want to brush my teeth.”
“Shall I brush them for you?”
“Stop it.”
Though Seong-woon was just sitting on the edge of the bathtub brushing his teeth, Baek Sang-hyun gazed down at him fondly for a long time. When Seong-woon slightly raised his eyes as if to ask what he was looking at, Baek Sang-hyun just stroked his hair.
“You’re like a puppy.”
“What is? My hair?”
With the toothbrush in his mouth, Seong-woon’s words came out slightly slurred. The touch really did feel like someone petting a puppy’s head. It felt a bit strange, but not unpleasant, so he let Baek Sang-hyun do as he pleased.
“I didn’t know this would suit you so well.”
“Neither did I.”
After rinsing his mouth, Seong-woon chuckled. He had tried it because fans kept asking for dyed hair and colored contacts on the fan cafe and in messages, and it did suit him better than he expected.
Well, it’s hard for actors to have such bold hair colors, so it’s not bad to try it now, during my rookie days, he thought.
“It makes you look a bit like a different person.”
“Really?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t mistake you for someone else.”
“Even if my body…”
“I’d know you even if it changed.”
Seong-woon just nodded helplessly at Baek Sang-hyun’s words, accompanied by a grin. Right, if he could recognize Seong-woon even if his soul was in a different body, how could he be confused by a mere hair dye job?
“Alright, let’s sleep now.”
“Did you wash up?”
“I wouldn’t touch you without washing up first.”
“I would touch you though.”
Seong-woon buried his nose in Baek Sang-hyun’s hair, which still smelled of shampoo, and let himself be embraced. Used to carrying him, Baek Sang-hyun laid Seong-woon comfortably on the bed and casually lay down beside him.
“Why don’t you just give up your place and move in here?”
“Should I?”
“It’s a waste of rent money.”
Seong-woon’s father had outright bought this house for him. There seemed to have been complicated talk about taxes and such, but Seong-woon hadn’t really understood any of it. He had just been presented with perfectly prepared documents.
“Then my current lease period…”
“…I was joking.”
“How can you make a joke sound so exciting?”
“How would you explain living with me? In my case… everything was unintentionally revealed, so it turned out like this, but it’s different for you. Your manager doesn’t even know…”
“I could just tell them.”
I knew you’d say that, Seong-woon thought. Feeling he had said something he shouldn’t have, he hugged Baek Sang-hyun’s waist and rubbed his forehead against his firm chest.
“Baek Sang-hyun.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you going to make me worry?”
“I won’t. …But you got unnecessarily excited, didn’t you?”
“I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”
“You do want to live together, right?”
“Yes.”
At the firm answer, Seong-woon’s heart began to beat a little faster. He blinked slowly, unconsciously smiling.
“If we weren’t celebrities, we would have lived together.”
“Yeah…”
“We could just keep separate paperwork and live together anyway.”
“Aren’t we already doing that?”
Since Seong-woon moved to the apartment below Baek Sang-hyun’s, they had been staying together mostly at Seong-woon’s place. After all, this house had a new interior design and was much better for responding to any potential health issues Seong-woon might have. Of course, Seong-woon said it was just for show to his family, but he couldn’t ignore Baek Sang-hyun’s concerns.
“I mean more than just sleeping here…”
“You want to fully merge our living spaces?”
“Is that not okay?”
“How would you explain it to your manager…”
“My manager rarely comes to my place anyway.”
“Still.”
Seong-woon patted Baek Sang-hyun’s cheek as he pouted, looking a bit upset. He knew there were many obstacles, yet he had said unnecessary things.
Of course, Seong-woon enjoyed living with Baek Sang-hyun too. Baek Sang-hyun was a perfect roommate, and even Seong-woon, who disliked living with others, felt no discomfort. But still…
“Do you want to be together that much every day?”
“Yes. Sometimes I don’t even want to go to schedules.”
Seeing how clingy he was being today, it seemed Baek Sang-hyun had drunk quite a bit. Even though he had showered, the effects of alcohol still lingered. But the words spoken at times like this were likely to be sincere.
“I missed seeing your face when I left at dawn today, too.”
“I told you it’s okay to wake me up.”
“That’s because you… You said you finished filming late yesterday and went to your place instead of mine. If you had come to my place, I would have woken you up to see your face before leaving.”
“How could I come here when I got in at 2 AM?”
“I was going to wake up at 3 AM to leave anyway?”
“That’s exactly why. How could I wake up someone at 2 AM who has to leave at 3 AM?”
Unable to resist Baek Sang-hyun’s cute words, Seong-woon kissed his cheeks and around his mouth. Flustered, Baek Sang-hyun turned his head this way and that, avoiding the kisses.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“That’s why we should merge our homes.”
“Baek Sang-hyun. There’s something in this world called people’s eyes.”
“I’ll just keep my place and move my body down here.”
“I told you it’s a waste of rent.”
“It’s not a waste.”
Baek Sang-hyun cut off Seong-woon’s very un-chaebol-like words. Well, compared to Baek Sang-hyun’s income, the rent was an amount that didn’t really matter whether it was there or not.
“Can we rest today?”
“Yes, just today. From tomorrow, we have to go to stage greetings.”
“…Should I go to the stage greetings too?”
“Of course.”
“…”
“Are you scared?”
Seong-woon looked at Baek Sang-hyun for a moment before nodding. Fans aside, Seong-woon hadn’t had the opportunity to meet audiences for nearly 10 years. The press conference was okay because it was just journalists, but wasn’t a stage greeting literally meeting the public?
“Everyone will love it.”
“…You think so?”
“Of course.”
“Actually… I’m more used to people disliking me…”
In fact, it’s more awkward when people like me. Seong-woon wrinkled his nose and trailed off. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say himself.
“You did well on stage, didn’t you?”
“Well… I couldn’t really see clearly.”
He couldn’t even see the audience’s faces. He didn’t dare look. As he shook his head to clear away unnecessary thoughts, Baek Sang-hyun finally pressed his lips properly against Seong-woon’s.
Warm lips melting softly. Despite it being March, Seong-woon still found it hard to bear the cold and couldn’t help but snuggle into Baek Sang-hyun’s warm embrace.
Cupping Baek Sang-hyun’s cheeks as he gently nibbled on his lips, Seong-woon slowly entwined their tongues. He wanted to do more, but the problem was that sleep was overtaking his body.
“Sleepy?”
“Yeah…”
Large hands caressed and gently stroked his body. As his body temperature rose, Seong-woon felt like he was sinking deeper.
“You should… sleep too…”
“I want to touch you more.”
“If you want to touch, then touch…”
He didn’t want to sleep, but he couldn’t resist the drowsiness. When would his stamina improve? He was already going to the hospital almost daily for exercise, but it wasn’t getting much better.
“Sleep well.”
He wanted to respond, but his lips wouldn’t move. Seong-woon barely managed to nod as he completely closed his eyes.
Waking up close to noon, Seong-woon ate the breakfast-cum-lunch Baek Sang-hyun had prepared and was sprawled on the sofa. Naturally, Baek Sang-hyun hadn’t gone back to his own place and was staying here, casually tidying up the bedroom and bed.
“Sunbae-nim, what’s this?”
Seong-woon, who had been staring at the sunlight peeking through the curtains, blankly looked at the delivery box Baek Sang-hyun brought out from the room. He had been too busy the past few days to remember what he had bought.
“…I’m not sure?”
What did I buy?
“Isn’t the item name written on it?”
“It says ‘Natural 1 piece’.”
“…Natural?”
What could it be? Seong-woon took the box Baek Sang-hyun handed him and started to open the tape, but suddenly paused. He vaguely remembered buying something late at night a few days ago, fighting off sleepiness. And that was…
“Sunbae-nim?”
“Huh?”
“Give me the box so I can throw away the trash.”
“Ah… just a moment.”
It was something that would be difficult to show others casually. Seong-woon fumbled around, pushing his hand into the half-opened box. Despite being wrapped in plastic, he could feel the distinctive soft texture of the object as he gripped it and pulled it out.
“What is it? Is it a gift for me?”
“…Well, something like that.”
Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, Seong-woon shrugged and handed over the empty box. It wasn’t something he bought solely for Baek Sang-hyun’s pleasure, but rather something he felt was essential and had impulsively purchased as soon as he saw it. He hadn’t even known such things existed…
Entering the bedroom, Seong-woon shoved the item into the bedside drawer and flopped down on the bed. The neatly made sheets wrinkled.
“Why are you so dazed?”
Noticing something off about Seong-woon’s behavior, Baek Sang-hyun followed him in. Seong-woon looked up at him quietly before patting the space beside him.
Like an obedient puppy, Baek Sang-hyun sat down next to him, then naturally pulled Seong-woon into an embrace as he lay back.
“…I just made the bed.”
“I made it so we could lie on it.”
“You’re really getting spoiled.”
“You can’t live without me, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I love that.”
Love what? Seong-woon chuckled and hugged Baek Sang-hyun back. As their lips met, he could taste the peppermint tea they had shared earlier. It was refreshing and slightly sweet.
“I’m holding back a bit.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re tired… You’ve been practicing a lot since last week, and from tomorrow you have stage greetings too.”
“You act like I’m made of glass.”
“It would be better if you were made of glass.”
“I’m not in pain anymore, really.”
“…”
Stubborn guy. He always clams up when he doesn’t want to answer. Seong-woon gently stroked Baek Sang-hyun’s thick eyebrows and pressed his lips firmly against his, inviting a kiss.
Having slept deeply for a long time, he felt in great condition. His senses were so heightened that he could feel every bump on Baek Sang-hyun’s tongue. When Baek Sang-hyun licked along the edge of his lower lip, Seong-woon’s toes curled involuntarily.
Contrary to his words about holding back, Baek Sang-hyun slowly slid his hand inside Seong-woon’s pajamas. Whenever they had time, the two would press their bodies together like this.
They rubbed lips, nuzzled cheeks, covered necks in kisses, undressed, and burrowed under the blanket to embrace chest-to-chest. When the heat made them sweat, it felt even better, like melting deeper into each other.
“I thought you were holding back.”
“…Just a little.”
“When have you ever done ‘just a little’…?”
Baek Sang-hyun unbuttoned Seong-woon’s pajama top one by one, then tossed it behind him. Seong-woon chuckled as he watched it fall to the floor with a flop.
Baek Sang-hyun’s fingertips gently caressed Seong-woon’s left chest. His palm traced the remaining scars from opening and closing the chest, then covered it completely.
“The device is still inside, right?”
“Yeah. My family was worried… so we decided to leave it for now. Thanks to this, I’m exempt from military service.”
“…”
“Well, maybe ‘thanks to’ isn’t the right way to put it.”
“How could you go to the military, sunbae? You’re just a kid.”
“You’re copying how my brothers talk, aren’t you?”
Baek Sang-hyun’s smile faded slightly as he slowly pressed his ear to the spot just left of Seong-woon’s solar plexus.
“Are you listening to my heartbeat?”
“…Yes.”
“It really doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Just… listening to it makes me feel at ease.”
The arms around Seong-woon’s back were firm, and he could feel Baek Sang-hyun’s exhales on his chest. Feeling like he could trace the outline of Baek Sang-hyun’s ear pressed against his left chest, Seong-woon simply ran his fingers through Baek Sang-hyun’s hair. The soft strands tickling between his fingers sent a momentary tingle down his spine.
“Looks like you’re starting to feel it in your chest too.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Here.”
Baek Sang-hyun pressed firmly on Seong-woon’s right chest. When his fingertip touched the now-swollen nub, Seong-woon instinctively pulled back.
“It seems like it’s grown a bit from touching it every day.”
“No, it hasn’t.”
“I like it, you know.”
Baek Sang-hyun quickly followed, blowing a puff of air on the nub before grabbing Seong-woon’s arm, pulling him close, and biting his chest.
“Ah…! It hurts…”
It didn’t really hurt that much, but when Seong-woon exaggerated, Baek Sang-hyun immediately removed his teeth and gently licked the shallow bite mark with his soft tongue.
Even though he hadn’t touched anywhere else, Seong-woon’s back quickly became damp with sweat. He worried about becoming this sensitive. What if, later, even brushing against clothes would make him aroused? He couldn’t help but be concerned as he felt his underwear starting to get wet.
“You’re cute…”
“I’m your Sunbae-nim, you know?”
“Even Sunbae-nim can be cute.”
Baek Sang-hyun’s lips, which had briefly parted while speaking, soon returned to Seong-woon’s chest. He pressed his thumb firmly on the nipple, rubbing the sensitive spot underneath.
“Hnn…”
Seong-woon, trying to escape without realizing it, pressed his elbows into the bed to raise his upper body, but a hand on his shoulder easily pushed him back down.