“I’m scared of you.”
“……”
“Before you fall into ruin overnight, make yourself a way out. Go on a few dates. Make some female friends.”
Do-yeong was focused, trying to read Chief Choi’s true intent, when the man sighed, one hand resting on his hip.
“Feelings change over time. What you feel right now isn’t everything. You might just be mistaking it for love.”
“It’s not a mistake.”
Chief Choi glanced at him, then gave a bitter smile.
“I was mistaken.”
Startled, Yoon Do-yeong straightened up and looked at him. Chief Choi held out a cotton pad soaked with makeup remover.
“Kissing is still doable, though.”
When Do-yeong opened his mouth to speak, Chief Choi pressed the cotton pad over it.
“Don’t talk to me about your private life. Up until now, I’ve kept quiet because it’s all speculation, but if even a single word slips out of your mouth, it becomes fact.”
“……”
“When obsession gets mixed with friendship, it’s easy to mistake it for love. Be careful. Don’t lose your only real friend over this. You’re blowing things way out of proportion just to take down one rookie actor who gets on your nerves.”
With his index finger raised in warning, Chief Choi got on Do-yeong’s nerves enough that he finally snapped.
“This is a love triangle.”
“Even so, was it really necessary to provoke someone so badly that they grabbed you by the collar in the middle of the street? You shouldn’t have done anything to damage your image.”
“I just told the truth.”
“Why? Afraid someone else might leak it first?”
“My father said he needs a scandal.”
“And your response is to get grabbed by the collar in broad daylight?”
“He’s got anger issues. I figured it’d be great if we framed it as a character flaw.”
“You brat. No matter how bad someone’s personality is, do you think a rookie would grab a senior actor by the throat? The guy’s traveled with you, guarded you like a bodyguard.”
Chief Choi looked at him like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Do-yeong simply gave a playful smile. With a sharp sigh, Chief Choi smacked the soaked cotton pad against his forehead with a loud smack.
“They’re probably thinking you instigated it.”
“That’s even better. I should’ve asked Director Choi Jin-hyuk if he enjoyed sucking him off.”
Choi let out a long sigh, clearly fed up, and abruptly changed the subject.
“Move the ring to your index finger.”
Do-yeong glanced down at the friendship ring on his ring finger.
“No.”
When he refused without hesitation, Chief Choi shook his head, then glanced at his phone and spoke firmly.
“Let’s fly back this afternoon.”
“There are seats available?”
“One first-class opened up. I’ll fly economy. If anything happens, come find me.”
Originally, their flight was scheduled for early morning tomorrow. The sudden change lifted his mood. After wiping off his makeup and showering, he followed Chief Choi to the car without resistance. They sped through check-in with the help of security, and as soon as Do-yeong settled into his seat, he exhaled with relief, feeling like the day was finally over. That’s when a beautiful woman sat next to him.
“Oh my, hello.”
“……Hello.”
“Would you mind taking a picture with me?”
The woman, with striking beauty, beamed brightly—almost too much so. She struck up a conversation in a friendly tone, but there was a strange wariness in her eyes.
Do-yeong immediately picked up on that peculiar gaze. His senses sharpened, eyes narrowing. Then, his eyes caught the ring on her index finger just as he remembered Choi’s earlier words.
“Throw out a light scandal before rumors about your identity or tabloid stories hit.”
“Get yourself a female friend, at least.”
Do-yeong slowly parted his lips.
“……Sure.”
The woman leaned in with her phone, forming a heart shape with her fingers. Even the heart pattern on her phone case stood out obnoxiously. When Do-yeong openly stared at the ring on her finger, she quickly spoke up.
“Oh, this? It’s a friendship ring.”
“Ah, I see……”
“I’m a trainee with HN. All the trainees got matching rings.”
She spoke in a rehearsed tone, practically spitting out lines. Do-yeong simply stared at her. Under the weight of his intense gaze, she hurriedly held the ring closer.
“See? Our members’ initials are engraved here.”
She brought the ring right up to his face. He leaned in and looked. The band was crowded with tiny English letters.
“How many of you are there?”
“Five.”
She showed him a picture on her phone of the group who had matching rings. But her hand was trembling slightly. Do-yeong shifted his gaze away and gave a shallow nod before turning his head away.
“You can really tell, huh……”
He muttered to himself quietly and began replaying every little interaction he’d had with Kang Hyeon. Each reaction. Every look.
“I think he knows.”
If even Chief Choi had noticed, it was unlikely Hyeon hadn’t. When Do-yeong had rested his head on his thigh, Hyeon had stroked his hair. When he brought Hyeon’s hand to his own cheek, he hadn’t pulled away. When they came down the mountain, Hyeon kept holding his hand. He always responded warmly to Do-yeong’s touches. There was no way he hated him. Do-yeong needed to come up with something more decisive to win him over completely.
“How should I create a kissing moment…? No—first, I have to get rid of Ga-yeong noona.”
Was it really over just because he quit the café? Were they still dating? If so, maybe he had to break them up and then go for the kiss? But what if they kissed and Hyeon ended up saying it was a mistake like Chief Choi had? Maybe he should sleep with him and then demand he take responsibility?
He hadn’t meant to picture it, but Kang Hyeon shirtless came to mind, and Do-yeong’s cheeks flushed. That towel around his waist suddenly felt unforgivable. Then his thoughts spiraled further—back to the hospital, when Hyeon had helped him into underwear with a bright red face. That made Do-yeong’s chest tremble as he let out a soundless laugh. Soon enough, his mind was flooded with skin-on-skin imagery. His entire face turned the color of a ripe peach, and he quickly shifted in his seat, crossing his legs and covering up with a blanket.
I’ve never even done it…
“Step by step…”
But Choi’s voice kept echoing in his head, tangling his thoughts. Do-yeong remained dazed and confused until the plane finally landed. As they exited, he played with the ring on his finger and spoke with a tinge of anxiety.
“Chief Choi, do you know what scares me most about you?”
“I told you, you’re the kindest one in your family. That’s the good news. The bad news is you’re not detail-oriented, and you’re sloppy.”
“……”
“Get some insurance. Leave with Ji-yeong when he exits. There’ll be reporters.”
Only now did Do-yeong learn the name of the woman who’d sat next to him. He smirked and whispered.
“Can we trust her?”
“A dating scandal with a top star will get her face out there. We can deny it later with a simple press release.”
As he spoke, he pulled out the pink heart-patterned phone from his pocket—the very one the woman had held on the plane.
“We’re going to release the article ourselves. Ji-yeong will claim she lost her phone at the airport.”
“So, I just need to trust you?”
“Don’t go overboard. If we can’t clean it up on our end, the higher-ups will have to step in.”
“Don’t worry. I handed them a juicy celeb scandal to bury that rookie lawmaker’s case. They’ll probably tie it in with something even bigger and turn it into a nationwide frenzy.”
Chief Choi gave a helpless laugh. When they stepped out of the airport, a car was already waiting. Do-yeong climbed into Choi’s car instead of the one his family sent.
“Why are you getting in here?”
“Drop me off at Hyeon’s place.”
“You should go home.”
“I’m sleeping over at Hyeon’s.”
“……”
“If he doesn’t let me in, I’ll just take a taxi.”
Smiling brightly as he buckled his seatbelt, Do-yeong lifted his phone and called Kang Hyeon before Chief Choi could protest.
–Hey, Do-yeong.
“What’re you doing?”
–Reading the script.
“You said you barely had lines. Is that true?”
–Yeah. Most of it is the murder scene and running from the cops.
“Did you analyze the character?”
–I’m working on it. The director called me separately to explain why I got the role.
“Why?”
–No one else in the cast knows I’m playing the killer.
“Seriously?”
Do-yeong laughed, genuinely amused, and then whispered, his voice laced with teasing sweetness.
“Don’t you miss me?”
–……Yeah, I do.
Do-yeong cupped one cheek with his hand and tilted his upper body slightly. Chief Choi watched him with a dumbfounded expression as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Do-yeong, unfazed, kept chatting away. The car had already left the airport and was cruising into the city. He talked to Hyeon nonstop, smiling and chatting for over 30 minutes. As the call wound down, his voice grew a little soft.
“Going to sleep already?”
With a hint of disappointment in his tone, he looked out the window and saw his face on a massive digital billboard—an ad for a clothing line he’d shot with Ji-gyeong. It was a solo shot taken later, which made him even happier.
As he stared at the ad, he remembered the last expression Ji-gyeong had made—contorted in rage, unable to control her emotions. It had been a beautiful sight. The car soon turned into Kang Hyeon’s neighborhood.
“Hyeon, sleep well. Dream of me.”
–……
“Why aren’t you answering?”
–You too.
Face flushed with joy, Do-yeong stifled a giggle, his shoulders trembling slightly. As soon as he ended the call, Chief Choi scolded him in a stern voice.
“Don’t act that honest around me.”
“……”
“You’ll make it a habit. One slip-up and you’ll fall hard.”
“I know.”
“Are you bringing flowers or snacks?”
“Both.”
“Make it ice cream. Something sweet.”
At that, Do-yeong broke into a wide grin.
“Jeez… how can you be that happy?”
“You’re terrifying, Chief Choi.”
“I already told you—I don’t speak unless it’s fact. If the chairman or the assemblyman asks, I’ll say you’re obsessed with your friend.”
“They already know.”
“That’s not the point. Don’t get me fired for not reporting things.”
“Get fired, then. I’ll just rehire you.”
“I only have power because I’m part of the Sungjin Group. Keep this from reaching Chairman Yoon’s ears.”
Do-yeong looked at Choi’s weary face and whispered with a sly smile.
“I’ll be careful.”
With a wink, he stopped by a flower shop and bought a small flowerpot. Then, he picked up a cake at the ice cream store. That was when Chief Choi’s car finally turned into the alley where Kang Hyeon’s apartment was located.
