#106
“Hmm…”
Jin Woohyeon hesitated, seeming reluctant to answer.
“It’s not really someone I want to talk about.”
Did that mean he didn’t even want to discuss it? I wondered how badly they must have fought for him to feel this way.
If there was one thing I’d learned about him over the past few months, it was that he didn’t waste emotions on other people. It was rare for him to genuinely like or follow someone, and just as uncommon for him to hate anyone.
Knowing him like that, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, but I didn’t want to force it out of him. This was just concern, after all.
I spoke quietly.
“If it’s troublesome, you don’t have to answer. I’m not trying to interrogate you.”
“I know. Our Sanho hyung can’t stand to see me in trouble. I don’t misunderstand things like that.”
Jin Woohyeon said he’d let me know when things were sorted out later, then leaned down. He moved carefully, as if worried he might frighten me.
He briefly kissed my cheek and the tip of my nose, then rested his forehead against my neck for a moment.
“I was in a bad mood, but seeing hyung made me feel better.”
If someone else had said that, I would have thought it was just flattery, but this was Jin Woohyeon. The words he said to me were usually sincere.
Our eyes met when he raised his head. I slowly closed my eyes, recognizing the silent request in his deep, dark pupils. Soon, understanding my permission, his lips approached and gently met mine.
This was a kind of rule we’d created after countless trial and error. The small promises we’d built layer upon layer, hoping that acts of touching born from love would no longer remain as wounds or shocks, were cumbersome but allowed me to move a little further forward.
Jin Woohyeon always took time to wait before touching me—to check if I was okay before kissing. If I didn’t close my eyes, it meant refusal, and when that happened, he would readily pull back as if nothing had happened.
There were times when I forced myself to go along because I felt sorry for refusing. When that happened, I would inevitably become frightened and create results that worried Jin Woohyeon even more.
After several failures, I learned that Jin Woohyeon’s patience wasn’t as painful a process as my worry, and that just as he made efforts, I too had to honestly reveal my emotions and state. I finally understood—not just intellectually—that erasing myself and forcing myself to fit wasn’t the answer.
When we kissed, I always placed my hands on Jin Woohyeon’s shoulders. When I couldn’t breathe or felt overwhelmed, I would push him away. That too was a rule set for both of us.
“…”
Lips overlapping, slowly caressing moist surfaces, warming with our shared heat, then deeply connecting. Sigh-like breaths escaped through the gaps between our touching lips, then soft flesh entered, parting between teeth.
I swallowed the warm breath he gave me. Behind my tightly closed eyelids, heat spread and my heart pounded.
It wasn’t because it was difficult or unpleasant. It was because it felt good. Because I wanted to touch him. Because I could finally understand that I was safe. Because I was always newly amazed that we’d somehow made it this far.
So today was okay. Except for feeling a little dizzy from the fever, my condition wasn’t bad. The painful memories that sometimes surfaced had been quiet all day.
But suddenly Jin Woohyeon’s lips pulled away. It wasn’t because I’d pushed his shoulders, nor because the kiss had lasted long enough. It ended so abruptly that it felt awkward, making me open my eyes in confusion.
“…Sorry.”
Jin Woohyeon smiled with his eyebrows drawn together as if troubled. His hoarse voice tickled my ear.
“Let’s stop here for today. It’s been a while, so I don’t trust myself to hold back.”
“…”
“Hyung’s condition isn’t great. Anything more can wait until later. Okay?”
It wasn’t that we hadn’t tried going beyond kissing, but there hadn’t been any real success yet. That’s why we had to be careful.
Instead of continuing, he lay down next to me. He carefully wrapped the blanket around my entire body, then tightly embraced me—now resembling a large piece of kimbap.
“Ah, this is nice.”
I nestled into his arms while listening to his voice, soft with satisfaction.
“Now I feel like I can live.”
“Is filming very busy?”
“You can’t even imagine.”
Perhaps because of his naturally low voice, every time he spoke, I felt vibrations through our touching bodies.
“Even though this isn’t my first time filming a series, it took me a long time to adapt. I think it was harder because the previous filming wasn’t as intensive.”
“That makes sense. You’re working hard.”
“Still, I like it. It was a role I wanted to try at least once. It’s really tough when action scenes need retakes, but when it’s all finished, it’s really rewarding.”
“…Action?”
“Ah.”
“There’s action again?”
I snapped to attention. When I bumped his chest with my forehead, Jin Woohyeon laughed softly and pulled back.
I bolted upright and threw off the blanket.
“You’re not doing anything that could hurt you again, are you?”
It was shortly after he’d started filming Revenge Formula. I’d received a call from Jin Woohyeon’s manager at 2 AM. He’d hurt his back on glass fragments during filming, and since the injury wouldn’t interfere with the next shoot, he was trying to postpone getting it examined. The manager asked me to persuade him since stubborn Jin Woohyeon would probably only listen to me.
He said it wasn’t serious enough to make a fuss about, but I don’t know how shocked I was when I actually examined his back later. When I was so surprised that tears welled up, Jin Woohyeon apologized for a full hour, promising he’d never worry me again. That memory was still vivid.
“I won’t do anything to worry hyung.”
Jin Woohyeon pressed my forehead to make me lie back down. My vision spun from moving too quickly.
“There are car action scenes coming up, but we hired a stunt actor for those. We had some trouble finding someone with a similar build, but fortunately, a veteran with a matching schedule showed up.”
“Cars…”
A dull pain arose in my chest from memories that suddenly surfaced. When I frowned, Jin Woohyeon cupped my cheeks with both hands and pressed his forehead against mine.
“Even if I hadn’t hurt my back last time, I would have used a stunt double for this. I talked to the director about it before filming even started. I also asked him to adjust the scenes if we couldn’t find a stunt actor.”
“…”
“I only film dialogue scenes sitting in the car. I absolutely won’t do anything dangerous. Absolutely. You understand, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Good.”
A light kiss like a bird’s peck landed on my lower lip.
“What I was talking about earlier was a fight scene. Nothing major, just punching and grappling.”
“Like this,” he added, tightly embracing me and rolling our bodies. He cast a shadow over me briefly after climbing on top, then supported my waist with strong arms and lifted me up to place me on his chest.
Now lying on top of him, I replied in a sulky tone.
“This is a bit much to call ‘grappling.'”
“Hmm, right? This isn’t action—it’s romance.”
Hearing his words, I suddenly became curious.
“…There’s romance too?”
“…”
“Not just this project, but… future projects too. The manager said several scripts came to the agency.”
Jin Woohyeon, who had been gently stroking my forehead and hair, asked in surprise.
“How did you know about that?”
“The manager told me.”
“…You’re in contact with manager hyung?”
“Since last time, when you got hurt at dawn and I had to call, we occasionally exchange messages.”
It wasn’t a great first meeting, but I’d already received plenty of apologies, so it was fine. The manager often sent me texts, sometimes sharing still photos of Jin Woohyeon from previous projects or behind-the-scenes shots intended for profile photos.
I narrowed my eyes and scolded him.
“Don’t change the subject. So is there romance or not?”
“Of course there is…”
He stopped mid-sentence and looked at me. Because he was lying flat, his hair had fallen messily to one side, revealing his distinct eyebrows completely.
“Sanho hyung.”
The corners of his mouth crept up.
“Are you perhaps jealous?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
