#021
When he opened Yeonwoo’s room door, he was nowhere to be seen as he had left early again today without fail. However, his phone was sparkling on the blanket with its screen lit up.
‘He left his phone behind again.’
Kang Dojun looked at the screen that was sparkling even though he hadn’t touched it.
[Uncle Cheolsu (3)]
It was a missed call notification that hadn’t been answered. Why had he called? After unlocking it with his fingerprint, he checked the message box. There was a text saying he had body aches and couldn’t go to the apiary today.
He wondered whether he should go deliver this message or not, but it was just about time for Yeonwoo to come home anyway, and he thought if it was him, he’d come straight back without waiting for Uncle Cheolsu.
[Kang Dojun hyung. 27. Actor]
‘…At least he put the title “hyung.”‘
Still, something about it didn’t sit right with him.
When he changed it to “Dojun hyung,” his frustrated heart felt much more at ease.
While he was sitting there fiddling with the phone, a visitor came. Someone knocked on the glass of Yeonwoo’s room window.
“Wow, it really is Kang Dojun!”
Some unfamiliar man came and exclaimed in amazement. When he glanced through the window at the yard situation, the production crew seemed busy preparing for filming that would start soon.
‘What? A sasaeng fan?’
While Shin Gihyeon’s fan base was mostly women, Kang Dojun was a popular actor who was liked by people regardless of age or gender. So there were quite a few so-called male fans as well.
Judging that the production crew had failed to stop a sasaeng fan from coming freely, Kang Dojun locked the window to prevent him from entering.
“Hey, why are you locking it!?”
“Who are you? We’re filming here.”
“Agh, of course I know you’re filming! Please open this. I came because I have something to say to Yeon hyung!”
Yeon? Yeonwoo?
“You mean Yeonwoo?”
“Yes, yes. I’m also a resident of this village! Isn’t Yeon hyung home right now? He’s not answering his phone either?”
The phone he had just been touching was Yeonwoo’s. The only call was from Uncle Cheolsu…
“By any chance… Cheolsu?”
“Ah, not Cheolsu, but Kim Sehyeon! Sorry for speaking casually at first meeting. I’m such a fan… Dojun-nim, could you please open the door?”
“The only call that came for Yeonwoo was from Uncle Cheolsu. Please go back now.”
At Kang Dojun’s words, the man who had introduced himself as Kim Sehyeon seemed frustrated and wildly ruffled his hair.
“Agh, fine! I am Cheolsu. So please open the door!”
Cheolsu now? His credibility dropped even further.
The production crew seemed to have grasped the situation and were coming his way, and thinking they would handle it, he ignored the man’s words and turned his gaze away to continue what he was doing.
Just then, suddenly a scream of “Agh!” echoed from the yard.
“Why are you lurking around someone else’s house like a pervert?”
Cheolsu rubbed his shin that Yeonwoo had hit and looked at him with wronged eyes.
“I came because I had something to tell hyung, but Dojun-nim won’t open the door!”
“You’re here?”
As if nothing had happened, Kang Dojun opened the window without hesitation to welcome Yeonwoo.
“Yes, but what’s your business? Don’t disturb the Seoul people’s filming and get lost.”
“I came because father is sick and told me to tell you he can’t go to the apiary today. And why aren’t you answering your phone again?”
“Yeonwoo-ya. Is this person Cheolsu? Right?”
Kang Dojun looked at the man who had introduced himself as Kim Sehyeon with suspicious eyes and asked Yeonwoo.
“Yes, hyung. That’s Cheolsu.”
Uncle Cheolsu, that is, his son Kim Cheolsu, was a legitimate village resident who lived in a dormitory in another region, leaving the small rural village that only had a branch school in the neighboring town for high school, and came down every weekend.
“But just now he said Kim Sehyeon…”
“Ah, Dojun-nim. Just call me Sehyeon. I’m going to change my name when I become an adult.”
“Don’t talk nonsense again. Just hurry home.”
Cheolsu had been going around singing that he would change his name when he became an adult and didn’t need parental consent anymore, saying his name was old-fashioned.
“Hyung, if you haven’t prepared food, should we go out and buy some? The PD said he’d increase my screen time. I’ll treat you.”
“…Okay.”
Kang Dojun nodded reluctantly and fixed his gaze on Kim Cheolsu. A new resident list had been updated. He felt like he was playing some famous game company’s “Animal X.”
“Yeon hyung, can I buy you food too?”
“What’s so pretty about you?”
“Tch.”
‘Why does he call him Yeon instead of Yeonwoo? Is it a nickname?’
He was bothered by the fact that it was a unique way of addressing between just Cheolsu and Yeonwoo.
He had thought that he and Yeonwoo were forming a hyung-dongsaeng relationship, but it turned out Yeonwoo was already forming relationships in the hyung position elsewhere.
‘He said we were on the same team.’
Kang Dojun glared at Kim Cheolsu and urged Yeonwoo.
“Yeonwoo-ya, if we’re going, let’s go quickly.”
“I can go like this right away. Get ready and come out.”
“Yeon-. Really, won’t you buy me food?”
“Stop being cheeky. Add ‘hyung’ at the end of your words.”
“…I can go like this too. Where should we go?”
He immediately burst out the front door and approached Yeonwoo’s side.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, hyung. If we walk a bit in front, there’s a delicious place. Hey, you hurry home.”
Kim Cheolsu clung to Yeonwoo until the end, trying to get a free meal. Kang Dojun put his arm around Yeonwoo’s shoulder and said to him:
“We’ll go out, so Cheolsu-ssi should head back now too.”
“Ugh, please call me Sehyeon!”
Ignoring the screams from behind, they left. Yeonwoo chuckled and spoke to Kang Dojun as if bragging about his younger brother:
“That kid Cheolsu, his father won’t let him change his name, so he’s making a fuss about changing it as soon as he becomes an adult.”
He looked down at the pale Yeonwoo. Whether he was happy to see Cheolsu who came every weekend, the smile never left his face throughout.
“The thing about calling me Yeon, nowadays kids are all trending to call people by taking just one character from their surname and name. He’s such a funny guy.”
“…I guess.”
It wasn’t really funny though.
Was this really a restaurant? The place Yeonwoo brought him to as a good restaurant was a shabby place with no sign that only village people would know about.
“Grandma, one cheonggukjang and… hyung, what would you like? There’s cheonggukjang and doenjang-jjigae.”
“…Doenjang-jjigae.”
“One cheonggukjang and one doenjang-jjigae.”
Even though there wasn’t even a common menu written anywhere, Yeonwoo finished ordering familiarly.
“This place is really delicious. Grandma makes the meju herself too.”
How do you know that? he wanted to ask, but kept his mouth tightly shut.
Then Kang Dojun seemed to remember something and searched his pocket to hand Yeonwoo his phone.
“You left it behind again.”
“Ah, thank you.”
While handing over the phone, he suddenly remembered the wallpaper he had seen earlier. It seemed to be a group photo, and next to it was Kim Haseon, whom Kang Dojun was familiar with from searching YouTube.
“Is the wallpaper from when you were on the deep-sea fishing boat?”
“Yes, Kim Haseon said he’d use it as a YouTube thumbnail, so he took a shot and we all got copies.”
“Can I have your phone for a moment?”
Kang Dojun took Yeonwoo’s phone back, unlocked it familiarly, entered the messaging app, and pressed the profile.
It was still the default wallpaper profile.
“Can I change this profile?”
“It’s fine, but why?”
“…Just because.”
He entered settings and changed the default profile picture to one of them together from when they were farming. There was no particular reason, he just wanted to do it. Maybe he was being wary of Kim Cheolsu.
Yeonwoo was indifferent to things like this, so he wouldn’t mind.
Then he took out his own phone from his pocket and fiddled with it.
‘These days, even friends often use the same photo as their profile picture…’
Wouldn’t it be okay for hyung and dongsaeng to strengthen their friendship too?
Just then, Yeonwoo’s phone vibrated briefly. Kang Dojun, who checked the message for him, asked:
“Yeonwoo-ya, do you use social media?”
“No? I don’t do things like that.”
That seemed likely. Kang Dojun took out his phone and opened the social media app. He never dreamed that the account his agency had made him create would be used like this.
Curious about the message content, Yeonwoo took his phone and read it. It was a text from his friend.
「Hey hey hey hey hey hey isn’t that your photo on Shin Gihyeon’s social media?」
“What is this…”
With good timing, Kang Dojun showed him Shin Gihyeon’s feed. The photo taken the other day to check for injuries when he fell was posted prominently on his feed.
“Ah, this bas…”
Yeonwoo, who was about to curse carelessly, stopped when Kang Dojun suddenly looked at him.
“…tard.”
Still, he had the determination to complete the word he was saying. After that, he sent an angry text to the contact he had received from Shin Gihyeon.
「You said you wouldn’t spread rumors. Want to die?」
The reply came immediately.
「I covered your face.」
Yeonwoo checked the feed once more. Ah, he did cover the face. Then whatever…
While feeling embarrassed, another text flew in from his friend.
「Is it really you? Answer if you read it. Read-ignoring is your daily routine.」
「🖕」
「^🖕^」
Just as he was about to send a long string of curses to his friend who had responded to profanity with profanity, a click- sound was heard.
“…Hyung, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, just. I thought I’d post a photo too.”
“My photo?”
“Is it a bit weird? I’ll cover your face though.”
It was Kang Dojun’s sparkling eyes that he’d never seen before. With that appearance and earnest eyes, it was impossible for Yeonwoo to refuse.
“…I guess it might be okay.”
“Thank you.”
As if he had been waiting for those words, Kang Dojun answered without hesitation. He felt a bit like he’d been tricked, but seeing the aura of joy emanating from Kang Dojun, he casually brushed it off thinking, well, it should be fine.
* * *
“Hello! We who came to dominate Rural Conquest are who~? Your stars! Glay-ce! Hello, Dojun sunbae-nim!”
When they came home after eating, unknown men were each striking strange poses and spouting cringey words.
“We’re the rookie boy group Grace, who came as guests on Rural Conquest this time! Please take care of us.”
Yeonwoo quietly glared at Han Taegu.
‘I’ve been watching and watching, but you keep bringing people?’
He could now roughly guess what Yeonwoo’s glaring eyes meant. Sweating profusely, he quickly hid among the staff.
“Yeon hyung, you’re back? Dojun-nim, please come in quickly too! Everyone, please have some coffee.”
“Oh, thank you, Sehyeon-ssi.”
Kim Cheolsu had personally made five cups of coffee in Yeonwoo’s kitchen and distributed them to the boy group Grace members.
“You still haven’t left?”
“Goodness, how can I leave when there are guests? Ah! Grace members, this is Lee Yeonwoo, the owner of this house.”
“Huh? The house owner is… Sehyeon-ssi…”
Grace blinked with bewildered expressions.
Along with eyes that said, ‘Wasn’t the house owner you?’
Yeonwoo and Kang Dojun sighed.
When they entered the house, some guy was acting like the owner in his own home.
Notes:
Kim Cheolsu is his real/current name – he’s the son of “Uncle Cheolsu”.
Kim Sehyeon is what he wants to change his name to when he becomes an adult because he thinks “Cheolsu” sounds old-fashioned/rural.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
