#060
“But I don’t see any other actors?”
“If they’re not filming or don’t have scenes to shoot, there’s no need for them to come to the set.”
“That’s disappointing.”
Kim Haseon smacked his lips. He had come with high expectations after seeing articles about luxury actors appearing en masse in the movie Kang Dojun was currently filming, but the actual parties other than Kang Dojun weren’t there.
“Would you like to watch Dojun act?”
“Can… can we dare to do that!?”
Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled softly next to Kim Haseon, who was making a fuss.
“Instead, absolute silence so the audio doesn’t overlap. You have to turn off all cameras and phones. No filming, no flash! Got it?”
Park Daeho gave several warnings before guiding the way.
Yeonwoo’s heart was pounding.
‘Dojun hyung’s acting…!’
He had watched works featuring Kang Dojun on DVDs at his house whenever he had time, but his white cheeks flushed red at the prospect of actually watching his acting.
His body, colored with anticipation, kept swaying and moving in different directions. It was because his mind was scattered in all sorts of other directions. Unable to watch anymore, Kim Haseon grabbed his arm and led him.
“You acted like you weren’t interested. Are you excited about the set too?”
More precisely, he was excited about the acting Kang Dojun would show.
Kim Haseon put his hand on Yeonwoo’s shoulder and glared at his eyes colored with anticipation. He had exactly those same eyes when he said he would butcher tuna on the deep-sea fishing boat.
In the end, someone else had to do the butchering, so he sulked with his lips sticking out.
“Are you that happy?”
“Yeah.”
Because it’s Dojun hyung.
Yeonwoo swallowed the rest of his words.
* * *
“…With your thorough sense of mission, you have greatly contributed to public safety and citizen security, therefore we commend you!”
Kang Dojun bowed to receive the commendation, supported his weight on one foot, turned around, and his eyes went to Yeonwoo who had come to watch. He just needed to salute and this scene would be over, but his body suddenly stiffened.
“Cut!”
“…I’m sorry. I’ll do it again.”
“That’s human and good!”
With the director’s hearty words, filming started again.
Yeonwoo couldn’t take his eyes off Kang Dojun’s back for even a moment. He passionately watched his gestures, expressions, and gaze when acting, not missing anything.
Kang Dojun was also wearing the cap included in the police uniform.
‘He wasn’t wearing it earlier.’
He must have put it on after filming started.
‘Cool.’
This might be a novel experience for him, but for Kang Dojun, this was daily life and his job.
‘Do I look that cool when I’m beekeeping?’
He naturally frowned as he remembered himself shouting ‘Fucking hornets, fuck’ while spraying the smoker all day in front of Kang Dojun last time.
‘I should have acted cooler.’
He felt upset that he should have shown off his knowledge and controlled the bees stylishly but couldn’t.
Kang Dojun, who received the commendation, turned around straightly in a posture like one would do in the military.
‘Did he practice that too?’
There were no physical characteristics like shoulders usually drooping to one comfortable side. His body formed perfect left-right symmetry, the angle of his shoe heels maintained 90 degrees, and his face too…
For a moment, he felt like their eyes met.
“Wow, damn, so fucking cool. He shines even more doing his main job. I guess actors have to have a different aura from the start. That’s a calling, really.”
Kim Haseon still had his arm on Yeonwoo’s shoulder. In that position, he brought his face close and whispered quietly in his ear.
‘A calling.’
He agreed with those words a hundred times over.
He wanted to add one word to the sentence ‘My boyfriend is Kang Dojun’ to nail it down as ‘My boyfriend is ‘actor’ Kang Dojun.’
He suited it that much and shone.
After Kang Dojun perfectly completed even the final salute, filming ended with the director’s okay sign.
After greeting the people around him, Kang Dojun immediately ran to them.
Kim Haseon straightened his posture and offered a greeting. At the same time, the arm that had been on Yeonwoo’s shoulder automatically came down.
“That… I watched your acting well!”
“Thank you. Wasn’t it boring?”
Yeonwoo shook his head vigorously at the question directed at him. He didn’t even notice time passing.
“What’s that hat?”
“Ah, this… want to try it on?”
Kang Dojun put the police cap on Yeonwoo’s head, brushed his shoulders as if dusting them off, and smiled.
“Pretty.”
Yeonwoo fiddled with the cap on his head out of embarrassment. Then someone approached them and requested a handshake.
“Oh my, a star has visited! I didn’t even know… Hello. My kids really loved ‘Rural Conquest.’ They made such a fuss when it ended last week. Thanks to my kids, I know all the news.”
“Oh, that’s Director Oh. He says he’s your fan.”
At Kang Dojun’s explanation, Yeonwoo felt a strange feeling he couldn’t describe.
He wasn’t even a celebrity, but people kept saying fan, fan… At first he didn’t think anything of it, but as the frequency of such situations increased, he felt like he had really become a celebrity.
‘What if they are my fans anyway?’
He hadn’t learned fan service or anything like that. Like last time, should he just sign autographs and take pictures together?
“Thank you?”
His sentence ended with a question mark. He shook hands with Director Oh.
“Ahem, then could I get an autograph… Our daughter nagged me so much to ask for your autograph if I ever met Yeonwoo-ssi. This is also fate, couldn’t you do just one?”
“Yes.”
As they say, no parent can beat their child, so Director Oh continued sheepishly.
Yeonwoo carefully signed the paper Director Oh offered. Who was the person who said he didn’t have autographs earlier? He was enthusiastic, even drawing a bee between the circles of his name.
There was a reason for all his effort.
‘Dojun hyung’s boss.’
It was an audacious mindset of asking him to take good care of Kang Dojun.
Kang Dojun would do well on his own, but good things are good things, right?
After finishing the autograph, Yeonwoo proudly handed over the paper.
“Here.”
“My goodness… the autograph resembles its owner, so round and cute! My daughter will love it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m more grateful!”
“No, I’m…”
With the sole consciousness of needing to make a good impression on Kang Dojun’s boss, a ‘who can bow their head better battle’ began. It ended when the police cap Yeonwoo was wearing fell to the ground.
Kang Dojun picked up the cap, dusted it off, handed it to the stylist, and said.
“Director Oh. We’ll be going now.”
“Yeah, good work, and see you next week!”
“Yes, we’ll go first. Good luck with the remaining filming.”
After saying goodbye, they left the building.
“Lee Yeonwoo has become a popular star?”
“Shut up.”
Yeonwoo answered Kim Haseon’s words as if annoyed, but was lost in thought.
‘What am I?’
He looked at Kang Dojun next to him. He gently ruffled his hair and spoke affectionately.
“It must have been hard waiting. Are you very tired?”
“I’m fine.”
He wasn’t an actor like Kang Dojun, nor an idol, just an ordinary person. He didn’t need a lot of attention and love.
‘I just need hyung.’
That really was all there was.
Kim Haseon got in the car, exclaiming in admiration.
“Ahh, it’s cool. Manager-nim has great sense.”
At some point Park Daeho was nowhere to be seen, but it seemed he had been waiting after turning on the air conditioning to make the car interior cool.
An unexpected person got into the passenger seat that was naturally expected to be for Kang Dojun.
Park Daeho couldn’t hide his displeased expression when he got in. Kim Haseon had asked endless questions even while coming here. Fear was already washing over him wondering what questions he would ask this time.
Looking around to see where Kang Dojun was, he could see him getting into the back seat with Yeonwoo.
‘How many years have I spent with him…’
He looked at Kang Dojun, who had immediately taken a seat next to Yeonwoo, with resentful eyes. It seemed like he had been pushed down in the rankings among the few on Kang Dojun’s acquaintance list.
‘I’m really quitting soon.’
Even so, his body dutifully moved to back out of the parking space.
“Where should we go? Home?”
“Let’s go eat. Yeonwoo, is there anything you want to eat?”
“Um…”
“How about sashimi?”
Kim Haseon suddenly interjected into Yeonwoo’s contemplation.
“That sounds good too. Yeonwoo?”
Kang Dojun lightly agreed and asked Yeonwoo again. For him, the most important thing was Yeonwoo’s opinion.
However, the same was true for Yeonwoo. Kang Dojun had just given a casual response to get past Kim Haseon’s opinion.
‘That sounds good too.’
Those words were translated and heard by Yeonwoo as ‘I want to eat sashimi.’
“Yes. Sashimi sounds good. Let’s go eat that.”
With the menu somehow narrowed down, Park Daeho headed to the destination. There was one place they frequented. It was a tuna specialty sashimi restaurant with private rooms.
Kim Haseon and Yeonwoo, who had imagined a regular market sashimi restaurant, were shocked seeing the prices on the menu.
“I’m buying, so please eat to your heart’s content.”
“What? To that extent…”
“Course A, please.”
Despite being the same age as Kang Dojun, Kim Haseon swallowed at their different financial capabilities.
But well, this kind of opportunity didn’t come easily, so he decided to enjoy it.
It could be guessed that his simple personality also played a part in becoming friends with Yeonwoo.
Soon the bluefin tuna came out, and a chef came in to explain each cut before leaving.
Kim Haseon opened his mouth wherever Kang Dojun’s chopsticks headed, as if he wouldn’t eat for free, with gratitude.
“Ah, that’s gill meat, it’s chewy and delicious.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s belly fat!”
“Yes. Yeonwoo, eat this…”
“That’s neck meat! I like that part too.”
The explanations were appreciated, but they were uncomfortable, or rather annoying. He couldn’t figure out what word to attach to Kim Haseon. Eventually, Park Daeho, who had been watching the situation from the side, carefully spoke up.
“You know a lot of details.”
“Three years on a deep-sea fishing boat and you learn to recite poetry!”
“…Please eat a lot. I need to take a call for a moment.”
Park Daeho took his ringing phone and headed outside.
Meanwhile, Yeonwoo was eating wasabi and scrunching his nose. As if addicted to the taste, he reddened his eyes but didn’t stop eating.
Then, as if the spicy taste really hit him, he grabbed his nose and buried his head in Kang Dojun’s arm next to him.
Kim Haseon looked at that sight with pitying eyes and patted the seat next to him.
“I don’t know why he’s like that. Don’t trouble the precious Kang Dojun-ssi unnecessarily and sit here. Should I pat your back?”
“I’m fine.”
Kang Dojun declined and carefully stroked Yeonwoo’s back.
Bang!
Then their gaze turned to Park Daeho, who opened the door not at all carefully.
He was holding his phone with trembling hands. He looked at Kang Dojun. His shoulders seemed to be heaving, as if he was excited.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dojun, you need to go to the company right now.”
At Park Daeho’s serious words, Yeonwoo also raised his head.
“You have a problem.”
“A problem?”
At Kang Dojun’s look asking him to explain in detail, he calmed his excitement for a moment before continuing. The most important incident for a celebrity, or a landmine.
“Character controversy.”
“…What?”
“You have a character controversy. The informant is a variety show PD.”
It was obvious without even looking. If it was a variety show PD that Kang Dojun knew, there was exactly one.
Yeonwoo, who caught on, muttered lowly.
“That bastard Han Taegu.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
