By Zephyria 
Director Bang had already arrived at Seohae’s studio.
Song Hyun-soo knew Seohae’s home and studio were in the same building, but this was his first time visiting.
The studio, set up in a spacious officetel, had a basic structure similar to an apartment. Pilates equipment was arranged in the living room, and a comfortable sofa was prepared for resting on one side. It also included a kitchen with an island counter, a dining table, and a large refrigerator.
Without time to admire the view, which was as expansive as from the living room of the apartment upstairs, the three sat facing each other at the kitchen table.
Yoon Joo-ho, leaning against the wall instead of the chair back, looked indifferent. With the folded part of his turtleneck pulled up to cover his nose, his defiant posture was that of a rebellious high school student.
Director Bang, opposite him, showed interest first, pulling his chair closer.
“What do you think? Does it seem like he has an agenda?”
Song Hyun-soo nodded.
“I think so.”
He then placed a business card on the table.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a hospital Jeong Seong-won recommended.”
“A hospital? Are you sick?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been acting indifferently as if it were someone else’s business, pulled his turtleneck down below his lips and asked Song Hyun-soo.
“He recommended it to you, Senior. A sleep clinic.”
“What’s his agenda with that?”
“It didn’t feel like a purely genuine recommendation. It felt like he intended to talk about that from the start.”
Song Hyun-soo took out a small voice recorder from his pocket.
Though small, it was a proper recorder, a model that recorded with clearer audio quality than a phone even from inside a pocket.
Yoon Joo-ho asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s a voice recorder.”
“You recorded it?”
“You said you were taught that way, didn’t you? Doubt, documentation of all agreements, recordings.”
It was the day Yoon Joo-ho’s parents and Yoon Joo-ho had fought fiercely in front of him. Song Hyun-soo had heard it with his own ears.
Yoon Joo-ho chuckled, as if unable to stop him. It was a laugh that seemed to enjoy itself.
“You never know. What Jeong Seong-won said might become evidence later.”
He placed the voice recorder in the center of the table and played it.
Even though it was just a part where they exchanged brief greetings, Yoon Joo-ho’s demeanor was not good.
[I thought the conversation was getting strange. Your parents, they… they seemed to misunderstand our relationship strangely.]
Even though it was a pre-arranged plan.
Hearing him deny their relationship didn’t sit well with him. Though his expression couldn’t be clearly seen due to the turtleneck covering his mouth and nose, it was clear he didn’t look unaffected.
[So, you really have no relationship with Joo-ho Sunbae?]
Jeong Seong-won’s voice.
Song Hyun-soo subtly turned his head to look at Yoon Joo-ho. Leaning against the wall behind him, he was looking at Song Hyun-soo. His gaze wasn’t one of resentment or reproach. He looked a little lonely or sad. It would have been better if he were angry and biting him…
[Will it really be helpful to you, Senior?]
[Of course. They say sleep is the best medicine.]
At that point, Song Hyun-soo paused the playback.
Director Bang, who had been looking at the business card while listening to the recorded content, nodded thoughtfully with a look of conviction.
“It definitely smells fishy.”
“Right?”
“So. What’s the next plan?”
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been silent, asked, and Director Bang replied,
“We have to go to this hospital. To find out if Jeong Seong-won is truly a pawn set up by the representatives…”
Director Bang added with a sigh, as if troubled,
“Honestly, it seems certain at this point, but…”
“Alright, I’ll go.”
“Really?”
Song Hyun-soo turned to him in surprise at Yoon Joo-ho’s words of cooperation. Yoon Joo-ho, pulling down his turtleneck, held up the small voice recorder on the table.
“That’s why you brought this, isn’t it?”
“Of course, I’ll set up a safety net in advance. We don’t know what they might be plotting at that hospital.”
Yoon Joo-ho nodded at Director Bang’s words, then stared intently at him with a defiant silence and gaze.
“What, what’s wrong, punk?”
“Hyung, do you have anything urgent?”
“Urgent? At this hour?”
“Don’t you have to go?”
Yoon Joo-ho’s blatant desire to be alone with Song Hyun-soo made Song Hyun-soo blush as well. He couldn’t face Director Bang.
“Can’t you kick me out a little more politely?”
“Since you’re kicking me out anyway, what’s the point of politeness? All that is just pretense.”
“Alright, you brat. I’m going, I’m going.”
Song Hyun-soo awkwardly stood up and saw Director Bang to the entrance. When he returned, Yoon Joo-ho had moved to the sofa. Picking up a beer bottle from the table, Yoon Joo-ho patted the seat next to him.
“Beer’s okay?”
The gesture to sit next to him felt strangely ticklish, so Song Hyun-soo nodded and rubbed the back of his neck.
Yoon Joo-ho remained silent for a few sips of beer after sitting on the sofa and receiving it. Then, he got up, walked to the kitchen, and returned.
“Play more of it.”
“Huh?”
He handed the voice recorder to Song Hyun-soo.
“There’s more left. Play it.”
Song Hyun-soo quickly snatched the voice recorder from his hand.
“Th-the important parts are all over. The rest is just idle chatter.”
“Judging by your reaction, I’m more curious about the rest. Isn’t the rest of the content more exciting? Huh?”
“Ah, really, stop it!”
Yoon Joo-ho put down his beer bottle, lunged with determination, and managed to snatch the voice recorder.
Then, while Song Hyun-soo, who was trying to get it back, lunged at him, Yoon Joo-ho hugged him tightly around the waist and operated the recorder with his other hand. Yoon Joo-ho skipped unnecessary parts, but stopped at a certain point.
[But Hyun-soo.]
[Yes?]
[If you have no relationship with Joo-ho Sunbae. Then, perhaps, do you dislike dating men in general? Is there no possibility at all?]
Yoon Joo-ho’s brow furrowed like crumpled paper.
“Se-sen… um. Um.”
Yoon Joo-ho covered Song Hyun-soo’s mouth with his hand, still hugging him around the waist.
[Even if you haven’t dated men, you have experience, right?]
“That crazy bastard is completely out of his mind.”
[To be honest, Hyun-soo, you’re my type. I thought you were really cute from the first time I saw you.]
“I knew it. I warned you, didn’t I?”
Veins bulged on Yoon Joo-ho’s temples.
[How am I?]
“How the hell else? Like shit.”
[Hearing that makes me want you even more. What should I do?]
“If you want it, what are you going to do?”
Yoon Joo-ho was commenting on Jeong Seong-won’s every word. It was past the point of stopping him. He was the type to take it and listen to the end. Song Hyun-soo knew him well.
Song Hyun-soo gave up trying to stop him and resignedly drank his beer.
[Even if you don’t have feelings for me yet, your body can still respond. Besides, I’m quite confident in my looks.]
“……”
This time, there wasn’t even a comment.
Yoon Joo-ho bit his lip and ran his hand over his face repeatedly.
[That… seems impossible.]
[Impossible?]
[I don’t think I’d get hard for anyone else.]
Yoon Joo-ho, who had been roughly rubbing his face, turned to Song Hyun-soo beside him.
“You’d have no complaints if I ended your acting career, right?”
“I rejected him clearly. That’s enough, isn’t it?”
“Enough what? Does the fact that that bastard hit on you change?”
Yoon Joo-ho picked up his beer bottle and drank it down almost in one gulp.
“He might have been probing to see if he could get more information…”
“You say that even after hearing this?”
“……”
“He was wavering.”
“Wavering about what?”
“He thought if there was a possibility of things working out between you, he could remove you from the ‘Project to send Jooho to hell.’ Don’t you understand?”
Yoon Joo-ho gulped down the remaining beer.
『“You might not know this, Hyun-soo, but I’m giving you an opportunity right now.”
“So, what opportunity have you been talking about all this time?”
“Joo-ho Sunbae and the representatives. It’s a whale fight. I can completely pull you out from between them.”』
Song Hyun-soo couldn’t deny it, as he had thought the same thing as Yoon Joo-ho while listening to Jeong Seong-won’s words.
Slurp. He scooted his hips closer to his side. He wrapped his arms around Yoon Joo-ho’s waist, who was drinking beer nervously.
“Don’t do this again. Don’t meet him, don’t contact him. Don’t even speak his name. Don’t watch any TV, magazines, articles, or YouTube featuring him. Nothing. Got it?”
He rested his forehead on Yoon Joo-ho’s shoulder and nodded. He knew it was a serious situation for Yoon Joo-ho, but he couldn’t help but smile.
Thump.
He heard the sound of the beer bottle being placed down, and Yoon Joo-ho’s shoulder, on which he was resting his forehead, turned.
“Mmm…”
At the same time, his hand wrapped around the back of Song Hyun-soo’s head and their lips met.
Daily double updates until Monday, 12/9.