By Zephyria “You can’t even confidently say he’s your boyfriend. Why are you dating someone like that?”
“Ha! I, really…!”
Even after putting my hands on my waist and letting out a big breath, my chest felt tight as if it was blocked. My neck was stiff, so my blood pressure must have risen a lot.
“I think I’ve gotten involved with a crazy person.”
Sung Se-han, leaning crookedly, slowly scanned me from head to toe. His persistent gaze made my mind dizzy, but I didn’t back down and instead held my head up high.
“Hey, do you know me? Why do you keep talking nonsense!”
“It’s not nonsense.”
Sung Se-han tilted his head and smiled slightly with his eyes, momentarily making my mind go blank.
“You’re right, you’ve gotten involved with a crazy person.”
The moment I saw his crazy eyes, my mind snapped back.
No, did he really eat something wrong? Why is he being like this? As if he’s about to do something right now….
“So, break up with him nicely.”
Hoo. I didn’t have any strength left to reply, so I just sighed deeply. I can’t take it anymore. I have no choice but to grab Sung Se-han by the collar and shake him to make him come to his senses.
“I can treat you better.”
My eyes, which had been wide open, lost their strength at his husky voice that sounded like a whisper. My tightly clenched fist slowly loosened.
Did Sung Se-han just… what did he say to me…?
“Sky Blue, Lee Tae-kyung.”
Sung Se-han, who had been leaning, straightened his body and suddenly took a step closer. My legs, which were staggering back, were trembling as if they would collapse at any moment.
“I can do anything you want.”
His light-colored eyes, looking at me, seemed to have really gone crazy, and my heart dropped.
No. This isn’t it…! I shook my head unconsciously and quickly turned around. Then, a rough hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Ah!”
“Don’t run away.”
I had no choice but to face Sung Se-han because he grabbed both of my shoulders. I just gaped helplessly as Sung Se-han lowered his shoulders and looked at my face to his heart’s content.
“I’ll give you time, so you can think about it slowly.”
It was a soft voice as if trying to soothe me. Although he couldn’t hide his crazy eyes, the voice that flowed from his red lips was so sweet that it melted me.
“I’ll treat you well. Come to me.”
No. No way. I shook my head like crazy to shake off all the words I had just heard. But my jumbled head only became more confused.
“L-let go…!”
A large hand grabbed my body, which was about to collapse.
“I said let go!”
I wildly swung my arms and broke free from his strong hand. I staggered back and hit a makeup chair.
Sung Se-han just watched until I grabbed the chair and leaned against the mirror to stand up straight.
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense… get out of here right now!”
So I had no choice but to clench my fist tightly and make a threatening sound.
Because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stand it if Sung Se-han came closer again. Because I felt like I would cling to his solid chest if I couldn’t bear it any longer. I had to grit my teeth to avoid doing that.
“Get out of my sight, you crazy bastard.”
Mercifully, Sung Se-han didn’t come any closer, as I told him to. He just shrugged his shoulders, leisurely putting one hand in his jogger pants pocket.
“Yeah. You might be surprised.”
Click. Sung Se-han turned his back on me, who was trembling, and opened the door to the waiting room. I stared at his broad back as he turned around with my mouth open.
Thud. The moment the door closed again with a sound, I unknowingly staggered and ran.
“Se, Se-han…!”
I grabbed the doorknob urgently, but I couldn’t open the door in the end. I couldn’t catch Sung Se-han.
“Ha…!”
I roughly swept my face with both hands, but my chest wouldn’t calm down.
My head was so hot that it wasn’t easy to think back on what had just happened. But only one question was clear.
“Why…?”
Sung Se-han’s attitude, as if he already knew me, was unsettling.
“How does Sung Se-han know me…?”
Perhaps, like Liv Sunbae, he watched my video and became interested? But even so, he knew me well and had eyes that had some kind of conviction about me.
“I’m really going crazy…!”
I couldn’t take it anymore and just collapsed. I felt like my vision was spinning, and I wanted to faint.
“Oh, Tae-kyung Hyung?”
As soon as I entered our team’s waiting room, Jeong-min, who had eyes like a startled rabbit, ran over. And then he immediately bent down and grabbed my ankle.
“Wait, isn’t this Speed Martins? Where did you get this?”
“Huh…?”
“Where did you leave your slippers and come wearing Speed Martins!”
Judging by how excited Jeong-min was, it must have been a brand he liked.
“That’s how it happened.”
I ruffled Jeong-min’s hair and walked to the sofa where the members were waiting.
“Tae-kyung Hyung-nim, please eat! The lunch box is delicious.”
“Tae-kyung, what did the PD say? Why did he call you?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t even thought about what to say to the members who would be curious. I rolled my eyes for a moment and sat next to Gun-woo Hyung.
“It’s nothing. He just told me not to reveal any conversations I had with Sung Se-han.”
“Hey, why would he call Hyung for something like that? As if Hyung wouldn’t know that….”
“Can’t I even talk to Sung Se-han? That’s so funny…!”
I diligently put the lunch box in my mouth, listening to the members grumbling. I didn’t taste anything, but I chewed it anyway. I had to fill my stomach so I could make proper decisions.
“Guys!”
Doo-hyun Hyung, who opened the door with a bang, waved his hand urgently.
“Good news! Our team is the first to film the interview after the closing!”
“Yes?”
The surprised younger brothers put down their lunch boxes and jumped up.
“Wasn’t Perfect Puzzle supposed to do it first?”
“Yeah. I thought so too, but they told us to prepare first.”
“Huh?”
Everyone’s face lit up at Doo-hyun Hyung’s words.
“Wow! What’s going on? I thought we’d be waiting until dawn?”
“Right? If we’re lucky, we can go home early and rest! That’s great!”
I blankly watched the members’ happy faces and put down my lunch box.
Why… is our team filming first? This usually doesn’t happen….
“Ha… this is a headache.”
I covered my head, suddenly thinking of something.
*
I couldn’t help but be nervous when I entered the set after the break.
Because I couldn’t decide what face to make when I saw Sung Se-han. But… Sung Se-han’s figure was not seen in the Perfect Puzzle lineup.
Judging from the progress of announcer Nam Sang-jin, it seemed that there had been prior agreement with the production team.
Perhaps they will edit it by taking a few cuts from the morning recording so that it doesn’t show that Sung Se-han is absent.
The closing recording ended relatively quickly, but I felt strangely drained.
Even seeing Sung Se-han or not seeing him, my heart felt equally stifled.
Thanks to the interview filming ending much earlier than expected, our team was able to head back to the accommodation in the early evening.
“Lee Tae-kyung.”
The person who came to find me just as I was about to get in the car was the man who had taken me to the waiting room earlier.
“You forgot this.”
In the shopping bag the man handed over were the sneaker box Sung Se-han had brought and the slippers I had left behind.
“Thank you.”
As I accepted the shopping bag, the man bowed his head and turned away. Jeong-min, who was peeking out of the car, asked with a puzzled expression.
“Tae-kyung Hyung, do the staff take care of things like this?”
“I know, right. I should thank them separately later.”
I went to the back seat and leaned back against the seat, and Jeong-min moved to sit next to me.
“Hyung, the staff might have made a mistake. Speed Martin isn’t the kind of guy who would stay behind at a shoot.”
“Maybe. Um, Jeong-min.”
It seemed like Jeong-min was coveting the sneakers, so I couldn’t pretend not to notice.
“I’ll buy you the same ones, Hyung. I think I should keep these….”
“Those are a Scarlet brand collaboration limited edition, so you can’t get them anymore. They probably have a number engraved on them, too?”
At Jeong-min’s words, I looked down at the sneakers I was wearing.
The bright red logo on the white sneakers was so intense that it caught the eye at once, even from a distance. I didn’t realize it before, but it seems this is my taste. My heart keeps pounding.
Why does Sung Se-han always give me limited edition items?
If they get old or lost, I can’t get them again.
Haa. I sighed, covered my eyes, and leaned my head against the window. In the quiet car where the members were starting to doze off, my mind was finally calming down.
I need to sort out my thoughts now.
I had to urge myself, who kept trying to avoid it.
“Haa…!”
A feeling of unfairness suddenly surged up, and I covered my face and lowered my head.
I’ve just been living my life diligently day by day. It’s not my fault that Sung Se-han appeared in front of me, so why do I have to feel so anxious? Why do I have to be afraid? What did I do wrong?
Actually… I know. The reason I’m so anxious and afraid.