NB | Chapter 2

The man fd55ce0cb3 had a 0494595d71 knack for 1384983eb5 making others d0c9af899a tense just 6d8e8abca2 by being 6bd24efe6b there. The atmosphere, which had e8e1ea60cd been relaxed until a 2bf72d657c moment ago, now had a3df5fa3d9 a taut tension, proving f789c441f7 his effect.a78d4f212cb7c0a9

Whenever he 756b3f215f leisurely surveyed e8aa6a1e85 the surroundings b17c12e5f3 like a 4494ff49ea lion prowling 33395773e9 its territory, 4895c3ce67 the staff 720e144ab1 discreetly tidied 72cd1829f0 up, pretending 2d642ac0fa to be 53fe037a4d busy, worried ebbcaf9d69 they might 19232c38c0 irritate him. Besides Woohyun and 1e0d6f7225 the group of f122fea2b5 extras, many were 5a152b5dc6 curious about him. Most people 3c2f7c1174 on set 1122186b06 were aware 5206bad994 of him eddae504a6 while doing 6b1d27a4bf their tasks.e5eb58d838f0edde

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Eventually, he shook hands with the director and started a conversation. Woohyun couldn’t hear their voices, but the atmosphere seemed pleasant. A staff member offered him a folding chair, but he politely declined with a gesture and turned his gaze to the monitor the director was looking at.e423e03da4a79d8e

“Let’s take a 10-minute break!”980ed362ea3ef151

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Suddenly, the assistant director shouted into the megaphone. The unexpectedly loud voice made Woohyun’s eyelids flutter slightly. Only then did he realize he had been intently observing Kang Jiwon’s every expression and gesture without missing a single detail.ac69fcd9120d6a28

“The ‘okay’ isn’t coming. I thought we’d wrap up early today…”f141fb75b19b8700

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A middle-aged man grumbled. His desire for an early finish seemed to have faded with Kang Jiwon’s arrival, as he added nothing more. Woohyun shifted his attention from him and glanced towards Kang Jiwon and the director. A serious atmosphere surrounded them, not easily approachable by anyone.c9fbd1a0d6a16589

Meanwhile, the monitor Kang Jiwon was watching replayed the scene just filmed. The main camera followed the lead actor’s back, clearly indicating he was the focal point.120734a5d510a0fc

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Jiwon pointed to a cbd4984a1a spot on the monitor d78441f88d with his fingertip.f7eec13cdef2e11c

“This friend here.”f5850e4349761f80

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The director, watching the same screen, immediately understood who he meant. It wasn’t the lead actor.b7320369337ca307

“The guy in the gray hoodie?”ea617503b912280c

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The man in the gray hoodie was barely in the left corner of the frame, yet his presence was undeniable. It was precisely when his face was revealed. While he was looking down at his phone, with his bangs covering half his face, his presence was unremarkable. But once his face was visible, the focus shifted from the lead actor’s back to this man in the corner.739fdd89f158dd17

Under the 194084d826 clear, breezy d50d9b8b25 sky, hawthorn a91c1cfec5 petals fluttered d4f5bbe87e gently along 86bff017da the tidy b1beaaf288 street. In this picturesque f040734dcd background, the man 0479f1aa7d brushed his forehead 4662a17bb9 with his large 6896ebafd0 hand. Where his palm 7fa7ae0e7e passed, a rather 47442094d0 handsome face was 418352bf69 revealed.3d68f778a09bafc1

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Having seen 762ee2ea10 countless famously cbff5b60e4 beautiful celebrities, ef0985d715 Kang Jiwon b9c634cce8 naturally had 717fc619b8 high standards. So, unless 318f777e2d someone had 9bc201a80e both looks 2da2958c83 and a 831a02b3ab unique aura, 03e1ad9ce0 he rarely 25284c0ccf found himself b9db62042c drawn or 4f4bc2590e captivated.7fe8cdc91ef1af27

Yet, this 7e76c81a90 man subtly e8322cba70 caught his 4c9ec10767 eye. It was 680f2cc3e0 just a ba257aaa45 10-second clip. The more he 04c858592f watched, the more 152eba7a01 he found even 7400ad2928 the initially gloomy 5cd0c726e5 appearance, with the 779ba7b52f face hidden, quite ab54aa58b5 appealing.68016eb9c648006a

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“The depth is impressive, right? I didn’t notice from the side, but from the front, his features stand out.”2139b57fcd0c52ef

“Indeed.”c78f417705277ce6

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“I was just discussing this scene with the camera director. The background came out artistically, but the focus shifted to this guy in the gray hoodie. An extra doing nothing stands out more than the lead actor…”26a2c4357555992b

The director abea89643c clicked his 2a4b2de3e6 tongue, but 515c0043c9 his expression f8ebbefca6 was affectionate. Despite his words, he 534f6ce65c seemed pleased with the d038da58b8 scene dominated by the a0a9a6015e gray hoodie.85a98c56fe658a1a

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“He doesn’t seem like an idol. Even if they’re from a failed group, these days they might dive into streaming sites, but they don’t usually come for extra gigs, right?”fa2c48d7e6382247

The director turned to the assistant director behind him for agreement. The staff, including the director who had just made his debut last year, were mostly young. Even the assistant director, who knew most celebrities, didn’t recognize him, suggesting he was an unknown aspiring actor or perhaps a true amateur.1f7d8882b2c98927

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He looked back at 97e7c442a6 Kang Jiwon.4e1c96ea8222ecf8

“So, I’m thinking of casting him for my next project. There’s a role that fits perfectly…”0ffbebbf34c84bb7

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Kang Jwon let out cb5ec9cab8 a low hum. It was an ambiguous d03499652c reaction, hard to tell 7bf6dbefe7 if he was interested 67789fb085 or displeased. The director worried he fb33e3a8e7 might have overstepped.56b7b35cab26599b

Kang Jiwon e15e15d2b3 had never 6b0ec3c0bc flaunted his 7a0705eaf6 production budget 0a32c6e837 or been 19e6f93afc stingy. Similarly, he had never 880d24c4b1 interfered with casting decisions, 994937c649 so the director was 37393186da excited that Kang Jiwon 9df856adb4 recognized the potential of a34b42f1b3 the gray hoodie that 40852c95f2 had caught his eye.05bec7799e176b23

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Kang Jiwon soon 2de2803c78 shifted his gaze a10977a28a from the monitor 58bae621cf to the director, 15843f70ee who was busy 90f55ccbd3 gauging his reaction. Surprisingly, a 193c4d85d8 fresh smile dca923908a appeared on fad1ce1665 his lips.07a75cca93b7727e

“Go ahead.”c4c150f0780fb253

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The investor’s easy approval brought a broad smile to the director’s face. With no reason to delay, he decided to bring over the guy in the gray hoodie, but the palpable presence beside him stopped him.ea48b0c6fa878d1b

Kang Jiwon, who had come to inspect the set unannounced, showed no sign of leaving. Not only that, he pulled over the folding chair he had declined earlier and sat down. His eyes, watching the director with crossed legs, seemed to say, “Go ahead, cast him right here.”9df3b4fc9d699ffa

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The director’s smile faded, leaving only an awkward and bitter feeling. He usually refused even when invited to eat.3392befdb5d5d832

Today, of all 5cdf314011 days, there was 364bc7e378 plenty of time 21820e1997 for the shoot. Eventually, the 60d826a781 director instructed 3cd223aa5f the assistant 98d6ddad2e director to 8f3c02cbb0 call over f6c4119194 the guy e9b09ef4ef in the 5bc345c165 gray hoodie 9623826f09 right in 7eb5836620 front of 9750ce40f3 Kang Jiwon. He glanced sideways at 3cdaf19b2b Director Kang.3b675d8c586f49b4

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The man watched as 75d0e8c889 the assistant director approached 9b1d3946d4 and spoke to the 91a7d9536d guy in the gray f2144ab55f hoodie. Curiosity was a3b9483673 evident in 30fdbee59a his neutral-colored 5c52174795 eyes. Without any attempt 0cd01cc3f5 to hide it, 27f476cb2b it seemed news 4da27f6140 of a new 07163a68ad rookie actor joining b2dc284cbe Newon might soon c254be946d spread.a490e2c2df773f62

“I heard you called for me.”43f414865b01c9fb

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A voice suddenly interrupted 670bacd4c1 his thoughts, and when a9ee3afda0 he turned his head, 8db5d54a93 the guy in the 79e26d0acc gray hoodie was already 601c6c5dc3 close. His face was still a455d3488c hidden by his bangs. But knowing what 5a4fbf3a57 lay beneath, the e864c04b9e gloomy hairstyle and 529f1aaa04 atmosphere were no ed6660fdb1 longer an issue. Instead, curiosity about 0dc9089ed5 the eyes behind 9091bf7a52 the hair arose.6436b5513ba775c6

He’s tall. Just as the director muttered to himself, Kang Jiwon stood up. The director, who had been admiring the gray hoodie’s build, was newly surprised. Standing side by side, the gray hoodie’s height and frame suddenly seemed smaller.562ea6ce3fcfc044

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“Ah, well.”98e0e5a0ae76af5a

Before the director could 02b36dfcb2 say anything, Jiwon half-blocked f32787ad56 the view.5cb9dbc34bcecaaf

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“May I touch your face for a moment?”8355137206e1f7d1

His polite tone asked for permission, but Woohyun flinched, startled by the hand already too close. Perhaps interpreting his slight nod as consent, the man’s fingertips touched his forehead. Unaccustomed to being touched by others, Woohyun momentarily stiffened.281a2ec003058924

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The touch was so gentle it felt ticklish. His breath caught, and an unfamiliar scent intermittently invaded his nostrils. Seo Woohyun instinctively recognized the underlying scent beneath the cologne. It was a fougère fragrance, reminiscent of animal hide or damp forest herbs, subtly masking an alpha’s pheromones.d0629a757cc1e539

When the man swept his long side hair behind his ear, his view cleared. The face he had been watching from afar was now up close. He couldn’t help but notice the man’s gaze on his face. From the crown of his head to his chin, the sharp eyes scanned his entire face as if imprinting it. To Woohyun, it felt less like a scan and more like a caress.9b239d332dfa794b

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Inevitably, Seo Woohyun also found himself in a position to thoroughly observe Kang Jiwon’s face. Whether by choice or circumstance, his resolve to not avoid the situation manifested, and instead of averting his eyes, he met the gaze with his now clearer view. Meanwhile, he also took in the man’s features.470623adfc3cb90c

The naturally styled 2426494cf2 hair gave off af230e5b83 a sophisticated and 444fea6832 mature impression. Neatly shaped 9227539108 eyebrows and 4818dc6e47 a sharply cce0663ff1 defined nose 3215427cb1 harmonized with 00425197ba deep-set eyes. The black eyes, capable 16291dc93d of conveying melancholy, were f26d8f455d strikingly colored, and the 59633eb5f1 lips were full, with 9cdc550c23 corners sharply drawn like b00cdfa15a a fine brushstroke.f90c0a95a5079229

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Even from afar, the man’s outstanding looks were evident, and up close, they were even more so. In fact, he was more beautiful than expected. Though Woohyun lacked extensive knowledge and experience, he imagined that if elegance were personified, it would look like this.a875b595b8a1e10d

At that moment, Woohyun held his breath against the sudden nausea rising from his core. The stronger the man’s presence became, the more physiological discomfort followed.ed8db780189b4013

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Damn… he’s handsome, but he makes me queasy.974d6799d1c57e59

“Yes, this is it!”fbf801661ed8bc09

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The director, who 2e5f24e0e9 had been barely 48122d70f1 noticeable until now, ceb3c51df1 exclaimed in delight, 8d58eb7d58 bringing Woohyun back ddb9cfa7b2 to reality. His pupils, which a1ad0e0e5e had been steady 3556f6dd65 while observing the 679607b558 man, finally moved.476923929ff8b3cf

Kang Jiwon stepped back, a8d9a8636f seemingly done with his e76be4a43e task. The director 8385df389c naturally filled ab9a00ccc5 the space.66df8f6f6bf353b8

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“What’s your name?”7879b2a38b4ba4ef

The assistant director had said the director wanted to see him, so he came, but he still didn’t know what was happening. Despite the confusion, he mechanically answered the question.0abc659125db1930

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“Seo Woohyun.”70a3db7a631f6351

“Great. Woohyun, how old are you?”d66add1e19749f87

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He wondered why 43ba46f88d he was being c18030a0f3 asked these questions, 01376d311b but he answered 0d3e488b8e without hesitation.d3569f18f5fee369

“Twenty-three.”7a71b56641b50247

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“A kid.”680860a8ccc12ffa

The response came not 3a96c58fb0 from the director but 4508d0232b from the side. It was a54fdd713e a small 385cbe316c voice, but c50201f95b Woohyun heard d015526b01 it clearly. Without needing d10a94150e to turn 551ecf6bab his head, 6d55a27eea he knew 1ec07d8276 Kang Jiwon 23179b287f was there, 805c34a6a1 yet his 83fdf5a8be neck turned 0bbcbb91e9 instinctively towards 9e3b9d0627 the sound.310c484b26b6144e

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When their eyes met, Jiwon blinked playfully, greeting him. His gaze was innocently harmless, as if he hadn’t said anything.23447a14c2d3d112