AES Ch1.5

“No, he hasn’t gone to the military yet.”

In the end, the only consolation for losers was the military. Heetae handed the phone back to Kiyeon with a laugh, and Kiyeon muttered while looking at his cat on the phone screen:

“Our Dorothy seems a bit like Ryu Sihyeon.”

True to Kiyeon’s style, the topic was absurdly offbeat, but Heetae briefly considered the similarities between Ryu Sihyeon and a blue-eyed Siamese. When thinking of Ryu Sihyeon, the first image that came to mind was of his brown eyes dotted with yellow specks, his face slightly shadowed. The expression with which he looked up at him with those eyes and face.

“I think he looks more like Maria. Their eye colors are similar.”

“No way. His eyes have a sharpness. Ryu Sihyeon is closer to a cat.”

“That sharpness is just when he’s acting. Normally, he’s rather simple-minded. Last time I saw, he was following Joohee around like a puppy, which made him seem more like a dog.”

Kiyeon, disagreeing with Heetae, suddenly called Shin Chaeyeon and began to fervently express his opinion. Chaeyeon’s voice, sounding puzzled, came through the speakerphone. She argued that Ryu Sihyeon was neither a dog nor a cat but something close to a fox, in between, so both were wrong. While forcing a kind of non-agreement agreement, she said:

—- Why does this guy keep talking about other people’s actors?

🌸🍓🌸

With the final episode of “Thirst” nearly complete, Chaeyeon, who came to visit the set, decided to stay in the waiting room with Heetae and Min Hyejin instead of leaving to avoid disturbing the staff. Min Hyejin, with her calm appearance and gentle speaking style, surprisingly talked a lot, so the conversation with Chaeyeon never ceased. Their talk, both graduates of K University’s Department of Theater and Film, started with updates on professors and moved to news about alumni. While Heetae was skimming through the script and listening, he suddenly remembered something Chaeyeon had said before.

“By the way, Shin, you said you don’t cast based on connections, but how do you explain that all three leads are from K University?”

To that, Chaeyeon replied nonchalantly:

“Well, my head says no, but my heart says yes?”

“That’s clichéd for a writer.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

With Min Hyejin chiming in, Chaeyeon quickly changed the subject.

“Have you heard about Hyeon and Heetae?”

“What story?”

When Min Hyejin asked, Shin Chaeyeon responded with a face full of delight:

“Haeun, you know her, right? She’s been getting along really well with Ryu Sihyeon lately. They’re always together; it’s so cute.”

Haeun was an idol who played the role of Hajin-young, Jang Icheon’s agent. Heetae hadn’t had much chance to talk to her; they’d only exchanged looks. They still had a long way to go before shooting scenes together. Min Hyejin was in the same boat, so she looked curious.

“Seems like Sihyeon likes that sexy style.”

Min Hyejin chuckled and teased her manager, who was playing with his phone in the corner, saying he was eagerly waiting for the day he’d shoot with Haeun. The conversation then moved to the latest song from the girl group Haeun was part of. Only Heetae didn’t laugh, showing no interest in the story. Was she a sexy type? He pondered briefly before asking the question he was most curious about:

“She’s an idol, but can she act?”

“She wasn’t bad. We brought her in after an audition. At least, she did well during the audition.”

Doing well in an audition doesn’t mean one can act well. The audition room is different from the set, especially for idols with little acting experience; they would feel that gap even more. Heetae chuckled a bit at Chaeyeon’s words, which didn’t instill much confidence. Chaeyeon, observing Heetae, asked:

“Why do you look so unenthusiastic? Don’t you like people dating on set?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“You have a principle of abstinence during filming. Let’s not force it on others.”

“That’s funny, Shin Chaeyeon. I’m not trying to force anything.”

She was always good at saying unnecessary things. When Heetae looked at her silently, Chaeyeon burst into laughter as usual. On the other hand, Min Hyejin, always serious, brought up a new topic.

“Did Heetae shoot scenes with Sihyeon?”

Min Hyejin, who loved acting, was always interested in the performances of actors around her.

“Yeah.”

“Did he do well?”

“…He did well.”

“When did you start eyeing Sihyeon, Chaeyeon? According to the director, you pushed for him.”

“Did you see his debut film? At that time, I thought he was incredible. I thought he was really a bastard, but then in other works, he had this pure and cute image. That’s when I thought, ‘That’s the one.’ He’s dual-natured.”

“Yeah. The person who grills meat well is the cutest, right? Don’t you think? Isn’t Sihyeon cute?”

Heetae let out a snort at Min Hyejin’s sudden question directed at him. Aside from the connection between grilling meat well and being cute, he didn’t understand why she was asking this. Is Ryu Sihyeon cute? He didn’t think of him that way much. He had thought of him as arrogant. Even now, he wasn’t sure what kind of person he was.

But if there was something about him that could be evaluated positively, it would be his face when looking at the last chocolate cookie or the scene where he said he was a fan. The commonality between these two would be… a gaze looking up as if yearning for something, an expression that seemed like you should give him what he wants.

Heetae briefly looked at Min Hyejin, then lowered his eyes to the script in his hand and answered with a short reply:

“Sometimes.”

🌸🍓🌸

December came quickly. Before they knew it, the airing of “Thirst” was imminent, and amidst the busy filming schedule, new engagements kept arising. Heetae learned he would be appearing on a variety show called “Eobak Kitchen” with Ryu Sihyeon. He didn’t mind going with him, but it was unexpected.

“Why do I have to do this with Ryu Sihyeon? Shouldn’t it be me and Min Hyejin according to the story?”

This was said on the way to Sangam TBS for a pre-meeting. His manager, who was driving, thought for a moment before answering.

“Oh, what was it again? Min Hyejin is going on another show with Yeo Joohee. There must be a reason they have to go together.”

“They’re putting them together? Joohee would hate variety shows.”

When Heetae didn’t say much more, Hyeonghun glanced at him and asked:

“But why do they need to be paired? Don’t you know, hyung?”

“Aren’t you a fan of Yeo Joohee? Don’t you know?”

“Huh, was that famous? What’s that about?”

“Look it up yourself.”

Heetae searched for the variety show he was supposed to appear on with his phone. He hadn’t had the time to look it up before, but now he thought he should know what kind of show this was. He didn’t usually watch variety shows, but “Eobak Kitchen” had been airing on TBS for a year. Checking the official website, it seemed to be a format that mixed cooking with talk shows.

While watching the most viewed clips, Heetae murmured:

“We have to cook.”

“I told the writers in advance that you’re good at cooking. They loved that.”

“It would be better if it were a show where they cook for me.”

“That would just be eating. You need to beat Ryu Sihyeon, right? You’ll lose face if you lose.”

…So, it’s even a cooking competition. Honestly, it was a bit of a hassle.

“Your fans will love it when you appear on variety shows. Work hard; the fan club has already contacted us.”

“Really?”

“They’re going to support us. What are you going to cook?”

“They don’t decide that for us?”

“They decide based on what the participants can usually make. It’s a concept to show unadorned selves. Remember, Haeun from ‘Thirst’ appeared on this show and her image improved a lot because she’s good at cooking as a single person.”

“Yeah. Whatever it is, I’ll do the easiest one.”

At that, Hyeonghun said with genuine regret:

“Oh, hyung. Why? If you show off your cooking skills on broadcast, your image would improve so much. It would make headlines.”

“I don’t do stuff that takes a lot of effort to feed others.”

“But you do it for me.”

“That’s because you’re one of mine. I don’t want to waste energy on people who’ll only watch a few episodes.”

At those words, Hyeonghun slowly turned to look at the back seat, his face filled with emotion.

“Hyung… I’m touched.”

Heetae smiled and said to Hyeonghun:

“Then drive safely. Keep your eyes on the road.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

In the 11th-floor conference room of the TBS broadcasting station, Heetae met with the PD and writer of “Eobak Kitchen.” The writer kept asking for new stories from Heetae, saying they weren’t much different from what had been said in other shows or interviews. But there wasn’t anything truly special. At least, nothing he could talk about.

“What should I say? I don’t live an especially interesting life.”

“How about stories from your university days?”

Their eyes were full of curiosity, clearly aiming for something specific from his student days. Then, the expected question came up.

“You knew Joohee since university, right?”

“Yeo Joohee is a year junior to me.”

He had a bad feeling about this. There was a time when, due to someone canceling at a gathering, he ended up having dinner alone with Yeo Joohee, and a journalist happened to take a photo, resulting in dating rumors. That was really ridiculous at the time.

“The scandal with Yeo Joohee isn’t real, right?”

This topic came up every time he thought he’d forgotten about it.

“I’m sorry, but let’s not talk about Yeo Joohee. We’ve never been in that kind of relationship the media talks about. It wouldn’t be good for drama promotion either.”

The atmosphere cooled for a moment. Just because he got serious for a second, it was this hard to just be a normal good person. Heetae smiled slightly after a while, and the PD gave an awkward laugh.

“Ah, yes. That’s right… We were short-sighted.”

As expected, the writer also didn’t know what to do and even apologized. Heetae didn’t think it was something to apologize for that much, so he just smiled and said it was okay. In situations like this, people usually watched his mood, but sometimes, it got annoying. If only he looked a bit more gentle, it would be better, but unfortunately, Seo Heetae didn’t have a particularly kind-looking face, and he was unnecessarily tall.

Perhaps because Heetae’s smile was so effective, or maybe as a reaction to his mistake, the writer continued to express her concerns. She wanted Heetae to help because Ryu Sihyeon was too mysterious. Heetae listened with a smile but was inwardly astonished. That someone else had to fill in for Ryu Sihyeon’s airtime was quite an inconvenience. They must not have gotten much good information from interviewing him.

The PD, watching Heetae’s mood, quietly showed him his phone.

“There was a photo from a while back on SNS with Director Jeong Kiyeon and actress Min Hyejin.”

His phone had a photo from Jeong Kiyeon’s birthday party. Kiyeon had invited a lot of people to his house and posted some good photos on SNS, and this was one of them.

“You’re close with Min Hyejin, right?”

“Kiyeon is close. I’m not really close.”

“Come on, you’re famous for your network in the entertainment industry.”

“That’s Kiyeon’s wide connections. Not mine. I’m always at home.”

However, it seemed like being close to someone was good enough for content, and Jeong Kiyeon became the savior. Fortunately, Kiyeon had been making headlines on various shows recently.

They decided to package the friendship with Jeong Kiyeon beautifully and talk about a few related episodes. From their university days and all.

When Heetae was in university, there was a time when a K University student’s video account, where they uploaded assignment videos, became popular because of Seo Heetae appearing in them. That account was owned by Jeong Kiyeon. A few years later, Kiyeon deleted the account, saying he was embarrassed by those old assignments. This was a story never publicly shared before, so the PD and writer’s expressions brightened.

The PD asked if they could use Jeong Kiyeon’s university projects as broadcast material and even took Kiyeon’s number. The writer also seemed somewhat satisfied. The humble side of a top star was even better, they said. If they were this relieved, Heetae wondered what they had talked about with Ryu Sihyeon.

“Did you have a meeting with Ryu Sihyeon too?”

“Yes.”

“Did he at least give you some interesting stories?”

“It was broadcastable. You know, there’s that really hot actor, Ki Yoonhyung, these days.”

“Yes.”

“They’re very close. Photos of them together often appear on Ki Yoonhyung’s SNS. So, we decided to connect with Ki Yoonhyung via phone, talk about some episodes, but he already said most of it on another variety show recently.”

The writer answered with a deflated expression. Heetae gave a polite word of consolation.

“From another person’s perspective, the same story might look different. It might be unexpectedly fun.”

“But it’s disappointing when someone is too mysterious. Don’t you think? Fans need something to be into.”

The PD shrugged, and the writer agreed.

“Right. If you like someone, you naturally want to know more. But if the other side just puts up walls, it’s frustrating.”

Heetae gave a formal response, “That’s right.” He understood the feeling intuitively, even though he hadn’t experienced it.

🌸🍓🌸

On the day of the variety show filming, Ryu Sihyeon came to Heetae’s waiting room with coffee in hand. He smiled brightly, saying he didn’t know what Heetae liked, so he brought both latte and Americano for the manager to drink as well. Hyeonghun, delighted, took the coffee. He was someone who appreciated even the smallest things, Heetae thought, when Ryu Sihyeon started talking to him.

“Senior, I received the support lunch box well.”

“No, I didn’t send it.”

The fans did it, yet he’s the one receiving the gratitude. Every time, he felt like he was the one making money while the bear did the tricks.

“And I’m afraid I might not do well. I apologize in advance.”

“You haven’t done much variety, have you?”

“No. I’m not good with words. The company only let me do shows where I didn’t have to talk much.”

“You speak well, though.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Ryu Sihyeon smiled shyly. The conversation seemed to end there, but Ryu Sihyeon spoke up again.

“You don’t do variety shows often, do you, senior?”

“No. I don’t really like them.”

Is it really a matter of being good with words? He’s talking so much. He became curious about what kind of place Ryu Sihyeon’s agency was.

“How did you end up signing with your current company? Did you get in through an audition?”

“Ah, the CEO and I knew each other indirectly.”

He thought their work wasn’t very satisfactory, but he didn’t say that since it wasn’t his business. Out of courtesy, he asked a question that popped into his mind.

“Sihyeon, since when have you been my fan?”

It seemed to be an unexpected question because Ryu Sihyeon paused for a moment before answering.

“I went to see ‘The Deceiver’ when it was released. The movie was so good, and your acting was amazing.”

“Kiyeon would be happy to hear that.”

Ryu Sihyeon smiled softly. Whether he said that because he was a true fan or not, Heetae decided to go along with it since it was somewhat cute.

Hyeonghun asked, “Hyung, you like latte, right?” and handed him the coffee Ryu Sihyeon had brought. As Heetae took the latte, saying, “Thank you for the coffee, Sihyeon,” Ryu Sihyeon cautiously asked:

“Senior, would it really be impossible for you to speak more casually?”

He felt like he’d heard this request before, but when was it? He gave the same answer he had given then.

“I’m more comfortable this way.”

Just then, the main MC, Park Yura, came into the waiting room to greet them. Park Yura, tall and articulate, was one of the two main MCs for this variety show. “Oh, the actors were together!” she said with a cheerful laugh, and Heetae greeted her with his usual polite smile. Ryu Sihyeon also greeted her with a bright smile, which made Park Yura excitedly happy.

Watching Ryu Sihyeon talk with Park Yura, Heetae was sure of one thing. The way he smiled, pretending to be kind to strangers, was similar to how Ryu Sihyeon smiled with his eyes crinkled. The face he showed when he entered the waiting room today or the one he was showing now to Park Yura wasn’t his real face. How many people could live smiling like that every day? Even if there were, Ryu Sihyeon didn’t seem like one of them. He thought the expressionless face from when Ryu Sihyeon accepted a trophy in the past was closer to the real him.

After a lively exchange of words, Park Yura left, and Ryu Sihyeon went out as well, with Hyeonghun closing the door. The manager took a long sip of the cool Americano and said:

“Hyung, isn’t Ryu Sihyeon really nice? Despite his popularity, he’s humble and polite. He must have grown up receiving a lot of love.”

At those words, Heetae imagined Ryu Sihyeon between a loving middle-aged couple. It was a picture similar to that of his relatively harmonious aunt’s family. It was an obvious statement, but Ryu Sihyeon’s bright smile fit well with such an atmosphere. He might have actually grown up well in such an environment without any troubles.

Finding his own thoughts amusing, Heetae let out a chuckle. He picked up the latte he had left on the table and teased:

“Evaluating someone based on one cup of coffee is quite generous. Isn’t that something anyone would do?”

“…Is that so?”

Heetae put the straw in his mouth. The coffee was from a brand cafe on the first basement floor of TBS, an ordinary gift by anyone’s standards. Moreover, the cafe brand wasn’t particularly high-end; it was just that Taejeong Group’s building naturally housed a Taejeong Food cafe.

“To fall for one Americano. I should set my standards to Americano too. Cancel the steak I was going to buy last time.”

“Oh, hyung…”

“It’s a world where nice-looking people get ahead.”

Because he smiles so much, he gets such good evaluations from just one small gesture. Most people fall for Ryu Sihyeon’s smile. He wondered how one could judge him knowing what face might be behind that mask. Being harmless-looking was indeed a powerful weapon.

Variety shows are chaotic with multiple cameras. Jeong Kiyeon, who regularly appeared on a movie review program, had once clicked his tongue, saying that being an editor or a PD in broadcasting was no job for humans. He wondered how they managed to edit all that footage into a weekly episode, suggesting it required superhuman effort. Heetae, while standing by, had similar thoughts. Indeed, even if it’s filming, drama or movies are better.

After entering the set with Ryu Sihyeon, things proceeded as expected. They each went to their cooking stations to start preparing the dishes, with the MCs talking to them whenever they could. The celebrity panel sitting in the back occasionally added questions, leading to casual chit-chat. Heetae wondered why this variety show was so popular. They’d already be talking while eating, but to keep talking while cooking was unhygienic.

“Heetae, you went to K University. Don’t people around you get jealous? You’re too perfect.”

That was the question from the main MC, Lee Jongjin, who came over to Heetae.

“Ha ha, I don’t know.”

“You’re really tall. Do the ‘manners legs,’ manners legs.”

He thought Lee Jongjin would’ve said something silly even if he was by the fire instead of handling seafood. Seeing him spout nonsense just to fill the audio made Heetae almost sigh. He tried to smile kindly and said:

“That would be too dangerous while cooking.”

On the other hand, he had to speak well enough for the other person to understand even in such a ridiculous situation. It seemed quite unfair. He couldn’t say anything bad on variety shows; he had to keep the atmosphere upbeat, which was quite tiresome. He felt more at ease when the MCs started talking to Ryu Sihyeon.

With the mindset of just focusing on cooking, he finished preparing the ingredients and started boiling pasta. While waiting for the pasta to cook, with nothing else to do, he looked towards where the chatter was coming from. MC Lee Jongjin, who was a comedian, was talking to Ryu Sihyeon, who was chopping away.

“They say Sihyeon has the trendiest visuals these days. Do you think so yourself?”

“Hmm, well. I think senior is more handsome than me.”

“Oh, if Sihyeon says that, then what am I?”

The host laughs. His comment wasn’t particularly funny, but he certainly wasn’t good-looking.

“Wow, you’re good at cooking too.”

MC Park Yura, after tasting the broth made by Ryu Sihyeon, couldn’t close her mouth.

“I’ve been living alone since I was young.”

“What can’t you do, Sihyeon?”

“Math. I was really bad at math.”

“Ahaha, we have something in common.”

MC Lee Jongjin clapped from the side. He seemed to think Ryu Sihyeon was doing better than he had worried, but from the corner of the studio, someone was waving their hand, making an ‘X’ sign. It was such an earnest gesture that it caught Heetae’s eye, and upon closer inspection, it was Ryu Sihyeon’s agency manager. He sighed after making those silent gestures, apparently not wanting such information to be openly revealed. Just how bad at math was he?

As the food was nearing completion, the two MCs stood between the cooking stations. Only then did they start asking about the drama “Thirst,” which airs on the same TBS station.

“I heard Sihyeon took on an ambitious role this time.”

“Yes, I’m playing a villain.”

“That doesn’t fit you! You look so nice.”

“Ha ha… I’ll have to work hard.”

“How exactly are you bad?”

“I can’t say in detail, but he’s a villain with a backstory.”

“Now that you mention it…”

MC Lee Jongjin’s eyes met with Heetae’s.

“Heetae was terrifying in ‘The Deceiver’ last year.”

Heetae, finishing his cold pasta with truffle oil, responded:

“Yes. I played a psychopath.”

Last year, Heetae played the villain Kang Yuhan in Jeong Kiyeon’s directed film, “The Deceiver.” Kang Yuhan wasn’t a villain with a backstory; he was simply a hitman who enjoyed killing. However, his clients didn’t ask him to kill just anyone. His targets were villains who escaped justice through power and money. The weak, wronged by these villains, sought Kang Yuhan for revenge. He would then skillfully eliminate these evildoers. Thus, Kang Yuhan, paradoxically, was a villain but also protected by the weak in the story.

Fortunately or unfortunately, right after “The Deceiver” was released, a major scandal involving conglomerates and politicians broke out. The public was outraged by their feeble excuses. Many went to the theaters to see “The Deceiver” for a sense of catharsis regarding real-world issues. As a result, Jeong Kiyeon’s film from last year did unexpectedly well at the box office. There were even photoshopped images on the internet of these problematic figures in Kang Yuhan’s torture room, with movie quotes thrown in for good measure.

“There was that famous line. It became a trend. Could you say it?”

Park Yura asked, looking at Heetae.

“‘Did you do something wrong? Then die.’ This one?”

Everyone cheered for Heetae to say it again for the camera. Feeling like he hadn’t done much so far, Heetae complied, leading to a lot of fuss. With the rehearsed, enthusiastic reactions, Heetae laughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact, only to meet Ryu Sihyeon’s gaze.

It seemed like he blinked once.

At that moment, MC Lee Jongjin, who was next to Ryu Sihyeon, asked him:

“How about you, Sihyeon? Is a villain with a backstory better?”

Ryu Sihyeon mumbled, looking at his cutting board:

“Well, a villain is… a villain.”

“Ah, he’s a villain, but as the protagonist, does he have to die?”

Ryu Sihyeon, preparing the final garnish, replied while chopping:

“Whether he dies or not, we’ll see at the end… but since I’m acting in this work, I should think positively about it. I also have moral flaws… in a way, it’s similar.”

He said this philosophical contemplation with a pretty smile. Heetae found it quite interesting, but Ryu Sihyeon’s manager seemed to think it was a risky statement, as he lowered his head. This was less like an actor and manager and more like a child at a sports day with a parent nervously watching from afar.

As Heetae was finishing the five plates of pasta for the celebrity tasting panel, one last question was directed at Ryu Sihyeon.

“Since Sihyeon is taking on a villain role for the first time this year, could you say something to Heetae, who played one of the best villains last year?”

It was such an unnecessary and unexpected question that even Heetae, who was trying to ignore it, looked up. The hosts seemed desperate for content as they kept throwing out wild questions. Ryu Sihyeon’s familiar voice hesitated with an “Uh…” Heetae watched him indifferently, expecting a sensible answer.

“…Kill me.”

There was a brief silence as everyone tried to grasp the meaning of what was just said. The silence didn’t last long, and people started to laugh little by little. At first, it seemed like forced laughter at the bizarre statement, but then they began adding their own interpretations.

“Everyone was writing that in the comments last year,” “Exactly! There are too many bad people in the world…”

It was astonishing that they found such intent in a statement that had no clear subject or object. Thinking that Ryu Sihyeon should learn sentence structure, Heetae forced a smile, then covered his mouth to not show his effort at laughing. While they could laugh it off now, this would definitely be edited out later. It was sad to see everyone trying to salvage the moment.

Heetae watched Ryu Sihyeon, who was awkwardly laughing along with everyone. Maybe because he’s always been coddled, he has this bold side to him. What kind of person is he, really? Normally, wouldn’t you just say, “I’ll do my best”? It was an incomprehensible statement by Heetae’s standards.

MC Lee Jongjin seemed ready to wrap up the cooking process as he checked Heetae’s completed dish. As he moved away from Heetae’s station, Heetae stood still, watching Ryu Sihyeon to see when he would finish. His knife work looked good, considering he was using his left hand, but he seemed somewhat lost, possibly because he wasn’t used to cooking in such large quantities.

“Oh, the smell right now is just… amazing, isn’t it?”

“Only two minutes left! I’m really curious about the outcome of today’s match.”

As MC Park Yura was proceeding with the show, she suddenly remembered something and asked Heetae, who was standing nearby:

“Last year at the Daemyung Film Awards, you were nominated with Sihyeon, right? Sihyeon won that match.”

The unexpected remark drew reactions from the panel sitting behind them. Why do variety shows bring up things not even in the script? And the ad-libs are terrible. Heetae smiled and gave a plausible response:

“I’ll have to win this time then.”

That got a delighted “Kyaa” from those around. Ah, how uninteresting.

“Oh!”

Suddenly, one of the celebrity panelists made a loud noise. Looking towards the commotion, Ryu Sihyeon was holding one hand, with blood dripping down his wrist from where he’d cut himself.

“I’m sorry. I must have been nervous.”

Heetae looked at Ryu Sihyeon, who was smiling as usual. He felt like he’d heard something similar before. To cut his hand while preparing garnish, it made the claim of being good at cooking seem hollow.

As Ryu Sihyeon left the studio for treatment, Heetae’s gaze followed him but then shifted to where he had been standing. A few drops of blood remained on the spot, the red color stark against the white floor, disturbingly vivid. For some reason, his gaze lingered on that bloodstain for a long time.

…It’s just a finger now, but at this rate, he might get seriously hurt someday. Whatever kind of person he is, he has a knack for making people feel uneasy.

That bloodstain kept reappearing like an afterimage throughout the rest of the shoot. Even when they were guided back after filming ended, Heetae glanced at the person next to him silently. Ryu Sihyeon had been full of energy when he left the set, but now he looked extremely exhausted. He couldn’t tell what Ryu Sihyeon was looking at in the distance.