Chapter 12
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12
"Hyung, you seem busy lately. Did you start filming?"
Dr. Ju Geon-hui, the director of Iroun Animal Hospital, answered a phone call he hadn’t gotten in a while. It was from an acquaintance he’d bonded with while volunteering for an animal rescue group.
—I'm always swamped, you know how it is. Everything good with you?
"Same as always. We should catch up sometime, Hyung."
As Dr. Ju replied while checking on a newly hospitalized puppy, the voice on the other end suggested meeting tomorrow.
Dr. Ju’s expression flattened.
"Tomorrow?"
—Actually, I have a favor to ask.
Dr. Ju's acquaintance, Yang Mun-sik, was a props director who moved between various film sets. He explained that a large dog was needed for his current project, and they wanted an expert on set for safety.
—You're the only person I could think of. Can you spare some time?
"Come on, Hyung. What help could I possibly be?"
—What do you mean? I've seen dogs baring their teeth and drooling, only to start wagging their tails the moment they see you. It’s happened more than once.
Dr. Ju laughed at Director Yang's flattery. Since they were close, he wanted to help, but running a solo clinic made it difficult to leave.
"I'm sorry, Hyung. As you know, I'm the only vet here, so it's hard for me to step away."
—I won't take up much of your time. We can adjust the schedule, so can’t you at least think about it?
"I'm sorry. I have a lot of patients right now that need close monitoring."
—Well, I guess it can't be helped. But we still have some time, so think it over, okay? You can even check out the set. It'll be fun. Actor Im Eun-seong is here, too.
"Actor Im Eun-seong? Ah, he's the lead?"
When Director Yang refused to back down and brought up Im Eun-seong, Dr. Ju's eyes widened.
For some reason, the words of his little friend, who had said his mom was a stylist, flashed through his mind.
—Ah. Are you not interested because he's a male actor?
"It's not that. Anyway, I'll think about it."
—Alright. Don't be a stranger; just come visit the set sometime. When are you free?
They hung up after agreeing to meet up soon, even if it wasn't for work. Dr. Ju carefully inspected the inside of a cage before straightening up.
He had completed a course to become a Canine Behavior and Psychology Correction Specialist, thinking it would be a great help in his rescue work.
"It's the first time Hyung has ever asked me for a favor. Was I too cold when I shut him down? Hmm."
He felt a bit bad for rejecting him so bluntly, but Director Yang was capable enough to easily find another expert.
I'll just settle for visiting the set, Dr. Ju thought, putting his mind at ease.
* * *
Eun-seong, who was in the middle of getting his makeup done, took off his shirt. It was for a shirtless scene, and applying the scar makeup to his back and chest took a considerable amount of time.
Even in the brief intervals, Eun-seong didn't stop working out. The trainer accompanying him monitored his form, not giving him a single moment to rest.
There was no telling how much of the edited footage would make the final cut, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this scene was the sole reason he had brought his body fat down to seven percent.
Since they planned to capture his enraged, flexing muscles in detail, Eun-seong diligently followed his trainer's lead, pumping up his body until the very last second.
No matter how many times one saw it, the sight was a marvel: the deep groove running perfectly down his spine, with muscles coiling and uncoiling on either side.
With every movement, the shape of his muscles—from his broad lats to the serrated muscles along his ribs—was fully revealed. A sheen of sweat clung to his skin, which was neither too pale nor too dark, making it hard to look away.
While the makeup was in full swing, the staff gathered in a corner watched him, completely dazed. As Eun-seong put in a final burst of effort, a startled staff member spoke up.
"My goodness… Is it really okay for me to watch this for free?"
"My thoughts exactly. I want to pay for a ticket in advance…"
As the staff members, utterly captivated by Eun-seong's physique, muttered among themselves, Yeon-ju, who was busy ironing, cast a sidelong glance.
Seeing a drop of sweat fall from the tip of his chin, Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again, pretending she hadn't seen a thing.
Eun-seong's body never had an off-season, but he was currently in peak condition. Few people could remain unfazed witnessing it in person, and she was no exception.
"Clothes."
Just as she was mechanically running the iron back and forth, her expression vacant, Eun-seong's voice rang out. The staff members quickly nudged Yeon-ju in the ribs, a signal to hurry over.
When Yeon-ju stopped ironing and brought the pants over, the staff watched her quietly.
"I should have gotten a job on the costume team."
"I'd choose the makeup team."
"With a body like that, isn't he practically a national treasure? Whew, he's going to show up in my dreams."
Since it was time for the actor to change, everyone except the youngest member of the costume team left the room. Once they were gone, Eun-seong took the pants Yeon-ju handed him.
"Call me when you're fully dressed."
Her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest, and she just wanted to escape. As Yeon-ju turned to leave, Eun-seong spoke, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Where do you think you're going? Aren't you going to do the fitting?"
"Ah, w-when you're fully dressed…"
"What's the big deal? Why should I have to call you? Are you going to be like this every time?"
Yeon-ju, who had turned away, squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Realizing she had practically admitted to being flustered by his bare body, she snapped back to her senses.
Determined not to let him notice a thing, she spun around to face him. At that, he placed a hand on the buckle of the pants he was wearing, tilted his head, and tossed them back to her.
"Hold this. It's in the way."
Having unexpectedly caught the pants, Yeon-ju took a deep breath. She watched as Eun-seong shucked off his pants in one swift motion, then squeezed her eyes shut again.
She thought she caught a glimpse of his black boxer briefs, but she clenched her teeth, trying to erase the image from her memory.
When he didn't say anything for a long moment, Yeon-ju cautiously opened her eyes. She saw Eun-seong, standing there in his underwear, holding out a hand.
"Well? I need the pants to put them on. Or are you just going to leave me standing here like some pervert?"
"Ah, I-I'm sorry!"
She hurriedly handed over the pants she had been clutching. Seeing that the perfectly ironed garment, which hadn't had a single crease, was now slightly wrinkled, Yeon-ju furrowed her brow.
"I think the pants need to be ironed again…"
Before she could even finish her sentence, the pants came flying back to her. Yeon-ju caught them again as Eun-seong stood tall, chin lifted in defiance.
"Do it again."
For a moment, Yeon-ju didn't know where to look, her large eyes darting around.
Her lips felt dry as the image of his black boxer briefs kept flashing in her mind.
"What are you doing? Can't you see someone is waiting?"
"Yes. Please wait just a moment."
Sigh… With a speechless expression, Yeon-ju hugged the pants and turned toward the steam iron.
She knew that actors changed clothes countless times on set and thought nothing of stripping down, but did he really have to stand there so rigidly?
He was practically bursting with pride.
"Please sit down for a moment."
"No."
He's so annoying…
Yeon-ju pressed her lips together and quickly began ironing. The faster she finished and handed him the pants, the sooner she could stop looking at him.
This time, she brought them over without a single wrinkle. When Yeon-ju held them out, Eun-seong stared down at them before snatching them away and putting them on with exaggerated movements.
Once the black boxer briefs disappeared inside the pants, Yeon-ju finally felt a sense of peace and her breathing evened out. But because she seemed to be staring directly at his crotch, Eun-seong flinched unconsciously.
"W-Where are you looking?"
"Nowhere. I wasn't looking anywhere. Should I do up the buckle for you?"
"No!"
He had wanted to embarrass Yeon-ju, but he was the one who ended up getting flustered.
Eun-seong turned around and fastened the buckle himself. Then, Yeon-ju began the fitting, her hands moving professionally over his hips, buttocks, and inner thighs.
Having spent years handling men's clothing in various shopping malls, this was nothing to her. Because she touched him without the slightest hesitation, Eun-seong found himself flinching from time to time.
He wanted to find something to criticize, but her touch was so businesslike that it was impossible to pick a fight.
Bending down to his ankles, Yeon-ju suddenly looked up and asked, "Is anything uncomfortable?"
"Are you done yet?"
"All done."
The tightly tailored pants fit him perfectly. As Yeon-ju dusted off her hands and stood up after adjusting the hem, Eun-seong let out a long breath.
Not wanting to reveal how rattled he was, Eun-seong’s mouth ran on its own.
"You sure don't hesitate to touch, do you? It's like you're trying to settle some kind of grudge."
Yeon-ju raised her head.
"A grudge? What grudge?"
"I'm saying you should show some restraint. From where I'm standing, it didn't seem necessary to feel around that much."
Ha. Yeon-ju let out a gasp of disbelief. After all the effort she put into making sure there wasn't a single wrinkle, he was accusing her of groping him?
When Yeon-ju shot him a displeased look, Eun-seong met it with a "What? Why?" expression. Yeon-ju quickly scanned him up and down with a thoroughly unimpressed face.
"I don't know how this will sound to you, but… your body isn't so amazing that I'd actually want to feel it up."
"W-What?"
"There's barely anything to touch anyway."
Ha. Ha! Eun-seong's eyes widened at the personal attack, the likes of which he had never even received in hate comments. It was an unbearable humiliation.
"What do you mean there's nothing to touch? Every inch of me—left, right, up, down—is packed with rock-solid muscle!"
"Ah. Rock-solid. Packed. Sure, sure."
"A-Aren't you going to react properly? Do you have any idea how much I suffered, how absolutely brutal it was to build this body?"
"Yes, yes. Good job."
Ha… Eun-seong was left utterly speechless. She had touched him everywhere, and now she was saying there was nothing to touch? Did she think his muscles were like dandelion fluff, ready to blow away with a single puff?
As Eun-seong glared with wild eyes, having sustained an internal wound that would take at least a week to heal, Yeon-ju clicked her tongue softly.
"When I think of it as dressing my son, there's nothing I can't do. So stop making up excuses to pick on me."
"Dressing your son? Son? Your son?"
It was a triple combo.
As Yeon-ju opened the door after having her say, the waiting staff poured back in. Only Eun-seong, the grown-up "son" who had been touched all over, remained standing there, completely stunned.
* * *
"Mother! I'm here!"
While filming was in full swing, Hae-young visited Yeon-ju's house. Despite her busy schedule, Hae-young hadn't forgotten to drop by while passing through the neighborhood.
"Auntie!"
As Hae-young, who knew the passcode, opened the door and walked in, Han-byeol was the first to greet her. Seeing Yam follow him out, wagging his tail, Hae-young smiled brightly.
"Byeol, you were home? How was school?"
"It was good! Grandmother went to the mart, though!"
"Ah. Grandmother went to the mart. So you're home alone?"
"I was with Yam. He's better than most people. We can even communicate."
Hae-young burst into laughter at Han-byeol's grown-up banter.
"Looking at you, Han-byeol, I think you're more of an adult than your mom."
"I think so too. My mom is so soft-hearted, I worry about her. I'm afraid to let her out of the house because she's so nice that people will walk all over her."
Hae-young stroked Han-byeol's hair as he worried about his mother, sounding just like his grandmother.
She also worried that Yeon-ju, who rarely said no, would go through life being taken advantage of. But contrary to everyone's concerns, Yeon-ju always managed to hold her own surprisingly well.
"A mother is still a mother, Han-byeol. Your mom is actually very sharp and capable when she's working."
"If my mom were just like you, Auntie, I wouldn't worry. Anyway, keep a close eye on her. Make sure no one is bullying her."
Hae-young kept laughing at Han-byeol's words as she walked into his room. Han-byeol, who had been watching an online lesson, paused the video and sat on the edge of his bed. He offered Hae-young his desk chair and placed Yam in her lap.
"Do you want something to drink, Auntie? Coffee?"
"No, I already had some. I'm fine. But why is there a script in your room?"
Hae-young's eyes widened as she spotted a familiar script lying on Han-byeol's bed.
Han-byeol glanced at the script and shrugged.
"Ah, that? I read it sometimes before going to sleep."
"Do you know what it's about?"
"Yeah. It's fun."
Hae-young nodded a couple of times, impressed that he was reading the script simply because he found it interesting. She knew that Han-byeol had been obsessed with cartoons and dramas from a very young age.
"Han-byeol, do you like movies?"
"Well, they're fun. I want to go see where they film, but Mom said no."
"Mom said no? Really?"
"I guess Mom is worried about what others will think. She said no, so there was nothing I could do."
Hmm. Hae-young tilted her head, looking at Han-byeol. Then, she realized the perfect opportunity had just presented itself.
"Well, that's your auntie's specialty. I'll take you. Don't worry."
"Really? You will, Auntie?"
"Unlike your mom, I don't have to worry about what anyone thinks. I'm the boss over there."
"Whoaaaa! Auntie, you're the best!"
Han-byeol jumped up from the bed and started bouncing around. Startled, Yam began to bark, and Hae-young burst into laughter.
At times like this, he was, without a doubt, a typical second-grader.