Chapter 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46
They’d talked about wrapping up in a flash, but it still took a good while.
Anyone would have been exhausted by the repetitive action scenes, but the moment Eun-seong hit the ground, he would scramble right back up to continue filming without a single break. The lead actor being in too good of a condition, however, turned out to be its own problem. Eun-seong hovered nearby, refusing to let anyone rest, his presence a silent demand for them to hurry. Driven by his relentless pressure, the director kept the cameras rolling as if possessed.
A shoot expected to take five hours wrapped up in just three. While the crew gathered to celebrate their unexpectedly early finish, Eun-seong had already vanished.
After getting the wrap notice, Yeon-ju caught a ride in the costume team's van to Chang-rok Entertainment. Since her home was a long way from Chang-rok, she usually took public transit by herself, but today she had an errand to run nearby.
[Sinsa-ro XX-gil, 3rd Floor. Front door passcode: 5476]
Checking the message Eun-seong had sent, Yeon-ju hailed a taxi. As the car pulled away from the curb, she looked down at the small bouquet of flowers she’d prepared.
"Heading somewhere nice, miss?" the driver asked.
"Oh, pardon? Ah, yes. Well, not for me, but…"
"I see, I see. The flowers smell lovely."
Hearing the taxi driver's warm, gentle chuckle, a faint smile spread across Yeon-ju's lips. She had been regretting the bouquet, wondering if it was a silly gesture, but his words somehow put her at ease.
She turned her head to gaze out the window. Bright neon signs embroidered the Seoul nightscape between rows of streetlamps. Watching the dazzling lights flash past made her feel a bit lightheaded, and she let out a deep breath.
[Arriving at your destination shortly.]
Lost in a daze—somewhere between thought and stupor—she was snapped back to reality by the navigation system's voice.
Only then did Yeon-ju sit up straight and gather her bag.
"Here we are, miss."
"Thank you."
"Have a wonderful celebration, and have a great evening."
As she opened the back door, the driver's warm parting words made her pause. Yeon-ju looked back at him and smiled brightly. Feeling the unfamiliar stretch of her facial muscles, she realized she hadn't truly smiled all day.
"Thank you. I will. You have a great night, too."
A brief, kind word from a stranger was enough to lift her spirits. The heavy knot of anxiety in her chest loosened, dissolving as if it had never been there.
Yeon-ju stopped in front of her destination and looked up at the building. It didn't look like a typical residence, nor did it seem commercial; its facade was clearly the work of a meticulous architect. Staring up at it, her grip on the flowers tightened.
The thought of Eun-seong just inside sent a wave of dizziness over her, and her chest tightened. She took a short, sharp breath.
Right. Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. The world won't end over this.
"He said the third floor… Should I just go up?"
Exhaling once more, Yeon-ju entered the passcode at the entrance just as he had instructed. Passing through the wooden automatic doors, she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. The mystery of the place kept her on edge, making the short ride feel agonizingly long.
Stepping out, Yeon-ju stared at the firmly shut door. Her fingertips hovered and twitched several times before she finally pressed the doorbell and squeezed her eyes shut.
Oh god, oh god. I pressed it. I actually pressed it.
Holding her breath with her eyes tightly closed, she waited. Nothing. No sound came from inside. Yeon-ju slowly opened her eyes and looked around. What's going on? This is definitely the third floor.
"Is this not the place? I entered the passcode correctly downstairs…"
She rang the bell again. Still no response. She rang it once more, then knocked. After another moment of silence, she pulled out her phone to call Eun-seong.
After a few rings, his voice came through. "Hello?"
Yeon-ju pressed closer to the door. "I'm here. Why aren't you opening the door?"
"Ah. You're here? Sorry. Just a second."
The call ended abruptly. A moment later, the door swung open. Yeon-ju, who had been deliberately staring down at her flowers, looked up as she spoke.
"I rang the bell so many ti— ah!"
Eun-seong stood there with nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping from his hair. As Yeon-ju let out a startled shriek, Eun-seong raised a hand as if to say, hold on.
"I was showering, so I didn't hear it. Come on in."
"No, why—why would you—you invited me over, so why! Why are you like this?!"
"What do you mean, why? I was sweating all day, so of course I had to wash up. Get inside, quick. I'm cold."
Eun-seong snatched the flowers from her hand and let go of the doorknob. Catching the closing door, Yeon-ju let out a whimpering groan.
"This is foul play!"
"If you don't like it, you can take a shower too."
With that, Eun-seong disappeared back into the bathroom. As the sound of running water started up again, Yeon-ju furrowed her brow and let out a heavy sigh. She unconsciously pulled the collar of her top tighter and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"If he tries anything funny, he's dead."
Sitting primly on the sofa, she muttered to herself, then found herself peeking down the collar of her knit sweater. Her eyes widened when she remembered which underwear she'd worn today, and she quickly pulled the fabric closed.
He was just taking a shower because he’d been sweating, yet here she was, plagued by all sorts of wild thoughts.
"Ugh, stay sharp. Stay sharp, Go Yeon-ju."
And she had every right to be on edge.
Because a dripping-wet Im Eun-seong was more lethal and sexier than ever.
* * *
Eun-seong emerged wearing a loose-fitting knit sweater and baggy pants, flopping down onto the sofa. He shook out his damp hair and looked at Yeon-ju.
Seeing her sitting there, her posture screaming "defensive," it finally sank in that they were truly away from the film set.
"To meet Go Yeon-ju's expectations, I feel like I should try something right now. What do you think?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
"Right. Playing dumb is always the best card when you're cornered. Anyway, was traffic bad on your way here?"
As Eun-seong tossed his towel aside, Yeon-ju nodded with an embarrassed expression. She felt a bit foolish, caught red-handed with her guard up for no reason. Only then did the tension in her shoulders begin to ease.
"It wasn't bad. Where are we?"
"A place I use often, but it's not my home. The basement is my acting and monitoring studio. The first floor is for art, the second is a gym, and this floor is for relaxing."
"Ah…"
So you're saying you use this entire building?
"You have that massive house, yet you use so many different spaces."
"So you know where my house is?"
"I saw it on a show. They introduced it in as much detail as a real estate agency."
Eun-seong burst out laughing.
"If I did everything at home, I'd be trapped inside all day. I try to only sleep there. Without a space like this, I wouldn't even be able to step outside."
…A man who had lost his freedom. Only then did Yeon-ju feel a pang of regret for her thoughtless words.
"Anyway, it's nice. But is it really okay to bring me to a place like this?"
"No one comes here. You don't have to worry."
You don't have to worry.
Yeon-ju nodded slowly. He had probably been racking his brain for a place where they could be alone. Perhaps he had agonized over it even more than she had.
If some ridiculous scandal broke out, her world would be turned upside down, sure, but that was nothing. If his world was turned upside down, the fallout would go far beyond mere personal anxieties.
"You'll take responsibility for that, right? For saying no one comes here?"
"Yeah. In fact, I wish something would happen between us here so I'd actually have something to take responsibility for."
With that, Eun-seong stood up and picked up the flowers. He swept a rather disinterested gaze over the bouquet before looking back at Yeon-ju.
"What are these for?"
"Director Jin told me about the news article, so I bought them to congratulate you."
She couldn't bring herself to admit she had searched for the article the moment she'd opened her eyes that morning, so she used Hae-young as an excuse.
"Congratulations. Everyone says winning the award is a sure thing. You don't seem very thrilled, but a celebration is still a celebration."
"Ah. Congratulations."
Eun-seong looked back and forth between the flowers and Yeon-ju a few times, then let out a chuckle. When he set them back down on the table, Yeon-ju narrowed her eyes.
"Do you not like them? I bought them with you in mind, so why the cold shoulder?"
"No, it's not that I don't like them. I'm just… caught off guard."
"Why?"
"It's just a bit surreal to think that I'm actually being congratulated by Go Yeon-ju."
A trace of bitterness clung to his smile, a nuance she'd almost mistaken for simple amusement. Not wanting to miss a single shift in his expression, Yeon-ju held his gaze.
"I used to wonder what it would feel like. To be congratulated by you. So this is it."
"..."
"It always bothered me that I never got to experience that. I wonder if those lingering regrets piled up, making it even harder for me to forget you."
Every time glory followed him, every time he shone brighter than anyone else.
In those fleeting moments, he had thought of her.
"We met when I was at my youngest and poorest, and all I ever did was make you suffer. By the time I finally succeeded, I couldn't do anything for you, even if I wanted to. That's why I thought of you every time I won an award."
As Eun-seong smiled bitterly, Yeon-ju clenched her fists. Fearing that reckless words might slip past her shallow, trembling breaths, she spoke with deliberate slowness.
"What do you mean, make you suffer? That's just how college students are. We had everything we needed back then. I don't have any memories of us struggling, so I wish you'd stop thinking like that."
Yeon-ju stood and picked up the bouquet. It was at its peak—vibrant, beautiful, and absolutely lovely. She wanted to protect the pretty petals before they were neglected and left to wither.
"If it's okay, I'll put these in a vase. I think they'll wilt quickly otherwise. Oh, but since this isn't your house, maybe there isn't—"
Just as she was about to move, Eun-seong stepped into her path and gently cupped the back of her neck. He held her gaze for a moment, a faint smile playing on his lips as if asking if she knew what he was about to do.
As his lips began to descend, Yeon-ju turned her face away.
"Why do you keep doing this…"
Eun-seong's gentle grip tightened slightly, turning her face back to his. Looking at his damp face, which seemed to have washed away all worldly concerns, she felt her resistance melting away.
"You said we were just going to hang out. You said we'd just have fun."
"I did."
"You said we'd talk about the old days and grab a bite to eat once in a while."
"Yeah. I did."
There was a heavy weight to his touch, an unspoken command not to run, to look straight at him. With her gaze trapped, she could do nothing but squeeze the bouquet tightly in her hands.
Startled by the thought that his lips were coming down again, Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut so hard her eyelids creased.
But even as she waited, nothing happened.
Just as her thoughts began to tangle over how to salvage the situation, her face practically primed and waiting for a kiss—
Yeon-ju fluttered her eyelids open. Eun-seong was staring at her, an expression on his face as if he found her too adorable for words, before he burst into laughter.
His lips lightly brushed against her forehead. Stepping back, he ruffled her hair and smiled brightly.
"Thanks for congratulating me. I'm really happy."
It was a pure smile, completely devoid of any underlying tension. Realizing how long it had been since she last saw him smile with such genuine joy, the embarrassing words that had risen to her throat vanished.
"What do you want to eat? I'm hungry."
"..."
"Oh, and leave the flowers there. I'm taking them home with me."
That smile… Is there no way I can protect it?
An impossible hope continued to grow.