Twin Frames
Lee Yeonjae worked hard.
Truly, truly hard — hard enough that even Noh Bihyeok, who'd been watching, was worn out just from looking.
Unbelievable. Just unbelievable...
Dancing nonstop under the blazing sun for hours on end was grueling even for someone in decent shape. That had to be why he could still clearly see the way Lee Yeonjae's body, standing perfectly still, trembled ever so slightly.
And yet — not a single complaint, not one word about being tired. Lee Yeonjae's eyes stayed locked on the camera alone. A kid who normally barely said a thing was now talking nonstop with the director, going over the footage together.
What on earth is with that kid...
Noh Bihyeok had known since he saw the sun-faded, tattered script that Lee Yeonjae worked with a stubborn, almost foolish dedication. So it wasn't exactly a surprise. But watching him here, on set, there was something strangely off about it.
...Why is he pushing himself that hard?
Noh Bihyeok dreamed of becoming an idol, and for that dream he poured more than half of every day into practice. His weekly evaluations kept improving, a fair reflection of that effort — but to him, it still didn't feel like enough. There were too many things he had to fix before he could reach the level he wanted, so he practiced, day after day, with everything he had.
The desire to be better. The desperation to improve. The pride in skills growing by the day.
Call it whatever you liked, but in the end, the reason Noh Bihyeok worked so hard came down to one word: thirst.
Lee Yeonjae's eyes, though, carried something else entirely. What was he supposed to call that feeling?
"Responsibility?"
"Hm?"
At the murmur he'd let slip without thinking, Ahn Jinbae beside him turned to look.
"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself."
"Ah, I see. Everything all right? Do you need anything?"
"Nope. I told you this morning, didn't I? Don't fuss over me — just keep an eye on him. You're the only one here who can make him take a break~"
When Noh Bihyeok shook his head, the other man gave a small laugh.
"I don't think he's the type to stop just because I tell him to."
"Sure, but he'll at least pace himself. Without you, the guy probably wouldn't have taken a single break all day."
"Haha. That's true."
Ahn Jinbae answered with a low chuckle — but his eyes never strayed from Lee Yeonjae.
Wow. This guy's no different from me. Noh Bihyeok clicked his tongue.
Why did everyone have to work themselves to the bone like this? This was the problem with Koreans.
All of this ran through his head, shamelessly, from the very man who'd packed his gym bag in advance so he could bolt straight to the practice room the moment filming wrapped.
"Cut! You okay?!"
At the director's cry, called earlier than expected, Noh Bihyeok and Ahn Jinbae both snapped their gazes to the same spot.
There sat Lee Yeonjae, looking sheepish.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No. I'm fine."
The first NG of the shoot.
Declining Ahn Jinbae's offer of a hand up, Lee Yeonjae rose on his own and stared down at the floor with a troubled look on his face.
"That part sticking out here threw off my blocking. I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for over something like that? Making it this far without a single NG is the impressive part."
Even at the director's dismissive wave, Lee Yeonjae still looked visibly bothered that the NG had been his fault.
When the sound staff had botched a take and forced them to start over from the top, he'd brushed it off like it was nothing — but now he was stewing over a thing that hardly mattered, and it left a sour taste in Noh Bihyeok's mouth.
Had he not known Lee Yeonjae, he might have written him off as a timid kid who worried way too much about what everyone thought of him.
But Lee Yeonjae didn't worry too much about what others thought, and he wasn't timid, either.
He was simply strict with himself alone. The hedgehog's spines pointed only inward.
Sheesh.
Noh Bihyeok clicked his tongue and quietly walked over.
"Why does this thing stick out here for no reason?"
He looked up at the gruff voice to find Noh Bihyeok nudging the set piece with his toe.
He'd been at a loss over it, and at the sound of that familiar voice his shoulders loosened without him meaning them to.
"Tell me about it."
"Your ankle — you sure it's okay?"
"Yeah."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying."
Before he knew it, the final scene had arrived. Unlike the other scenes shot on flat ground, this one was on a set full of structures. The sun had finally died down enough for them to move indoors — annoying that it took so long, but at least the air conditioning was good, so he'd figured the shoot would go easier.
Except the structures jutted out everywhere like a skate park, and dancing among them turned out to be trickier, not less.
It was too late to change locations now... He'd probably have to rework the choreography. The choreographer, after standing around idle for hours, had already clocked out saying there was nothing left for him to do.
He was just debating whether to call the man back when—
"What if you kick off this part here and push out of it?"
Noh Bihyeok, who'd been poking around the structures, piped up.
"Something like this? You tap it like so and rise up out of the move."
"Then the transition into the next move might get awkward."
"Ah, good point. Hm... couldn't you just fix it like this, then?"
Every time the guy moved, the soles of his sneakers scuffed against the floor. And Noh Bihyeok's suggestion was good enough that Yeonjae couldn't afford to pay the sound any mind.
He hadn't even overhauled the choreography, and yet the whole thing flowed this smoothly now. So natural talent really did exist.
Yeonjae ran through the move Noh Bihyeok had demonstrated a few times, then nodded.
"Thanks. This'll work."
"Okay~"
The guy who would normally have started rambling — 'Bihyeok's the best, obviously? Keh, how is he this skilled too. It's a real problem.' — bowed out modestly, maybe on account of the setting.
It was the director who stopped Noh Bihyeok as he tried to melt into the background like a phantom.
"You're Yeonjae's friend, right? A civilian?"
"Sorry? Oh — yes."
A strangely stiff answer for Noh Bihyeok.
Yeonjae glanced at the flustered guy, then answered in his place.
"He's an idol trainee. With WB Entertainment. He's helped me a lot with dance practice lately."
"No wonder he dances so well. WB, on top of that?"
The director's voice brightened considerably. His eyes flicked between Noh Bihyeok and Yeonjae, and for a moment they seemed to catch fire.
"I guess it's from practicing together — your dance lines look similar. You're even about the same height."
"I'm actually a bit taller than him, sir."
Still blinking in a daze, Noh Bihyeok blurted it out — then seemed to realize what he'd said, his eyes going wide for a beat before he broke into a grin and slung an arm around Yeonjae's shoulders.
"I used to be a head taller than this guy, you know~. And of course! I'm still growing."
Yeonjae had shot up over the past six months and caught up to most of Noh Bihyeok's height. The guy was so salty about it that he dug his fingers into Yeonjae's shoulder every time they met. Naturally, Yeonjae did the exact same thing back.
The sight of him flashing that social-butterfly smile was so much Yeonjae pinched his side — hard enough to sting, too. Noh Bihyeok flinched, but beamed at the director all the same.
"Haha! Well then, keep growing. They said WB's basement was full of buried treasure, and I guess it was true."
"Thank you very much~! When I debut, I'll come by and greet you properly again!"
The director's laughter only grew at Noh Bihyeok's smooth recovery, as if he'd never been flustered at all. The laughter spread to the staff, and the set turned warm and cheerful in an instant.
Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. And yet Yeonjae found himself smiling too.
The face muscles that had been tense all day in front of strangers finally went slack.
He was just about to retaliate against Noh Bihyeok — who was pressing down hard on his shoulder under the pretense of an arm-around-the-shoulder hug — when the director called Team Leader Choi over with a smile.
What's this?
Still digging into Noh Bihyeok's shoulder, Yeonjae stole glances at the two of them as they murmured together. The director finished his brief word with Team Leader Choi, looked at Noh Bihyeok —
— and dropped the bomb.
"If you're up for it, want to shoot a video with us?"
"......What?"
Hit by it out of nowhere, Noh Bihyeok went blank.
"Not the official version — I think it'd be fun to produce a separate video that only goes up online. Watching you two dance together, you've got this twins kind of vibe."
Strange, isn't it? You look nothing alike, but somehow the way you dance is so similar—
As the director carried on, Yeonjae looked to Team Leader Choi in place of the guy who couldn't get a word out.
"Team Leader, is that all right with you?"
"More footage to edit is a good thing for us. If you two are fine with it, we're more than happy."
Good. Yeonjae nodded and thumped the frozen side next to him.
"Huh?"
"You in or not?"
"...Feels like I'm just tagging along for no reason."
"The director asked you first. What are you talking about? Call your company and get permission."
"Uh..."
"Bihyeok. Hurry up."
Only after Yeonjae personally took out the phone and held it to the guy's ear did Noh Bihyeok come back to his senses.
Either way, he was going to debut sooner or later — one more appearance on camera could only help him.
Bringing him along had been worth it. A relief, really.
Yeonjae shot a glance at the guy huddled in the corner on the phone with his company's manager, then reset his stance.
"Director. Shall we run the scene again?"
"Ah, right! Okay, everyone back to your marks!"
First things first — get his own filming done, fast.
"Eat this one too."
"I'm already eating."
"How does it take you this long to eat one dumpling? You've got to eat more if you want to grow."
And because of you, I can't eat any faster.
Yeonjae gave a helpless look to Noh Bihyeok, who kept thrusting pan-fried dumplings at his mouth.
"Or how about that one over there?"
"Bihyeok. I'm still eating."
He wanted to tell the guy not to talk while eating, but the look of pure, unbridled excitement on his face made the words die in Yeonjae's throat.
Well — he had shot a commercial before even debuting, so it made sense he was this worked up.
The moment the company manager gave the green light, Noh Bihyeok changed clothes while Yeonjae finished up his last scene. The shoes had been stocked generously in all sizes, and there were plenty of backup outfits on hand.
He'd looked dazed walking into the dressing room, but by the time his hair was being done, Noh Bihyeok had inevitably befriended the entire staff and was chattering away with them.
'It's the special version, so don't stress about it. Standing side by side like this, you two really do look like twins.'
Weren't they far too different-looking to be called twins?
Still, Yeonjae didn't bother arguing with the director.
Styled to match his concept — waves in their hair, white t-shirts, jeans, navy sneakers — the sight of Noh Bihyeok beside him did feel a little strange.
Noh Bihyeok already had the choreography down cold. He fumbled a little at first, but after a few run-throughs he faced the camera without the slightest trouble. Born to be in show business, that one.
And just like the director said, the two of them dancing on camera looked like twins.
Well — I was dancing it as Noh Bihyeok from the start.
The final cut came out beautifully, which was a relief.
Not just the director — everyone from Team Leader Choi's side was smiling too, and that put Yeonjae at ease.
Unlike the official video that would air on TV and various online platforms, the one he'd shot with Noh Bihyeok would simply be uploaded to the brand's channel separately.
Yeonjae had worried he might feel a little let down by that — but instead Noh Bihyeok clapped both hands over his mouth and asked, it's really going to be uploaded?
So that explained the odd looks on his face between takes. Apparently he'd been bracing for the answer to be we can't use this at all.
Only then did Noh Bihyeok's mind seem to settle, and even at the Chinese restaurant they went to for dinner, he kept up an excited chatter, face glowing, for the better part of an hour.
"Once I debut, my fans are going to hunt this video down and watch it, right? What even is my life right now."
The dinner kept stalling because the guy kept handing Yeonjae the very dumplings he'd been so delighted over — until Manager Ahn Jinbae solved it by ordering five more bowls of dumplings.
After all that racket, Noh Bihyeok kept stealing glances at Yeonjae, hesitating. When Yeonjae asked what was wrong, he just mumbled and let it go.
Then, that night — only after Yeonjae received a long, rambling message that ended with the words thank you, really — did he finally understand what the guy had been hesitating over, and he laughed, soft and short.