So It Was the Mask
"I'm really not a weird person."
The woman was trembling, her face flushed red.
"This is the first time I've ever done something like this, but you're just so much my type... If it's okay with you, could I get your number?"
Not that the hat and mask left anything visible to begin with.
Is the mask his taste, then?
I wanted to point out the mountain of questions lurking in her statement, but her voice was shaking so violently that I held my tongue.
She's shaking like crazy.
She wasn't even looking at me properly, either.
From the way her eyes wandered across the floor, I could feel her emotions vividly.
"Ah, ahem. Yes."
For some reason I was tense too, and a dry cough slipped out.
Maybe it was my imagination, but my ears felt itchy.
I was trying to refuse as politely as possible when a thought flashed through my mind.
...Cameras.
I snapped back to my senses.
This was bad. If anyone caught this on film, it would be a disaster.
I'm a celebrity, remember?
I'd completely forgotten. This was no time to be standing around getting flustered.
Let me sort out the situation first.
Feeling I needed to wrap this up quickly, I opened my mouth.
But perhaps because of that urgency, I dove straight into the main point without meaning to.
"I'm a middle schooler."
"......"
"......"
"...I'm sorry, what?"
Was that too much main point?
The woman's eyes went hollow.
She stood there dazed for a moment, mouth agape in disbelief, then let out a strangled, "Uh—u—ack," and bent herself into a ninety-degree bow.
"I'm so sorry!!! I'm sorry, I—oh my god. Oh my god! I'm absolute trash—oh my god. How could I do something like this."
"No, it's... it can happen."
"I'm really sorry. I thought you were older. I go to the high school near here. No, wait, that's not the point—I'm sorry, I'm truly so sorry."
"You really don't need to apologize this much..."
"I'm so, so sorry. I'm terribly sorry but... may I go now? No, I'm going!! I'm so sorry!!"
The woman, who'd been wearing a look close to tears, backed away a few steps, then turned and bolted.
I watched her figure vanish into the distance.
"Yeonjae, sorry. Did I keep you waiting too long?"
Only when Park Ha-eun's cheerful voice reached me did I finally let out the breath I'd been holding this whole time.
"Yeonjae?"
"......"
"What's wrong? You okay?"
No. No, I'm not okay.
Covering my face with both hands, I muttered an answer.
Ha-eun asked brightly if something had happened.
"Why are your ears so red?"
"...Something happened, that's all."
When she asked if I'd run into a fan, I gave an awkward smile.
People are incredible.
Their courage, I mean. Being asked questions was already unusual enough for me—how did anyone work up the nerve to ask for a number?
"Did you contact Noh Bi?"
"He says he's at the cafe I mentioned before. Let's grab a taxi first."
"Okay! Then let's head out to the main road."
I followed Ha-eun as she took the lead.
While we hailed an empty taxi and rode toward the cafe, I thought quietly to myself.
I was wearing a mask, though.
The woman had said I was her type, but with the mask on, she couldn't have seen much of my face.
If she couldn't see my face, then this had nothing to do with my looks.
In fact, back when I used to go around with my face exposed, nothing like this had ever happened.
Which means, once again...
There was only one explanation.
I guess the mask was her type.
Having concluded my perfectly logical deduction, I nodded to myself.
I needed to change my mask, starting today.
Come to think of it, I should have found it strange from the moment Jinbae said this was the most popular mask style these days.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
***
"What is that? You look gross!"
"You're hilarious. You're the gross one!"
The moment Park Ha-eun and Noh Bihyeok met, they started shrieking at each other like the other was a cockroach.
"Seriously, are you going to end up two meters tall or what?"
Ha-eun craned her neck all the way up at Bihyeok, scowling.
"Why do you keep getting taller? Are you some kind of water hyacinth?"
"Water hya... you wanna die?"
Bihyeok shot back, yelling that she was the one whose hair had grown out all wrong for her face.
"What's with the hair, anyway? I grew it out so I could tie it back when I study. It gets in the way."
"Doesn't suit you. Just cut it back to a bob like before. It's gross."
"Why, you little—"
Ha-eun and Bihyeok went at it tooth and nail.
While I quietly watched them, Lee Euntaek muttered beside me.
"Those two really are close."
"Aren't they."
They bickered without pause, but never crossed any real lines—very much like the two of them.
Good call renting out the cafe.
It wasn't just their friendship that was strong; their lungs were too. As the decibels climbed, I felt a brief flicker of relief that the four of us were the only ones here.
"Hey, baby. Those two—"
"How many times have I told you not to call me that."
"That's my prerogative. Anyway, those two aren't dating, right? They're really just friends?"
Euntaek looked openly skeptical.
"Dating rumors blowing up the second you debut would be a problem."
"They really are just friends."
"Childhood friends, though? Isn't that a bit too classic a cliché?"
Oh. So Euntaek knew words like that too.
Impressed inwardly, I answered flatly.
"Don't worry. Bi will handle it fine on his own."
"That part's fine, I guess... it's the fans whose perspective would be different."
True enough.
I nodded quietly along.
That was half the reason we rented this place in the first place.
With Bihyeok and Euntaek's debut now right around the corner, meeting up together with Ha-eun—a girl—wasn't easy.
Being an idol simply came with a lot of things to consider.
It was a profession where a rumor could sprout from nothing more than a few seconds of eye contact between a man and a woman.
So this is how the restrictions pile up, one by one.
Being loved by fans was a wonderful thing, but naturally, being a celebrity meant just as many things to be careful about.
Sorry to Ha-eun, but I found myself thinking, once again, that it was lucky I was a boy.
At least there wouldn't be any restrictions on me meeting Euntaek and Bihyeok.
"Hi there! Sorry about that. I was so caught up arguing with this idiot that I didn't even say hello!"
"Hey, where do you get off—"
"I'm Park Ha-eun. Yeonjae's friend."
Having unilaterally cut off her conversation with Bihyeok, Ha-eun broke into a bright smile.
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you."
"Speak comfortably! I'm the same age as Yeonjae!"
Ha-eun replied in her easy, friendly way.
She was so naturally unpretentious that even Euntaek—who gave off a prickly impression at first glance—didn't seem to faze her one bit.
Euntaek said okay, but never let go of the wariness in his eyes.
He's like a cat...
I could practically see what was going through his head, and it made me snort.
"Ha-eun, try to understand. This hyung just has a terrible personality."
Euntaek's sharp gaze landed on my face.
What can you do. Staring at me like that won't drill a hole through me.
"Even when he saw me for the first time in ages, all he did was curse me out. He's acting like a total angel with you, by comparison."
At my words, Ha-eun burst out laughing.
"I talk to Yeonjae on the phone pretty often, and I hear a lot about you, oppa."
"He talks about me?"
"Of course! Last time, he said you two had takoyaki together with his second brother—"
"H-Ha-eun."
I jumped in hastily, startled.
"Hm?"
"Don't you want something to drink? Aren't you thirsty?"
"I do! Where's the menu... oh, there it is. Noh Bi, you're drinking something too, right?"
Bihyeok said he was on a diet, so he'd stick to water.
Ha-eun raised her voice, demanding to know where exactly he had fat to cut and telling him to stop talking nonsense.
Leaving the two of them to squabble yet again, Euntaek stared holes into me.
"...What. What is it."
When I answered curtly, Euntaek snorted and smacked my back.
"Our baby's got a shy side too, huh."
"Ugh, that stupid 'baby' thing. Are you really going to call me that outside, too?"
Euntaek shrugged as if to say, why wouldn't I?
A hollow laugh escaped me on its own.
I was watching Ha-eun and Bihyeok tear into each other when Euntaek whispered softly.
"Baby. So is she dating you, then?"
"...Is your head only capable of holding thoughts like that?"
When I made a face of genuine disgust, Euntaek looked wounded.
"She just said it herself. That you two talk on the phone all the time."
"Then she calls me on the phone. So what?"
"That's not what I mean."
"Friends can't call each other? We just live in different cities, that's all."
Besides, with her own studies keeping her nearly as busy as I was, Ha-eun and I only managed a call once every month or two.
"I don't do the friend thing with girls."
So what was I supposed to do about that?
"You're an actor, so maybe it's less of an issue for you, but you know you're still a celebrity, right? I mean, sure, acting probably requires real-life experience too... hey, wait. If you ever get a girlfriend, you have to show her to me first. You date her only after my approval."
"Hyung, stop talking and just eat this."
Leave him alone too long and he gets weirder by the minute.
I stuffed a croffle into Euntaek's mouth, since he was supposedly on a diet too.
Euntaek chewed for a long while, cheeks packed full, then opened his mouth again.
"So, fine, let's say she's just a friend. You got a girlfriend, then?"
Haah. Seriously.
It was as if he'd picked a theme for the day—the topic just wouldn't budge. Euntaek's eyes were brimming with curiosity.
"Ever dated anyone?"
Like that was possible.
When I shook my head lightly, he asked if there was at least someone I liked.
"No. Why are you so obsessed with this?"
"Obviously I'm curious. Think about how long it's been since you and I last talked. How could I not wonder who you spent all that time with, and how."
The gruffness in his voice made it impossible to snap back at him, so I swallowed a sigh.
"I've never liked anyone. The only girl I keep in regular contact with is Ha-eun."
"Tsk. Fine, got it."
"...Hyung, Ha-eun really is a good person. A kind friend."
When the kids at school wouldn't come near me because of the rumors about me, it was Ha-eun who stood up and set them straight. It was thanks to her that I met Bihyeok in the first place, too.
She couldn't see me often anymore since we lived so far apart, but she was a thoughtful friend who always asked how I was doing every time we talked.
"She's one of the people I care about. You too, hyung. That's why I wanted you two to meet."
"......"
"Ha-eun knows she won't get to see Bi much once he debuts, so she carved out a whole week just to come up here. She wanted to properly congratulate him on debuting."
That was the kind of person she was—warm and decisive all at once.
I could see how carefully she was conducting herself, too, wary of being mistaken for some hidden girlfriend of Bihyeok's or mine.
"I know exactly what you're worried about, and why. But Ha-eun will handle herself just fine, so don't be cold to her."
"Was I being cold? I was just a little awkward."
"Your resting face is just that hostile, hyung."
"......"
Well, no one can see the future—maybe the day would come when Ha-eun ended up dating Bihyeok.
But the two of them were sharp enough to know exactly what they needed to be careful of, now, for the sake of that future.
And so do I.
Compared to idols, acting was a fairly free profession.
I'd seen plenty of comments telling Han Seyeong and me to just date already whenever we did couple scenes.
But this was no time in my life for dating anyone.
For now, exchanging love with my fans was more than enough for me.
"Fine. I won't bring this stuff up around you or Noh Bi anymore. Not that either of you needs my advice—you're both on top of it."
Euntaek grumbled that my being so earnest had made his joke feel awkward.
"Still, when you do end up dating someone, you'd better show me."
"Haah. Fine, I will."
"You promised."
"Okay, okay, so just eat."
I popped the last croffle into Euntaek's mouth as well.
While soothing Euntaek, who grumbled about whether he'd be held responsible if I gained weight, the four of us kept talking well past that.
Time spent with people who mattered to me was a joy.
After hours of chaotic conversation, Bihyeok and Euntaek stood up first, saying practice was calling.
"Hyung, sorry, but can I ask you one favor?"
Euntaek turned back to look at me just as he was about to leave.
Watching him raise an eyebrow, I said it slowly.
"Do you think we could swap out our masks?"
"...?"
***
"Yeonjae, seriously, I don't have to walk you home. My cousin says she's right in front of our building too. You go on ahead."
I refused Ha-eun's offer with a smile.
Did she have any idea what kind of world it was out there these days? The things she said were asking for trouble.
We were turning into the alley together when I spotted someone standing in front of the villa.
"Oh!"
Ha-eun cried out loudly.
"Unnie!"
So that was her cousin, then.
Watching Ha-eun wave her arm around in excited circles, I was thinking it was time for me to head home too.
Right up until I realized the cousin's voice sounded far, far too familiar.
"...Ha-eun. Who's that next to you..."
"Oh, that's my friend!"
With Ha-eun's cheerful voice hanging in the air between us, the woman and I locked eyes for a moment.
Looking at the woman staring back at me, face drained white, and then at the woman who had asked for my number just that morning, I thought to myself:
Thank god I changed the mask...