Episode 73

Haeun immediately turned his head and looked around. But aside from a few staff members passing by in the distance, there was no one who seemed to have called out to him. He couldn’t tell who it was—or even if someone had really called him at all.

Did I hear wrong?

He tilted his head in slight confusion but soon decided he must have imagined it. Turning his gaze back to Gyowon, he asked again.

“So what was so fascinating, then?”

“Just… wondering if you’re really the same kid I saw back then.”

Gyowon, who had been silent while he looked around, responded immediately when the question was tossed his way.

“You remembered that moment at all—that’s what surprises me.”

Shrugging as he replied, Gyowon gave a quiet laugh, brushing it off.

“Is it that surprising? You keep saying that. You said the same thing before, too.”

“Huh?”

Haeun blinked, puzzled. At his reaction, Gyowon looked at him in even more confusion, as if his response was unexpected. The two of them opened their mouths at almost the same time, as if each was about to say something more.

But before either could speak, another voice cut through the moment, stopping them both.

“Hey.”

Haeun turned his head again. This time, when he looked behind him, he could clearly see who had called him. Someone he hadn’t expected to see here at all—Yejun.

“Oh!”

It was a little embarrassing yet curious that he hadn’t noticed him just moments ago. He’d looked around pretty thoroughly—or so he’d thought. How did I miss him?

Haeun couldn’t hide his surprise and let out a short exclamation before quickly composing himself, thinking that reacting too strongly might be rude.

“Hello. Um… were you filming here?”

He tried to sound as natural as possible, but there was probably still a bit of awkwardness in his expression. To smooth over the atmosphere, Haeun offered a gentle, friendly smile.

Now that he had greeted him, he finally registered Yejun’s appearance. He was wearing something he’d never put on in everyday life—an outfit adorned with sashes and glittering accessories, the kind one might wear playing a prince in a play.

He already had a striking presence by default, but today he was fully styled and polished, exuding that unmistakable “idol” aura.

As a fellow entertainer, Haeun was genuinely impressed. Still, he figured Yejun might feel a little self-conscious about running into someone he knew while dressed like this.

“Ah, the shoot just ended a little while ago,” Yejun replied after a brief pause.
Was that his way of explaining the outfit? Haeun’s assumption seemed correct—he probably was feeling a little awkward.

“That outfit looks great. It really suits you,” Haeun said sincerely.

He believed that the best thing to do in such moments was to offer a straightforward compliment.

But to his mild dismay, Yejun didn’t look particularly pleased to hear it.

Was that too flat? he wondered. I meant it, though… Or maybe he’s still upset about me turning down his invitations?

If that were the case, would he even have approached him to talk in the first place? Probably not.

“Did your shoot just finish too?”

While Haeun was busy speculating about Yejun’s feelings, he asked the question. It wasn’t a response to his compliment, but Haeun answered reflexively.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, it just wrapped up. Funny how our timing lined up like this.”

“……”

“Ha-ha.”

Even to his own ears, his laugh sounded painfully awkward. Yejun remained silent. His expression still looked sour—maybe annoyed, maybe just unimpressed.

Why is reading people so hard?

Matching his silence, Haeun fell quiet too. But after a short, tense pause, he finally blurted out the obvious question.

“Why do you look like that?”

Haeun glanced at Gyowon’s face, searching for a clue—but all he saw was a faint, unreadable smile. He couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Of course, he was known for his exceptional composure; if anyone could maintain a perfect poker face, it was him.

“At least it’s being cleaned up, more or less. That’s something,” Yejun continued, his tone calm—perhaps intentionally so.

It was becoming increasingly clear: he thought Haeun had been dragged into trouble because of Gyowon. He didn’t like that, and he wasn’t hiding it. In fact, he was going so far as to throw in a veiled jab—something like, well, at least it’s not a total disaster now.

Haeun could only describe the situation as utterly awkward. If his jaw had dropped in line with his shock, it might’ve unhinged. His eyes darted around as he searched for what to do.

Then he heard Gyowon chuckle.

“You’re saying all that with me standing right here… impressive.”

He turned his head toward him again. That slight smile hadn’t faded. It didn’t look like he was angry—not obviously. But it didn’t exactly look like amusement either.

Haeun opened his mouth as if to say something—“Um…”—but closed it just as quickly.

Are we really doing this? In a hallway? At a broadcasting station?

They were both top stars. If any staff had been lurking nearby, this would’ve become a PR nightmare. Thankfully, everyone seemed to have disappeared —courtesy of the universe, perhaps.

Gyowon’s voice was calm, but it carried a subtle weight—like someone who could make you feel small without raising his voice.

But Yejun didn’t flinch. He responded just as evenly.

“I didn’t say it for your benefit, anyway.”

Gyowon gave a light, almost dismissive reply.

“Fair advice, though. But whether rumors spread or not isn’t exactly something I can control.”

Haeun agreed with that. Still, it was clear Yejun had stepped in because he was worried about him—he couldn’t just side with Gyowon and tell him to back off. But siding with Yejun? That wasn’t an option either.

Then came Yejun’s sharper line.

“I imagine your tendency to avoid idols probably played a part in all this, didn’t it?”

There was a short silence. Gyowon seemed to pause, not taken aback, but perhaps considering the weight of the words.

“…I admit that’s something I regret,” he said at last. “Not all idols are like that friend of yours, Mr. Jo. I was emotional about it, I won’t deny that.”

It was rare—Haeun could count on one hand the times he’d seen Gyowon so openly acknowledge fault.

What was this about now? The mention that seemed to point toward a member of Black Bers caused a slight crack to appear on Yejun’s previously calm expression.

“…So it really does feel like a bad entanglement. And now you’re even bringing that up here.”

Though the words said, “bringing that up,” the tone clearly implied something more like, “why are you clinging to that nonsense?” 

The atmosphere started to turn tense. Haeun took a step back, observing the conversation carefully. He was even ready to pretend he wasn’t part of the group and slip away if things escalated.

“Well, if you say I’m a bad entanglement… I don’t think I’ve gotten as much undeserved hate as I did when I was tangled up with Jo Yejun,” Gyowon said with a faint smile.

And just as he finished, the inevitable happened. It felt like it had been a while, but it was hardly a welcome sound—the voice of the system chiming in.

『 Yejun’s favorability level has dropped by 4! o(T◇T o) 』

Haeun sighed deeply. He understood why, but still—did it have to be that way?