SWAP 18

After the preliminary meeting ended in a warm and friendly atmosphere, the production team became even more proactive in coordinating schedules, eventually confirming the filming dates for mid-May.

PD Jeon Jaeyeon, perhaps anticipating that Seoul would already start getting nervous at the news that the broadcast would likely be scheduled for August, stayed in touch quite often on a personal level.

Showing particularly strong confidence in this season’s casting, he was sincerely dedicated to easing Seoul’s tension through his characteristic affability. When groundless comforts like “it will all be fine, don’t worry” didn’t seem to work, he eventually went as far as saying this:

— Mr. Seoul. Our team isn’t the type to stumble just because the viewership ratings don’t come out once. To be honest, even if this season fails, we can just do better on the next one… I have the ability to take that much responsibility, so you really don’t have to worry too much.

It was a remark that could have felt arrogant, but Jeon Jaeyeon added in a playful voice:

— Isn’t that just how life is in the end? We’ve built things up until now, and the world doesn’t crumble just because you trip once. No, well. Even if it does crumble, you can just rise back up again. What’s the big deal? Isn’t that right? Ho-ho.

“…….”

But it was strange.

That joke-like story resonated with Seoul the most.

A world that doesn’t crumble even if you fall once. He couldn’t give any answer for a long while, struck by the confidence that even if it did crumble, it would just rise back up. Perhaps it was because it was the story least related to his own life. Even after the embarrassed PD Jeon Jaeyeon ended the call with a request not to worry, Seoul couldn’t put his phone down for a while.

Is that so?

Seoul, who muttered to himself unconsciously, stared at his toes with a vacant expression. Looking back, it seemed he had always imagined himself hitting rock bottom, but never plotted a way to rise back up. Since the point Seoul always worried about was never his own well-being, it was even more so. This time was the same.

Because even if it fails, we can just do better on the next one.

Seoul chewed those words over in his mind several times, never ultimately knowing PD Jeon Jaeyeon’s inner thoughts—that he actually had no intention of failing. He felt his heart grow a little lighter. Only then did the phone he was holding feel heavy.

In the meantime, time flew by like an arrow.

Around the time Saheon’s hectic schedule finally wound down, the first filming date suddenly approached right before their eyes.

ㄨ

Beep-beep.

At the alarm ringing faintly from somewhere, Seoul, who was curled up, tossed and turned slightly. Normally, he would have forced his eyes open, but today his eyelids felt as heavy as lead. Perhaps as an aftereffect of tossing and turned all night, he couldn’t regain his senses immediately, and then—click—the alarm stopped. In the surroundings that became as quiet as a lie, his consciousness, which had halfway surfaced, sank back down below once more.

Did I hear it wrong?

Just as he was about to fall back into sleep, this time, a cold draft piercing the back of his neck disturbed his slumber. It was strangely cold even though he was covered by a blanket. It was exactly as if the air conditioner had been turned on high.

But that was impossible.

Unlike a certain someone, Seoul didn’t particularly suffer from the heat and usually only looked for the air conditioner remote after July had well passed.

They say there is still a temperature difference at dawn, but still, it shouldn’t be this cold in May…. While thinking it was strange, Seoul, who was still wandering through a dreamscape, shuddered.

When he muttered “it’s cold,” a burning heat was felt in the next moment. As something warm touched his chilled nape, his body trembled in a different sense than before. It was a reflexive reaction, like when one stands outside for a long time on a winter day and then enters a warmly heated house. There wasn’t even time to figure out what this was.

Seoul, who murmured softly at the warmth heating his chilled skin, pressed his cheek firmly against the pillow he was using.

It was better than before, but it was still cold.

When he curled his shoulders a bit more, something hot wrapped around Seoul, who was rolled up in the blanket. It was a pressure that felt a bit suffocating, but it was warm in exactly that amount, so as he tossed and turned and dug in, he felt a hand gently stroking his back.

And just like that, another blink.

How much longer had he been asleep?

Seoul, who had relaxed his body comfortably, sensed something was wrong when the backup alarm he had set just in case started ringing.

“Ugh….”

Beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.

His body reacted before his mind to the electronic sound, which was slightly louder than the first alarm.

He tried to move his arm to press the stop button, but strangely, he couldn’t move at all. He frowned at the feeling of being tied up tightly by something, and then a rustling sound was heard and—click—the alarm stopped again.

Unlike earlier when he thought he heard it wrong, this time something was definitely strange.

He tried to lift his head, which had been buried, and slowly open his eyes, but a low voice reached him first. It was one extremely familiar to him.

“It’s okay, sleep more….”

“…….”

“Go to sleep….”

At the hand rhythmically patting his back, Seoul’s head, which almost really fell back asleep, slowly filled with question marks. Why is he here? Along with that question, he blinked his eyes that wouldn’t open easily. Seeing that it was dark all around, it was definitely his room, but what kind of situation was this? Even though he had finally woken up, his mind was still floating somewhere in the air.

“What…? Why are you here?”

When he muttered in a voice thick with sleep, a response of “yeah” was heard. He asked why he was here, so what kind of answer was “yeah”? While he was feeling absurd even in his sleep-drunk state, the back of his neck suddenly went cold. It wasn’t because of the temperature. It was because as he lifted his head, he made eye contact with a camera lens sparkling in the corner. Come to think of it, they installed them yesterday.

…….

Cameras? Why?

“…!”

In that moment, he became wide awake as if struck by lightning.

Seoul, startled as if he had seen a ghost, tried to hurry and sit up. However, it was impossible. Not only was his entire body rolled up in a thin blanket, but in that state, he was being hugged by a guy the size of a door.

Seoul’s expression was colored with horror as he realized he was even using the guy’s arm as a pillow. The pillow he had been using properly was nowhere to be seen. No wonder his neck felt stiff. No, seriously, why is he here!

“Hey, wake up!”

This was not the time to be sleeping peacefully.

Only then did Seoul remember why he had tossed and turned so much last night, and he began to wake Saheon with an urgent voice.

Today was the day of filming to briefly show how they live normally, just before leaving for the Friendly House. Originally, they were supposed to start separately at their respective homes, but with the statement that since they were living together, the opening should be together as well, cameras had been installed throughout the house since yesterday evening.

In short, it meant this ridiculous sight was currently being captured entirely by the cameras, so cold sweat ran down Seoul’s back.

“Seo Saheon!”

He was definitely alone until he fell asleep, so he couldn’t even tell when Saheon had entered his room. If he could move even a hand, he would try to escape somehow, but he couldn’t budge an inch because he was wrapped tightly like he was being rolled in a straw mat. The face of Seoul, who had suddenly become a kimbap roll, was the definition of flabbergasted.

Realizing he couldn’t solve this alone, he called Saheon’s name desperately several times, but it was all in vain. Saheon, who seemed to have no intention of opening his eyes at all, far from waking up, only hugged Seoul even tighter as if the noise was bothersome.

If left like this, it was obvious they would be in this state until late in the afternoon, so Seoul fell into a brief agony.

How on earth could he get this sleepyhead to wake up? While rolling his eyes, he eventually made a determined expression as if he had decided on something. In his honest heart, he didn’t want to tell this kind of lie, but… he felt he had no choice in the current situation, so he slowly opened his mouth.

“Seo Saheon.”

“……”

“Saheon-ah.”

“……”

Seoul, after pausing for a moment, whispered softly.

“I’m hurting….”

At those words, Saheon’s body, which had been holding Seoul firmly, flinched.

Saheon was pathologically sensitive to the words that Seoul was hurting, even if he ignored everything else.

True to form, his eyelids, which hadn’t reacted no matter how many times he was called, slowly opened. Saheon, who opened his eyes halfway with a face drunk with sleep, leaned his head toward Seoul and asked. It felt like their foreheads would touch at any moment.

“…Where.”

“……”

“Why. Where does it hurt?”

The distance, which was already close, narrowed even further in an instant.

Seoul’s mind, which had been dazed because of the camera, was now faint in a different sense.

Not knowing he would approach this closely, Seoul, momentarily speechless, took a breath blankly and then sharply narrowed his eyes. It was an action squeezed out desperately in case his agitation showed on his face, but it was uncertain how effective it would be. He felt strangely wronged.

Isn’t this cheating?

It felt like things were already ruined before they even started.

When he squeezed his eyes shut in a dizzy mood, the name “Lee Seoul” was called. At that, Seoul unconsciously muttered with all his heart.

“My head hurts because of you….”

As soon as those words ended, Saheon, who had bolted upright, turned off the power to the air conditioner that had been running full blast.

At the touch of the hand hurriedly feeling his forehead, Seoul felt a truly faint headache.