SWAP 26

Let us consult the fortunes of Ye Juyeol and Yun Hyeok for today.

On this day, something felt right from the moment morning broke.

Ye Juyeol, who cracked an egg to make a fried egg, witnessed a double yolk, and Yun Hyeok, who pulled on a mobile game gacha as part of his morning routine, summoned the SSR card ‘Guardian Who Swallows Chaos’.

Yun Hyeok thought.

Is this not insane? ‘Guardian Who Swallows Chaos’ is a Tier 0 card that cannot even be obtained through rerolling 1). Countless people hit the ceiling 2) just to pull this. Yet he, a non-paying player, had obtained it—and through a free pull, no less.

Hurriedly turning on Bubble, he uploaded a screen capture along with a morning greeting to his fans. Even though it was early, replies flooded in rapidly. Since it was a game they played together, most reactions were half envy and half jealousy. Cute, truly.

After staring at the screen for a long time, Yun Hyeok belatedly checked the time and sprang up from his bed. Having a body thoroughly accustomed to self-produced content, the bedroom equipped with broadcast cameras did not feel foreign at all.

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

ARTIST Yun Hyeok [Thank you. I’ll give you all my energy, so hang in there today too lol]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok [Stop searching for ‘how to make a company go bankrupt’ just because you don’t want to go to work]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok [You’re asking how I know office worker tips?]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok [Because you guys send them to me every single day without fail…]

He had to press the confirm button several times just to send a single message, but this too was a familiar task.

Yun Hyeok, an idol in his fifth year since debut, was a man famous for having such short intervals between Bubbles that he invited the envy of other fandoms. This was despite him originally finding contacting people bothersome.

Because they knew Yun Hyeok’s tendencies well, it was almost a routine for fans to clutch their racing hearts at the messages he sent every morning. This was because they felt that all of this was their idol’s sincerity and love.

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[Ah, of course, school is the same]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[But when I get Bubbles like that even on the weekend, it makes me feel a bit weird.]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[Hang in there]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[I’ll work hard too]

Right, he had to work hard.

It would be nice if he could tell them what day today was.

Since the identity of the opposing pair is only revealed after moving in, the news of his appearance on the program was still confidential. Having been tipped off that an article would be released sometime next week, Yun Hyeok controlled his itching fingers and diligently scanned the replies piling up like a mountain. Let’s hang in there together. I’ll study hard too. I love you today as well. You know you don’t necessarily have to work hard, right? Just die-hyeok-ah lol. Please cheer for my job hunt. Make sure to eat well….

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[Yes, yes, let’s all work hard at going to work, job hunting, studying, and eating]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[Busy, busy modern society]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[But you can rest if it’s hard]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[You know]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[I’ll come back later guys]

ARTIST Yun Hyeok

[Bye]

Only after closing the Bubble app did he sluggishly leave the room.

The living room, where the pre-packed suitcase sat alone, was filled with all sorts of retro sensibilities.

From the glossy leather sofa and the burgundy massage chair to the various souvenirs and frames placed atop the TV stand, and even a Talmado painting hanging grandly on one wall of the entrance…. To call it retro was an understatement; it was a landscape that surpassed even a cozy countryside grandmother’s house. In fact, the blanket Yun Hyeok had been covered by until just a moment ago was also swarming with floral patterns.

Looking only at his appearance, he was a young man who looked like he would scream “give me Tecterest aesthetic or give me death,” yet he had the famous tastes of a K-Grandparent.

It meant he was a rationalist who threw aesthetic sense and appearance to the dogs as long as something was practical.

“For food… let’s eat out.”

Looking down at his lower abdomen, which had begun to growl, Yun Hyeok naturally declared a meal out. It had already been several years since he had stopped even lingering near the kitchen after realizing his own disastrous cooking skills.

Or he could just steal and eat something at Ye Juyeol’s house.

Having finished his calculations quickly, Yun Hyeok washed briefly and entered the dressing room.

And a moment later, the man who emerged had transformed into someone thoroughly idol-like from head to toe. Even a single strand of bangs poking out from under the Velcro of the ball cap he had pulled on was stylishly set. He gave the inside of the house a quick scan and then, without lingering, dragged his suitcase out of the entrance.

Upon opening the door, Yun Hyeok offered a polite greeting to the assistant director’s face, who greeted him as if they had been waiting, and headed to the underground parking lot. His heart was hurried, as he had been told that the full-scale proceedings would begin only after the two partners met.

Was this not the first filming of <Best Friend Swap> that he had anticipated and anticipated again? As it was a program that any celebrity with an ambition for variety shows would certainly want to appear on once, even Yun Hyeok, who tended toward a stoic personality, was quite excited.

Fortunately, Ye Juyeol’s house was located less than a 10-minute drive away, so he arrived quickly. Without getting out of the driver’s seat, Yun Hyeok picked up his phone and clicked the number at the very top of his recent call history. The name saved as [Ye-S-Ju] filled the screen, and soon a familiar beat flowed out. It was Yun Hyeok’s first solo song, <keynote>.

“…”

However, the other party showed no intention of answering until the song ended completely.

Muttering that he knew this punk would be like this, Yun Hyeok let out a sigh and raided Ye Juyeol’s house with familiar steps. It wasn’t as if he was still sleeping; he had clearly tossed his phone into a corner of the bed.

As soon as he entered the house, his eyes locked right with Ye Juyeol, who was slurping down two fried eggs. The sight of the beanpole-like guy with a mouth full of eggs was funny.

“Hyuk, why’d you come so early?”

“It’s gross, so speak after you finish eating.”

“Ung.”

Nodding his head, Ye Juyeol once again demolished the fried eggs.

In the meantime, Yun Hyeok, who rescued the phone from Juyeol’s bed, nagged him with a face that was half-appalled.

“Hey, keep track of your phone now. Notifications for events and missions all come through here.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’m going to wear my Watch. Oh, right. I got a double yolk today! The one I was eating earlier had two yolks. Totally awesome, right?”

“Sure. Then I’ll have seven fried eggs too.”

“Are you some kind of thief?”

Surely you didn’t come here mistaking this for a poultry farm?

Even while saying so, Ye Juyeol, who took the eggs he had left just in case out of the refrigerator, began to diligently fry the eggs. In truth, when it came to cooking skills, the two were neck and neck. However, if a person who showed overwhelmingly disastrous results resided nearby, one could not help but become a chef automatically.

Giggling contentedly at the dish successfully placed on a plate, Ye Juyeol shouted toward the veranda. For some reason, his energy was good today.

“Hyuk, eat quickly. It’s done!”

At that call, Yun Hyeok, who had been inspecting the plants, quickly returned to the kitchen. Ye Juyeol, who even personally brought out a fork, made the first move with a bright expression.

“There were only four left, so don’t complain.”

After telling him that, as if he felt the explanation was insufficient, he immediately added.

“I left these for you too. We won’t be home for two weeks starting today. Gasp, come to think of it, did you empty your fridge? You know everything will be rotten when we get back, right? Cleaning that up is even more of a torture, so think carefully. If there’s anything to clear out, let’s stop by for a moment on the way. …But come to think of it, you don’t cook and eat. Then you wouldn’t even have ingredients.”

“…Hey.”

Once the dam broke, the chatter poured out like discharge water to the point where blood was about to leak from his ears. However, because there was a more important issue, Yun Hyeok, holding the fork, asked seriously.

“Wasn’t your last role a genius chef?”

“…”

“I heard you learned to cook a bit.”

That was right. The role that Ye Juyeol, the most hotly rising star actor currently, had taken just before this was the character Cha Yunje, a genius chef who did not know appetite.

A man who always prepared the best dinners but had never once felt the desire to eat something himself. The movie <Domestication>, which depicts what happens when he realizes one day through a chance occurrence that it wasn’t that his ‘appetite’ was strange, but simply that the ‘ingredients’ were the problem, swept various awards at famous domestic and international film festivals.

It was a hot topic due to the success of the work, but above all, the fact that Ye Juyeol portrayed the role of Cha Yunje came as a greater shock to the public.

Ye Juyeol, who had the nickname ‘that supporting male lead guy’, had a strong image of a younger man who stole the hearts of older sisters with his light-colored irises and a characteristic puppy-like impression. Since he was tall and even had a good body, there would have been no escape for women across the country who were crazy about big-dog charms. The man himself also had a clumsy side, making it perfect for over-immersion.

However.

When that puppy of ours donned the sharp and sensitive mask of Cha Yunje, that too was a delicacy.

To see my actor, who was always beaming, play a man who was endlessly dry with all traces of a smile removed. It was excessively provocative. Naturally, the fans all fell ill collectively.

Is that why? Ye Juyeol, who until then had been called by his character names, came to enjoy explosive popularity after this movie. Currently, he was being recognized as a next-generation actor for whom the next work was even more anticipated.

With such a great figure in front of him, Yun Hyeok, his expression thoroughly crumpled, asked again.

“Didn’t you learn?”

“I learned.”

“Then what is this.”

The fork he couldn’t bring himself to put down pointed sharply into the plate. Ye Juyeol’s eyes, acting a bit distracted, headed toward the air like a puppy that had caused trouble.

“It’s just that the outer part is a little burnt, so what…”

“That’s why I’m asking why that ‘outer part’ covers well over half.”

“…”

“…”