SWAP 47

So, did I just fall asleep exactly like that?

Unable to believe it, I spaced out for a moment before checking my phone.

6:23 AM. I stared piercingly at the time on the screen and let out a deep sigh. Seeing as I hadn’t woken up once in the middle of the night, it seemed that, just as Saheon claimed, I really had been exhausted yesterday. What am I going to do about my stamina, seriously.

Muttering complaints only to myself, I glanced around the room. Although they were naturally camouflaged by props, I could see several cameras installed facing this way. It was a disguise natural enough that you’d just pass them by if you weren’t conscious of them.

Leaving behind the voices of my fellow actors that naturally sprang to mind, Seoul shook his head, tossed back the half-slipped blanket, and stretched his feet toward the floor. I intended to have a cup of coffee instead of useless thoughts, but something went roll, roll right under my feet.

……?

Wondering what it was, I picked it up to find a bundle of fur with a somewhat familiar shape.

Where did I see this? While I was agonizing over it, the events of the preliminary meeting suddenly flashed through my mind.

Producer Jeon had Ta-da! pulled out these white bundles of fur—not quite sure if they were dogs, rabbits, or cats—and explained them excitedly. She said they were the mascots for this season whose identities hadn’t been revealed yet.

Ah, that’s where I saw them.

I was struggling because I couldn’t remember the names well, but kindly enough, a single black strap was dangling from it. As I read down the embroidered letters, the evaporated memories came back to life.

“Ttatta? …Ah, it was ttuttu and Ttatta.”

The one grinning with long drooping ears and a heart pierced by an arrow in its mouth was “Ttatta,” and the one laughing with a totally villainous expression while holding a broken half-piece of a heart in its mouth with black ears was “Ttuttu.”

<Bestie X Exchange> produced various mascots every season to run pop-up stores. This season, these two bundles of fur were the main characters. Seoul even recalled Producer Jeon’s self-interested guidance, asking them to please try to expose these little friends well.

Looking over the bed, as expected, the other half of the pair, Ttuttu, was wedged between the headboards. Snatching up both of them, Seoul fell into a brief deliberation. Since I practically fainted yesterday, I don’t even know since when they were placed on my bed, but… I knew exactly what action I should take right now.

Once the decision was made, the execution was easy.

Springing up from his seat, Seoul tiptoed toward the bed located on the opposite side.

As expected, Saheon was fast asleep, so he gently laid down the dolls he was holding. The cute fur bundles began to fiercely emphasize their respective hearts on both sides of Saheon’s face. They say opposites attract, and since they didn’t suit him at all, the cuteness actually doubled.

“Pfft….”

Without even knowing that this was a phenomenon proportional to his own “bean-pod” infatuation, Seoul, holding back the laughter that felt like it would leak out, hurriedly raised his phone. Launching the camera app, he adjusted the angle here and there and took one shot first. Click.

“…….”

Seoul, staring intently at the result, turned the camera on again.

Since he knew Saheon well—that he would absolutely never wake up from such noise anyway—he took about twenty more photos in a row.

Click. Click-click-click-click….

The photos were saved along with the noisy shutter sounds, and upon checking the album afterward, Seoul couldn’t help but grin so widely he could give a “Happy Cat” a run for its money. From upper-body shots that looked like a sleeping pictorial to extreme close-ups where three faces filled the screen. No matter which angle he shot from, it was just funny because he looked silly and cute.

I should set this as his caller ID screen.

Determined, Seoul entered his contacts and changed the photo, unaware of one thing.

That eight hours ago, Seo Saheon had already done the exact same thing, and that a few days later, that photo would be uploaded to Saheon’s OnStar feed.

Excited and oblivious to such a future, Seoul busied himself with lowering the air conditioner temperature before leaving the room.

After finishing a quick shower and heading down to the first floor, Seoul quietly entered the kitchen. Perhaps because it was barely past 7:00 AM, there was no sign of anyone else in the house besides himself. I wonder what time everyone wakes up. Seo Saheon aside, I was curious about the wake-up times of Ye Juyeol and Yun Hyeok.

They ate fried eggs yesterday and came… ah, is it right to say they “ate” that? Anyway, seeing as they made it, they seem like the types who eat breakfast.

However, having no intention of waking the two people who must be sleeping soundly, I quietly opened the refrigerator door. They’ll wake up eventually if left alone. With that thought, I took out an apple I bought yesterday, washed it until it was squeaky clean, and placed the coffee beans, grinder, and moka pot I took out from my suitcase onto the counter.

It was a vintage product that Saheon had given him as a gift when he visited Milan a month ago.

I stared blankly at the shiny aluminum because it was pretty, but soon snapped out of it and disassembled the pot.

I filled the boiler at the very bottom with water and filled the basket flat with the coffee beans ground by the grinder. Placing the induction plate I brought just in case on top and putting the moka pot on it, Seoul adjusted the heat with practiced ease.

Because a major disaster where boiling coffee shoots up like a fountain could happen if one is careless, I focused solely on the pot.

Actually, there was already a record of cleaning up coffee that splattered everywhere with Saheon twice.

Recalling Saheon looking at Seoul—who had caused a rare accident—with a completely flustered face, I controlled my lips. Should I scold him or not…, that expression he had while lost in thought looked strangely clumsy, which had been funny.

“In the end, you couldn’t say a word anyway.” Mumbling against the roof of his mouth, Seoul watched the coffee begin to extract with a noisy sound and then turned off the induction power. Since I dislike bitterness, I preferred only the initial extract.

I wanted to drink it right away just like this, but if “someone” caught me drinking it on an empty stomach, it would get even more tiring.

Ultimately, I let out a sigh and sliced only half of the washed apple.

Sitting at the dining table with the bite-sized apple pieces and coffee, Seoul began to eat the apple with a bored expression. The crunch, crunch sound continued for a long time, and finally, only after swallowing the last of the two pieces did I taste the coffee. Just as I was sipping for a long time like that and about to swallow the last gulp.

The sound of someone stepping down the stairs was heard, and Ye Juyeol appeared with a bird’s nest for hair, yawning.

“Huaaam… Ah? Sunbae-nim!”

As if he thought he was the first to wake up, the moment he saw Seoul sitting there quietly, he momentarily faltered. Then, the process of his mouth—which had been wide open—turning into a bright smile was like a scene out of an animation. Of course, not an adult one, but one produced for children.

“Hi. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, yes! What about you, sunbae-nim? Did you go straight to sleep yesterday?”

“Yeah…. I fainted. I guess I was nervous since it was the first shoot. You know, I have no memory since lying down on the bed.”

“Eyyy, everyone is like that at first. I even took a herbal sedative when I went on a variety show for the first time~”

Does he have the type of constitution that swells a bit in the morning?

Somehow his impression is softer than yesterday.

Ye Juyeol, who responded affably while looking around with a swish, swish sound, only scurried over and sat opposite Seoul after confirming no one else was there. Then, resting his chin on both hands, he just grinned for no reason. Honestly. Talking about taking a herbal sedative while acting like this….

“I don’t think you would have been nervous at all.”

“Actually, my manager hyung told me to take it, so I just took it… hehe.”

When I replied with a nuance that I didn’t quite trust him, he confessed honestly without hesitating for even a second. Seeing those window-like eyes that seemed to have no intention of deceiving anyone in the first place, Seoul unknowingly smiled back and asked.

“Are you the type to eat breakfast? We do.”

“We both eat it, too. But if we ruin the cooking, we can’t eat it, and, well…. So mostly we make do with cereal or bread.”

Picturing yesterday’s disaster, store-bought products seemed like a much wiser choice. I was about to ask if “cooking” included fried eggs, but I held back just before. Since he said they’d use oil and use fire, it’s not like he was wrong.

“Then we can just eat together from now on. We just eat different menus every day; is that okay?”

“Nooo…, what is there for us not to be okay with, sunbae-niim…. We’re just getting a free meal, so we’ll be grateful for anything! I feel bad because it feels like we’re working you for nothing. Instead, please leave all the dishwashing, laundry, cleaning, etcetera, etcetera to us!”

If that happened, it would be a situation where Ye Juyeol and Yun Hyeok were being worked, so Seoul, bursting into a light laugh like air escaping, waved his hand.

“I’ll take the thought. I’ll ask you to do the dishes, so let’s do the laundry and cleaning individually. Let’s just each clean up the common areas as we see fit. How about that?”

“Sounds good!”

When a reasonable compromise was suggested, he nodded quickly without hesitating for even a second. Seoul, who was asking this and that besides those things since they were all allocations that should have been decided yesterday, looked at the empty space in front of Ye Juyeol and asked with an “oh right” expression.

“Do you drink coffee? Shall I brew you a cup?”

“Ah….”

“I’m going to drink more anyway. It’s while I’m making it, so speak comfortably.”

“Umm, then just one cup…?”

“Hot?”

“…Yes!”

“I’ll put ice in it for you. Stay seated.”

Contrary to his words, he clearly had the eyes of an “Ice Americano even if I freeze to death” person, so Seoul, filtering that out on his own, laughed and stood up. Since it didn’t seem bad to have one more cup, I took out the washed moka pot and ground the beans. From behind, the sound of constant rustling could be heard. It was obvious that he wanted to help, but was hesitant to come over in case he caused an accident like yesterday.

It feels a bit like “wait” training….

Thinking it was a rude thought only to himself, I put the water on and picked up the half-remaining apple.

Thinking I should feed him even this since his stomach would be sour if he drank on an empty stomach, I was shink, shink peeling the skin when the creak sound of a chair being pulled echoed. I thought he finally couldn’t hold back and was coming over, so I was about to pick up a plate.

At that moment, someone who had approached right behind my back thump, rested their chin on my shoulder.