SWAP 77

Because it was an unexpected timing, Seoul, who had been busy glancing at Saheon, wore a peculiar expression. It was because he felt puzzled seeing Geosu’s shoulders shaking slightly. The car was quiet as the radio wasn’t even turned on. Wondering what there was to laugh about, Seoul asked with a curious face.

“What’s so funny?”

“Ah.”

At that, the shoulders that had been busy moving up and down abruptly stopped their movement. Geosu, who calmed down as if he had never laughed, soon opened his mouth nonchalantly.

“Hyung, didn’t you see? A group of people just passed by over there dancing. I guess they’re filming some kind of video. Or is it a shoot?”

“Is that so?”

Seoul, looking out the window at the laughter-filled tone, cast his gaze toward the back. Just as Heo Geosu claimed, the sight of a group of people occupying the sidewalk briefly flashed by. It was a world where anything could be done with a single cell phone even without expensive equipment. Everyone easily films and displays their daily lives. So very easily.

Isn’t it scary.

Seoul straightened his posture, erasing the thought that suddenly occurred to him.

It wasn’t something to be said by a person whose entire process of growing up had been captured on camera without missing a single moment. Especially since he lived a life on display more than anyone else…

Seoul, lifting his head, slowly looked above the dashboard.

The jet-black lens was staring quietly at him.

It felt strange for that to feel new all over again. It was because he realized that while he had been so conscious of it on the first day, at some point he had started to gradually forget about the camera. He still paid attention outside where the filming crew was openly visible, but inside the house where the cameras were perfectly hidden, he had eventually come to live comfortably.

‘That’s how it is? No matter how much you care, if the cameras are well-hidden, you just stop thinking about them from around the third day. Aspects of myself I didn’t even know start popping out.’

Seoul, recalling the personal experience of a fellow actor he had heard once, let out a small sigh. Superficially, it was a good phenomenon, but at the same time, he felt uneasy. He worried about what would happen if he made a mistake, but it was a completely useless concern. Even if he did make a mistake, so what. It was because some crazy guy was bound to draw all the attention away with an even bigger crazy act anyway.

However, there was no way Seoul could know such a fact.

He unintentionally felt nervous and huddled his shoulders slightly, and Saheon, who had been leaning there, crumpled his body while heavily applying his weight. It was an action that explicitly conveyed a demand to stay still.

Seoul, who had frozen for a moment because he was off guard, soon burst into a soft laugh. He wasn’t a child, yet Seoul could picture him frowning even without looking, so he chided him for no reason.

“I told you that you’re heavy.”

“I’m not heavy.”

“Why do you get to decide that…?”

The person enduring it was him, but the other was the one being bold. The way he responded shamelessly was annoying, but since he was just crumpling up his large frame, it actually looked cute. He was barely putting up with Saheon who kept pressing down in an uncomfortable posture, when suddenly something felt empty. Seoul, blinking and wondering what it was, suddenly looked back at the driver’s seat.

Come to think of it, why is he so quiet.

His manager, who normally would have been busy pouring out fervent fan-feelings toward Saheon, was keeping his mouth shut today.

Considering Saheon’s usual cold responses, it was a relief, but on the other hand, it was awkward. As the saying goes, one might not notice the presence but certainly notices the absence; Seoul, sensing the atmosphere, asked cautiously.

“Geosu-ya, why are you so quiet today? Aren’t you happy to see Saheon?”

“…Pardon?”

Geosu, who had been staring forward without a word, belatedly met his eyes through the rearview mirror. Seoul was rather flustered by the answer, which sounded like he had heard something totally unexpected. When Seoul reflexively shut his mouth, Geosu gave a broad smile and purposely raised his decibel level.

“Ah~ Of course I’m happy!”

It was a positive reaction, but it strangely sounded like a “professional work tone.” At the moment he felt something was strange due to the attitude so different from usual, Geosu, who gripped the steering wheel tightly, made a tearful face.

“Hyung, do I seem strange by any chance?”

“…Uh, a little?”

“Sigh. Actually, I’m incredibly nervous right now…”

When Seoul tilted his head at the sudden confession, Geosu confessed first as if making a preemptive strike.

“No, I was fine earlier, but seeing the cameras installed in the car just now… This is my first time filming. I’m so tense that I can’t speak properly. Actually, it was awkward even when I was putting on the microphone. Hyung, how do you do this every time?”

At the whining that poured out in a rush as if he had never been quiet, the corner of Saheon’s mouth, who had been staying still, twitched. Tense, my foot. Saheon wondered if he had taken some medicine, but now he felt he knew what the scheme was. That fucking petty trickster…

However, unlike Saheon who didn’t believe a single word, Seoul asked with a dumbfounded voice.

“Wow, Geosu-ya. Do even you get nervous?”

“…”

Geosu, who faltered for a moment, asked back awkwardly.

“…Hyung, what do you take me for…?”

“No, it’s just unexpected. It’s my first time seeing you nervous.”

Because he was a kid who was always easygoing and bright, Seoul thought he was completely distanced from such a word. Seoul, nodding with a fascinated look, stretched out his arm toward the driver’s seat. When he patted his shoulder twice in encouragement, laughter poured out a few seconds later. “Are you comforting me right now?” asked Heo Geosu as he giggled and looked into the rearview mirror.

Naturally, his eyes met Seo Saheon’s.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do my job well.”

Saheon looked like he wouldn’t believe it even if he died, but well.

It didn’t matter anyway, so he increased the speed a little more.

Around the same time, the atmosphere of the studio, which was in the middle of preparing for a shoot, was more than solemn; it was filled with a chilling tension. It was their job to always create a perfect filming environment for good results, but today they had to be especially on edge. They double and triple-checked items they would usually check once, fearing even the slightest fault-finding, and as the minute hand of the clock neared the hour, they began to get rapidly nervous.

Was it not the one and only Seo Saheon?

There was no one who didn’t know all the notoriety and scandals that followed his brilliant career.

The entertainment industry was full of rumors, but even among them, he was a man who occupied an unrivaled position. He was also like a ghost story; when asking those who had worked with him, their accounts were all different. There were staff members who took his side, saying his personality was better than expected, while there were others who spat out curses at the mere mention of his name, making it utterly confusing whether he was a nightmare to work with or not.

Even if he was a man who could make smoke appear from a chimney without a fire, if that smoke rose like a smoke grenade, it was impossible to know the truth.

The marketing manager, who had experience filming with him, was on the side of defending Seo Saheon, saying there were no problems as long as he wasn’t provoked and telling everyone not to worry too much, but you never know. This entertainment industry is a place full of people who have completely lost their minds. Since things like throwing a water bottle at a manager’s face just because it was handed over without the cap being opened—while acting as harmless and innocent as possible in front of the camera—were close to being a minor prank, everyone was in a situation where they were just setting out water and offering prayers for no reason.

They didn’t know about anything else, but they prayed that the shoot would at least end safely… but exactly 20 minutes later, the atmosphere of the studio had changed 180 degrees. This was all thanks to the appearance of an unbelievable individual.

“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly without a word. I won’t be a hindrance, so you don’t have to worry. Ah, and I bought some snacks…”

Seoul, who handed over the donut box he was holding, spoke while smiling with a continuously sparkling face. He was putting his best effort into being amiable since his unannounced visit felt awkward. As a smile was added to his already bright countenance, it was to the point of being dazzling.

At that, Angela (pseudonym, wants to resign), who was in charge of this commercial shoot, held out her trembling hands. Seoul, who naturally thought she was going to take the donuts, handed over the box, and she, holding it in her other hand, asked in a nervous voice.

“Can I ge-get… a shake?”

“Pardon?”

“Because I’m a fan…”

Ah. Seoul, who wore a bewildered expression, crinkled the corners of his eyes with an expression of belated realization. Because he was an actor famous for being impossible to meet unless one was a staff member on the drama or movie side, she felt like she was dreaming right now. She bit her molars hard, wondering if she was dead because he supposedly never accepted commercial offers no matter how many were made… but when Seoul smiled and said “Of course,” she saw him habitually wipe his hand on his trousers.

Usually, if you like one thing, you like ten or twenty things about them.

She was exclaiming internally about how he could have such good manners, when her hand was suddenly grabbed.

It was the moment when a surprised Angela, thinking his grip was stronger than expected, shyly lifted her head.

“Yes. It is possible.”

Seo Saheon, appearing from somewhere, was shaking Angela’s hand while smiling with a chilly expression.