CRANK 15

“If you come this close, I get a bit nervous.”

“Cut the crap. Why did you press the button?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said… it was an accident, would you?”

“Are you joking?”

“I’m sorry. I just acted on impulse.”

On impulse, I wanted to smash this bastard’s face in. If it weren’t for the movie, I would have. I nervously pressed the 18th floor button again, but there was no response. It seemed it was a button that couldn’t be canceled. What kind of nonsense is this in this day and age? I ran my hands through my hair roughly.

“…Haaa. Press the second basement floor again.”

“They say the night view from the rooftop here is nice, so why don’t we go take a look before you go?”

“Are you trying to freeze to death?”

Let me say it again—it was mid-winter, in December.

“If I were to die with you, sunbae, I’d be fine with that.”

That was a hard pass from me. Ignoring him entirely and only looking up at the floor indicator, Woo Dobin kept talking without giving up.

“Sunbae, did you happen to drink the sake I gave you the other day?”

“…”

“It would be great if you could drink it with me while sending off the last day of the year, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“I can even make salmon sushi right beside you.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“I can just stay by your side as a drinking buddy. I’ll keep my mouth shut, of course.”

Ding—The elevator finally arrived at the 18th floor. I mashed the close button repeatedly and pressed the second basement floor.

“Have you ever tried mixing sake with sparkling water? It tastes amazing if you add lemon, too.”

“…”

“Do you like your sake cold or warm?”

“…Cold.”

“Me too! It would be delicious if we had grilled skewers with cold sake. I’m also good at frying things. If you want, I can even slice sashimi right in front of your eyes.”

Does he think I’m some kind of person obsessed with alcohol and food? If he thought he could lure me in with things like sushi, he was mistaken.

“…Tteok-galbi! Should I grill some tteok-galbi, too? I have a mini stove. I’ll bring that.”

“Hey, something has been strange since earlier.”

“What is?”

“Why are you operating under the premise that we’re eating at my house?”

“Ah, I thought it would be a hassle for you to come to my place. Of course, I’ll be the one to clean everything up, from the dishes to the food waste, before I leave.”

I opened my mouth a few times, then just turned my head away. Even if he’s a celebrity, it’s not like there aren’t private rooms where he could drink in secret. What is with this assumption that we have to go to my house?

It seems the problem was letting him in once. Once you’ve entered a place once, what’s stopping you from entering twice?

“Sunbae… I know a great cake shop, too… If you want, I can bake the sheets myself and make it. Oh, I noticed you have an oven at your place.”

“You’re just spewing whatever comes to mind now, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m being completely sincere.”

Actually, it did seem that way. It should be unimaginable to see that large frame of his baking cake sheets and spreading whipped cream, but strangely, I could very easily imagine Woo Dobin in the kitchen. Is it because he’s a former model and has a slimmer build than his height suggests? Or is it because I’ve already seen him cooking skillfully in the kitchen?

As soon as we reached the second basement, I quickly extended my foot through the opening door. This time, Woo Dobin didn’t block my path to the exit. Instead, he muttered from behind in a forlorn voice.

“I already ordered Blu-rays of all the films similar in tone to [Pale Death]…”

For a moment, my body hesitated. During that moment of hesitation, the elevator door closed without an ounce of patience. I saw Youngjun, who had been looking this way from the parking lot, waving his hand at me, only to look flustered as the door closed again.

“…What, what did you order?”

“French films, Taiwanese films, and Korean independent films, too. And the ones that were only screened at film festivals and then disappeared.”

“By any chance, is [The Nearest Present] there, too?”

“…Yes!”

I was intrigued. I felt it when we were doing the script reading alone at home last time, and again when we did the group reading today—Woo Dobin really was a good actor. It wasn’t simply about his vocalization or diction being good, or him conveying emotions well. It was more like he melted into the worldview of the movie. As if he would truly be alive somewhere in that place.

To be honest… yes, I was jealous. I even worried that I might get devoured by Woo Dobin’s acting. Even though it’s a two-top and, technically, I’m the main one.

If I analyze the movies with him, maybe I can figure something out. How he immerses himself, what he’s thinking. Besides, [The Nearest Present] was a movie I’d wanted to see for a while.

Tomorrow is the end of the year, and I had zero plans. I was reminded of the lonely Christmas I spent. And he said Woo Dobin would take care of all the food. Woo Dobin’s cooking skills are top-notch, anyway… is there any reason I can’t let him in a second time just because I let him in once?

As if he’d noticed my hesitation, Woo Dobin quickly added.

“Sunbae, the end of the year is just the end of the year. Whether it’s December 30th or December 31st, it’s just the same day. So, you don’t need to give it too much meaning. It’s normal for people filming a movie together to analyze some movies.”

Woo Dobin rattled off his words, but it wasn’t very convincing. Because anyone could see that Woo Dobin was assigning huge meaning to the 31st.

“Then, do you want to drink today? It’s just the same day today as it is tomorrow.”

“…Ah, that sounds good, too.”

Woo Dobin’s complexion clouded over. But the fact that he couldn’t bring himself to refuse made me let out a short laugh because it was so like Woo Dobin.

“Forget it. I’m tired today.”

“…Then…”

I pressed the ‘open’ button. As I finally escaped from the one-square-meter confined space, I muttered as if to myself.

“Tomorrow might not be as tiring.”

“Sunbae!”

Woo Dobin, who had followed behind me, smiled as brightly as a dog meeting its master. If he had a tail, it would be spinning like a propeller. A small smile hung on my face as I turned my back to Woo Dobin.

It felt like I wouldn’t have anything to say even if someone cursed me out for being an easy mark now.

🍋🍁

The next morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I was overcome by a strange feeling.

December 31st. Woo Dobin said it was just the same day as any other, but being human, it was a date you couldn’t help but assign meaning to. Until yesterday, I had been thinking about it nonchalantly, but suddenly, I felt a heavy burden. It was even more so because I was receiving messages from everywhere.

Messages starting with “Thank you for all your hard work this year” and ending with “Be happy next year.” That’s when it hit me—the year is really coming to an end.

What did I do this year? As I pondered over it, I realized I had done more than I thought, which made the feeling even stranger. Things that felt like they happened a long time ago were only back in January, and things that felt like they were just a short while ago were from the winter before last. Thinking about it like that made it feel even more bizarre.

Woo Dobin was right. Today or tomorrow, it’s just the same day. Why is the transition from the 30th to the 31st, and the 31st to the 1st, so different? Why does my heart feel so restless?

“Why am I even thinking about stuff like this?”

I kicked off the covers and got out of bed. This was all because of Woo Dobin. It would have been fine if it were just a noisy gathering with friends. But the thought of spending the end of the year—to be precise, welcoming the new year—alone with that guy was giving me these feelings.

“…Should I do something?”

I stood in the middle of the living room with my arms crossed, looking around. Maybe it’s because he came without warning last time, whereas this time we had an appointment. I felt a sense of awkwardness, too.

Someone comes to clean once a week, and since that happened to be yesterday, luckily the house was clean. I took a peek into the guest room. Was last year, when my younger brother came over to sleep, the last time?

There was no warmth in the room, but as expected, it was perfectly tidy. I didn’t plan it, but the bedding was winter-weight, too. He told me not to worry about food preparation because Woo Dobin would handle it all…

“I don’t know.”

I’m only meeting him because he begged and begged, so why should I be the one doing anything? It was Woo Dobin’s problem to deal with it even if I told him to sleep on the floor without a blanket.

I shook out my hair and headed to the bathroom. Since it was humiliating to show him my unwashed self last time, I planned to welcome him with a perfect appearance this time.

“I should wear some really chic loungewear, too…”

I muttered while looking at the mirror. There was a little bit of sleep in my eyes, and my hair was a bit sticking up, but it was still a perfectly beautiful face. I mean, this much is already excellent.

“If only I were a little taller…”