CRANK 16

Honestly, for a South Korean man, I was of average height. The problem was that the celebrities I surrounded myself with were well above that average. I grimaced at the memory of Woo Dobin, who boasted a lean, imposing frame.

“Let’s just wash up.”

Spending time in front of the mirror wasn’t going to change anything. I shed my clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

I took extra care in my routine, but it was still only morning when I finished. I wondered when Woo Dobin would arrive. Not before 5 PM, right? I dried my hair roughly with a towel and pulled on a pair of loose-fitting pajamas. They were yellow with a plaid pattern, a gift from my stylist, Miyeon, for my birthday last year.

My plan was to lounge in these for now and change into something chic when Woo Dobin arrived. Honestly, I didn’t want to be wearing yellow pajamas at twenty-eight, but… they were the most comfortable. They were baggy without being awkward to move in, and the cotton had just enough spandex that it felt good against my skin.

I threw myself onto the sofa and hugged a cushion. Once filming cranked in, I’d be busier than I could handle. This might be my last break for a while.

Since this was only my second time shooting a movie, I was nervous. The budget for this film wasn’t exactly overflowing… they’d probably try to squeeze out maximum efficiency in minimum time. And in the end, it’s the people who get ground down by that. I’d be struggling to sleep or eat properly.

Plus, I was the most senior actor on set. Director Bae was making his commercial debut with Pale Death, too. That meant there was nobody to lean on. I had to take responsibility for the atmosphere on set, and on top of that, there was Woo Dobin, who was as unpredictable as a loose cannon… Could I do this well? Would we make it to the crank-up safely?

“Starting tomorrow….”

At least I was lucky that the first scene was scheduled for late in the evening. That was the only reason I could afford to drink today.

Since I had time until Woo Dobin arrived, should I just enjoy the relaxation? As I closed my eyes, the feel of the pajamas wrapping around me was surprisingly good. Should I just take a nap? I didn’t know when I’d be able to sleep soundly again. Maybe it was the hot bath, but I felt languid.

At that moment, ding-dong—the doorbell rang. Huh…? I opened my eyes groggily. Following that, knock-knock-knock—there was a cautious sound of knocking. It felt like déjà vu.

“Sunbae, it’s Woo Dobin.”

Shit. I jumped up from the sofa. Was it really Woo Dobin? He was already here? Did I fall asleep for a while? If so, the sunlight flooding into the living room was far too intense.

Ding-dong—the doorbell rang again, as if urging me to hurry.

“That… impatient bastard.”

Now that I thought about it, I’d forgotten to warn the building manager. Even though we had made an official appointment this time, shouldn’t he still be screened at the first-floor entrance? They bragged about good security—should I move? I shook my head and headed to the entrance.

“Sunbae-nim.”

I let out a long sigh and threw the door open. Woo Dobin, who had been standing right against the door, recoiled and stepped back at the sudden movement.

“Sunbae-nim!”

“What time do you think it is to be here already?”

“Is your first reaction to scold me instead of inviting me in?”

“…Come in.”

Woo Dobin was holding bags full in both hands. The amount seemed even greater than last time.

“What is all this?”

“What do you mean? It’s stuff for you to eat, stuff for you to drink, and stuff for you to watch.”

“Are you cursed to only be able to say ‘Sunbae-nim’?”

“Then should I call you hyung?”

“No.”

I gave him a firm retort and went back to sit on the sofa. Woo Dobin began to unpack the food and organize it in the fridge with practiced ease. Hugging the cushion, I stared at his back. This was my house—why did I feel like the guest?

“There’s more in the fridge than I thought?”

“The person who comes to clean for me fills it up.”

“I was going to make some side dishes for you before I left.”

“Aren’t you only good at Japanese food?”

“How many years of living alone do you think I have under my belt? I’m an expert at stews and side dishes.”

How many? I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut. He looked like someone who grew up comfortably in Daechi-dong and lived in a penthouse owned by his parents. Hearing the word ‘living alone’ from Woo Dobin’s lips felt awkward.

“I put the kimchi from home in there, so make sure to eat it later. I didn’t bring other side dishes because I was afraid they’d spoil…”

Woo Dobin turned away from the fridge, looked at me, and then pressed his lips together.

“Why did you stop talking?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was worried one bottle of sake might not be enough, so I brought a few other types of alcohol. I put the cake in the fridge.”

“Okay.”

“And I made that horseradish sauce I told you about before. It’s in a small bottle on the right, so use it when you order sushi. It’ll be delicious because I made it myself with love.”

As Woo Dobin rambled on with his nonsense, he approached and slid his weight onto the sofa next to me. The sofa sagged deeply.

“Move away a bit.”

“Sunbae-nim, did you just wash up?”

“…Yeah.”

“Your hair is still a bit damp.”

Woo Dobin’s long fingers reached out and brushed the dampness from my bangs. The proximity was excessive. The sofa tilted toward one side under the combined weight of two adult men, making it feel even closer.

“…I said move away.”

“Huh? Your face turned red.”

Woo Dobin thrust his face forward. Perhaps his pigmentation was darker than others, but his jet-black eyes, in which not even a glimmer of light could be seen, filled my entire vision. For a moment, my heart dropped, and I felt a chill.

I shouldn’t have been this startled. Feeling overly surprised, I shoved Woo Dobin away roughly.

“That hurts. I was just trying to dry your hair.”

Woo Dobin rubbed his chest where I’d pushed him, looking like he wasn’t in any pain at all. I parted my lips and finally managed to pull out a voice.

“…Don’t use informal speech.”

“Okay.”

The face he made while laughing aloud was refreshing.

“So, have you eaten?”

“Are you obsessed with food every time you see my face?”

I was reminded of the saying that Koreans use food for every greeting. He didn’t look like the type, though.

“You’re a Korean after all, aren’t you?”

“I’m just appealing to you. You said you like people who are good at cooking.”

“That was…”

It was something I’d said without thinking when he’d pestered me to ask about my ideal type.

“And it felt like you wouldn’t eat if someone didn’t take care of you, Sunbae-nim.”

“I’m not like that.”

“So, have you eaten?”

“…No.”

On days I have to work, I make sure to eat breakfast. If I don’t, I have no energy. But on days off, the situation was different. It was a cycle of sleeping, waking up, and sleeping again. Sleep was more important than food.

“See? Let’s eat brunch, you and me.”

Woo Dobin got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen.

“You didn’t eat either?”

“No, I didn’t eat so we could eat together.”

“And here you were saying you’d lose energy if you didn’t eat breakfast.”

“Oh, you remembered that?”

Cleverly dodging my question, Woo Dobin smiled bashfully. He then took the food he’d just organized back out of the fridge.

“Since your stomach is empty, something light would be better, right?”

“What do you have?”

When I got up from the sofa and approached, Woo Dobin laid out fresh vegetables. I sat at the island counter filled with greens and rested my chin on my hand.

“I bought these thinking we could have shabu-shabu at night, but should I make some vegetable porridge? You have rice, right?”

“I have it, but why go to the trouble of making porridge? I can eat meat on an empty stomach just fine.”

“Is that so? Then, how about some simple vegetable fried rice? Ah, I also bought shrimp to fry for you later. They’re a bit big for fried rice, but let’s make shrimp fried rice.”

“…Okay.”

“I’ll put in plenty of the onion, green onion, and garlic you like.”

Onion, green onion, garlic. They were too basic to even consider ‘preferences.’ I let out a dry laugh because it was absurd.

“So, tell me more about your tastes.”

“Why should I?”

“Otherwise, you might end up eating nothing but onion, green onion, garlic, salmon, and tteok-galbi forever.”

Woo Dobin wore a very serious expression. The truth was, I didn’t even like tteok-galbi that much. I didn’t bother correcting him, though. I knew he’d immediately pester me to ask what I liked instead.

Woo Dobin, having organized the vegetables with ease, took out only the ingredients needed for the fried rice and put the rest back in the fridge. He took out the fresh shrimp that had been in water, and just as he was rolling up his sleeves, I suddenly remembered something and opened my mouth.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

Woo Dobin turned around with a puzzled look.