CRANK 21

“What’s up with you, aren’t you going to leave? I said my fans don’t need selfies.”

“That’s because Sunbae’s selfies are so…”

“So?”

“Well, look closely.”

“Hey, so what? Say it.”

Instead of answering, Woo Dobin touched the camera-shaped icon.

“There are many people who use beauty apps, but it would be better for you, Sunbae, not to use them.”

“…Why?”

“Because your features are too defined? Don’t bother putting on weird filters; just use the default camera.”

Then, he raised his right hand holding the phone up high.

“The camera should be a little high. It looks strange if you hold it too high, too. Just right. You know that ‘just right’ is always the hardest part, right?”

Even while glancing over with a dissatisfied look, I stole a peek at Woo Dobin’s arm. Is that really how high it needs to be held…? I was reminded of my arm, which used to be held high up to the sky, vainly trying to follow the angles that were once trendy.

“And when you’re taking a picture with someone else, you have to keep your faces as close as possible.”

“What? Why?”

“It looks good when the screen is full of faces.”

Woo Dobin pressed his cheek firmly against mine. It was enough to squash my cheek flesh.

“What is this. Hey.”

“Now, look at the camera.”

I was an actor, looking at the camera was my job, and so this was a conditioned reflex. Without me realizing it, I looked at the camera and smiled. At that moment, click—a cheerful shutter sound rang out.

“Hey!”

If looking at the camera and smiling was a conditioned reflex, then shouting and hitting Woo Dobin’s shoulder at the sound of the shutter was closer to an unconditional reflex.

A louder-than-expected thud echoed through the living room. Even while being hit on his left shoulder, Woo Dobin grinned.

“It came out well.”

“Give it here.”

“Only if you promise not to delete it.”

“I said give it here.”

“I’ll send it to you.”

“Hey.”

Woo Dobin eventually jumped up from his seat and defended his phone. He knew that I couldn’t snatch it back if he stood up because I was shorter, which made me even more annoyed.

“I sent it. Check it.”

He actually sent it? Dumbfounded, I checked my phone, and there was a message from Woo Dobin. One attached photo, and the content was ♡….

“Crazy guy.”

Just as Woo Dobin said, our two faces were filling the screen.

“You lied.”

“About what?”

“You said you were good at taking pictures. You said it looks good if you stick your faces together. Do you really think this looks good?”

“Why? We look like we get along well.”

We did look like we got along well. Since we were pressing our cheeks against each other, how could it not look like that? It looked excessively good. My right cheek, pressed by Woo Dobin’s, was distorted.

“Delete it right now.”

“No, I’m telling you, it really came out well.”

Still hiding his phone—or to be precise, the original photo—tightly, Woo Dobin sat back down next to me. Then, he touched the screen of my phone without hesitation.

“Look at this.”

Woo Dobin zoomed in on my face with two fingers. The face wearing a capitalist smile while being squashed looked pathetic.

“Hey.”

“Look. In your usual selfies, your expression was stiff, Sunbae. It was almost like you were too nervous. It’s because you were trying to make an even brighter expression for no reason. But this photo is exactly the same as how you smile in front of the camera. Of course, the best is a natural smile, but that’s too early for you, Sunbae. It’s like a kid who just learned the ABCs going abroad to study. So, even a smile like this is a good defense.”

Woo Dobin poured out his words rapidly. It was an eloquence that felt like he could grab anyone at Gangnam Station and convince them to go anywhere with him. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the photo.

“Sunbae. Fans don’t want that much. They would be grateful if it just came out like a press photo.”

Is that so…? Eventually, Woo Dobin took out his own phone and showed me my press photos.

“Do you keep my photos saved?”

“…That’s not the important thing. Look closely.”

Woo Dobin zoomed in on the press photo as well. Looking at the two side by side, even to my eyes, they didn’t look that different.

“How is it?”

“Hmm….”

It did seem okay….

“Then shall we compare it to the selfie you uploaded to the ‘Lonely Room’ last time?”

“Forget it.”

I quickly waved my hands. Even to my eyes, this was better than that. And that was taken in the van… after taking five shots and picking one. Youngjun said it was fine, though….

Is Woo Dobin really good at finding the angles? Earlier, he said you could get one good shot out of dozens, but he managed to take a decent one on his first try. Is it really effort and not talent?

As if possessed by Woo Dobin’s words, I stared fixedly at the photo, and the more I looked at it, the better it seemed to look. The only problem was the red, swollen eyes from being drunk and the yellow pajamas visible below my neck….

“What?”

I tilted my head down sharply to scan my body. The bright yellow checkered pajamas that Miyeon had gifted me were clearly visible. Top and bottom matched in yellow.

Even though I said I would change into chic loungewear before Woo Dobin arrived, I had been wearing this the whole time. This is insane. Woo Dobin came too early, he came so suddenly…. How on earth did I not realize it until now?

“Sunbae?”

“Hey, you….”

Looking at the bewildered Woo Dobin, I was even more dumbfounded. Woo Dobin was wearing a perfectly sleek tracksuit. A jet-black tracksuit that contrasted horribly with my yellow pajamas. It was an outfit that looked like he was about to shoot a pictorial right then and there.

He hadn’t even prepared it; it was just clothes he kept in his car…. No, wait. The comfortable clothes I keep in my car are… a big sweatshirt. I felt like I had lost twice over.

“Did you… know I was like this?”

“About what?”

“That I was wearing… these clothes…. Never mind.”

What fault could there be with Woo Dobin? It was all me—wearing the pajamas, and forgetting to change.

I had intended to show a proper Sunbae look in chic loungewear today. Anyone would think Woo Dobin was the Sunbae of the two. Tall stature, broad shoulders, solid chest… black tracksuit. I clutched my head and sighed.

“I knew. That you were wearing yellow pajamas like a chick.”

Yeah, if he had eyes, he would have known. I knew even without him confirming the kill like that.

Since it’s already like this, I should just be comfortable. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve been embarrassed in front of Woo Dobin. And yellow pajamas… aren’t really… that big of a flaw…. Woo Dobin tilted his head while looking at me, who had suddenly fallen into despair.

“I didn’t say anything on purpose. Because you were cute.”

“What?”

“I thought the cat embroidery on the ends of the sleeves was especially cute.”

“C-cat?”

I hurriedly raised my arm to check the sleeve. Craftily, on the side I couldn’t see—that is, on the underside where my palm was facing—a small cat was embroidered.

“Crazy….”

Why did Miyeon give me something like this….

And how observant must Woo Dobin be to have noticed this tiny embroidery? I had worn it several times and even washed it, yet I hadn’t known.

“Just in case you’re wondering, I didn’t buy this.”

“I know that too.”

“Right… huh? How do you know?”

“In a magazine interview last time, you said you enjoy wearing the yellow pajamas a stylist gifted you. And that you only wear them when you’re alone because you’re embarrassed to show them to others.”

Woo Dobin spoke with a face that looked like if you poked him, he could recite which magazine, which month, which page, and which line.

“…I see….”

So Woo Dobin knew that me wearing these pajamas—or to be precise, showing them to him—was a mistake, yet he didn’t say anything. The reason was “because it was cute.”

…Yeah, fine. Last time, I even showed him how I looked with sleep in my eyes because I hadn’t washed up, so what’s a pair of yellow pajamas? With a look close to resignation, I shook my head side to side. In my mind, I vowed to rip off the cat embroidery immediately.

Woo Dobin, who was watching me in despair with an amused gaze, asked.

“More than that, Sunbae.”

“Why?”

“The photo.”

“What about the photo….”

Woo Dobin held his phone tightly and asked nervously.

“How is it? It seems okay, right?”

“Well….”

Telling me to look at it once more, Woo Dobin held the photo out to me. Since I could see nothing but the yellow pajamas after looking again, and because it contrasted so much with Woo Dobin’s pitch-black tracksuit, I frowned.