CRANK 3

A long shadow fell over me. It was Woo Dobin, coming down from the stage. Wait, hadn’t he been sitting down there just a moment ago?

I widened my eyes, then nodded and greeted the actors around him. It seemed he was one of the people who had won the Best Couple Award.

“Are you presenting?”

“…Yes.”

I didn’t know since when we were close enough for him to act so friendly. Woo Dobin beamed and hovered around me.

“I had been thinking that I’d like to meet you again, but I didn’t know I’d be able to meet you this soon, for real.”

Before I knew it, the actors who had won the award with him had already gone down from the stage. The staff member who had guided me looked busy with other tasks.

“Um, Sunbae.”

Woo Dobin’s face was flushed. The face that had been as cold as a criminal’s just a moment ago had melted into a bright, innocent look. It was the same impression I’d had in the hallway. The way he was grinning and smiling made him look just like a dog.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

Woo Dobin rummaged through his pockets and took out his phone. My eyes narrowed at the “what if” possibility.

“Could you… give me your number?”

Of course. I let out a dry laugh. Woo Dobin’s expression brightened, not knowing what I was misinterpreting. The music signaling the award presentation began to play on stage.

“Aren’t you going down?”

I gestured to Woo Dobin. It had been quite a while since the awards were over, and if he were the only one not leaving the stage, he might attract weird looks.

“Uh, uh…”

Woo Dobin was fidgeting with his phone in one hand. He scratched his neck with an embarrassed look.

“Mr. Park Hoyoon. You need to go out soon.”

A staff member approached and told me. He looked at Woo Dobin, who was standing blankly even though he wasn’t a presenter, with a strange look, but didn’t say anything else and disappeared again.

Once again, it was just him and me backstage. Since security was strict, there was no way cameras were rolling. I looked around and then took a step toward Woo Dobin.

“Hey.”

“…Ye, yes?”

Perhaps not expecting me to call out to him, Woo Dobin looked down at me blankly. I scowled, annoyed that I had to look up at him even in this moment.

“Go down.”

Woo Dobin was younger than me. His debut was later, too. Of course, I wasn’t the type to carelessly use casual speech with someone just for that reason. But…

Woo Dobin’s face was glowing bright red. Between his attitude at first, what happened just now, and this current reaction.

“Can’t you hear me? You’re in the way, you.”

I gave his chest a light shove.

“Uh… that…”

Woo Dobin made a stupid sound, and the song on stage changed.

“Next, we will have the Rising Star Award presentation.”

At the staff member’s signal, I brushed past Woo Dobin and headed onto the stage. Standing in the middle of the stage, bathed in flashy spotlights, I gave a bright smile.

“Hello. I’m Park Hoyoon.”

Polite applause and cheers erupted. I beamed and continued with the prepared speech.

“I received the Rising Star Award on this stage around this time last year. It’s a new feeling to be on the presenting side like this. I’m nervous, and… I’m looking forward to seeing what great people are here this year.”

My words flowed smoothly, like water.

“Let’s meet the candidates first.”

The red light on the camera blinked, and the VCR prepared behind me started playing. I caught my breath for a moment and looked down under the stage.

Because the lighting was so bright, it was hard to see below. Even so, one pair of eyes staring intently at me was clear. It was Woo Dobin, who had somehow gone back down and was sitting in his seat.

What kind of expression was he making? Was he flustered by my sudden use of casual speech, or was he surprised because he realized his feelings had been found out? The VCR ended and the red light came back on.

“Then, I will make the announcement.”

I slowly tore open the sealed cue sheet. The feeling of the stiff paper in my hands was novel.

“The winner of the SAW Rising Star Award is…”

I saw the name printed in dark letters on the paper. My pupils widened without me realizing it. No, seriously, why him?

“…Mr. Woo Dobin. Congratulations.”

Waaaaah—a scream-like cheer erupted from the audience.

“Mr. Woo Dobin, having conquered both the small screen and the big screen within just one year of his debut, is the hottest star in the Republic of Korea, no doubt about it…”

The MC briefly scanned his career. Woo Dobin stood up from his seat, receiving congratulations from his fellow actors.

A staff member handed me the bouquet and trophy. Now, when he came up on stage, I had to hand them to him. I felt uncomfortable, remembering that I had just babbled that he was in the way. I shouldn’t have said that. Of all people, why did he have to be the winner? But how could I have stayed still after seeing his reaction?

Woo Dobin approached me with long, confident strides. He had a bright smile plastered all over his face as if nothing had happened. I handed Woo Dobin the trophy and bouquet and muttered my congratulations.

“…Congratulations.”

There was no microphone here, so no one would hear, but it would have been awkward to just hand him the trophy without saying anything.

Woo Dobin slowly took the trophy and bouquet. Now he just had to go to the center of the stage and give his speech. And I just had to get off the stage before then.

Yes, I’ll just never run into him again. And it wasn’t even that harsh of a thing to say. It was a fact that he was in the way, blocking the front and pestering me with phone numbers when I had to go up to present. I was rationalizing it like that when, suddenly, my body lifted into the air.

“What…!”

This is insane. Woo Dobin lifted me up and spun around once. He was still wearing a wide smile. Dozens, hundreds of gazes pierced into me, and the cameras broadcasting live across the nation pounced as if they had found their prey.

When I widened my eyes in shock, a huge burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

“Haha, Mr. Woo Dobin must be very happy. Were you close with Mr. Park Hoyoon?”

The MC laughed brightly. It seemed like no one thought this situation was strange. They seemed to think it was just a spirited performance by a rookie who was happy to receive the award.

It wasn’t that rare for a winner and a presenter to hug. If they were close, it could even create a more touching scene. However… I had no closeness whatsoever with this crazy Woo Dobin. We had only run into each other exactly twice today. Once he dug up my dark history, and the other time I pointedly told him he was in the way.

Finally, Woo Dobin put me down on the floor. My face flushed with embarrassment and shame. I was even more annoyed thinking that I must have been photographed with a stupid expression on my face. Since Woo Dobin was the hottest actor, this photo would surely set the internet on fire.

Whether he knew my feelings or not, Woo Dobin hugged me tightly one more time. A refreshing yet not-too-light scent wafted over me.

“Thank you, Sunbae.”

Then, he whispered quickly into my ear. His low voice—which had all sorts of modifiers like “cave voice” or “magic that ensnares women’s hearts”—vibrated through my entire body.

“I’m sorry for being in the way earlier. I really loved that you used casual speech with me. And… please, definitely give me your phone number later.”

Is he a psychopath, for real? I looked at him blankly. Woo Dobin headed toward the center of the stage with a refreshed look on his face.

The microphone was lowered to about his collarbone level. It was because it had been adjusted to my height, as I had presented just before him. He crinkled his eyes as if he were in trouble, then immediately spread his long legs wide. Laughter erupted from the audience once more.

That… that… that annoying jerk. He was doing it as if to show off. Showing that there was this much of a height difference between me and him.

“Thank you.”

As soon as he spoke, I heard screams again. A staff member behind the stage signaled to me urgently. It was a sign to come down since the presentation was over. I glared at the back of Woo Dobin’s head as hard as I could and stepped off the stage.

“Please move along when the winner comes down.”

It meant I had to wait until Woo Dobin finished his speech and came down so we could go back to our seats together. I closed my eyes and sighed. The reason I had specifically told him he was in the way was obvious. Woo Dobin was not normal. His reaction, his gaze—there was no way I couldn’t tell.

He was probably… in love with me. He was making it obvious with his whole body. And I didn’t like that one bit.