CRANK 31

“…hyung. No….”

I barely caught my gaze, which had been trying to scan Kang Leehyun from head to toe before I even realized it.

“Surprised? I knew you were coming out, and I thought I might be able to meet you sometime, but I didn’t think I’d see you this soon.”

“Hyung….”

At that moment, a loud sound cut between the two of us.

“Mr. Hoyoon! Stand by!”

“Ah, yes!”

It was Director Bae’s voice. Director Bae seemed to look at me, who was talking to Kang Leehyun, with an inquisitive look, but soon turned his head away.

“Go on. You have to film.”

Kang Leehyun tapped my shoulder. His tone sounded like it didn’t contain a single emotion. That is to say, no anger, jealousy, or envy, or even… not even congratulations or gladness.

I nodded vaguely and headed toward Director Bae.

Let’s just think about the filming for now. Five to ten minutes. That was the time allotted to me. I had to play Yeo Hajin perfectly within that time. Let’s forget about Kang Leehyun for now. Sunset Beach Angel, too.

Fortunately, the filming went smoothly. Before the sunset, an okay sign burst from Director Bae’s mouth. Director Bae patted me as if comforting me, saying it must have been hard since it was my first day of filming and it happened to be a scene requiring deep emotions. It also sounded like he meant I had met expectations, but hadn’t shown acting that exceeded them.

“Right, let’s have dinner and continue at night.”

As the assistant director announced a break while clapping, I headed to the van where Youngjun was. Miyeon hurried over to put a padded jacket on me and handed me a hot pack, but my stiff body, having been sitting on a bench wearing only a single T-shirt, showed no signs of recovering.

…And Kang Leehyun. My head was dizzy with thoughts of Leehyun hyung.

“Hyung!”

As I reached the van, Youngjun ran over hurriedly. Standing next to him was Kang Leehyun, smiling.

“Uh, he said he wanted to talk for a moment.”

I nodded at Youngjun, who had an awkward expression on his face. Since we had parted ambiguously earlier, I was already prepared for him to be waiting.

“It’s cold, so let’s do it inside. Youngjun, you step aside for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere was unusual, Youngjun hurried to clear the spot. I opened the car door and gestured with my head to let Kang Leehyun in. Once I entered as well and closed the door, the inside of the van was filled with silence.

“…It’s been a long time.”

It was Kang Leehyun who broke the silence first.

“…It has. Have you been well?”

“Me? Well, you know.”

Kang Leehyun shrugged, scanning his own body.

‘Sunset Beach Angel’ disbanded after releasing their third album. Four of the six members terminated their contracts, and only Kang Leehyun and I re-signed as actors.

Kang Leehyun had a tall stature and a clean mask. Most people, including me, would have judged that Kang Leehyun had more talent for acting than I did. Because, as I heard when I first auditioned for acting, I was so handsome that my acting was buried by my face.

We debuted together in bit parts. If there was a difference, it was that while I grew from ‘the protagonist’s younger brother’s friend’ to ‘a psychopath who gave the protagonist trauma,’ Kang Leehyun could not do that. Kang Leehyun remained the protagonist’s younger brother’s friend. Over and over, again and again.

Kang Leehyun cut off contact with all of us. Of course, the members who didn’t re-sign and left the agency also naturally lost contact, but Kang Leehyun’s case was a little different. Because Kang Leehyun intentionally kept us at a distance.

Even though he had cut off contact like that, he appeared in front of me after nearly three years. As the same old bit-part actor.

What should I say? What can I, a successful person, say to the same old Kang Leehyun? I couldn’t carelessly show pity, gladness, or anything else.

“Don’t mind it.”

As if he knew exactly what was in my heart, Kang Leehyun lightly touched my shoulder.

“I was the one who cut off contact, so.”

“…Yeah….”

“You probably haven’t seen me for three years, but I’ve been watching you the whole time. On television, at the movie theater, on billboards while walking down the street.”

I thought there might be thorns in his tone, but the expression on Kang Leehyun’s face as I suddenly lifted my head to look was far too peaceful.

“I’m glad you’re doing well.”

“What?”

“We… used to talk about that every day, didn’t we? That we should definitely succeed. That later, when we made lots of money, let’s order one whole chicken per person to eat.”

“…Hyung.”

“I’m glad at least you are doing well.”

Kang Leehyun stroked my hair. …Yeah, thorns, what thorns. We had a time we spent together. That time when the six of us would gather in one room and share two chickens—a time that could easily fill in a three-year gap.

Even if Kang Leehyun approached me wanting something, it was fine. Thinking about the things Kang Leehyun endured as a leader back then, I actually wanted to gladly provide some help on my end.

Hyung will do well too, I’m sorry, thank you. Among the answers rising in my head, there wasn’t one I could actually say out loud, so I swallowed them hard.

“Hoyoon-ah, so that’s why, let’s go back to how we were before….”

It was while Kang Leehyun was rummaging through his padded jacket pocket in a quite heartwarming atmosphere.

Clatter, bang—the car door opened with a loud noise. Both Kang Leehyun and I were startled and turned toward the door. The filming set lights were excessively bright, and because we were inside the dark car, we couldn’t properly see the face of the person standing there with the door open.

He was too tall to be Youngjun. When I thought it was a silhouette I had seen somewhere, a familiar voice was heard.

“Sunbae.”

“…Woo Dobin?”

When I reached out fumbling to turn on the interior light, I saw Woo Dobin’s face with his eyebrows drooping.

“Hey, why are you here?”

Instead of answering, Woo Dobin smoothly held up the envelope he was holding in his left hand.

“What is this?”

“To have… dinner with Sunbae….”

“You came all the way here just to eat? How did you even get here? You wouldn’t even be able to drive. You don’t even have a manager.”

While firing questions at him, I roughly flipped up Woo Dobin’s padded jacket to check his right shoulder. Fortunately, the brace was intact.

“Are you worrying about me?”

“Then shouldn’t I be worried? I asked how you got here.”

“I came by taxi. I was afraid you might eat from a food truck or have a lunchbox. But Youngjun-ssi said, Sunbae was with some….”

Woo Dobin stopped talking and stared intently behind me with a stiff expression. Ah, Kang Leehyun was there.

“With some actor.”

Woo Dobin said as if acting spoiled, with his expression changing into an aggrieved one in an instant.

“Ah, hello. My name is Kang Leehyun.”

Not knowing whether he was aware of the strange atmosphere, Kang Leehyun approached the door and reached out for a handshake. Woo Dobin stared down at the long hand held out in front of him.

“I injured my right arm. My left arm is holding the lunchbox.”

It was definitely a true statement, but why did it sound so cold? Woo Dobin, who had casually refused Kang Leehyun’s handshake, insisted on bringing up information that wasn’t even asked for.

“For reference, it’s for two people.”

“…What are you saying.”

At my bewildered face, Woo Dobin pouted his lips.

“Are you just going to stay there? My legs hurt.”

“…Yeah, hold on.”

Not only was it strange that only we were sitting in the van while Woo Dobin stood blocking the front, but because I wanted to grill Woo Dobin on how on earth this happened, I stepped out of the van without a word.

“Leehyun hyung, since it’s come to this, let’s have a meal together.”

He must have been flustered by the sudden situation, but Kang Leehyun nodded, wearing that familiar, relaxed smile.

“Shall we do that then? I’ve been wanting to have dinner with Hoyoon for a long time.”

“I said it was for two people….”

I heard Woo Dobin muttering under his breath. I poked his side once more.

Woo Dobin, I, and Kang Leehyun sat at a portable table that Youngjun had prepared separately. Woo Dobin guarded the lunchbox he had brought until the end, and Kang Leehyun left his seat saying he would go get rice from the food truck with a mature smile. While Kang Leehyun was away, I glared at Woo Dobin.

“So what is it really? Why did you come all the way here?”

“It wasn’t that far, was it?”

“Far or not. The staff members are all struggling to postpone your filming, so what does this make you look like when you show up like this.”

“That’s why I came….”

Woo Dobin subtly gestured with his head toward the side of the food truck. Following his gaze, I saw a large truck.

Staff members, Woo Dobin, who has an injured shoulder, is treating you to a meal.