CRANK 44

“Because of that article… the distributor put on some pressure.”

“Pressure? What do you mean….”

Director Bae drooped his eyebrows and shook his head vigorously.

“A few follow-up articles came out, and they’re all just talk about a ‘bromance’.”

“Pardon?”

Woo Dobin seemed to be fiddling with his phone, and then he showed me a few articles.

—‘Pale Death’ Park Hoyoon x Woo Dobin, the bromance is deep♡

—Hitting theaters early next year, ‘Pale Death’ and the hot bromance between two men.

What on earth is this….

“You know how it is. You and Dobin-ssi are the only things we have to promote.”

I was just blinking in bewilderment, and Director Bae added an explanation with a troubled face.

“So, in any case…. It might be a little awkward, though….”

“Sunbae will be fine with it, too.”

Woo Dobin interrupted suddenly. He had an indifferent face, as if he had known about it beforehand.

“What? No, I mean—what?”

“The bromance.”

“What about the… bromance?”

“We’re suggesting we use the bromance for promotion.”

I couldn’t understand it at all. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what a bromance was. It had been mentioned in interviews a few times. But to use it for promotion?

“There are quite a few people who like that sort of thing….”

Director Bae cleared his throat and licked his lips repeatedly. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Director!”

I was struggling with how to answer, but I heard the sound of the audio director calling from afar. Woo Dobin patted Director Bae on the shoulder as he glanced back with a flustered expression.

“I’ll explain it well, Director.”

“But, that….”

“Let’s discuss it among ourselves first, and if there’s a problem, I’ll let you know. Please, go ahead.”

“…Right. Hoyoon-ssi, don’t feel too burdened.”

Director Bae looked back at me several times, then headed toward the audio director with a look that suggested he couldn’t quite bring himself to walk away.

As soon as Director Bae disappeared from sight, I whipped around to look at Woo Dobin.

“What is the meaning of this? Have you heard anything?”

“Just a little while ago when you were reviewing your script. Let’s get inside first; they said to eat your meal since the wait time will be longer.”

Woo Dobin sat me in the back seat of the sedan he’d driven and sat down himself. It was a nice car, so it was spacious even though it wasn’t a van. Woo Dobin looked at me and said,

“Would you like to eat first?”

“No, explain it to me first.”

When I said this firmly, Woo Dobin made a troubled expression.

“You know what a bromance is, right?”

“Yeah.”

“There are quite a few people who like that kind of thing.”

“The bromance?”

“Yes. Youngjun-ssi said you saw the Jeju Dobin posts back then.”

“Oh? Oh.”

At Woo Dobin’s words, the comments I’d seen back then came back to me. ‘Woo Dobin Park Hoyoon are gay’….

“That… gay….”

“Yes, it’s like that.”

“Isn’t that insulting?”

“Pardon?”

After those comments, surely there were also comments saying not to spread such rumors, right?

“There were also many people who said not to say things like that.”

“Ah…. Well… there are people who dislike it, but… how should I put this.”

As if it were difficult to explain, Woo Dobin scratched his cheek with one hand.

“There are people who hope that Sunbae and I will date.”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense is that? He didn’t even know Woo Dobin had confessed to me, so how could they think that?

“It’s not that they really think we do, but, um…. When we watch romance movies or things like that, we sometimes think, ‘I wish those two would actually date in real life,’ right?”

“Hmm….”

I’d never thought that way, but since the example made sense, I nodded vaguely.

“It’s like that—they think the two of us look good together…. But it doesn’t mean they actually want us to date.”

I still didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Perhaps he gave up on making me understand, as Woo Dobin let out a sigh of laughter.

“It is a bit difficult, isn’t it?”

“On top of that, how… do you know all about this?”

“Well, I was a fan of yours, Sunbae. It’s a culture that’s particularly widespread among idol fans, so I learned about it bit by bit.”

Imagining Woo Dobin chatting with other fans of Sunset Beach Angel felt very awkward.

“Anyway, the point is that there are quite a few people who like that sort of thing, and it can also promote the movie. And you don’t even have to go that deep into it….”

Woo Dobin took his phone out from his chest pocket and poked at it. The screen he showed me contained articles and interviews about ‘bromances’ in other movies and dramas.

“It’s often used as a really standard promotion, too. Not like, ‘Aren’t they actually gay?’ the way you’re thinking….”

The words Youngjun had said while looking at Jeju Dobin yesterday flashed through my head. That my fans all played around like this, and that it would disappear quickly once the movie ended. Was that what he meant?

“Hmm…. I’ve seen it before, too. But I just didn’t understand how this could be a promotion, but since you say it works, well…. So? How are you going to use this for promotion?”

“For example, doing a live broadcast together, or posting photos on social media…. Since it started from the eyewitness accounts that spread from the hospital, it would be best to be seen together at least one more time. Eating a meal together, watching a movie, or drinking coffee somewhere….”

Eating a meal, watching a movie, and drinking coffee? Isn’t that just a date? I narrowed my eyes and stared at Woo Dobin.

“Does that count as promotion?”

“Of course. They said a few follow-up articles came out and the movie went up to 5th in search rankings. If something bigger happens, it’ll go even higher.”

“…”

“As you know, Sunbae, our movie is a bit low-budget, and the buzz… it’s a bit hard for me to say this myself, but it’s really just the two of us.”

“…That’s true.”

“But the script is really good.”

“…That’s true, too.”

“I think that once we get people interested, word of mouth will spread quickly.”

I thought the same thing. Pale Death was a movie with a strange charm. It was the first commercial directorial debut of Bae Siwoong, who had only directed independent films one after another. Because of that, the plot was thoroughly commercial, but the dialogue and direction were permeated with the subtle atmosphere of an independent film that he hadn’t been able to fully remove.

Since it was a movie that captured both artistic quality and mass appeal, if only the promotion worked….

“We’ve already eaten meals, watched movies, and had coffee together anyway. We’d just be doing it outside the house now.”

…That was a point that hit the nail on the head.

“So… do you want to do it?”

“Of course. I… want to eat, watch movies, and drink coffee with you, Sunbae.”

Woo Dobin’s reply, which came as if he’d been waiting for it, sounded like a late date application.

“Do you not want to, Sunbae?”

The follow-up question sounded like one, too.

“…I….”

Do I dislike it? Rather than saying I dislike it, it would be more accurate to say I’m worried. It wasn’t the promotion or the bromance that was the problem, but the very fact that I had to be stuck with Woo Dobin. Woo Dobin provoked me every chance he got, and I was being foolishly swept up in it.

What if something like yesterday happens again? Could I really turn down Woo Dobin’s temptation twice? What if I fall for it and actually end up doing that kind of thing with Woo Dobin?

I was reminded of Woo Dobin in the dream I had today, looking hurt and resentful of me. It was something that could happen any time.

What if my being aroused by the kiss, and having a wet dream, were all just because Woo Dobin is a man? What if I’m gay? So, if it hadn’t been Woo Dobin but some other man, would I have had the same reaction?

If that were the case… then sex with Woo Dobin was something I shouldn’t do. Because Woo Dobin likes me. It would be discourteous to build an even deeper relationship when I wasn’t going to accept those feelings. And I didn’t want to be responsible for a relationship I wasn’t sure about, either.

I needed to come to my senses now and cut Woo Dobin off firmly. To do that, a date under the guise of a bromance was also something I shouldn’t do.

“I think I’m….”

“Wait a moment, Sunbae. Let’s eat first.”

As soon as I opened my mouth to refuse, Woo Dobin cut me off flatly.

“What? What’s with that all of a sudden….”

“The break time will be over at this rate. And you haven’t even had dinner.”

I don’t know how long it had been there, but Woo Dobin rummaged through a small bag inside the car. Inside, there was the cute lunchbox he had brought during the last shoot, too. Bromance or not, my attention was drawn to it. As soon as I realized it was mealtime, I felt hunger in an instant.

“When did you even make this.”