Chapter 32: The Weight of a Dinner Invitation

“Hello, Senior?”

Seon Woo-jung, having arrived at the waiting room, greeted him with a shy smile. His visits had become familiar, and the manager and stylists welcomed him warmly.

Unlike his initial hesitations, Seon Woo-jung now entered as if it were his own waiting room, pulling a chair to sit beside me as I had my makeup done.

‘His gaze…’

He must have had his makeup done countless times himself, yet he stared with such intense curiosity, his eyes sparkling to an almost burdensome degree.

As I pondered whether to tell him to stop staring, as it was distracting, Seon Woo-jung spoke first.

“Senior, you look beautiful today too.”

“What the—”

His blunt compliment made me forget what I was about to say. It wasn’t the first time I’d been called beautiful; in fact, it was a familiar compliment, yet coming from Seon Woo-jung, it felt different.

‘It felt… more ticklish, somehow.’

“Right? Doesn’t Joon-hee oppa get more beautiful every day?”

“Joon-hee oppa even ranked first in that survey recently. Number one ‘beautiful male actor’!”

“I knew Senior would do it! You just get more beautiful every time we see you.”

The staff, energized by Seon Woo-jung’s audacious compliments, chimed in enthusiastically. As always, the embarrassing cascade of praise continued for quite some time, making me squirm.

“Enough, please.”

Only after I, unable to bear it any longer, told them to stop, did Seon Woo-jung finally cease his chattering. Even in the ensuing quiet, he continued to grin idly, looking utterly pleased with himself.

‘It seems he’s fine now.’

****

The day Seon Woo-jung came to visit me in the hospital, we succumbed to impulse and kissed. We kissed countless times, our lips intertwined, our breaths mingling, to the point where keeping count felt meaningless.

Had my fever not spiked midway, we likely would have continued until dawn. I couldn’t deny how engrossed we were in each other, nor that I cherished every moment of that time.

However, I simply blamed everything on my illness. When I drew a line, insisting it was only because of the fever, what had Seon Woo-jung said then?

“If that’s what Senior wants, I’ll do it.”

He had said it, I recalled, with a face that seemed on the verge of tears. True to his word, Seon Woo-jung had acted as if nothing had happened between us ever since.

He visited me as usual, called me ‘Senior,’ and engaged in his usual pointless teasing. Seeing him act so normally now, I felt a sense of relief.

“When does your shoot finish today, Senior?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but there aren’t many scenes left, so it shouldn’t take long.”

“Then, can we have dinner together?”

Seon Woo-jung’s eyes sparkled, as if he had been waiting for this very moment to ask. He had remembered my casual offer to ‘grab a meal sometime if our schedules align,’ and for days now, he had been persistently asking about my free time.

While having a meal with a junior who had grown quite close wasn’t exactly difficult, our schedules unfortunately kept clashing.

Before replying, I glanced at my manager. After quickly checking my schedule, my manager nodded, indicating that this time, it would indeed be fine.

“It seems today will work out.”

“Really?”

Seon Woo-jung sprang from his seat, clenching his hands tightly. His delighted expression was utterly endearing, like a child who had just received a cherished gift.

Why a grown man, easily a head taller than me, struck me as cute was a mystery. Perhaps it was because he constantly followed me around, calling out “Senior, Senior.”

‘Well, he is a cute junior.’

Most people who shoot to fame so quickly tend to forget their humility, but Seon Woo-jung was different. He was polite and amiable; there was no reason not to adore him.

Consequently, Seon Woo-jung’s reputation in the entertainment industry was exceptionally good. Of course, there were always those who whispered behind his back, claiming it was all just for image.

“I found a restaurant I really want to go to with Senior. Can we go there?”

Picturing the kind of restaurant Seon Woo-jung would pick, only rather expensive establishments came to mind. Even if we ate together, as I was older and his senior, the bill would naturally fall to me.

“Going for something pricey?”

“Will you treat me?”

“Well, I earn enough for that.”

“Senior, you’re so cool!”

It wasn’t such a grand gesture to buy a junior a meal. Yet, Seon Woo-jung looked at me as if I were a hero who had saved the nation. ‘I don’t think it’s quite that dramatic.’

“Then I’ll send you the location via message.”

Seon Woo-jung stood up and pulled out his phone. He then announced that he had to go prepare for his next shoot and left the waiting room.

With the constant chatterbox gone from beside me, my ears felt oddly empty. Just as I was about to pull out my phone to listen to some music, my stylist abruptly spoke.

“Actor Seon Woo-jung seems to really like Joon-hee oppa, doesn’t he?”

“Well, I am his senior, after all.”

Having been asked this question countless times, my answer was already rehearsed. Yet, the staff members, interpreting my reply however they pleased, exchanged knowing glances.

Although I denied it, seeing their reactions in the mirror, they clearly didn’t believe me at all.

“What’s the harm? It’s just a getting-to-know-you phase, that’s fine.”

“I told you, it’s not like that.”

“There are so many same-s*x relationships these days. When did those prejudices disappear?”

“That’s not the issue here.”

Ever since the emergence of Alphas and Omegas due to modern medicine, same-s*x relationships and marriages had become quite common. In the entertainment industry, too, it was not uncommon for same-s*x couples to meet and become Alphas or Omegas with the aid of medical technology. I knew all this, but Seon Woo-jung and me?

‘Now is the time to focus.’

Unlike Seon Woo-jung, who had gained popularity shortly after his debut, I was an veteran actor who was only just beginning to ride a wave of success.

This was such a hard-won opportunity; I couldn’t risk ruining everything with a mere dating scandal. The path to escaping my perpetual supporting roles was finally becoming clear.

‘Don’t get swayed by trivial emotions.’

Even as I tried to feign ignorance, I knew better than anyone how Seon Woo-jung looked at me, what feelings he harbored. How could I not know? As an actor, I had become acutely sensitive to emotions, both my own and others’.

For that very reason, I absolutely could not accept Seon Woo-jung. No matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to give him what he desired from me.

If only we could continue our close senior-junior relationship as it was now.

‘That would be much more comfortable.’

*Vibrate.*

Just then, my phone vibrated. Below the stark three characters, [Seon Woo-jung], on my phone screen, was the name of a restaurant I’d heard of somewhere before.

It was a restaurant frequently visited by couples seeking a private date.

The choice of venue, with its transparent intentions, made me feel a little—no, a lot—uncomfortable. I considered canceling the appointment right then, but having already agreed to the time, there was no way out.

‘It’s just dinner, what’s the big deal?’

Even as I unlocked my phone and opened the message, Seon Woo-jung continued his incessant chattering. After a brief moment of hesitation, I sent a concise reply to the junior who was as excited as a child before a picnic.

[See you later.]

****

“Cut!”

At the director’s call, the tension that had pervaded the set finally dissipated. Simultaneously, I, too, relaxed my rigid expression, turning towards everyone after being fully immersed in my acting.

“Good work, everyone.”

“You too, Joon-hee, good work.”

Everyone’s faces brightened at the schedule finishing earlier than expected. On days when things didn’t go smoothly, shoots could drag on until dawn, but today, there were hardly any retakes.

Feeling pleased, I exchanged greetings with everyone on set before returning to the waiting room. I checked the clock; it wasn’t even six o’clock yet.

“Finished early today, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, it wrapped up quickly.”

I sat on the sofa, sipping the drink my manager handed me. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I glanced at my phone to find it flooded with messages from Seon Woo-jung.

[Seon Woo-jung (Junior): Is your shoot over?><] [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I wanted to go with Senior] 3:32 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I'm going to stop by home first.] 3:33 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I'll get prettied up and come^^] 3:34 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): Senior] 4:49 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I'm all ready now] 5:20 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I'll head there first] 5:20 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): Come slowly] 5:21 PM [Seon Woo-jung (Junior): I'll be waiting] 5:21 PM Seon Woo-jung's voice seemed to echo from his incredibly excited messages. While I knew it was rude to describe a person this way, he was like a puppy wagging its tail at its owner. Given Seon Woo-jung's stature, he was probably closer to a large dog than a small puppy, though. 'That's going too far.' I lowered the corners of my twitching lips, quickly erasing the image of Seon Woo-jung with dog ears from my mind. I knew no one could peek into my thoughts, but I still felt strangely embarrassed. How utterly dumbfounded Seon Woo-jung would be if he knew. I must never tell him. "Aren't you meeting Seon Woo-jung today?" "Yes, that's right." My manager, sitting opposite me, searched for the meeting place on the navigation system and told me the approximate arrival time. I thought it would take about 30 minutes, but with rush hour traffic, it would take over an hour to reach the restaurant. "We should leave soon. The traffic's really bad." "It's rush hour, after all." "Where is Seon Woo-jung?" "He's probably already there." Unlike my calm demeanor, my manager quickly moved, urging me to hurry. After sending a simple reply, [Leaving now], I was about to change when my stylist stopped me. "Oppa, you're not actually going like that, are you?" "It's just dinner." "But a hoodie is too casual!" I had chosen a comfortable hoodie, thinking it was just dinner and we'd part ways afterward, but it clearly didn't pass my stylist's inspection. As the stylist left to fetch another outfit, the other staff members in the waiting room also started to gather around, hesitantly beginning to style me. Was it just my imagination, or did everyone else seem more excited about this dinner than I was? 'It's just dinner, after all.' I felt inexplicably awkward.