Chapter 82: Different Reactions

– Is it true that Kang Wooju said he would look handsome no matter what he did at 6:45?

└ But with a side of annoyance.

└└ A compliment that you can’t tell if it’s praise or an insult.

└└└ Jitae oppa didn’t turn his head away because he was shy, right? So freaking cute…

– I don’t know how many times I’ve replayed the scene where Won Jitae grabs Kang Wooju’s waist when he’s about to fall.

└ Won Jitae’s height is so unrivaled that the height difference is surprisingly heart-fluttering…

└└ But isn’t it so cute how they’re fighting without even realizing they’re hugging like that? ㅠㅠ

– To think Kang Wooju was shirtless because of that.

└ Lmaooooo seriously didn’t expect that.

└└ I thought it was during some cool situation, but it was because Won Jitae sprayed water on him.

└└└ If it wasn’t a broadcast, he might have actually gotten beaten up.

└└└└ Wasn’t he squatting like that because he was scared of getting hit? Lmaooo

– The poster photoshoot part is truly legit.

└ Kang Wooju’s suit fit is insane.

└└ Won Jitae in a volleyball uniform is seriously crazy too…

– No but Wooju oppa, how could you hit someone’s head like that just because there’s a bug… And a volleyball player at that…

└ It’s fine, our oppa has a rock-hard head so he probably didn’t even feel it.

└└ That’s a relief at least. They seem like a match made in heaven.

– I only have one thought after watching episodes 1 and 2 live: it just seems like Won Jitae is Kang Wooju’s fan.

└ You can clearly see that he really likes him.

└└ Right? It’s like, his gaze itself is just different.

– Isn’t this basically a Won Jitae fanboy broadcast?

└ Did he go on the show just to fulfill his own desires~~

└└ It kinda feels like watching a large retriever completely smitten with its owner.

– First of all, driving nearly a two-hour round trip just to take him to the training center is true love.

└ Heard Won Jitae is a homebody, so it really must be true love lmaooooo

– It’s pretty absurd how they both say they don’t get along in the interviews after acting like that.

└ Well, seeing how they fight, their mental ages definitely seem to match.

└└ It just feels like they’re both in their denial phase.

– Nagging king but tsundere Kang Wooju who cooks top-tier meals every time VS Large dog Won Jitae who sucks at chores but takes him everywhere and follows him around cutely.

└ Ah….But if he takes one hit from Kang Wooju he’d probably die…

└└ And Kang Wooju might die from frustration seeing the room Won Jitae didn’t clean up…

– Our Wooju is gonna get even more famous…

└ Don’t get famous, no get famous, no don’t get famous…

Wooju blankly read down the comment section.

There was absolutely no soul in the hand that was endlessly scrolling down while lying on the bed.

It had now been two weeks since the filming ended.

The first episode began airing immediately, and the public’s reaction was incredibly hot.

Even at the news that the show had recorded the highest ratings in the season’s history—hot enough to burn—Wooju couldn’t bring himself to be entirely happy.

“Fan, my ass…….”

The comments were continuously spewing out things that Wooju couldn’t understand at all.

Saying Won Jitae seemed like his fan, or that he seemed to follow him around and like him a lot—they were spouting words completely contrary to the truth, so there was no way he could relate to them.

‘I’m sorry, but I didn’t mean it when I agreed to be friends. With you… I don’t think I could ever do something like that, even if I died.’

When in reality, he had heard something like that.

Wooju turned off his phone and buried his face deep into his pillow.

He hadn’t watched the broadcast, but it was obvious that Seonhyuk and the production crew had done an incredible job editing it.

How else could there be such reactions?

A sigh naturally leaked out.

Wooju picked up his phone again.

When he turned on the screen, all he saw between messages from Lee Gicheol and the team members were spam texts.

“This is so annoying, seriously.”

Nowhere was there any message from Won Jitae.

The more he chewed over it, the more disastrous the end of that conversation had been that day.

Unable to suppress his anger at Jitae’s words, Wooju had charged at him again, and as the argument continued, it eventually escalated into Wooju grabbing him by the collar.

Thanks to Seonhyuk and the production crew noticing and rushing over to stop them, the situation was vaguely resolved for the moment, but with the end of filming right around the corner, the atmosphere had been dreadful.

As a result, for the very short time remaining until the end of the shoot, the two had no choice but to practically act their way through it.

It was all thanks to their rationality returning belatedly and them constantly steeling their minds that they still had to finish the job without any hiccups.

The staff also walked on eggshells around them, but since there wasn’t even a full day left anyway, things somehow wrapped up well.

When everything was over, Wooju personally apologized to Seonhyuk and the rest of the production crew.

When he gave a rough excuse saying they just had a disagreement and both got a bit heated, they comforted Wooju instead, saying it was fine.

After packing his bags and coming out, Wooju headed to his car without any lingering attachment, ending with a greeting thanking them for the shoot.

‘Wooju…….’

Won Jitae had approached him at that moment, but Wooju hadn’t stopped walking.

Using a non-existent training schedule as an excuse, he practically ran away as he grabbed his things and left the filming site.

The house he returned to after a month was chillingly cold.

With years of experience living alone, he had only lived with someone else for a mere month, yet the emptiness he felt in the house needlessly agitated his insides, making him uncomfortable.

Every time he realized and experienced firsthand that he didn’t have to cook at a set time when he woke up, that he didn’t need to make two portions when he did cook, and that the utensils were no longer for two people, something inside him simmered and boiled over.

It was a feeling slightly different from anger.

For the first week after returning home, he tried his best to live as he normally did.

He cleaned the house and faithfully participated in training.

He went near Park Hyunjin’s company to eat and chat together.

He even went to a scenic cafe to get some fresh air by himself.

But despite all that, his mood didn’t improve.

Instead of disappearing as time passed, this unidentifiable something that made his heart uncomfortable continued to grow in size.

For the week after that, he stayed cooped up in his house.

He simply didn’t have the energy or drive left to force himself to do anything.

While staying at home, the time he spent staring at his phone increased.

He watched Two Men Living Together air and checked people’s reactions, and he incessantly checked the messenger app that only received texts from the usual people.

“Wow, this bastard hasn’t contacted me a single time? Then why did he call out to me like that at the end?”

Wooju spoke irritably, roughly sweeping back his disheveled hair.

As he slammed his cup down with a bang, the water that splashed around it wet the pristine white marble table.

For those two weeks, Jitae hadn’t sent a single message.

He wasn’t expecting an apology first.

Still, from Wooju’s perspective—who had expected Jitae to attempt to contact him first—it was a rather frustrating situation.

He had considered reaching out first, but his pride absolutely wouldn’t allow it.

Because if they were to weigh the rights and wrongs, he believed Jitae had far more faults.

After refilling his cup with cold water, Wooju took it and plopped down onto the sofa.

Since he already had his phone on, he went into Starstagram.

The account he was checking wasn’t his own.

When he typed ‘Won Jitae’ into the search bar, the guy’s account popped up immediately.

The account, which had over 8 million followers, was filled with pictures of Won Jitae.

Photoshoot pictures, behind-the-scenes pictures, press pictures, and so on.

Wooju clicked on the most recent post.

It was a press photo taken in front of a photo wall, perhaps from participating in some brand event.

Looking at the post uploaded the day before, Wooju enlarged the picture for no real reason.

“What is he so happy about, smiling like that?”

The faint smile he wore while raising his hand filled Wooju’s pitch-black pupils.

While someone was currently holed up pathetically at home, seeing the guy who caused it all receiving a barrage of camera flashes in an exquisitely glamorous outfit and going about his activities as if nothing happened made him feel a bit miserable.

“Is he even eating properly? Looks like he lost some weight…….”

During that entire month they lived together, he had been the only one who genuinely wanted to be friends with Won Jitae.

Then had all the sides he showed during that time just been acting for the broadcast?

Was that why he hadn’t contacted him a single time even though it had been quite a while since filming ended?

Since they only met for the broadcast anyway and had achieved their goal, perhaps he considered it a relationship with no further need to be maintained.

Given Won Jitae’s personality, it was more than possible.

If so, letting alone meeting up, losing contact like this was only a matter of time.

It meant returning to how things were a month ago.

Just as he was feeling even more miserable, he felt a vibration from his phone.

“Ah, you scared me…….”

Startled, Wooju quickly checked the name that popped up on the screen.

[Lee Gicheol]

“Ah, what.”

Wooju let out a short sigh and answered the phone.

– Wooju-nim? Are you resting well?

Lee Gicheol’s excited voice flowed out from over the phone.

As the variety show became a massive hit, Wooju’s star power and topicality skyrocketed even further.

Above all, the image of him being a rude and sensitive player—including the controversy that arose from his behavior at the friendly match—had completely vanished as if it had never existed.

“Whatever. Why did you call?”

– Do you happen to have time today? If you don’t have any plans, want to come to the company?

As Wooju dryly washed his face with his hands and made his annoyance obvious, Lee Gicheol said there was something they needed to discuss regarding work.

“Got it.”

If it was about work, what else could he do but go.

After setting a time, Wooju hung up the phone.