Chapter 17: Just Rest a Little

His tone was mischievous and full of laughter.

The back of Han-geon’s neck lit up from the root.

“You little punk, watch your mouth….”

“Haha.”

He sets Han-geon’s heart on fire and then has the nerve to smile—so damn prettily, too.

Han-geon’s heart trembled helplessly, and at the same time, a nervous unease rustled in him.

Did Eun-gyeol throw around these dangerous, tempting words and smile like that at other people, too?

Trying to push down the childish thought that immediately followed, Han-geon hardened his gaze.

Why was his mind suddenly going there?

Long unrequited love really did make a person jump to wild conclusions.

“Just go get dressed.”

He pushed Eun-gyeol lightly on the back, and only then did Eun-gyeol slowly head to his room.

During that short walk, Han-geon had to give every ounce of effort not to let his eyes drift toward that retreating back.

But his effort didn’t last long.

From inside the bedroom, he suddenly heard:

“Choi Han-geon.”

“…What.”

“Come here.”

Eun-gyeol always demanded things from Han-geon with a natural, unshakable confidence—whatever it was.

And because of that, Han-geon could never help but give in.

Just like now.

Still puzzled, he stepped into the bedroom… where Eun-gyeol was lying sideways on the bed in training clothes.

He patted the spot next to him and said something unbelievable.

“Lie down.”

“…Why?”

“We still have a whole hour left.”

“Then let’s go early and at least look over the script.”

“I already read all of it.

What else am I supposed to look at?”

Eun-gyeol said it with a long, lazy yawn, as if Han-geon were the unreasonable one, and Han-geon let out a dry laugh.

“…Still, we should get there a bit early, say hello to people.

If we lie around for an hour, we’ll be late.”

“Who said anything about lying around for an hour?

I’m just saying let’s relax for twenty minutes.

There’s nothing to do even if we get there early.”

His bored tone carried the beginnings of irritation.

From experience, Han-geon knew that pushing back at times like this only led to pointless arguments.

Fine.

When it came to the site, Eun-gyeol knew a hundred times more than he did anyway.

And although Cha Eun-gyeol had a temper, everyone said he was meticulous and professional about work—so Han-geon decided to trust him, at least for now.

He sat down carefully on the edge of Eun-gyeol’s bed.

It was big enough that two grown men could roll around wrestling on it; unbelievably soft, too.

Though he had visited a couple times before, he’d never actually entered the bedroom, so his heart started pounding for no reason.

“Lie down.”

“I’m fine.

You lie down.

Get some sleep if you want.

I’ll wake you up on time…”

“Ah, Choi Han-geon…”

A brief sigh slipped out of Eun-gyeol.

Then Han-geon caught the slight furrow around his eyes—just before a hand suddenly seized his wrist.

The force was strong enough to pull his entire heavy body forward in one motion.

“Why is our Han-geon… talking so much and getting on my nerves today?”

Thump—Han-geon’s muscular, heavy body bounced onto the bed.

Suddenly forced to lie down on Eun-gyeol’s mattress, he stared up at him with a startled expression.

The irritation on Eun-gyeol’s beautiful face had already vanished, replaced only with satisfaction.

“Yeah.

That’s it.

Listen nicely like that.”

It was unbearably arrogant—definitely not the kind of tone used between normal friends.

But Han-geon no longer had any scale to measure or judge such things with.

His heart was already too full, overflowing, and there was no referee left to tell him whether anything was wrong.

This only happened when he was with Eun-gyeol.

Because he liked him.

When affection grows and grows, and eventually consumes a person whole, it turns them into an idiot.

And for someone like Han-geon, who’d liked him for so long, that effect was even worse.

“…Well, I’m lying down, you brat.

Now what?

What are you gonna do?”

He tried to sound curt on purpose, but with his face burning red, it was a pointless effort.

Seeing Eun-gyeol lounging on his side, propping up his arm and smiling as if amused, Han-geon felt his irritation stir.

He wanted to hit back at him—just once—because Eun-gyeol had been teasing him nonstop.

“What, you gonna… screw me since I’m lying down?

Ahem.”

He said it himself, but his voice trembled like an idiot at the end.

And almost immediately, he regretted it.

Damn… shouldn’t have said that.

Only someone shameless like Cha Eun-gyeol could pull off a joke like that.

Han-geon had merely copied the crude joke Eun-gyeol made earlier, but it came out painfully awkward.

Of course, the infuriating Eun-gyeol didn’t get flustered or blush; instead, he burst out laughing.

“Ah… you kill me.”

Han-geon felt like steam might shoot straight out of his ears.

He felt like a human kettle.

He was just about to snap back—Yeah, I know I’m funny, you jerk—when…

“Coming from your mouth, Choi Han-geon… that kind of talk is… kinda new.”

Damn it, damn it…
Han-geon bit down hard on his lip and snapped his head to the opposite side, away from where Eun-gyeol was lying.

He knew all too well that it was just another meaningless comment from him—nothing to get worked up over.

All he had to do was stay calm and composed instead of blushing like an idiot.

The problem?

Not once in his life had he succeeded at that when it came to Eun-gyeol.

“Just relax.

I’m just gonna rest a bit before we leave.”

“…Yeah.

But after twenty minutes, you better get dressed and get ready to go.”

“Got i~t.”

Drawing out the last syllable like a child, Eun-gyeol flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

He pulled out his phone, tapping lightly as he exchanged messages with someone, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Who was it?

Who made Eun-gyeol smile like that?

Han-geon wondered for a second, then forced himself to look away.

It was a pointless question.

He grabbed his own phone and set a timer for twenty minutes.

The bed was comfortable, and Eun-gyeol’s scent was embedded far too deeply in the sheets.

His smartwatch buzzed periodically, warning him that his heart rate had been elevated for the entire twenty minutes.

***

Thankfully, for the table read, he didn’t need to get fully styled like he would for filming.

That explained why Eun-gyeol had been so relaxed earlier.

Eun-gyeol did his own hair simply and threw on light casual clothes.

A white T-shirt underneath, a short-sleeved polo shirt on top.

Simple, yet he still looked like a jeans model.

The two of them left the apartment and headed down to the underground parking lot.

Instead of getting into the back seat, Eun-gyeol climbed into the passenger side.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

Maybe because it was his first day, but Han-geon felt his whole body stiff with tension.

Seeing his overly solemn expression, Eun-gyeol let out a soft laugh.

“I’m in your care, Manager-nim.”

“…Yeah.

Put on your seatbelt.”

“Yees, sir.”

The more nervous he got, the stiffer his replies sounded.

Eun-gyeol didn’t seem to mind—on the contrary, he deliberately dragged out his answers as he spoke, smiling the whole time.

Now that he thought about it, there really hadn’t been many times he’d driven around with Eun-gyeol.

Maybe once, back in university, when the whole group of friends went to a valley in the summer and Han-geon drove.

But after Eun-gyeol debuted, there weren’t any memories like that.

Even though his managers changed constantly, there was always someone by his side—and he was too busy to go anywhere for fun anyway.

Thankfully, Han-geon had gotten his license as soon as he turned twenty.

His father had even happily bought him a compact car, saying he needed to get used to driving—that driving well would come in handy anywhere.

Thanks to that, Han-geon practiced a lot throughout his college years.

But now, since his father needed a car for the office and Han-geon didn’t really need one, he had returned it, and had no car of his own anymore.

Driving such a large vehicle was something he hadn’t done since his driving test.

It was lucky he’d gotten used to the car yesterday and the day before, driving it around to build a feel for it.

Celebrities usually rest while their managers drive—that’s one of the reasons managers need to be good behind the wheel.

Recalling various tips he’d seen on YouTube, Han-geon drove with extra care.

“You’re really good at driving.”

After leaning against his hand and silently watching the scenery for a while, Eun-gyeol suddenly spoke up.

Han-geon couldn’t help smiling faintly, proud.

“Is that so.”

“Yeah.

You’re the best among all the managers I’ve had.”

“…Thanks.”

He’d been doing his best to drive, and being acknowledged for it made him feel good.

As the faint scent of Eun-gyul drifted over from the passenger seat, Han-geon kept his focus on the road.

Just in case the watch started showing heart rate alerts again where Eun-gyul could see, he’d already taken it off and put it in his pocket.

As they approached the broadcasting station, Han-geon gradually reduced speed.

After identifying Eun-gyul to the security staff, they were immediately allowed through the gate.

Getting out of the car and heading toward the conference room where the script reading would be held, Han-geon clenched his fists to steady the fast-beating pulse in his chest.

Eun-gyul, who was the one actually going to work, looked perfectly calm, so he couldn’t understand why he was the one getting nervous.

“This is it.

Let’s go in.”

“Mm.”

Twenty minutes before the reading, the conference room was already about half full.

Centered around a massive screen at the front, the tables were arranged in a U-shape, set with water, snacks, microphones, and scripts.

Behind the seats reserved for actors, the director, and the writer, there were additional seats for staff.

Han-geon received the lanyard labeled [Cha Eun-gyul’s Manager] at the entrance and hung it around his neck.

Some people were already seated, while others were moving around chatting energetically.

Most seemed to be greeting senior actors first before returning to their places.

Wow…

Han-geon’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t help it.

According to what the team leader had told him beforehand, this drama was going into production with an unprecedented level of investment from the distributor—an ambitious project.

And accordingly, every one of the cast members was a top-tier actor with an impressive reputation.