Chapter 17: The Weight of Concern

#17

“Dohoon! Could you come over here for a moment?”

Summoned by the instructor, Dohoon, who had been warming up in a corner, moved towards them.

Jaejeong, standing nearby, bowed his head politely towards Dohoon. Although they had already greeted each other earlier, Dohoon found him so endearing for bowing again that he almost burst into laughter, barely managing to suppress it.

“How about you two practice together once? You haven’t done that yet, have you?”

“No.”

Even though they often visited at the same time, they had always trained separately, so they hadn’t had the chance to synchronize their movements. Dohoon quickly nodded, pleased with the instructor’s welcome suggestion.

“Since these are all practiced moves, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Don’t rush; take it slowly. We’ll demonstrate first.”

Dohoon and Jaejeong stood a short distance away, observing the instructors’ movements as they demonstrated. The instructors moved as slowly as possible, allowing the two men to memorize the sequence in their minds.

Jaejeong and Dohoon, each holding a wooden practice sword, soon stood facing each other. Perhaps because it was their first joint practice, a tension hung in the air, as if they were already on a real film set. Dohoon took his stance first, and Jaejeong, after a slight hesitation, likewise raised his sword.

The clatter of hard wooden swords striking each other echoed throughout the training hall. The two moved at a moderate pace, translating the movements they had envisioned in their minds into physical action. Perhaps due to his extensive dance background, Jaejeong’s movements were generally light and agile.

Conversely, Dohoon, who had prior experience in swordsmanship and a certain knack for it, met Jaejeong’s moves with clean, precise motions. Ultimately, it was Dohoon who led the entire sequence.

“For a first try, your synergy is excellent. Have you two been practicing behind our backs?”

Having completed the complex sequence without a single mistake, the two men lowered their swords. As the instructor noted, their coordination was indeed impressive for a first attempt.

****

After several more rounds of practice, evening soon arrived. Jaejeong always headed to the company’s practice room after martial arts training. Of course, he sometimes took a short break in the building’s emergency stairwell after practice, needing a moment to catch his breath.

Dohoon, having somewhat discerned Jaejeong’s routine, quietly watched him head towards the emergency exit before slowly following behind him.

Jaejeong, who had been standing by the emergency exit window, gazing blankly outside, turned his head at the sound of movement behind him. Dohoon, who had just opened the door and stepped inside, pulled the corners of his lips into a slight smile.

“Did I interrupt you?”

“No. It’s fine.”

‘What was he thinking, standing there alone?’ Dohoon set his curiosity aside and stood beside Jaejeong.

“Jaejeong.”

“Yes?”

“Are you finding it difficult?”

“Oh, well. A little.”

Jaejeong’s voice trailed off in response to Dohoon’s question. A quick glance towards the window betrayed his awkwardness. Anyone could see he was uncomfortable with the situation, which inwardly dampened Dohoon’s spirits. He understood intellectually that it was natural to feel awkward when an unfamiliar senior spoke to you, but his heart found it hard to accept.

“You seem to have lost a lot of weight since I first saw you.”

Dohoon continued, making an effort to conceal his emotions. Jaejeong awkwardly ran a hand over his chin.

“Is that so?”

Jaejeong’s reply to Dohoon’s concern was somewhat blunt. Dohoon could keenly sense his embarrassment, unsure how to react in such a situation. Even that awkwardness struck Dohoon as utterly adorable.

“No matter how much TV cameras add ten pounds, if you don’t have any cheek fat, it won’t look good on screen either.”

“Huh? Oh…”

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, make sure to eat properly. You won’t have time to gain weight once filming starts anyway.”

“Yes.”

“……”

“Thank you for your concern.”

After a brief pause, Jaejeong bowed his head, expressing his gratitude.

“Are you taking any supplements, by any chance?”

“Supplements? Oh, no. Not really.”

“What? No, what do you mean you’re not taking supplements? Are you flaunting your youth?”

“Huh?”

Dohoon’s voice involuntarily rose, agitated by the revelation that Jaejeong wasn’t taking supplements. Jaejeong’s eyes widened in surprise. Realizing belatedly that he had overreacted, Dohoon let out a short sigh.

‘Ah, I overdid it. What if he thinks I’m weird?’

“It’s not flaunting, I just find it bothersome.”

“Ah…”

“My personality is just, well, like that.”

Jaejeong gave an awkward laugh and glanced at Dohoon’s expression. It was as if he was instinctively checking if his attitude was off-putting. ‘So he does pay attention to others. I thought he was completely oblivious to observing and caring about others.’

When he thought about it, Jaejeong was already seven years into his career. He wasn’t some ignorant child, yet in Dohoon’s eyes, he consistently seemed as young as a child left by the water’s edge.

“At least take vitamins. It might not seem like much, but there’s a big difference between taking them and not. You know that people like you, who juggle multiple activities, need to pay even more attention to their physical stamina than others, right?”

“Yes. I will ensure it doesn’t interfere with filming.”

“No… That’s not what I meant.”

‘It’s not for filming, it’s because I’m worried about you.’ Frustrated, Dohoon pressed his lips together. He couldn’t bring himself to utter the genuine feelings welling up in his throat. It was even more exasperating to think that Jaejeong would just say ‘yes’ but never actually take the medication.

‘Is there any way I can make sure he takes them?’ Dohoon pondered a solution alone, then his eyes suddenly sparkled as something came to mind.

****

A few days later, Jaejeong, having finished his martial arts practice as usual, got into his car to head straight to his agency’s practice room. After days of non-stop physical exertion, he felt his fatigue was several times greater than before. Just as he was about to close his eyes for a short nap during the commute, his manager, in the driver’s seat, turned around and called to him.

“Oh, right, this.”

“What is it?”

Jaejeong looked down at the box the manager handed him, asking curiously.

“Dohoon apparently gave out vitamins to the stunt team. You got one too.”

“He gave out vitamins?”

“Yeah. This is super expensive, you know. Rich folks really do spend differently.”

Dohoon had distributed high-end liquid vitamins to the entire stunt team, ostensibly for energy replenishment. Jaejeong suddenly recalled Dohoon’s face from a few days prior, passionately advocating for the importance of supplements. He felt a quiet gratitude that Dohoon had even thought of him, a mere actor, not part of the stunt team.

He wanted to thank him, but then realized belatedly that he didn’t even have Dohoon’s number. ‘Should I just thank him when we meet next?’ Pondering to himself, Jaejeong opened the box and took out a bottle of vitamins.

****

On a long, unusually hot summer day, filming for ‘Yoonseul’ commenced. Jaejeong still felt bewildered performing the lines he had only ever practiced in front of a camera for the first time. It seemed it would take some time for him to adjust. The bustling set was always chaotic, and he was constantly on edge, fearing he might make some ridiculous mistake.

Despite diligently taking the vitamins, as Dohoon had advised, Jaejeong’s weight stubbornly refused to increase. All he could do was maintain his muscle mass.

Scenes involving Jaejeong and Dohoon were more often shot outdoors than indoors, meaning they constantly battled the heat. The moment an “Okay cut!” was called, staff members would rush to each actor, wiping away sweat and aiming fans at their faces. Of course, that alone was insufficient to conquer the oppressive midsummer heat.

Though the costumes were designed to be as light and breathable as possible, wearing multiple layers inevitably felt stifling. As he soothed his overheated insides with ice water between takes, Jaejeong felt less like he was on a drama set and more like he was on a battlefield. Yet, he loved it. Even this situation, which at times felt torturous, was nothing but pure happiness for Jaejeong.

Jaejeong was consistently taking the vitamins he would normally only take occasionally. Considering the sincerity of the person who gave them, he couldn’t just leave them untouched. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt a surge of energy after taking them.

“Jaejeong, should I get you some coffee?”

After the daytime shoot concluded, there was a significant gap until the evening shoot. With the “cut” call, his manager, umbrella in hand, asked if he wanted coffee. Coffee trucks and snack trucks regularly arrived on set. Sometimes they were sent by fans of the cast, and often by celebrities with personal connections or brands they modeled for. Today, Dohoon’s Hong Kong fan union had sent both a coffee and a snack truck.

As if to prove his popularity as a Hallyu star, fans from different countries sent coffee trucks every time.

“I’ll go get it myself. Did you get yours, hyung? How about Hyejin?”

“We’re taking care of ourselves. I told you I’d bring it.”

“It’s fine.”

Fanning his clothes to alleviate the heat around his face, Jaejeong turned and headed towards the parking lot where the coffee truck was. The truck was quite crowded, likely due to the hot weather. After pondering the menu for a while, Jaejeong ordered a strawberry latte and moved into the shade. Dohoon’s face was prominently displayed on a banner next to the truck.

‘A top star is indeed a top star,’ he thought, a natural observation. Working with him, Jaejeong could easily understand why Dohoon had risen to stardom. Even setting aside his looks, his acting prowess was exceptional. Though still young in his early thirties, he possessed a unique gravitas that prevented him from seeming frivolous, yet he still felt like someone with more to show. Jaejeong found it endlessly fascinating and, perhaps, a little enviable.