Chapter 34: The Video Shoot and an Unsettling Script

I was so flustered for a moment that I couldn’t answer.

Taeyang’s expression stiffened slightly.

“I searched for articles about me, but I guess you didn’t know that either?”

Taeyang shrugged as if it was nothing. He acted calm, but I could instinctively feel the soft spot hidden under that hard, attractive armor.

“Ah…”

Why he cared so much about kids, why he lived alone in a house so wide it felt desolate. The things I had overlooked about Taeyang suddenly made sense.

“Hey, hyung…”

I shouldn’t add anything carelessly, but… I gathered my courage and opened my mouth.

Taeyang glanced back at me. In contrast to the fierce way he pushed people, his face, where a moment of wavering had passed, seemed to be hoping for understanding.

Was that my imagination?

“I don’t have parents either! When I was thirteen, they died in a car accident…”

“…”

“After that, I kept moving between relatives’ houses and all that.”

Taeyang’s brow furrowed slightly. Wait, no, I wasn’t trying to compete over who had it worse, so why did the mood seem to be going somewhere strange?!

Unlike my intention to sympathize with Taeyang’s pain, the words that actually left my mouth just creaked out awkwardly.

“So, Yeon Wooju, what you’re saying is…”

“N-no, I mean! It’s not that I’m saying I understand everything you feel because I have a similar situation!”

“…”

“Of course I can’t. I’ve never had the same experience. Still, I just wanted to tell you… that I don’t have any prejudice about that kind of thing.”

Was that bewilderment or awkwardness? Taeyang froze in place with a somewhat surprised look.

Instead of answering, his pupils fixed on me and slowly dilated. Even if he was a capture target, we hadn’t known each other that long. I lowered my gaze, wondering if I had overstepped.

[Affection ❤️22]

Vrrr.

I felt the presence of a heart trembling above Taeyang’s head and looked up. Huh, the affection level had risen by 5%?

Not only that, Taeyang’s expression, which had been sharply on edge the whole time, had softened.

“I never thought someone as recklessly bright as you would have a story like that.”

Taeyang spoke casually, as relaxed and carefree as usual. His peculiar way of talking again. Was that a compliment or an insult this time…? Since the heart had just gone up, I guess I should take it as a compliment.

As I tilted my head, Taeyang suddenly reached out and stretched my cheek.

“Ah, that hurts…”

“You must have had a hard time.”

“Not really… I’m not the only one living through hard times.”

He watched my pouting face and giggled for a while before letting go of my cheek. Without me noticing, Taeyang’s face had gotten closer. In the car, where a cool scent and the sound of heartbeats lingered, a faint breath spread. My eyes felt ticklish, so I closed them for a long moment and opened them.

“This is the first time I’ve told anyone about this.”

“Ah… really?”

“Well, it probably spread around somehow, but this is the first time I’ve chosen to say it myself.”

“…”

“I thought people would look down on me. I’m supposed to be a soccer player representing Korea, so I can’t show weakness.”

Taeyang pulled up the corner of his mouth and grinned. Ah, I opened my mouth in a small O and let out a low sigh.

I didn’t know why Taeyang thought that way. After hearing those words, my heart opened a little more toward him, who had seemed like an incomprehensible mystery… and it felt more tender toward him instead.

Feeling an unexpected sense of kinship with someone I thought was completely different from me made me curious about the human Kang Taeyang. Only now did I truly want to know what kind of person he was.

“What are you doing? Put in the address.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah?”

“I said I’d take you home, and you were spacing out.”

Vroom.

Taeyang started the car and tilted his chin toward the navigation. I had been distracted too, so I hurriedly entered the address on the screen.

Taeyang drove the SUV with its wild look skillfully. As the Range Rover smoothly left the underground parking lot, bright light poured down along the windshield.

“Hey, hyung, that Econ Mububu from earlier…? The guy with the weird name, is he a famous soccer player?”

“Of course. He’s Nigerian, and last year he even won the Ballon d’Or.”

“Ohh… I see.”

“Yeon Wooju, you don’t even know what the Ballon d’Or is. Hey, Mububu’s annual salary is over a hundred billion won.”

“Eek, soccer players really make a lot of money.”

“Just wait. In three years, I’ll go overseas and earn that much too.”

Under the brilliant midday sunlight, Taeyang boasted as usual. Well, his overflowing confidence did seem to have enough basis. Either way, unlike when we had rushed anxiously to the hospital, now we could enjoy a light drive.

“You can stop here?”

“Yeah, okay!”

Well, it was so close it barely counted as a drive, and we arrived at the dormitory too quickly. Just as I opened the car door to get out, I turned back at the low, mid-range voice quietly calling my name.

“Yeon Wooju.”

“Hm?”

“You’re the first person who’s come to my house. …Well, excluding one-night stands.”

“Whoa… is that true?”

“Come hang out again next time. Then let’s cook something good together.”

His tone was playful, but his expression was serious. Taeyang was still gripping the steering wheel tightly. With the car door half open, I nodded without thinking.

After Wednesday’s liberal arts class, I decided to get the content filming done. The group project presentation was coming up next week.

Even as the three of us headed to the library together, I wasn’t sure whether I’d done the right thing by leaving the entire video content planning, the core of the group project, to Heeyeon.

“You’ll see from the script, but the main filming location is the library. However, if we only film indoors, it might look a bit dull, so we’ll film the ending outside.”

“…”

“I already got permission to film in the library. For the outdoor shots, we’ll film on the lawn for a natural feel. If we go out around three, I think the light will look prettiest. On my way here, I borrowed a good camcorder, so we can use this to film.”

“…”

“I’m busy too, and everyone else is busy, so let’s try to finish filming within half a day.”

So, I’d handed over the video filming to get Jang Heeyeon’s cooperation, but I hadn’t expected this much… Listening to her rapid-fire words, I could only nod blankly. Then, a step behind, I read through the scenario Heeyeon handed me.

It was a short video of about five minutes, so the script wasn’t that long, but the structure was incredibly professional, from numbering the scenes to special effects. More than that, it was even more surprising how accurately it interpreted the theme Lee Rayoon proposed and wove it into the script in a way that didn’t feel off-putting.

“Wow… so you really didn’t need any help from us?”

Wait, during the whole meeting, she seemed to be only half-listening to us and completely focused on Twitter. When on earth did she…? Is this why people should do work they like?

Well, even during last week’s meeting, to me Jang Heeyeon was a free rider, but to someone else she must have been a carry goddess.

“Heeyeon sunbae, you did all this by yourself in two days?”

“Heeyeon, you’re really amazing. You were a total powerhouse!”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. We don’t have time, so read it quickly and tell me right away if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

The completion of her charisma was that even after handling an enormous workload, she showed no sign of boasting about her efforts, as if she had only done what was natural.

Wow, Jang Heeyeon was someone who followed through. I reflected on myself for doubting Heeyeon even for a moment and read the rest of the scenario. At this rate, wasn’t I just riding the bus she was driving with my seatbelt fastened?

“Wait a minute. The, the scenario has a kiss between Rayoon and me too?”

“We don’t need your lips to actually touch. We can film it by matching the angles well, and edit it cleverly.”

Lee Rayoon and Yeon Wooju kissing?

When I checked the last line of the script, my pupils shook on their own. I was startled and pressed her, but Jang Heeyeon answered so calmly… I almost accepted it meekly again, but I forced my brain to work and barely held back.

The problem wasn’t whether we could edit it well. That wasn’t the issue at all!

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