Chapter 58: A Glimpse of Something Unsettling

In the end, Ji-tae stood under the cold water for a long time.

As if that would somehow wash away the turmoil inside him.

Of course, it didn’t.

Only after locking himself in the bathroom for a full thirty minutes did he finally step out.

“What, you’re still washing up?”

He had roughly dried his hair and come downstairs to grab some cold water, but Wooju was already there.

The very person he had used as fuel for his thoughts earlier.

“Huh? Oh…….”

Ji-tae quickly averted his eyes.

He had assumed Wooju was asleep and come down without thinking.

He hadn’t expected to run into him so soon after what he had just done.

Wooju was holding a cup too, probably there for water.

“What takes you so long to shower?

Save some water.”

Wooju laughed playfully and lightly tapped Ji-tae’s shoulder.

Ji-tae flinched and froze in place.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing.

It’s nothing.

I’m going to bed.”

He threw the towel around his neck over his head for no reason and hurried up the stairs.

“If you were just going back, why even come down?”

Wooju tilted his head as the bedroom door slammed shut upstairs.

Today again, Wooju arrived at another hectic filming site.

It was the day of Won Ji-tae’s commercial shoot.

And this time, it was outdoors.

The location was a university in Seoul famous for its beauty.

With its antique buildings and lush trees, it was the kind of campus people immediately thought of when they heard “pretty university.”

There had been concern about crowds, but fortunately the filming location was in front of a small exhibition hall tucked deep inside the campus, where people could learn about the school’s history.

It was fairly secluded.

Of course, that didn’t stop curious onlookers from gathering anyway.

Today’s shoot was for a coffee advertisement.

Apparently, the company was known for rarely using celebrities in their ads, but this time they had decided to break from their usual concept and cast an actor.

From afar, Wooju watched Ji-tae talking with the director.

Wearing a thin beige knit and with his hair down, he looked younger than usual.

After finishing the discussion, Ji-tae naturally walked over to Wooju.

“How’s your condition?”

When Wooju asked, Ji-tae just stared at him.

It almost made the question feel awkward.

“Hey, if someone asks you something, answer.”

“Ah… yeah.

I’m just not used to you worrying about me like a normal person.”

“You picking a fight?”

“Not at all.”

Nearby, the camera director from Living Together busily captured the two bickering again.

That was when Wooju noticed an eyelash stuck beside Ji-tae’s right eye.

“Hey, you’ve got an eyelash here.”

Wooju reached out naturally.

But before his hand could even touch its target, Ji-tae stepped back sharply.

“I’ll ask Seol-ah to check it.”

“Yeah.

Do that.”

And just like that, he disappeared elsewhere.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Wooju as he blankly watched him go.

Just then, a writer approached and told him it was time for an interview.

After glancing once at Ji-tae talking with Seol-ah, Wooju followed the writer.

The questions were the usual ones.

How did it feel being a manager for the second time?

Was it hard?

Wooju, never particularly eloquent, answered honestly and simply.

“Okay, that’ll be it for the interview.”

“That’s all today?”

Usually they asked a lot more, filming extra footage in case it was needed later.

It was better to have too much than too little for editing.

But today, there had only been three questions.

“Oh, we’ll film a lot once the athlete-manager segment ends.

Look forward to it.”

“Please go easy on me.”

Wooju joked back lightly.

Just then, the set grew slightly noisy.

Turning his head instinctively, he saw several staff members gathered around someone strikingly beautiful.

With delicate features that suited the word glamorous, she was Baek Yeon-ah, the actress appearing in this ad alongside Ji-tae.

She had originally debuted as an idol but hadn’t found much success, and recently transitioned into acting.

Even during her idol days, she had been known for her exceptional visuals and had a particularly strong fanbase.

Seok-hyun would go crazy if he knew.

Even though Wooju wasn’t interested in celebrities, he knew about her because Choi Seok-hyun had been her avid fan.

Ever since her idol debut, Seok-hyun had constantly sung her praises, even during training.

There was no way Wooju wouldn’t know her.

If he told Seok-hyun about today’s shoot, he’d probably drop everything and rush over.

The thought made Wooju chuckle softly.

At that moment, a large figure stepped into his line of sight.

Won Ji-tae.

He was smiling brightly, greeting Baek Yeon-ah in a friendly manner.

Even from a distance, the warm atmosphere between them was obvious.

Ji-tae wore a constant smile, as if nothing could wipe it away.

It was hard to believe this was the same person who had just brushed off Wooju’s attempt to remove an eyelash.

“How ridiculous.”

Wooju muttered under his breath and turned his head sharply.

Soon, filming began.

The concept was simple.

The man walks toward the woman, they exchange a few lines, and naturally reveal the coffee product.

A common pattern.

As usual, Wooju stood among the staff at the back, watching.

Against the antique building surrounded by fresh May greenery, Won Ji-tae walked slowly into frame.

The gentle spring breeze swept through his bangs, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering around him like a spotlight on a stage.

Wooju stared absentmindedly.

He had vaguely felt it during the previous photoshoot, but ironically, it was hard to look away from Ji-tae when he was working.

So much so that he didn’t even hear Seol-ah’s quiet greeting beside him.

The camera followed Ji-tae’s slow steps.

When he reached Baek Yeon-ah, the two slowly met each other’s eyes.

“Wow, she’s insanely pretty and he’s insanely handsome.

Is this even real?”

Voices from behind caught Wooju’s ears.

The crowd had grown larger.

Mostly university students in campus jackets, faces flushed with excitement at seeing celebrities.

“They totally match.

If they filmed a romance together, I’d die happy.”

Wooju had always had sharp hearing.

As a child, when secretly cooking ramen with Kang Saet-byeol, he had always been the lookout.

He had never once been caught thanks to his keen ears.

But for the first time, he wished his hearing wasn’t so good.

Because after hearing those words, the sight of the two before him looked different.

The height difference people found thrilling.

The contrast in build.

And of course, their visuals.

They looked well-matched, sharing a similar glamorous aura.

The whispers made perfect sense.

Ji-tae leaned slightly and smiled at Baek Yeon-ah as they locked eyes.

They looked no different from a real couple.

“Wooju oppa, are you a fan of Baek Yeon-ah?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Wooju turned his head.

“Me?”

“No?

You were staring like you were completely captivated.”

Seol-ah teased, mimicking his expression.

What she got wrong was that Wooju hadn’t been staring at her.

He had been staring at Won Ji-tae.

“Was I?”

“Yes!

I even greeted you and you didn’t hear me.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Wooju scratched his head awkwardly.

Still, captivated?

He had been focused, sure, but hearing that made him oddly embarrassed.

“Cut!”

The director suddenly shouted.

“Yeon-ah, you completely messed up the line.”

“I’m sorry.”

She flinched at his sharp tone and bowed repeatedly.

Staff exchanged uneasy glances.

In the cool, tense air, filming resumed.

“Cut!

It’s just one line—why do you keep getting it wrong?

And your expression is completely stiff.

If it gets dark, we can’t keep shooting!”