Yoon-hyuk sat up again and drank about half of the liquor remaining in his glass. Hae-young stared at him intently.
Was he offering clumsy comfort because he knew what she was going through? Or was he just teasing her?
She couldn't tell his intentions or reasons, but one thing was certain—his words, whether sincere or not, brought her some comfort.
"What about you? Did Min-ji catch your eye right away?"
"Hmm."
They had promised to say it was love at first sight.
Even so, Yoon-hyuk hesitated.
Sweat began to form on his palms. He couldn't say no. He wasn't supposed to. Even though Yoon-hyuk was on her side, he somehow felt like an unpredictable wild card.
"Yeah."
"Min-ji's cute, right?"
"Yeah."
Phew. His expression didn't quite look like someone who found someone cute, but at least he said what he was supposed to.
"Good luck on your date tomorrow."
"I'm good at everything. What about you?"
"Huh?"
"What are you doing tomorrow? You didn't seem to have anything planned."
"A date."
"With who? Seong-jun?"
Yoon-hyuk lifted his head. He stared at her again, intently.
It was a gaze she still hadn't gotten used to. He was just looking at her, yet it somehow felt like she was standing completely exposed in front of him.
She shook her head. Yoon-hyuk raised an eyebrow. If not Seong-jun, then who? His sharp gaze silently asked the question.
"Jae-young. I asked him out."
She hadn't expected much, but she figured there was a chance she could get a ticket to tomorrow's exhibition with Min-ji—so she asked in advance.
"So, another guy? Didn't take you for a flirt."
"It's not like that. I just wanted to get to know everyone."
"Did you forget? I told you to get my permission before meeting other guys."
"Are you my dad or something?"
"Let's say I'm your guardian. So, what time are you going out?"
"Well… we planned to have lunch, so…"
"What time will you be back?"
"If it's fun, I might be out for a while."
"Then come back quickly."
"Are you worried I'll feel awkward because I'm not close with anyone yet? It's fine. You'll be out all day with Min-ji anyway. You'll probably come back later than me."
"Come home and wait for me in your room."
"What am I, your dog or something?"
Yoon-hyuk tilted his head to the side. A serious crease formed between his brows.
Was that too harsh?
Or was he deep in thought about something?
"I don't like dogs. But if it's what you want…"
"I'll make it official then. You're my dog, and I'm your guardian. Perfect match."
"I never asked for that."
"Doesn't matter. I'm doing it anyway."
"I'll pass."
"No need to refuse."
"Please, I'm seriously begging you—no thanks."
Then, they both let out a light laugh at the same time. At this point, they probably did come across as real friends on screen.
"What did you do today?"
"Went to a sheep ranch."
"And? Tell me what you did while I wasn't around."
Yoon-hyuk rested his chin on his hand, urging her to continue.
It was a question completely unrelated to their earlier agreement—or to any thoughts of revenge.
Hae-young slowly began talking about her day. Every time she paused, Yoon-hyuk asked a question or two.
As she answered him, she found herself gradually sharing all kinds of small details—like how it felt to touch the sheep, whether she was scared, how sore her legs were after the hike, and what the weather and sky were like.
Suddenly, she realized it had been a long time since she had a moment like this. Even with Seong-jun, after the early days of dating, they rarely had ordinary conversations. She had mostly just listened, without really talking.
But even those stray thoughts would quickly fade whenever Yoon-hyuk tossed her another question.
As they passed the time with these trivial conversations, Hae-young started to feel a little more at ease. Thoughts of revenge, the show, how others saw her, or the annoying sight of Min-ji and Seong-jun—all of that slipped from her mind.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed like that. Then, the footsteps that had occasionally echoed from the second floor had gone silent.
"What are you doing?"
A sudden, unfamiliar voice broke into their little world, making Hae-young jump. She hadn't realized anyone else was still awake.
It was Seong-jun. Whether he had come out while getting ready for bed or had just woken up, he had a hoodie pulled over his head.
He glanced back and forth between Yoon-hyuk and Hae-young, who were sitting apart in the dimly lit living room.
It had been more than three hours since the drinking had ended.
There were only two glasses on the table. No one else around. Seong-jun's expression hardened.
"You're not asleep yet?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I came down for another drink."
"Just the two of you?"
There was a cold edge in Seong-jun's voice, sharp with suspicion. Hae-young instinctively glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction.
If they weren't on a filming set, he probably would've exploded by now. Seong-jun had hated it when she even exchanged harmless messages with other men.
Once, he had even mistaken a promotional spam text for a message from a male acquaintance of hers—and it led to a huge argument.
He didn't even like her. So why had he acted that way? Maybe the idea that someone like her could dare to betray him was unbearable to him.
But now, no matter what she did, she didn't owe him an apology.
In fact, she almost hoped Seong-jun would see this situation as cheating. That he'd get angry, furious, so worked up that his blood would boil and he wouldn't be able to sleep.
"So earlier it was Min-ji, and now it's Hae-young? Yoon-hyuk, you seem like the type to flirt around a bit—playing the field, huh?"
Seong-jun said it with a smile, but his tone was anything but friendly. It sounded more like he was picking a fight.
Hae-young felt a jolt of fear—what if Yoon-hyuk decided to push back? It was still early in the filming. They couldn't afford to cross any lines yet.
But contrary to her worry, Yoon-hyuk let out a hearty laugh.
Then he turned his head and looked at Hae-young, flashing a bright, playful smile as if to say, Did you hear that?
"You heard that, right? Hae-young, looks like we're the same now."
He was referring to the comment he had made earlier—calling her a flirt.
But Seong-jun's expression only grew darker. Watching the two of them carry on a conversation that excluded him, right in front of him, clearly struck a nerve.
Clearly, he didn't like being left out.
"What were you two talking about that was so entertaining? Mind if I join? I came out because I felt like having a drink too."
Anyone could tell he'd just come out from getting ready for bed, but Seong-jun said that as he plopped down next to Hae-young on the floor.
"A drink sounds great. But what a shame, we were just about to call it a night."
Yoon-hyuk held up the two empty glasses for show, then grabbed Hae-young by the wrist and stood up with her.
Left sitting alone, Seong-jun looked up at them—more precisely, at Yoon-hyuk holding Hae-young's wrist.
Hae-young recognized that expression. He was about to start yelling, maybe even cursing.
But whether it was because Yoon-hyuk was physically bigger, or because the cameras were still rolling, Seong-jun didn't do anything. He just glared at Hae-young, barely holding back his anger.
"If you want a drink, I can get it for you. That much I can do. Beer? Whiskey? Wine? What would you like?"
Yoon-hyuk gave a final, forced smile as if to drive the point home.
"But let's not drink too late. Drinking alone can easily lead to alcohol addiction."
*****
A little while earlier, after the drinking had wrapped up, Seong-jun lay alone in his room, unable to fall asleep easily.
"Han Yoon-hyuk…"
The newly arrived extra cast member had clearly gotten under his skin.
He didn't like him. It was hard to believe someone could make such a bad first impression right from the start.
Sure, the guy was slick and good-looking, but he didn't feel like he was at a serious disadvantage. While that guy might fit the typical "handsome" mold more closely, if you ranked who women liked better, he might actually be ahead.
He was just cast as the "maggot" role to make a bigger impact.
So why wasn't it me? Why was that guy the "maggot"?
Did the PD pick him?
Me… Maybe the main PD's taste leaned more that way. Hmph.
The main PD was a woman, right? Women tend to be more emotional, so that could explain it.
Still, wasn't I a little taller? ...Or not?
Besides, that guy Han Yoon-hyuk immediately picked Min-ji as soon as he arrived.
At that moment, he realized why his first impression of Yoon-hyuk had been so bad.
It felt like going back to the time in high school when he had long harbored a crush on Min-ji.