* * *

It was beyond adorable.

Yoochan burst into laughter, unable to contain himself, as he cupped Joobin’s face with both hands.

Joobin responded by hugging Yoochan tightly, burying his face into his chest.

His trembling breath sent warmth seeping through the thin fabric of Yoochan’s T-shirt.

“Are you embarrassed?”

“….”

“Anyone would think this was your first kiss, Joobin.”

“…You were too much.”

Joobin rested his chin on Yoochan’s chest, looking up at him.

How could someone still look so flawless even from below?

His big, bright eyes shimmered, his long eyelashes stood out even more, and his straight nose needed no further compliment.

His fair skin and the slight blush on his cheeks completed the picture.

When Joobin’s gaze finally fell on Yoochan’s lips, his face turned red again, and he buried his head in Yoochan’s chest once more.

Those red, glossy lips seemed extra shiny today—maybe it was just his imagination.

His heart raced like it did when he was in love for the first time.

It was so intense that it was hard to hide the redness in his face, as if the camera would capture every bit of his embarrassment.

“What do you want to do today? Should we go see a movie?”

Yoochan gently stroked Joobin’s hair as he asked.

He ran his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp, and Joobin’s broad shoulders shrank for a moment.

Then he raised his head slightly to meet Yoochan’s gaze again.

Yoochan cupped his handsome face, lightly brushing his eyebrows. Joobin blinked, looking like a kitten craving affection.

It was so cute that Yoochan bit his lip to suppress a smile.

As he looked down at Joobin, who was quietly offering his face, Joobin softly asked, “A movie?”

“Yeah, you don’t have anything planned for tonight, right?”

“Right.”

“Let’s go watch a movie. We can get popcorn too.”

“Then I’ll get….”

“Yeah, caramel popcorn.”

“No, actually, my taste has changed.”

Joobin shook his head with his chin resting on Yoochan’s chest.

Yoochan’s face showed a hint of surprise.

Wait, how could his taste have changed when they hadn’t even been to the movies in ages?

He had confidently interrupted Joobin earlier, only to feel a little awkward when Joobin corrected him.

“So what do you like now?”

“Onion.”

“Aww, the baby has grown up and likes onions now.”

“…Baby?”

Joobin raised an eyebrow.

Surprised by what he had just heard, Joobin blinked, and Yoochan kissed him on the forehead.

Then he patted Joobin’s broad back, saying it was time to get up.

“Go wash up. I have something to show you.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when you’re done.”

Yoochan ruffled Joobin’s hair roughly, gently nudging his arm as he moved away from the embrace.

With a playful look, he gestured for Joobin to get going.

Joobin reluctantly got up, moving slowly as if he really didn’t want to leave.

Was he that tired?

Yoochan briefly wondered if it would be better to let him rest a bit longer.

But soon, the sound of water streaming down came from the shower, and Yoochan smiled, sitting down on the couch.

Initially, Yoochan planned to show Joobin the updated name he had saved in his phone.

But after remembering the cameras placed around the house, he decided to show him the script he had chosen the previous night instead.

The heart emoji next to his name could wait for another time.

For now, it seemed wiser to avoid any unnecessary teasing.

Yoochan placed the selected scripts on the table and waited quietly for Joobin.

Normally, Joobin didn’t take long in the shower, but today it seemed to be taking him longer.

When Joobin finally came out, he was fully dressed, though his hair was still slightly damp.

Thinking about how Joobin must have carefully gotten dressed while avoiding the cameras made him smile again.

Despite his large frame, he had covered himself completely, though his hair remained slightly wet.

Instead of sitting next to Yoochan, Joobin plopped down on the floor in front of the sofa.

The place where he settled down was right next to Gong Yoochan’s knee.

“Want me to dry it for you?”

“Yeah.”

Without hesitation, Cha Joobin tilted his head forward as if it were second nature, and Gong Yoochan, just as accustomed, grabbed a towel and gently shook the water out of his hair.

He remembered how often they used to do this when they were younger.

There was only a two-year age difference, but memories of his younger self acting all grown-up flashed through his mind.

Gong Yoochan let out an embarrassed chuckle.

“Mom, I think I’ve grown up a bit.”

Gong Yoochan recalled the time he had proudly said that.

It was probably after filming a children’s variety show with Cha Joobin.

It was a cold winter, and although the recording took place in a studio, the heating hadn’t worked well, leaving the inside chilly.

It was at that moment, as Cha Joobin sneezed and sniffled, that Gong Yoochan, acting like he was ten years older, calmly brought a tissue to his nose and said,

“Blow. Come on, blow!”

“Hmmph!”

“Harder, that’s how the snot will come out.”

“But I don’t like blowing my nose.”

“You still have to. Otherwise, you’ll catch a cold.”

Yoochan still didn’t know why he had made such a big deal out of it.

From the moment he sneezed, he had likely been coming down with a cold.

Yet, he’d acted as if blowing his nose with his hand would somehow keep him from getting sick.

Now, thinking back, he felt a bit embarrassed.

At the time, though, there hadn’t been an ounce of embarrassment.

Instead, he’d marched straight to his mom and spent the day bragging about how he was the “responsible older brother who helped his little sibling blow their nose.”

In the end, he’d caught a cold himself and had to skip recording the next day.

When he saw Cha Joobin again, the younger boy handed him a cola-flavored candy.

“Grandma said to give this to you because you helped me feel a little better,” Joobin had said, his voice adorably muffled by a stuffy nose. Even then, Yoochan couldn’t help but smile at how sweet he sounded. From that point on, he’d started paying more attention, looking out for Joobin and always stepping in to help.

Like that one summer day at the valley, after they finished shooting.

Water was dripping everywhere, but Yoochan had taken the towel and dried Joobin’s hair, even though he hadn’t properly dried himself.

He was the big brother, and he’d felt proud to show it.

Thinking about it now, he could admit it was a little embarrassing, but Joobin had just blushed, happy.

Just like now.

“Why do you like it so much when I dry your hair?” Yoochan asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Joobin glanced over, and just like when he was younger, the tips of his ears turned red.

He always blushed so easily.

Once Yoochan confirmed that Joobin’s hair was mostly dry, he set the towel down.

Reaching out, he rubbed the tip of Joobin’s ear, which was hot and red.

Joobin scrunched up his face and twisted his shoulders, eventually covering his ear with his large, frying-pan-sized hand.

Not that it made a difference; he couldn’t hide his blushing face.

“It’s not that I like having my hair dried… I just like when you do it…”

“Oh.”

“When the staff at the shop dry my hair, my ears don’t turn red like this.”

The quiet confession made Yoochan smile.

He rested his chin on Joobin’s head and stretched out a hand to grab the script on the table in front of them.

“Take a look at this.”

“This is what you wanted to show me?”

“Yeah, there are a few options, but I can’t decide which one to choose.”

“Can I help?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Gong Yoochan widened his eyes in surprise, locking gazes with Cha Joobin.

When he tilted his head to the side and stared at him intently, Joobin blinked and let out a soft “hmm.”

Then, taking the script handed to him, Joobin quickly skimmed through it.

Even though it only had the synopsis and the first episode, his reading speed was impressively fast.

His twitching eyebrows hinted at his interest.

Despite that, he occasionally offered professional advice, saying, “This might not quite suit you, hyung.”

“And how about this one?”

As Yoochan handed him the next script, watching Joobin meticulously review it made his heart flutter.

He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

Right—he was head over heels just watching him like this, so why had he ever talked about breaking up?

There was no need to wonder if Joobin had lost interest or if their relationship was something only he was desperately holding onto.

The way Joobin looked at him hadn’t changed—then or now.

A wave of regret washed over him, and he sighed internally.

Keeping his feelings hidden, Yoochan kept playing with Joobin’s hair as he continued skimming through the scripts.

“This one.”

When Joobin finally picked a script, it was one Yoochan had been particularly fond of as well.

The character was different from any he had played before, but he felt confident he could pull it off and create synergy with the story.

“Not bad, right?”

“Yeah, this one suits you the best. I think you’ll do great.”

With a charming smile, Joobin handed the script back, and Yoochan nodded along, their eyes meeting once again.

The deep affection in Joobin’s gaze stirred something in his chest.

Yoochan swallowed dryly and licked his lips.

Then, suddenly, he spoke.

“Joobin, right now… I want to kiss you.”

* * *