* * *
“Sol! Sol, wake up.”
“Ugh… Why. You said there’s no schedule today…”
Gilsung shook Dansol awake, who had just finished a radio schedule in the early hours.
Dansol’s face, swollen like a dumpling from exhaustion, barely opened his eyes.
Gilsung scratched his head awkwardly in front of him.
“Didn’t I tell you…? The others don’t, but you do. There’s a photoshoot today.”
“What?! A photoshoot? Hyung… you should’ve told me earlier.”
Dansol swallowed his words. He had just gotten up after having ramen and beer with the members, thinking there was no schedule the next day.
Normally, managers would inform them well in advance about photoshoots, but Gilsung often forgot what he had said or not.
In the past, he might have at least pretended to sigh, but now, what was the point of trying to look good?
Dansol firmly believed that the slight popularity he was enjoying now would soon fade.
“Quickly wash up and come out.”
“Okay.”
On the way to the shooting location, Dansol finally learned about the photoshoot concept from Gilsung.
‘Those We Loved Back Then.’
The photoshoot aimed to create a retro mood from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. It was an interesting plan to take group photos in clothes representing each era.
“Who will I be shooting with?”
“Oh, the omegas from the ‘RO Match’ survival show.”
“What?!”
Dansol was still uncomfortable. Even though Taeoh had given him Jisoo’s number on impulse, he couldn’t muster the courage to call first. He didn’t know what to say if he did call.
‘I’m sorry for being a nuisance,’ wasn’t enough.
“Is Senior Han Jisoo coming too?”
“Yeah, of course. He was discharged a few days ago. Originally, he didn’t want to do it and tried to cancel. But he changed his mind a few days ago, and it was chaotic. Sorry, Sol, how are you going to manage with that swollen face? I told you not to eat late-night snacks.”
“It’s fine… I don’t care about that.”
“Should I get you some ice?”
“I’m really fine, hyung.”
***
Meanwhile, Jisoo had been waiting at the shooting location for an hour, fidgeting and biting his nails to the point of making others nervous.
Finally, his manager, who couldn’t stand it any longer, yelled at him.
“Hey, calm down. They’re not here yet.”
“Why aren’t they here yet? Did something happen?”
“They still have an hour left!”
Through Jisoo’s strange behavior over the past few days, his manager realized that Jisoo was quite serious about Dansol.
“I can’t wait anymore. I’m going out.”
When Jisoo flung open the door, there stood Dansol, as if by magic.
Holding Jisoo’s contact info given by Taeoh, Dansol had hesitated countless times.
“…Sol.”
But he just couldn’t find the courage. What Dansol had learned in his short life was that it’s scarier when a familiar person becomes an enemy than when a stranger does.
“Oh… hello, senior.”
Jisoo’s heart sank at Dansol’s greeting. Dansol was a cautious and timid person.
It had taken so much effort for Dansol to naturally call him hyung and sit beside him. Now, due to his mistake, it seemed they’d return to square one, or even worse.
“Sol, why are you calling me senior again… That day, I—”
“I heard you were sick. I’m really fine. I’m sorry for everything.”
“For what.”
Jisoo’s voice turned cold as Dansol, who seemed to be pulling away, kept apologizing. His sharper-than-usual look made Dansol flinch.
“What are you sorry for?”
‘I’m sorry for being a nuisance.’
Dansol recalled that day. What had he done wrong for Jisoo to say he couldn’t stand it?
“I feel like I made you uncomfortable.”
Jisoo got inexplicably angry at Dansol’s slumped shoulders. He couldn’t understand why Dansol, who should have been the one receiving apologies, was acting like a sinner.
“You… why.”
Why do you always act like you’re the wrongdoer? Why do you make me the bad guy? He wanted to ask, but his questions were interrupted by the arrival of Yoon Yeomin and Yoo Doohyun.
“You’re here early? Is he part of the shoot too?”
Yeomin, who had been the first to be eliminated, pointed at Dansol.
“Aren’t you going to say hi?”
“Hello… senior.”
Ignoring the greeting, Yeomin went straight to the waiting room. Following him, Doohyun brushed past Dansol’s shoulder.
Jisoo snorted in disbelief at Doohyun’s blatant disregard for even pretending it was an accident.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“Ah… hello, senior.”
“Not to me. You just bumped into Sol, didn’t you? Aren’t you going to apologize?”
Doohyun’s face turned red with Jisoo’s words. Dansol, flustered, waved his hands.
“I’m… I’m fine. I was standing here… I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I’m sorry too.”
Doohyun, still glaring at Jisoo, quickly left. An uncomfortable silence settled between Dansol and Jisoo.
“Another apology… Is it that easy for you?”
Jisoo murmured to himself.
“Dansol!”
The makeup artist called for Dansol. Unlike Jisoo, who had come early and finished most of his preparations, Dansol’s face was still swollen. He deliberately ignored Jisoo’s question.
“Then, I’ll go. I need to get ready.”
“See you after the shoot.”
“I need to check with my manager if I have any schedules…”
Seeing the still anxious Dansol made Jisoo’s heart ache. He felt like he was becoming the villain who tormented Dansol.
“Okay, ask and let me know, Sol.”
With Jisoo’s voice returning to its usual kind tone, Dansol nodded a couple of times and entered the waiting room.
***
Jisoo, dressed in 90s tough-guy in leather, finished his solo shots and tossed his leather jacket aside. Even standing still under the hot lights with the thick jacket made him sweat profusely.
As he sat back in a chair with several fans blowing on him, Yoon Yeomin knocked briefly and entered Jisoo’s waiting room.
Dressed in high-waisted pants and a flashy patterned shirt with a scarf, Yeomin seemed to be going for a 70s style.
“Why are you here?”
Jisoo, annoyed, opened one eye slightly, looked at Yeomin, then leaned back and closed his eyes again.
“Hyung, are you really going to be like this?”
“What?”
“Take care of your fellow agency members. Don’t just stick with Joo Dansol.”
“Fellow agency members? Are you still at an age where you need taking care of?”
“I’m not talking about me, I’m talking about Yoo Doohyun. He was whining in the waiting room earlier, saying Han Jisoo doesn’t like him.”
“Is he from the same agency?”
Jisoo, who was generally uninterested in other people’s affairs and recently focused all his attention on Dansol, seemed genuinely surprised.
“Ha, since when did you start caring about juniors and seniors? You don’t even respect your elders.”
“What are you talking about? I treat you so well.”
“Just stop bothering the younger ones. And don’t be so blatant about taking care of people from our agency. Everyone knows you’re cozy with President Kim.”
“…Hyung!”
Yoon Yeomin was aware of the rumors about his relationship with the agency’s president and his way of supporting it, but Jisoo had no intention of going along with it.
When he first signed the contract with the company, it was a condition that all staff from the manager to the coordinator be his own people to hide the fact that he was an alpha.
That was why he chose a small company where he could do things his way, despite having offers from good companies.
The company grew thanks to Jisoo, but he had no intention of renewing his contract.
Jisoo felt increasingly tired and burdened by the life of deception he was living.
“Group shot coming up―.”
***
Returning to the studio for the group photo shoot, Jisoo saw Dansol dressed in a 2000s style.
Cargo pants, a big t-shirt reminiscent of the hip-hop scene, a snapback, and board shoes—it was a look so cute it made him smile. Dansol’s slightly swollen face made him look even younger than he was.
As Dansol, who was fiddling with the wallet necklace hanging around his neck, looked up, he met Jisoo’s eyes.
“You’re cute.”
“Ah… Senior, you look cool too.”
“Are you still mad? You keep calling me senior.”
“Oh… it’s not that…”
“I asked your manager, and he said you don’t have any more schedules today?”
Caught off guard by Jisoo blocking his escape route, Dansol’s eyes darted around in confusion.
“I’ll make it up to you later. Let’s go with Hyung.”
“…”
As Yoon Yeomin and Yoo Dohyun approached slowly and Dansol remained silent, Jisoo asked him again.
“Should I just kneel here?”
“Ah! No! That’s…”
“You’ll come with us, right?”
“Yes…”
* * *
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Yeomin is so rude.
Yeomin y Dohyuun son en verdad muy negros