* * *
“I’m sorry…”
Dansol, who had woken up only after the movie ended, apologized to Yiyeon with an embarrassed expression. His stern face made Dansol shrink back.
“You’re awake? There’s still some time left.”
But Yiyeon, hiding his stern expression, smiled brightly as if it didn’t matter at all that Dansol had slept through the two-hour movie.
“Shall we go to the Han River?”
Yiyeon suddenly suggested going to the Han River. Dansol was suddenly reminded of past memories.
“Sol, shall we go on a date off the island?”
“What? Uh… sure.”
“Isn’t there a place you want to go?”
“I want to go to the Han River! I saw it on SNS… They say it’s nice to go there in spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. We can have ramen and order chicken… Oh, but you can’t. People will recognize you.”
“If we go at night with hats and masks on, no one will recognize us.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Sol, do you know how cute you are?”
He couldn’t even remember what he had answered back then.
He just vaguely remembered being extremely embarrassed and not being able to sleep all night after returning to the dorm.
But in the end, they became people who never met again after the program ended.
“…Okay.”
This time, it was Yiyeon who approached first. Dansol tried hard to push the past memories out of his mind, trying to separate the Yiyeon in front of his from the Yiyeon of the past.
***
“There are so many people…”
Yiyeon said as he spread out the mat they bought from a nearby store.
The early evening at the Han River, transitioning from summer to fall, was crowded with people who came with their lovers, friends, and family.
The production crew was filming the two from a distance, at an angle where they wouldn’t be recognized.
Thanks to that, not many people recognized Yiyeon and Dansol, who had their hats pulled down deeply.
But Dansol still got startled by glances that brushed past them, simply because of their superior physique and proportions.
“If you wear a hat, no one will recognize you.”
“Have you been here often?”
Dansol asked, and Yiyeon answered with a smile.
“Why? Do you think I’ve been on many dates?”
“No! That’s not what I meant…!”
There was a hint of sarcasm. Yiyeon was kind, handsome, and had nothing lacking, so Dansol naturally thought he must have had many dating experiences, unlike him.
“Since it’s close, I often come here to run. If I don’t have a schedule, I run about 10 km a day. If I wear a hat and sunglasses and whiz by, no one recognizes me.”
“Oh… I see.”
“If it’s okay… we could go together when there’s no schedule.”
Yiyeon said shyly, and Dansol forced himself to respond calmly. he kept telling himself not to fall for that gentle smile.
“But… our dorm is far from the Han River. Very, very far.”
“If it’s because it’s far and not because you don’t want to, I’ll come pick you up.”
“It’s not that…”
“Oh? Looks like the chicken is here. I’ll go get it, wait here.”
Just as Dansol was hesitating to express his discomfort directly to Yiyeon, his phone rang.
As if he didn’t want to hear his answer, Yiyeon quickly stood up and headed to the pickup spot.
Trying to clear his mind, Dansol let out a deep sigh.
While he was squatting and plucking grass, a small white object trotted up to him.
“Woof!”
“A puppy?”
“Woof! Woof!”
The puppy, about the size of his forearm, seemed to be a young pup. Wearing a neatly fitted red hoodie and a leash, the puppy sat on Dansol’s knee as if it were its place.
Dansol looked around in confusion. But no matter how much he looked, there was no one who seemed to be looking for a lost puppy.
“Who are you…? Where’s your mom?”
“Woof! Woof!”
He asked while scratching the puppy’s small head, but there was no way the puppy could answer.
“Oh! Where did it go?”
“Why didn’t you take better care of it?”
“Am I the only owner? What were you doing?”
At that moment, he heard voices looking for the puppy about 10 meters away. Without thinking, Dansol stood up and shouted.
“The puppy is here!”
Feeling impatient as they seemed to be fighting over the missing puppy, Dansol called out.
“There it is! Go get it.”
“Damn… seriously.”
A man, frowning deeply, approached Dansol. He almost snatched the puppy away from him. Instead of thanking him, he scolded him.
“How can you take someone else’s puppy?”
“Oh… I didn’t take it.”
Annoyed by his attitude, Dansol firmly retorted.
“Geez. Even if the puppy came to you on its own, you should have returned it to its owner. If I hadn’t come to find it, you’d have just kept it, right?”
“What? What are you talking about!”
“What’s going on, why aren’t you coming?”
The woman, who had been observing from their spot, approached. When he saw Dansol, he raised his voice as if recognizing him.
“Oh! Oh!”
“What is it…”
“Hey! We saw you on that show a few days ago!”
“What? Oh… right! That… that!”
The two seemed unable to recall Dansol’s name despite having watched the show. Dansol just wanted to leave the scene quickly.
“That… what’s it called. I can’t remember the name. Idol!”
“Zeus?”
“No! The failed idol group! Anyway, isn’t that right?”
They rudely talked about ‘failed idols’ in front of Dansol.
They didn’t seem to realize that the person standing in front of them was not a character from the virtual world but a real person like them.
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, Yiyeon, who had gone to get the food delivery, returned. He wrapped his arm around Dansol’s shoulder, who was standing as if being interrogated by the two.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“Oh…! It’s… Yi-Yiyeon…”
They clearly knew Yiyeon’s name. Yiyeon, familiar with such reactions, smiled gently and lowered his voice.
“We’re on a date, so could you keep it a secret? There are a lot of eyes watching.”
They had purposely chosen a darker spot, so no one had recognized them yet, but people were starting to glance their way due to the commotion.
“Of course! I’m a big fan of Lee Yiyeon!”
“Me too, me too!”
The two people who had been rude to Dansol were now fawning over Yiyeon as if nothing had happened.
Although he should have been used to it by now, the strange feeling of being an invisible person in the same space never quite went away.
“I really enjoy watching RO Match Survival too. Sorry to bother, but could we take a picture…?”
“Sure, but since this is for a show, please don’t spoil anything.”
“Of course!”
Dansol took the phone camera that was suddenly thrust at him. Yiyeon was beaming within the camera’s frame.
After taking a few pictures, Dansol handed the phone back.
Yiyeon, seemingly bothered by the attention, started packing up their things.
“This isn’t working. Let’s eat in the car. Is that okay?”
It was only then that Yiyeon spoke to Dansol, who had been standing idly.
But Dansol didn’t hear him, too focused on the conversation of the couple who had just taken the photos.
“Shouldn’t we have taken a picture with the idol he’s on a date with too? What’s his name again… he was pretty cute.”
“Come on, those types just flash and disappear. We hit the jackpot getting a picture with Lee Yiyeon.”
Yiyeon, whose face was hidden under a deep cap, finally bent down to check on Dansol’s face, which was obscured by his own cap.
“Sol…!”
Dansol was silently crying. E
ven though he tried to keep a neutral expression, his face was already drenched.
“What’s wrong? Let’s… let’s get in the car first.”
Yiyeon, concerned about the people watching, hurriedly led Dansol to the car.
“Sol…?”
Yiyeon asked repeatedly, but Dansol couldn’t answer, only shaking his head. He didn’t know why he felt so miserable, so he couldn’t explain it.
“… Let’s just go home, I want to leave.”
“Is it because of those people? Don’t let it get to you. This is how our job is.”
“…I don’t really know.”
Being misunderstood as a thief or being called a failed idol to his face didn’t bother him anymore.
Those things didn’t matter to Dansol anymore.
What hurt him was Yiyeon’s attitude. As expected, Yiyeon hadn’t changed at all from before his regression.
Yiyeon pretended not to hear the words that Dansol, who had a hearing impairment, could hear clearly.
He was always kind and gentle. That included being kind to those who tormented Dansol.
* * *
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Thanks!
Dansol!!!!! :((
damnn…