Chapter - 38화 (38/150)
"Seriously… how did you do that, sunbae?"
Dansol shook the gun in his hands, unable to get anywhere near the target. Daesu had already hit ten perfect tens and had a huge rabbit plush tucked under his arm.
"Why? Is there something you want? I'll win it for you."
"No, it's not that… There's someone I want to give it to."
Dansol fidgeted regretfully with the gun, now empty after using all ten shots. At that, Daesu's expression hardened like he'd bitten into a bug.
"Who?"
"Huh?"
"Who do you want to give it to?"
Could he be… jealous?
Dansol hurriedly explained, like he was making excuses.
"Ah… Jisu hyung. He always said you need a security blanket, and… now we're not even sharing a room anymore, so… I thought he might feel lonely."
Daesu sneered inwardly. Not only did Jisu not need a security blanket—he hated having anything lying around at home. It got so bad that he didn't even have pots or cups, so he'd taken the chance when the owner wasn't home to loot Daesu's place.
"What do you want to give him?"
Daesu asked as he looked at the line of shabby plushies. He looked ready to give Dansol anything he wanted.Even if it was for Jisu's comfortable sleep, which Daesu despised.
"I… don't really know. Can't you pick for me, sunbae? You're… close with Jisu hyung."
Daesu raised an eyebrow once, then picked out the ugliest-looking one among the plushies.
"Sir, what's that plush?"
The plush Daesu pointed at had a strange color somewhere between brown and orange, and its rather grotesque shape made you question what it even was.A big cylinder that looked like a Pepero stick, but with a pointy end that also made it look like a squid—an odd plush that made you wonder who on earth made it and why.
"Urechis. About two years ago, seafood plushies were trending—whales, seahorses, octopuses sold like crazy, but that urechis bastard still hasn't sold. It's just that the plastic got dirty! I've never opened it even once, so it's clean like this."
Like he'd finally found someone worthy to take it away, the shooting stall owner started unsealing the thing he'd left unopened for two years. As if proving it was new, the fluffy-clean urechis plush head peeked out from between the old plastic cover.
"Jisu likes stuff like that."
Do actors all have unusual tastes?
Since Daesu knew Jisu well and he picked it, Dansol just nodded and accepted it.
"Ten shots, please."
"Sit here. I'll go buy something cold."
After leading Dansol to the shade under a big tree on a wide hill, Daesu wandered back down the path. It was already evening and most people had left, so Dansol took off the mascot head and set it beside him.
"Three rabbits and one urechis. I could start a zoo."
Two rabbit mascot heads, smiling thinly, the big white rabbit plush Daesu had won, and the urechis plush meant for Jisu—everything around Dansol felt soft and cozy.
"Sunbae!"
Dansol waved at Daesu approaching from afar with a drink carrier holding two beverages and cotton candy in his hand. In the sunset light, Daesu's features stood out clearly—prominent brow bone, high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, a strong jawline. An alpha anyone would want.
Dansol took the oddly out-of-place cotton candy from his hand and asked,
"Why cotton candy?"
"I thought you'd like it. What—do you hate it?"
"Um…"
Dansol barely remembered ever eating cotton candy. To decide whether he liked it or not, he had to try it first, didn't he?
Without saying anything, he leaned in and touched his lips to the cotton candy in Daesu's hand.
Lick—
Daesu sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden sight of Dansol's tongue. A small, bright-red tongue filled his view like slow motion.
"Um… I think I like it. It's good, sunbae."
"Bathroom."
Daesu practically threw down the drink carrier too, shoved the mascot head over his face, and sprinted down the hill. Dansol was left holding cotton candy bigger than his face, staring blankly, having no idea what was going on.
Daesu came back when it was already getting dark. Maybe it'd been urgent, because he'd gone up and down the hill several times—he looked uncharacteristically tired.
"Shall we go now? Let's eat dinner."
"Yes!"
Dansol sprang up excitedly—then wobbled again. In that instant, Daesu felt a sense of déjà vu.
Come to think of it, it wasn't the first time he'd caught him like this.
Did he have orthostatic hypotension or something?
"Joo Dansol."
Walking on Dansol's left, Daesu called him several times, but Dansol didn't even notice and kept going.
"Joo Dansol!"
Only when Daesu raised his voice did Dansol finally turn around.Something was definitely off.
"Yes? Sunbae?"
"…Walk slower. You'll fall."
But Daesu didn't press.
If something was wrong with his body and even Daesu could tell, there was no way Dansol didn't know. Yet he hadn't seen him leave the island for treatment, or take any medicine. If Dansol wasn't saying anything, he must have his reasons.
"Ah, yes! What are we eating for dinner?"
"Something you like."
{Auntie's Spicy Catfish Stew}
Dansol suddenly remembered their first meeting. The words he'd used back then to wall off Iiyeon were coming back like this.
The moment they opened the door, a wall covered in celebrity autographs—the hallmark of a famous restaurant—came into view, and Daesu looked smug.
"Luckily, it was nearby."
Dansol felt awkward. It wasn't that he was picky, but he'd never eaten spicy catfish stew even once. He barely ever had the chance to try even something as common as cotton candy—there was no way he'd been to a stew place out in the outskirts.
"What do you want to eat?"
Daesu asked out of formality while looking at a menu filled with spicy catfish stew, freshwater fish stew, and rockfish stew.
"…Hamburg steak."
"…Huh?"
"To be honest… I've never had spicy fish stew…"
Only then did Daesu realize his mistake.
He hadn't known Dansol had blurted that out back then just to push Iiyeon away, so now he felt ridiculous for using their hard-won date ticket to bring him to a place old men would usually visit.
"Heh."
"I'm sorry…"
"No. It's… fine. I haven't really eaten stuff like spicy fish stew much either."
Scratching his head in embarrassment, Daesu placed the order.
"Ma'am, two hamburg steaks, and… um… can we order just one serving of stew?"
"What do you mean, one serving of stew! There's no such thing. You order by the number of people. Just looking at you, you look like you'll eat a whole pot!"
"Yes… then two servings of spicy catfish stew, please."
Daesu didn't really like fish. He'd only asked because it felt awkward to order only hamburg steak, but what he got back was a smack even spicier than the stew—straight to the back.
The chatty owner laughed, then asked, "You don't need soju?" but Daesu waved it off, saying he'd driven here.
After the talkative owner disappeared, an awkward silence settled between the two of them across the table.
"Sorry."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry."
While they sat there without saying much, two hamburg steaks arrived on colorful plates that looked like something kids would love. Even orange juice was neatly set down. As the owner went back into the kitchen, Daesu pressed his forehead again.
"Ah… seriously, I can't believe we're eating steak in a place like this…"
Watching Dansol stare at the round hamburg steak, Daesu felt a deep sense of guilt.Even giving him only good things still wouldn't be enough—and he'd wasted this golden chance with a stupid choice.
"Sunbae! This is really good!"
But to Dansol's palate, trained by Ttowa Bunsik, a kids' hamburg steak tasted as good as something from a hotel restaurant.
"…Really?"
"Goodness! Pretty boy's got taste! I chopped all the onions myself and minced the meat myself—everyone says it's good! If you want more, I'll give you more!"
At that moment, the owner, bringing over the spicy catfish stew, heard Dansol and beamed. The heavy pot she set on the burner was packed with stew ingredients.
"Wow…"
"Eat when it starts bubbling—."
Unlike Daesu's miserable mood, Dansol hummed happily.
"Sunbae, thank you so much today. I think this is almost my first time going out like this."
"You said you started being a trainee at thirteen?"
Daesu asked as he poured hot broth over the still-under-cooked fish.
"Yes, that's right."
"What about your parents? They didn't oppose it?"
"…What about you, sunbae? They said you were amazing at studying too. Wouldn't your parents have opposed it?"
Daesu realized Dansol didn't want to answer. If he pushed again, with that soft personality, Dansol would eventually tell him—but if Dansol didn't want to, Daesu had no desire to force it out of him.
"Can you even call it opposition? They were a little disappointed for a moment. They said if I'd told them earlier, it would've been better for me to go into theater, not film. That was all."
"Ah… I see."
Dansol couldn't continue. His lips only moved soundlessly.
"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."
"Uh… it's not that… Could you edit this out, maybe?"
Dansol asked the PD who had been filming him the whole time. Unlike PD Choi, the B-team PD had a pretty reasonable personality. He suggested leaving the camera on, but turning off the audio.
"Yes, okay. Actually, my parents divorced when I was young. And… they both started new families, so talking about it on broadcast… I have to be careful."
"Ah…"
Now it made sense why Dansol talked easily about the dorm or the members, but clammed up the moment family came up.
"So there wasn't really any 'opposition'… I had to survive on my own somehow. When I entered the company, they were actually happy. I was out of the house, and there were people to look after me."
What kind of parents could leave a child who hadn't even entered middle school in someone else's hands and sleep peacefully?
Under the table, Daesu's fist tightened.
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