William was still staring at their joined hands.
It felt strange.
Not strange in a bad way—just… new.
For months they had touched during filming without thinking about it. Hands on shoulders, fingers intertwined for romantic scenes, arms around each other during rehearsals.
But this was different.
This time there was no script.
Est noticed the way William kept glancing down at their hands like he couldn't quite believe it.
"You're staring," Est said.
"I know."
"You're making it awkward."
William looked up immediately. "Am I?"
Est tried to keep a straight face.
"You're acting like you just discovered hands exist."
William laughed quietly, the tension easing from his shoulders.
"Sorry. I'm just… surprised."
"Why?"
"I didn't expect you to actually take my hand."
Est tilted his head.
"What did you expect?"
William thought for a moment.
"Maybe you'd laugh and change the subject."
Est raised an eyebrow.
"Do I seem that cruel?"
"Not cruel," William said. "Just good at pretending things don't affect you."
Est looked away for a second.
That part wasn't entirely wrong.
Being in the industry meant learning how to hide things—feelings, nerves, disappointments. Cameras captured everything, so sometimes the safest option was pretending nothing mattered too much.
But right now… it did.
Est squeezed William's hand slightly.
"You're not the only one who was pretending," he admitted.
William blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Est hesitated.
Then he sighed softly.
"Do you remember the confession scene we filmed last week?"
"The one in the rain?"
"Yeah."
William nodded slowly.
Est's ears turned slightly red.
"That scene was harder than it should have been."
William frowned.
"Why?"
Est glanced at him sideways.
"Because you were looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you meant it."
William froze.
"That wasn't acting," he said quietly.
Est laughed in disbelief.
"Seriously?"
William nodded.
"I just didn't think you noticed."
Est shook his head slowly.
"Oh, I noticed."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
The rain had stopped now, leaving the world outside the studio quiet.
William finally spoke again.
"So… what happens now?"
Est looked amused.
"You're asking me?"
"You're better at planning things."
"That's not true."
William smirked.
"You literally keep a color-coded schedule."
"That's called being organized."
William leaned slightly closer.
"Okay, organized person. What's our next step?"
Est thought for a moment.
"Well…"
He counted on his fingers.
"Option one: we pretend this never happened."
William made a face.
"Rejected."
"Option two: we secretly date like characters in a drama."
William raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds complicated."
"Option three…"
Est paused dramatically.
"What?"
Est looked straight at him.
"We just see where things go."
William studied his expression.
No pressure.
No big declarations.
Just honesty.
William smiled.
"I like option three."
Est nodded.
"Me too."
Just as the moment settled again—
A loud sound echoed from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Both of them immediately froze.
William whispered, "Did someone just come in?"
Est quickly pulled his hand away.
Too late.
The studio door creaked open.
A staff member poked their head inside.
"Oh! You two are still here?"
Est instantly switched into actor mode.
"Yeah," he said casually. "We were just talking about tomorrow's scene."
William nodded way too quickly.
"Very serious discussion."
The staff member laughed.
"Dedication! Everyone else already left."
Est stood up, brushing off his jacket.
"We were just about to go."
"Good," the staff member said. "Lock up when you leave."
The door closed again.
Silence.
William slowly turned to Est.
"'Talking about tomorrow's scene'?"
Est shrugged.
"Best excuse I had."
William laughed under his breath.
"You're good at lying."
"Occupational skill."
William stood up beside him.
Their shoulders brushed again.
"Same time tomorrow?" William asked quietly.
Est glanced at him.
"For rehearsal?"
William smiled.
"Sure. Let's call it that."
Est rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his grin.
"Fine."
They walked toward the exit together.
And for the first time since they'd started working together—
Neither of them wondered if the feelings between them were real.
.....
The next morning, the studio was louder than usual.
Makeup artists rushed around with brushes and palettes, stylists adjusted outfits, and production staff checked cameras and lighting. It was just another busy filming day.
But for William and Est…
Everything felt slightly different.
Est sat in the makeup chair scrolling through his phone while a stylist fixed his hair.
Across the room, William was already in costume, pretending to read the script.
Pretending.
Because he kept glancing over.
And every time their eyes met—
They both quickly looked away.
The makeup artist noticed immediately.
"You two seem quiet today," she said casually.
Est forced a normal smile.
"Just sleepy."
"Late night rehearsal?" she teased.
William coughed suddenly.
Est shot him a look through the mirror.
The stylist laughed.
"You actors always say rehearsal, but we know you're just chatting and avoiding sleep."
Est nodded quickly.
"Exactly. Just chatting."
William looked down at his script to hide his smile.
🎬 Later – Filming the Scene
The director clapped his hands.
"Okay everyone! Scene 23. Positions!"
Today's scene was a romantic one.
But not between William and Est.
Est stood across from another actor who played a secondary character in the series. The scene involved a moment where the character confessed their feelings.
William stood behind the monitor with the director.
Watching.
And suddenly… he didn't like this scene very much.
"Action!"
The other actor stepped closer to Est.
"You know I've liked you for a long time," the character said.
Est responded perfectly, his voice soft and emotional.
The acting was good.
Too good.
William crossed his arms.
The director leaned toward him.
"Your co-star is talented, right?"
William nodded stiffly.
"Yeah."
On the set, the scene continued.
The script required the other actor to gently grab Est's wrist.
William's jaw tightened.
The director glanced sideways.
"You okay?"
William forced a smile.
"Of course."
But his eyes stayed locked on the scene.
"Cut!"
The director clapped.
"Good! That was great."
Est stepped away from the other actor and thanked him politely.
Then he walked off the set toward the monitor area.
Straight toward William.
"Did it look okay?" Est asked.
William shrugged.
"It was fine."
Est squinted at him.
"Just fine?"
William looked away.
"The acting was good."
Est crossed his arms.
"But?"
"There's no but."
"William."
"What?"
Est leaned closer.
"You're jealous."
William's eyes widened.
"I am not."
Est grinned.
"You are."
"I'm not!"
"You literally looked like you wanted to fight someone."
William groaned.
"I did not."
Est laughed quietly.
The sound made William relax a little.
"Relax," Est said softly. "It's acting."
William sighed.
"I know."
Then he added quietly—
"I just didn't like it."
Est looked at him for a moment.
Then he stepped slightly closer so no one else could hear.
"You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"You didn't seem bothered during scenes before."
William raised an eyebrow.
"That was before."
"Before what?"
William glanced around to make sure no one was watching.
Then he leaned down slightly toward Est.
"Before I realized I actually like you."
Est froze for half a second.
Then his ears turned red again.
"You can't say things like that in public," Est muttered.
William smiled.
"Why?"
Est glanced around nervously.
"Because someone might hear."
William leaned back, clearly amused.
"Then maybe you should stop making me jealous."
Est stared at him.
"You're unbelievable."
But he couldn't stop smiling.
Across the room, a few crew members whispered quietly.
"Are they always this close?"
"I feel like their chemistry got stronger overnight."
"Fans are going to go crazy if they notice this."
Neither William nor Est realized it yet.
But something had definitely changed between them.
And soon…
Everyone else would start noticing too.