“How much can you give,” Sihyeon asked, and Park Gangjun’s eyes snapped sharp. Even so, he didn’t let go of the arm he was clinging to.“You money-obsessed freak…! How much do you even want!”“I don’t want anything. I was just curious…”“That’s the same thing!”“It isn’t.”“I knew you were crazy about money, but….”He hadn’t expected him to be this intelligent. He almost blurted he’d pay higher than whatever price Sihyeon wanted. Watching him yap to himself about how this wasn’t someone he could take lightly already made Sihyeon feel tired; he clicked his tongue, brief. What do you even call the feeling of speaking Korean and still not being understood. He decided to ignore him again and swung his steps away, and a little off to the side he caught the face of the Manager, looking over like he was anxious.What kind of rudeness is that to the director…!The sentence was practically written across his face and seemed to tremble. He hadn’t done anything in particular, but apparently that wasn’t how it looked to the Manager. Seeing how his complexion had gone gaunt, Sihyeon let out a low sigh. It’d be a problem if he collapsed. As if resigning himself to something, Sihyeon turned his head back to Park Gangjun, who was still muttering beside him. It sounded like he was talking about money, but Sihyeon had no interest in that to begin with.“Director.”“Just a little more than now, and… huh?”“I want to film quickly. It looks like other people are waiting.”“Ah, for—!”At Sihyeon’s words, the director finally seemed to register the present situation; he jerked his head up and hurriedly bolted toward set. He really has no center…. Still, it was better now that the leech stuck to his side had dropped off—except not even a minute later the Manager came scurrying up to Sihyeon and his eyes welled. He started to open his mouth, and Sihyeon preempted him with a low voice.“If you cry, I’m leaving.”The face that had looked about to cry twisted like he was forcing it back.“You were supposed to… be, be good with the director…”I told you dozens of times, I really did…. Shrinking in on himself, mumbling, he looked like a small animal watching for cues. As if that weren’t enough, his negative thoughts must have gone into overdrive again; after muttering who-knows-what, he suddenly grabbed Sihyeon’s sleeve and blurted, What if you get fired! Staring down at the end-of-the-world look on his face, Sihyeon finally opened his mouth as if to soothe him. “I don’t think that’s it. I was urged to increase the screentime a little.” At that, the Manager brightened in an instant as if he’d just welcomed the messiah, tugged Sihyeon’s sleeve closer, and asked, thrilled:“Really? Really!? That’s great, Sihyeon!”“Yeah. But I’m not doing it.”Ack, why, why…! It’s a great opportunity, why on earth…! Now that a sticky rice cake had latched on where the leech had fallen off, Sihyeon wore a face of resigned enlightenment and didn’t bother to answer. Just the other day he was sniffling, saying he wanted to scrap the shoot—now he’s in a tizzy over why I won’t do more. Staring down quietly at the whining he couldn’t figure out how to play along to, he felt presence at his side.“Um, hello.”A limpid voice. She was the kind of woman who made you think of an animal at a glance. Big eyes and softly swaying light-brown hair lent her a certain fragility; with clear skin and an overall kind, innocent air, her face was openly full of curiosity and questions as she stared right at him. An actress? Even the indifferent Sihyeon could tell she wasn’t just staff or an extra—she was that pretty. Remembering she’d greeted him, Sihyeon dipped his head slightly and answered, “Yes, hello,” and her eyes curved prettily.“You’re Lee Sihyeon, right? Wow, seeing you in person is no joke. You’re tall, clothes look amazing on you, and you’re ridiculously handsome…! I was bummed we couldn’t really talk at the script reading, and you didn’t come to the press announcement either…”“……….”“Ah, heh-heh. Am I overdoing it? Sorry, when I get excited I talk fast and like this.”“It’s fine.”Answering quietly as if he truly didn’t mind, he met her sparkling eyes as she stared again like he was fascinating.“…Um… I’ve felt this for a while, but… you’re really different from the rumors, aren’t you? I heard you barely answer people and you hate being touched.”Contrary to her ladylike look, the girl who’d been chattering like a schoolgirl let her gaze drift, naturally, to the right sleeve Sihyeon’s Manager was clinging to. Startled, the Manager snatched his hand away; finding that funny, she chuckled, genuinely amused. There was no malice on her face. In truth, this was the first time on set that someone had initiated a greeting with him (everyone else had scurried away, trembling at Lee Sihyeon’s infamy), so it was curious, and in a not-bad mood Sihyeon’s expression relaxed a touch; he smiled faintly and spoke gently.“…They’re rumors.”“Oh my, oh my! Wow, I almost screamed just now. Idols, there’s just—something about the vibe, huh….”“Just, just—when you smile, seriously….” Unable to finish, she gazed at Sihyeon for a beat, then suddenly went, “Oh my!” and opened her mouth again.“My head, honestly. I haven’t even introduced myself yet, have I? I’m like this, oh dear! I’m Ahn Sujin—I’m playing Jua this time. I’m personally happy we’ll have a lot of scenes together~”“Ah, I’m…”“Oh, I know. You’re Lee Sihyeon, right? From Lemegeton! Oh—are you feeling okay? It was chaos for a while, seriously!”If nothing else, she talked a lot. Even with no answer she chirped on like a sparrow, and as he watched her silently, other actors who had been peeking this way started to approach one by one and offer greetings. Faces full of the same curiosity as Ahn Sujin’s a moment ago, they began introducing themselves one after another, half surprised and half pleased by Sihyeon’s calm, measured replies.They seem like good people, he was thinking lazily amid the quickly warming atmosphere——and then a familiar sensation that felt like something biting into his flesh made his eyes narrow for an instant.When he turned his gaze, he saw a man who had been standing without much to say, staring at him. Handsome, but the thin jawline and a small mole at the corner of his eye gave him a foxlike cast. When their eyes met he smiled brightly and extended his hand. Taking the offered handshake after a moment’s silent look, Sihyeon lifted his own hand slowly to meet it—watching as the other man’s smiling eyes pinched for a split second and smoothed.“Been a while, huh? I went to see you at the hospital but had to leave without seeing your face. Your agency was shielding you so hard, haha.”“……….”“Still, you look perfectly fine. Makes the accident sound like a lie, Lee Sihyeon.”“…Well, I mean that’s a relief.” He flashed that bright smile again, then withdrew the hand he’d been shaking and gave an easy shrug. Sihyeon said nothing. A brief silence fell, and the gaze that followed him felt like it was observing. Keen and tenacious. As that familiar sensation continued and the man seemed about to say something more—“Okay, we’re rolling! Everyone get ready!”At the director’s shout from a distance, the clustered actors scattered back to their marks. So did Sihyeon; remembering the next beat was his scene, he started to move. Mixing words with someone who knew the former Lee Sihyeon carried too many negative variables.But as if he’d read Sihyeon’s intention to seize the moment and slip away, the man was suddenly at his back; he slid his lips in by Sihyeon’s ear. A voice oozed in with his breath, revolting.“…You said you fucking hated shooting this drama, and in the end you’re doing it for money again, huh?”You really go cheap.A snickering, openly mocking voice, and then, as quickly as he’d come in, he drifted away—patting Sihyeon’s shoulder like a pal and brushing past. Sihyeon didn’t move. He stood there for a moment, watching the man’s back recede. The sensation didn’t fade, as if to say it was no mistake.Familiar and unmistakable—black, unalloyed malice.Jihan was trailing the woman at an easy pace. Dressed not in his usual intimidating black suit but something casually dandy, he looked like a different person, yet his bored, chilly face strung the truth together like a damp thread.The woman’s expression was lit with constant laughter, as if something had her giddy. She kept flicking glances down at the blue gemstone bracelet on her wrist and biting her lip; it was the look of someone in love. Even if I didn’t want to know who put it on her, I’d have no choice but to. Jihan’s eyes knit in a flicker of annoyance, and he abruptly swung his direction. He peeled off down a side path without a trace of hesitation. A little farther on, a woman came toward him from the opposite way. Her face was clearly lost in thought; approaching without pause, Jihan deliberately brushed his arm against her right hand.Shaaak.The takeout coffee in the woman’s hand soaked Jihan’s coat in an instant.“Oh my God!”The woman, who’d been distracted, looked up, startled late, and cried out. The coat, obviously expensive, was a mess of coffee. On the verge of tears, she apologized in a rush, What do I do, what do I do, over and over. Jihan glanced down at his stained coat as if a bit at a loss, then, when she flustered and pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing at the coffee, he gently closed his hand around her wrist. The woman looked up, startled.“It’s okay.”A cool tone, but a kind voice. Meeting her eyes with a softened face, Jihan gave a small, reassuring smile. The look—so unlike his usual—was eerie, but a woman seeing Jihan for the first time would have no way to know that. As he smiled, his eyes blinked, slow, then turned faintly puzzled. He looked at her face once, then at the blue gemstone bracelet she’d been doting on since before.Blink, blink. Wordlessly, opaquely, he stared, and the woman, puzzled in turn, soon asked in a small voice, “Why?”“Mm… I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”“Pardon? Ah, um…”“No, no—I’m not hitting on you. Really…. Ah, are you Cha Jua?”“Huh?” She opened her eyes wider, more startled than before; at that reaction he smiled, intrigued. “So I am right.”“You’re Inhu’s girlfriend, right? Ah, not officially yet?”“Uh… do you know Inhu?”“Of course. We’ve been friends since high school. He talked about you a ton, Jua. He even showed me pictures, and as for that bracelet—he randomly asked me if girls would like it… I laughed for ages.”“Wow, wow…. I’ve never met one of Inhu’s friends before.”Of course not. That bastard doesn’t keep friends. Still smiling, Jihan spoke a little more specifically about Inhu; the faint suspicion on her face melted away, and she answered artlessly, “What a coincidence, how do we run into each other like this?”“Right… weird, isn’t it.”Whether she was naive or just dumb, she seemed to genuinely believe a contrived meet-cute even an elementary schooler wouldn’t buy. Jihan’s face stayed kind as he looked at her. A few lines passed back and forth, and when Jihan, calling it fate, asked for her [N O V E L I G H T] contact, she gave him her number without hesitation. Keep it a secret from Inhu, okay? That guy coddles you so much it gives me goosebumps. I want to give him a real scare later, so you play along too, Jua. Mm, in exchange—I’ll tell you stories from his high school days. They’ll be fun. His glib tone was exactly that of a close friend eager to tease another.The foolish Cha Jua ducked her head, laughing like she found it delightful. “Okay, I will.”“Thanks. …I really do want to give him a scare.”In contrast to his gentle tone, Jihan’s face looking down at her slowly closed in.A cold, grotesque look—like he was gazing at an inanimate object—was there.

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