Just "Acting" || HWITAE ✔

-18-

The whole restaurant looked deserted. The place was closed for another hour. Taeyang's manager managed to get him in earlier for his meeting with Sarang. He checked his pocket to make sure he still had the little package that he had made for her little sister. 

People didn't take a second glance at him as he got out of his manager's car. They probably thought he was just another employee getting ready for opening time. Either way, he quickly made his way into the building to avoid anyone who could possibly recognize him in the few seconds it took him to get to the safety of the tinted windows. 

He'd never been to the restaurant, so it took him a second to navigate to the dining area. As soon as he walked in, he was met with a lounge, and two doors that led to the back. The place actually reminded Taeyang of a movie theater. 

He spotted Sarang in the back of the dining area in an enclosed space out of view of the windows. Taeyang took his seat across from her and slid the small gift package to her. She took it and slipped it into her purse. "Thank you. Seong Min will love it," she said. "Anyway,  mind explaining what I'm doing here?"

Taeyang slipped his mask off and leaned back in his chair. He first took in the embroidered cloth that hung on the walls and the multiple golden chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. He'd have to tell the rest of the band about this place later. 

He cleared his throat. "You were probably busy, so thank you for meeting me here," he started. "I need advice from someone who's been in the same position as me." He half-smiled, almost like he was embarrassed. 

Sarang leaned forward, her elbows on the table. She was intrigued. "Acting in a gay romance?" Taeyang nodded. "Okay," she said. "What do you want to know?"

"Well . . ." Taeyang hesitated. 

After the workout session with Hwiyoung, he texted Sarang and had asked if they could meet up. She didn't respond until two hours later. By then, Taeyang had regretted including someone he barely knew in his situation. But she's been through the same thing, so she was the only he could really talk to. Really, he just wanted someone else's POV on the situation. Were his feelings really his? Or was playing as gay character making him delusional?

He shook off the doubt. "You had to do kiss scenes. Did those affect you at all?"

Sarang leaned back and took a sip from the wine glass in front of her. "Are you worried about kissing Hwiyoung?" She asked the question in a disbelieving tone. 

No, I'm worried about why I want to, he thought. 

"Why did you say it like that?" he asked. 

"Sorry, I just thought . . ." She shook her head. "Just answer the question." 

"A little bit," he admitted. "But I shouldn't be, should I? Since we did before."

"I struggled with this myself," the female said. "Even after the first kiss scene, I felt weird having to do it again. I was honestly uncomfortable with it, but as an actor, comfort isn't your best friend. In the end, I got over myself and did it.

"I figured since you've known Hwiyoung for so long, you wouldn't have a problem with it," she revealed. "To be honest, I even thought you guys were already together."

Taeyang bit his lip out of habit. He wasn't expecting this when he asked her to meet him.

"Don't do that," Sarang said. 

Taeyang blinked a couple of times in confusion. "Do what?"

"Bite your lip like that." 

"Why?"

"Because it's hot. And knowing that you may possibly be gay for your band-mate saddens me." Taeyang had no idea how to respond to that. Sarang continued, "But if anything, my sister will have you first if it came down to it, so I guess it really doesn't matter." She studied the liquid in her glass for a second before perking up. 

"Anywayy, what is it exactly that bothers you?" she said. 

"Um . . ." His mind blanked. Then he remembered. "Oh, right. The thing is, the kiss itself isn't really the problem. It's the feelings that came with it."

"You liked it."

Taeyang didn't approve or deny that observation. 

"Taeyang, I'm going to tell you something, and maybe you've already put this into consideration, but I'm absolutely sure you have feelings for Hwiyoung," Sarang told him. 

"How could you be so sure?" he asked. "I've known him for years. Why is it now that I would suddenly be interested in him?"

"Now, I'm no professional, but those feelings have most likely always been there. But you probably mistook them as a brotherly kind of love, if that makes sense," she explained. She took another sip of her drink before going on. "You needed something more that just the physical contact of a hug to trigger the realization that you may actually be in love with him."

Taeyang opened his mouth to speak. She didn't let him. "You're conflicted because you believe you like Hwiyoung more than you should, and he likes you back," she finished. 

Taeyang had trouble coming with a comprehensible response. "How did you . . . ?"

"I've acted in a lot of dramas," she told him. "And my sister reads a lot of fanfiction that she happily tells me all about."

"So what do I do?"

At this, Sarang shrugged. "This all on you. You can accept the feelings, tell Hwiyoung, and go from there. Or you can continue with the drama with all these worries, and hope the feelings go away when it's over." She glanced at the time on her phone and began gathering her stuff. "Whatever you do," she said, "I wish you luck. I've got to go. I'll see you at the meeting on Wednesday."

Taeyang nodded distractedly. "Alright, thank you. Bye."

She stood but hesitated. She walked around the table to Taeyang and leaned over so her lips were near his ear. "If I were, I'd go for option one," she told him. She smiled at him then left. 

With all the evidence laid out in front of him, Taeyang couldn't disagree. There was no way the feelings would go away by the time the drama ended.

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a/n: 5.7k reads, idek how to thank you guys-