Blessing in Disguise

Chapter 20

"DID YOU KISS?!" Fang screamed.

"WHAT?! NO!" Siwoo yelled back. Everyone else in the van flinched. Siwoo usually never raised his voice. Clearing his throat, Siwoo faced forward in his seat and crossed his arms. "I mean, what kind of a question is that?"

"THEN WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"It was just like... payback for what he did to me last time!" Siwoo mumbled. The other 3 members passed glances at each other. "Cause he like did the same thing to me last time and pulled me in to mess with me..."

"Are you... that close with Haejun Park?" Rae asked.

"W-what if he gets upset and decides... to go on Twitter...?"Ain winced.

"WAIT, SO YOU DIDN'T KISS?!" Fang erupted again before Rae smacked him in the back of the head and sent the poor guy with a cry.

"He's just being nice to me, so I have an easier time being around him," Siwoo explained. He felt a throbbing in his heart and brushed it away with a sigh. "I mean, up until recently I couldn't even look at him in the face... so I guess helping me get more comfortable is his way of making sure we have better chemistry on screen."

Everyone stared at him for a second before Rae shook his head. "Siwoo, it would be great if that really was the case... but THAT Haejun Park, joking around... and taking so much time out of his week just for chemistry? I'm pretty sure that there's something else he's up to..."

Ain nodded slowly and looked up with a worried face. "I've never heard him do anything like that before... Also, wasn't he trending again last night? Apparently, Yura from FLOWERPOWER called him out for his behavior when she interviewed him for her show..."

"See? That sounds way more like the Haejun Park that we know..." Rae concluded. But when he noticed Siwoo's muted expression, he leaned back in his seat and sighed. "We're just telling you to be a bit weary... It took 2 years for everyone to sort of forget what happened. And this whole drama could be what redeems you, but it could also just end up making things worse for you. Haejun Park is famous for being unpredictable. Honestly, I want to be optimistic and wish he'd use his influence to help you a little... but we all know that he could also do the complete opposite if he felt like it."

"Right..." Siwoo answered. He looked out the window and watched the Han river glistening under the orange sunset. He knew the others weren't wrong, and he knew that they were just looking out for him. But the way Haejun had watched him when he had read his lines, and the little comments that he had made about Siwoo's acting... Everything from the way he called him to come sit next to him during their breaks, to the way he personally took the time to mark Siwoo's script. It all just seemed so real... As if Haejun really meant every single gesture.

But then again, Siwoo knew that the person he was questioning was a genius actor.

—---

DING

Siwoo woke up at the sound of his phone and opened it to see a message from Hyunah.

Stay offline and go straight home after you hit the gym.

What a cheery way to begin the day! Siwoo made himself a salad and sat down with his phone face down in front of him. Today was the day they were announcing the production of the live action drama and its finalized cast. It was also one of the many days he'd been dreading ever since he signed that contract. He felt the lettuce crush inside his mouth along with some sliced almonds. Usually he didn't mind the bland taste, but today it tasted like cardboard flavored grass. He fished out some dressing and sprinkled a tiny bit over his bowl, breaking his perfect diet. Now it was cardboard flavored sesame grass. Siwoo felt the cold tomatoes lump up in this stomach and winced. He put his fork down and took a sip of water. The phone in front of him looked so heavy. It almost felt like it was bending the wooden table with its weight. A convenient portal that held the power to destroy him... and once almost did. Ever since the incident years ago, Siwoo had naturally grown apart from his cellular device. And right now, he felt his fingers slightly trembling at the thought of comments filling the web about him.