Chapter 198
Chapter 198
“Why, why?”
Why, indeed.
Instead of giving the obvious response that we were strangers, I looked at the production team.
As soon as I stared at them, they collectively shook their heads.
“We didn’t set this up!”
Am I supposed to believe that?
As I continued to stare, the PD, looking aggrieved, spoke up.
“Really, we didn’t! She was just eating here!”
So, she was assigned to approach us while eating here, huh?
As I was giving the PD a reproachful look, Sung Lee-jun stepped in.
“Yeon-jae….”
His voice was full of discomfort, making me turn my head quickly.
Sung Lee-jun gestured with his eyes to the side.
Following his gaze, I saw the young girl now filled with tears.
“Why? Why can’t we?”
Sigh. She’s going to cry.
Swallowing a sigh, I asked as kindly as possible.
“Are you here alone?”
The girl shook her head.
“I’m here with my mom and dad.”
“Where are they?”
“Over there….”
Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a Korean woman and a foreign man.
The woman looked like she was about to cry from laughing, and the man was struggling to hold back his laughter as well.
As soon as the man made eye contact with me, he sent an apologetic signal.
Now I roughly understood the situation.
‘They have guts.’
Even if they were watching, letting their daughter approach a stranger was bold.
Thinking about the diverse parenting styles, I looked at the girl.
“We’re filming right now, is that okay?”
“Filming? You mean for a wedding?”
“…….”
Is marriage the only thing on her mind?
Holding my aching head, I finally replied.
“Let me take you back to your seat.”
Our meal had been interrupted by this unexpected intrusion.
Even if I could let it slide, Sung Lee-jun needed to finish his meal.
“Hyung, keep eating. I’ll take her back.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Fortunately, her original seat was just a few steps away.
The problem was that when I got up, she clung to the table and refused to let go.
“At least give me an answer! Do you not like me?”
She was quite persistent.
After a moment of consideration, I crouched down to her level.
Looking her in the eye, I spoke.
“What’s your name?”
By the way, she had spoken informally to me first.
“My name? It’s Amy.”
“Amy.”
I repeated her name, choosing my words carefully.
‘The camera is rolling.’
I had to be careful. After all, she wasn’t my child.
I wanted to tell her not to speak informally and not to trouble strangers.
I had a lot to say, but that was up to her parents.
‘The longer this drags on, the colder the food gets.’
Sung Lee-jun wasn’t the type to keep eating in such an atmosphere.
Look at him. Even now, he’s watching nervously.
Calmly, I began to speak.
“Amy, it’s not that I don’t like you, but I’ve never met you before. People usually don’t marry someone they’ve just met.”
“But my dad proposed to my mom the first time they met! He said you shouldn’t miss out on your first love! And I think you’re my first love!”
Passionate confessions must run in the family.
Her fiery declaration made my head spin.
“Thanks for saying that. But I think it’s best to be cautious about first love. And marriage too.”
“But….”
“Ask your dad for more details. Okay, you heard my answer, right? Let’s go back to your seat now.”
“Okay.”
Thankfully, Amy understood.
With a dejected look, she nodded and hesitated.
“Then, can I hold your hand on the way back?”
“…….”
What’s the point of holding hands for five seconds?
It was baffling, but I firmly said she needed her parents’ permission.
“Then I’ll go ask them!!!”
“No—”
Ignoring me, Amy dashed off like a bullet.
Please don’t come back.
* * *
Fortunately, Amy didn’t return.
Her mother caught her, and her father came over to apologize.
“Sorry for interrupting your meal.”
The man’s Korean was a bit awkward.
‘He must have learned Korean from his wife.’
Confirming my thoughts, he switched to English.
“(Our daughter is quite headstrong. Even when we try to stop her, she doesn’t listen. She has to experience things for herself to understand. Anyway, we’re really sorry. We’ll cover the cost of your meal.)”
Unlike his daughter, he was very polite.
After several apologies, I reassured him it was fine and sent him back.
“Sigh….”
Even though it was brief, the intense conversation left my head spinning.
When I sighed without realizing it, Sung Lee-jun looked worried.
“Yeon-jae, are you okay?”
No.
I held back the words that were on the tip of my tongue.
“I’m fine. Hyung, keep eating. Luckily, the food hasn’t cooled down.”
“I’ve eaten a lot.”
“Just one more slice of pizza.”
“No, I’m full.”
“Alright.”
Knowing Sung Lee-jun usually ate lightly, I didn’t push him.
Taking a sip of water, I spoke casually.
“But hyung, considering the amount of activity today, you’ve eaten too little. One more slice of pizza won’t make you feel uncomfortable.”
“…….”
“Of course, if you’re really full, you don’t have to eat. But wouldn’t it be better if you did? It’s up to you, of course—”
“I’ll eat….”
“Okay.”
I immediately transferred a slice of pizza to Sung Lee-jun’s plate. Good boy.
Seeing him eat the pizza quietly made me feel proud.
### Chapter 198
**The Genius Actor Who Brings Misfortune (198)**
‘It seems I get along better with gentle types.’
This thought became even firmer after Amy’s parting words as she left the restaurant.
“Goodbye, my first love!”
“…….”
Don’t shout that so loudly.
I tried to maintain my expression as I waved.
“You’re quite popular….”
Sung Lee-jun muttered beside me.
His teasing comment, uncharacteristic of him, made me glare at him.
“Hyung, don’t you start too.”
“I’m serious. It felt just like ‘Under the Orange Tree.’ The genders are swapped, though.”
“In that movie, there’s a reason the male lead falls for the female lead. It felt like destiny from the start.”
There was no such narrative here.
I was convinced Amy must have been an actress hired for the role.
Sung Lee-jun shrugged at my remark.
“Some people don’t need a reason to fall for someone.”
“Really? Are you sharing a personal experience?”
“…! It’s not like that!”
The mature smile he had quickly crumbled.
Sung Lee-jun’s face turned red as he tried to change the subject.
‘This look really suits him best.’
Watching him frantically change the topic made me chuckle.
And so, our rather noisy dinner finally came to an end.
* * *
The place we arrived at after dinner was quite spacious.
Though I wanted to collapse into bed, there was still work to be done.
“Mr. Lee-jun, Mr. Yeon-jae, please introduce the house!”
“Sure.”
I answered awkwardly to the PD.
As the name of the program “From Today, My Home” suggested, we had to pretend to be the homeowners.
In other words, we had to introduce a place we were visiting for the first time as if we knew it well.
It was daunting to think about what to say when I didn’t know anything, but luckily, I found a way.
“Hyung, where’s our bathroom again?”
I just had to ask Sung Lee-jun.
He stuttered and pointed to a side door.
“The bathroom? Uh, I think it’s here…?”
“Ah, so you use the closet as a bathroom, huh?”
“…You really.”
Watching Sung Lee-jun turn red, I struggled to hold back my laughter.
‘Teasing him is fun.’
His quick reactions were amusing every time I prodded him.
I continued to ask questions non-stop with a straight face.
Although he could have simply asked me the same questions, Sung Lee-jun focused solely on answering diligently.
Too kind for his own good.
‘What if he stands surety for someone in the future?’
Why are all the people around me so gentle?
‘I’ll need to check out the people around him when I get the chance.’
If I find anyone suspicious, I’ll need to get rid of them beforehand.
“We’ll change the tape and be right back!”
Fortunately, the house introduction ended without any issues.
Since it was break time, I went straight to find the PD.
“PD-nim.”
“Huh? Oh, yes?”
“Feel free to speak casually.”
“Can I? Thanks.”
The PD seemed a bit distracted with organizing things.
I felt bad bothering a busy person, but my curiosity was stronger.
“I have a question.”
The PD looked at me with a questioning expression as I squatted next to him.
“What is it?”
I stared at his seemingly clueless face.
“Since we’re not filming now, please be honest.”
“…? About what?”
“Amy earlier, she was an actress you hired, right?”
As soon as I finished speaking, the PD shivered.
“This is killing me. How many times do I have to tell you? No, she wasn’t!”
“Really?”
“Hiring actors these days would be too obvious and would get criticized. I don’t make such sloppy broadcasts.”
That wasn’t what I meant.
“You don’t look like it, but why are you so persistent? Please believe me. We didn’t get permission from her dad, so we’ll have to blur her face. Why would we blur an actress’ face?”
That made sense.
The PD’s insistence sounded sincere.
Which made it all the more confusing.
There are kids who would confess their love to a stranger?
‘There really are all kinds of people.’
The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t understand people.
I apologized to the PD for my misunderstanding and returned to our room.
“Yeon-jae, there are two beds. Which one do you want?”
“I’m fine with either. Hyung, you choose first.”
The room Sung Lee-jun and I would be staying in had two beds side by side.
I glanced around the other room where the staff were unpacking.
Hmm.
‘I’ll have to practice my acting in the bathroom.’
There wasn’t a suitable place to practice in the room.
As I was inspecting the small bathroom attached to the room, Sung Lee-jun spoke up.
“Yeon-jae.”
“Yeah?”
“For your practice tomorrow morning, you can use the room on the right.”
“Huh?”
What was he talking about?
When I turned my head, I met Sung Lee-jun’s gaze.
“I heard from Ji-oh. He said you practice acting as soon as you wake up.”
“Oh….”
“As soon as I heard you were doing a variety show, I told the PD to reserve an extra room for us.”
Sung Lee-jun smiled as he saw my stunned expression.
Feeling somewhat bashful at his oddly mature smile, I scratched the back of my neck.
“Thanks, hyung.”
I hadn’t expected Sung Lee-jun to take care of me like this.
It made me feel awkward.
Seeing my expression, Sung Lee-jun’s smile deepened.
“There’s plenty of space for the others to sleep, so don’t worry about it.”
“Okay. Got it.”
“Make sure you practice in that room, not the bathroom. Promise?”
“…….”
Seo Ji-oh, that guy. How much did he tell?
Swallowing a sigh, I nodded in agreement.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about where to practice during the trip.’
A lingering concern was resolved in one go.
I thanked Sung Lee-jun again, and he smiled brightly.
“I told you, I’ll take care of everything.”
His proud voice made me chuckle.
Was he serious about that text?
‘I really am popular.’
From Amy’s fiery confession to Sung Lee-jun’s care, it was a fulfilling and unforgettable first night in Italy.
* * *
**[Title: Everyone, there’s a huge emergency right now]**
**(Photo of Yeon-jae and Lee-jun spotted)**
Look, this was taken in Italy.
―?? What the heck????
―An article just came out saying they’re appearing on a variety show! I knew they were close, but I didn’t know they’d go on a trip to Italy together, haha.
―Wait, the important thing isn’t the variety show or Italy. What’s up with that hair? Who planted an orange tree on Bambi’s head???