Chapter - 31화 (31/150)
As soon as the shoot ended, Jisu was standing in front of Dansol's waiting room door like he was on guard duty.
"Hyung… I need to change."
With Jisu holding the door open and standing there, Dansol, embarrassed, spoke cautiously.
"Ah, sorry. That looks good on you though—want to just wear it out?"
Jisu, who'd been staring at Dansol in a daze, immediately called the styling team lead. Dansol hadn't even answered yet, but Jisu asked first.
"Team lead! I can buy the clothes we're wearing, right?"
"Why, you like it?"
"Yeah, that—and we've got somewhere we need to go in a hurry."
"Do what you want. The T-shirt Dansol's wearing is actually from the brand I just launched, so I'd be happy if he wore it around. I won't charge for Dansol's outfit. I'll give you a few more—take them for the members."
"What about mine?"
"You buy yours. You know that leather jacket is a luxury piece, right? I'll send the bill to your manager, so deal with it."
"Then while you're at it, add one more of the same T-shirt Dansol's wearing. So we can match."
"Huh? You hate oversized fits."
"Yeah—no, starting now I'm going to like them. I love oversized fits. We'll head out first. You guys clock out on your own."
Like he was Dansol's manager, Jisu bundled up Dansol's things in both hands and rushed out of the studio.
"Hey—Gilseong-ssi too! Go home!"
He didn't even forget to say goodbye to Gilseong, who'd returned sluggishly, as if they'd already exchanged names at some point.
Dragged around here and there by the wrist, Dansol only managed to break free from Jisu's grip once they reached the underground parking lot.
"Um… where are we going?"
Jisu opened the door of the Porsche cabriolet parked right in front of them and said,
"My place."
The car was filled with awkward air. Dansol got in because Jisu pulled him along, but even then, all he could think about was keeping his distance. Still, in the middle of it, a quiet curiosity kept piling up in his head—what would top star Han Jisu's home be like?
"Sorry for dragging you off like a kidnapping."
"And… what are we going to do there?"
In Dansol's wary gaze, Jisu caught a faint bit of anticipation. Dansol sometimes acted like a newborn stray cat, just like this.
"Apologize. I'm going to apologize properly, so if it's half-assed, don't accept it."
He looked so grim it was like he was the one going to receive an apology, not give one.
Not long after, they arrived at the parking garage of Jisu's apartment building. Looking at the rows of cars lined up like an imported-car showroom, Dansol let out a pure, unfiltered gasp.
"Wow… I guess only real rich people live here."
"Huh? Sol, do you like cars?"
"No. I don't even have a license. The only cars I know are black cars, white cars, or expensive cars."
Jisu couldn't bring himself to tell Dansol—who truly seemed to believe this was the entire building's garage—that this was his private parking area. He only scratched at his eyebrow awkwardly while looking at his own cars, glittering in every color—yellow, red, neon green, all sorts.
"Later, if you need one, tell me. Hyung will buy you one. No—should I be Sol's personal driver? What do you think? I drive well, didn't I?"
"No. I'm going to decline."
"Why?"
Jisu pouted as he pressed his fingerprint to the elevator button. Dansol watched Jisu's actions closely, like he found it fascinating.
Once they stepped inside the elevator, there were only four buttons. Parking, penthouse, and open and close.
Only then did Dansol sense something was off.
"I don't think I could pay a driver's salary even if I added up everything in my bank account…"
"Our Sol is cute and pretty, so hyung will do it for free."
Smiling, Jisu pressed the button for the penthouse.
In an instant, the elevator reached the top floor where the penthouse was. When the doors opened, a huge rooftop garden spread out before them. Seeing a garden unfolding in the middle of the city made Dansol feel like a rabbit dragged into the Dragon Palace.
"Minjae would love this if I told him…"
"Huh? Who's Minjae?"
"Ah, our team's youngest… He likes hearing about how celebrities live… Ah, sorry. I shouldn't just talk about this."
"You're celebrities too, and you're still curious how other celebrities live?"
"Come on… it's different for us. I told you—we live eight people in a semi-basement room. When we were trainees, our dorm flooded and we spent the whole day just scooping water out."
Walking behind Jisu, Dansol started talking about their poor trainee days. If the gap were only moderate, he might've felt jealousy at this kind of luxury. But to Dansol, the life Jisu lived was a story from a city impossibly far away.
He kept talking as if he were speaking to a distant star.
"I heard some really popular idols have a housekeeper at their dorm. And there's even a separate room for her to rest. Is your place like that too, hyung?"
"Taeohh?"
"No… not Taeohh-ssi. Just some other really popular idol…"
Jisu let out a soft laugh. With that quiet personality, there was no way Dansol had an idol friend close enough to share gossip like that.
"There is someone who handles the housework, but I've never seen their face. They usually come when I'm not here, do a quick job, and leave. I hate having people coming in and out of my place."
At that, Dansol's foot, which had just reached the front door, hesitated as if he were watching his step.
Jisu opened the door and said,
"Ah, but people I invite are exceptions. Especially if it's Joo Dansol—always welcome."
Singing along to an old variety show intro—"dda-ra-dda-ra-dan"—Jisu opened the front door.
"Minsoo, was it? Today I'll do everything Sol asks. Go brag to your team's youngest all you want."
"Ah! It's not bragging—whoa!"
About to protest at how Jisu was treating him like Minjae, Dansol's eyes fell on Jisu's home—like an art museum transplanted into a living space.
The two-story loft had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked straight out over the Han River, and the ceiling was so high it felt like his neck would snap just looking up.
"Ah… so this is what a star's life is like… the smell of capitalism…"
Dansol took a deep breath of the pleasant scent filling Jisu's home.
"Huh? Does my place smell like something, Sol?"
Jisu sat the constantly sniffing Dansol down on the sofa, then took out cake from the fridge and brewed coffee.
"Eat this first and wait. You're hungry, right? I'll make you something good in a bit."
"I'm fine!"
Even speaking from the living room to the kitchen, the sound echoed. More than eating, Dansol wanted to look around, and as he kept turning his head, something bumped his foot with a soft thud.
"What's this…?"
What had toppled over after hitting Dansol's foot was a dog-shaped robot. When he stood it up, it lit its eyes and barked "woof woof" like a real puppy. Dansol set it on his lap, and without thinking, he stroked it like it was real. The robot's eyes changed into big smiling crescents.
"So… so cute…!"
"Cute, right? My pet robot."
Jisu said it as he came over with cake and coffee on a tray. Even the cups and plates looked like a matching set—colorful but modern, eye-catching.
"A… a pet robot? What's its name?"
"Pansu. Han Pansu."
For a dog, it was a strangely old-fashioned name. Dansol tilted his head.
"They say if you give them a tacky name, they live longer. I took it hard after my dog died. I raised him until I was a rookie—about fifteen years? Back then I was so busy I didn't realize. I didn't realize he'd gotten that old."
"So… that's why… a robot dog…"
"Coming home to an empty house is lonely. And a busy owner like me—I think even a dog would hate a master like that. But even so, it's comforting sometimes."
Dansol nodded at Jisu's words. The pretty plates, the objects placed around the house, even the robot dog—Jisu, who'd kept nothing in Chunmonggak besides the essentials, felt unexpectedly different. It surprised Dansol.
"Sol, the reason I brought you here today… is because I really want to apologize. Properly."
Jisu spoke seriously to Dansol, who was still stroking the dog in his arms.
"Um… I'm already okay. I heard you were sick, hyung. When you're sick, you can get sensitive. And also… like this…"
Dansol looked around.
Compared to this place, the room at Chunmonggak really was the size of a storage closet. To Dansol it had been paradise, but for Jisu, it would've definitely felt stifling.
"Living somewhere this nice and then… having to share a room with me there… I don't think that would be easy. When you said you couldn't stand it… I understand, hyung."
"No, what I couldn't stand was… not that."
What he couldn't stand was liking you too much.
Just as he was about to say that if he'd known it would turn out like this, he never would've started that way—
Tick tick tick tick—
Beep.
Someone punched in the door code and came in.
The hallway was long, so they couldn't see who it was right away, but the heavy footsteps sounded ominous.
"You thieving bastard—trying to rob my house, are you."
"Daesu sunbae?"
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