Two days later, the rumors were everywhere.
Every fan account.
Every entertainment blog.
Every social media platform.
Clips of William and Est—laughing together, standing too close, whispering during interviews—were being analyzed frame by frame.
The hashtag #WilliamEstReal had now been trending for three days straight.
And their manager had definitely noticed.
📺 The Interview;
William and Est sat side-by-side in a bright studio for a promotional interview about their series.
A large camera faced them while a host smiled from across the table.
"Your show has been getting incredible attention lately," the host said cheerfully.
Est smiled politely.
"Yes, we're really grateful for the support."
William nodded.
"The fans have been amazing."
The host leaned forward slightly.
"And speaking of fans…"
Est already knew where this was going.
"…there's been a lot of discussion online about the chemistry between you two."
The studio audience giggled.
William glanced sideways at Est.
Est forced a calm smile.
"We're good friends," he said smoothly.
The host smiled mischievously.
"Just friends?"
The audience made "oooh" sounds.
William chuckled lightly.
"What kind of answer are you hoping for?" he asked.
The host laughed.
"Fans would probably love something dramatic."
Est nudged William's knee slightly under the table.
A silent warning.
Don't start anything.
William noticed.
And behaved.
"Honestly," he said calmly, "we just work well together."
Est nodded.
"We trust each other as actors."
The host studied them carefully.
"But you must admit," she continued, "fans think some of your interactions feel… very real."
The audience laughed again.
Est opened his mouth to answer—
But the host suddenly pulled out a tablet.
"Oh! Speaking of that…"
She turned the screen toward them.
The behind-the-scenes clip.
The one where William brushed Est's hair.
Est immediately covered his face.
The audience screamed.
William laughed quietly beside him.
"Do you see why people are talking about this?" the host asked.
Est peeked through his fingers.
"That looks worse than it felt."
William raised an eyebrow.
"Worse?"
Est elbowed him.
"Don't help."
The host grinned.
"So William, what exactly were you doing there?"
William shrugged casually.
"There was something in his hair."
The host smirked.
"You looked very gentle about it."
The audience giggled again.
William glanced at Est.
Then said calmly—
"Well… I try to be gentle with him."
The audience exploded.
Est turned bright red.
He leaned closer and whispered sharply—
"You're making this worse."
William whispered back—
"I thought fans liked it."
"Not the point."
The host was clearly enjoying herself.
She leaned back in her chair, smiling at the two of them while the studio audience was still buzzing from William's "I try to be gentle with him" comment.
Est rubbed his forehead.
"This interview is dangerous," he muttered.
The audience laughed again.
The host lifted her hands innocently.
"I'm just asking what the fans want to know."
William tilted his head slightly.
"And what exactly do the fans want to know?"
The audience shouted several things at once.
"ARE YOU DATING?"
"WHO CONFESSED FIRST?"
"WILLIAMEST FOREVER!"
Est immediately dropped his head onto the table.
"Oh my god."
William burst out laughing.
The host clapped her hands once.
"Alright, alright! Let's keep it slightly professional."
She glanced at the tablet again.
"But since we're already talking about your chemistry… let's play a quick game."
Est looked up suspiciously.
"A game?"
William raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds dangerous."
The host grinned.
"It's called 'How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?'"
The audience cheered loudly.
Est groaned.
"We're doomed."
The Game Begins;
A staff member quickly placed two small whiteboards and markers in front of them.
The host explained.
"I'll ask a question. You both write your answers. Then we reveal them at the same time."
William nodded calmly.
"Simple enough."
Est looked less confident.
"You're way too competitive for this."
William smiled.
"Correct."
Question 1
"Who wakes up earlier in the morning?"
They both wrote quickly.
"Ready?" the host asked.
They flipped the boards.
Both answers: WILLIAM
The audience clapped.
Est pointed at William.
"He wakes up at like… six in the morning."
William shrugged.
"I like mornings."
Est squinted at him.
"No normal person likes mornings."
Question 2
"Who forgets their lines more often?"
They wrote again.
Flip.
Both boards: EST
The audience laughed loudly.
Est gasped.
"You betrayed me!"
William chuckled.
"You know it's true."
Est pointed accusingly.
"You distract me!"
The host leaned forward eagerly.
"How does he distract you?"
Est froze.
"…I regret saying that."
William was already grinning.
"Please explain."
Est waved his hands quickly.
"Moving on!"
The audience howled.
Question 3
The host smirked.
"Who gets jealous more easily?"
The audience gasped dramatically.
Est stared at the host.
"That question is illegal."
William calmly wrote something.
Est hesitated.
Then slowly wrote his answer.
"Reveal!" the host said.
They flipped the boards.
William's board: EST
Est's board: WILLIAM
The studio exploded with laughter.
Est pointed immediately.
"See?!"
William leaned back in his chair.
"You're definitely jealous."
Est scoffed.
"Excuse me?"
"You get grumpy when I talk to other actors."
The audience screamed.
Est's face turned red.
"That is not true!"
William leaned closer to the microphone.
"Last week you literally—"
Est clapped a hand over William's mouth.
"Stop talking."
The audience shrieked.
The host wiped tears from laughing.
"This is the best interview we've ever had."
Final Question
The host looked almost mischievous now.
"Alright. Last one."
She paused dramatically.
"If you had to choose one person on set you trust the most… who would it be?"
The audience quieted.
Even Est stopped joking.
Both of them picked up their markers.
They wrote their answers.
Slowly.
Without teasing.
The host noticed the shift.
"Okay… reveal."
They flipped the boards.
Both said the same thing.
Each other.
The audience erupted into loud applause.
Est smiled awkwardly.
William just looked at him quietly.
The host softened.
"That's actually really sweet."
Est scratched the back of his neck.
"Well… we work together a lot."
William added simply,
"He's reliable."
Est looked sideways at him.
"That's the nicest thing you've said all day."
William shrugged.
"I said I try to be gentle with you."
The audience screamed again.
Est dropped his head onto the table for the second time.
"I'm never doing interviews with you again."
William leaned closer to the microphone one last time.
"Don't worry."
He smiled slightly.
"He says that every time."
The crowd laughed and clapped loudly as the host wrapped up the segment.
But when the cameras finally cut…
William and Est were still sitting a little closer than before.
And neither of them had erased the answers on their boards.
Each other.
...
After the interview ended, they returned to the dressing room.
Est collapsed onto the couch dramatically.
"You are unbelievable."
William laughed.
"What did I do?"
"You said you try to be gentle with me!"
William shrugged.
"It's true."
Est grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
"You're impossible."
William caught the pillow easily.
Then sat beside him.
"You handled the interview well."
Est sighed.
"I feel like the internet is going to explode again."
William checked his phone.
"…It already did."
Est groaned loudly.
"Great."
William scrolled through comments.
Then suddenly frowned.
Est noticed.
"What?"
William showed him the screen.
One comment thread had turned negative.
A rumor account was claiming Est was using William for attention.
Est shrugged lightly.
"Ignore it."
But William's expression darkened.
"I don't like people talking about you like that."
Est studied him.
"It happens sometimes."
William looked directly at him.
"I know."
"But it still annoys me."
Est smiled softly.
"You're protective."
William didn't deny it.
"Maybe."
Est leaned back on the couch.
"Well… don't start fighting people online."
William smirked.
"No promises."
Est laughed.
"You're ridiculous."
William leaned back beside him.
"Maybe."
Then he added quietly—
"But you like me anyway."
Est glanced at him.
A small smile appearing again.
"Yeah."
He admitted it easily now.
"I do."
Meanwhile, outside the building…
Fans were already gathering again.
Some holding signs.
Some chanting loudly.
And one group had started shouting something very specific:
"KISS! KISS! KISS!"
Neither William nor Est knew it yet.
But their next public appearance…
Was about to get very chaotic.