Of course, he didn’t want to do it, and yes, it was true that filming his first variety show made him tense.He’d jumped into a genre he had never intended to touch, so it was only natural to be swamped by a mountain of worries.Still, everything had been mutually agreed upon, and Seo-eul had made his decision of his own accord.There was no reason for him to be upset.In short, this was a completely absurd misunderstanding.If anyone was upset, it was you.Swallowing the sigh that almost escaped, Seo-eul lifted his head.Twisting his words and teasing him had long been Seo Sa-heon’s favorite pastime.He assumed this was just another round of that—until their eyes met.Instead of the usual sly, pity-seeking expression, Sa-heon’s face looked terribly unstable.The foggy look in his eyes, as if he’d lost his way, made Seo-eul’s heart lurch.Instinctively, his grip tightened around the hand holding his.All those promises to keep a proper distance, all the resolve to be careful—they crumbled in an instant at that expression on Sa-heon’s face.“Sa-heon.”“……”His voice softened without meaning to.At once, Sa-heon’s lips pressed shut.Not to argue—he was listening.Regret washed over Seo-eul.He knew Sa-heon got anxious easily, so why had he said those things?He was just a bit sleepy, that was all.It wasn’t his fault he overheated so easily.And if he got hot while sleeping, of course he’d take off a shirt or two.Without realizing it, Seo-eul’s thoughts had already slid into those of a doting fool. His expression melted in real time.And as always, Sa-heon caught it before anyone else could, quietly swallowing the flash of emotion that rose to his face and lowering his head a little more.His tousled bangs fell forward, casting a shadow across his well-sculpted features.That was enough to make Seo-eul’s heart twist again. Even after all these years, he was still weak to that look.Maybe because Sa-heon was always so calm and unbothered otherwise—it felt like a glimpse of something he only showed to him.“I’m not doing this by force. Did you forget I was the one who said yes first?”Naturally, his tone came out half-coaxing.He just wanted to clear up this ridiculous misunderstanding.Every gesture that followed was gentle.He even gave their intertwined hands a light shake, and after a moment of silence, Sa-heon spoke again in a low, quiet voice.“That was because of me, though. Because I said I wanted to go with you. You said variety shows made you nervous.”So he’d kept that in mind all this time.Seo-eul had thought he’d explained it well enough, but clearly not—Sa-heon had taken it differently.A pang of guilt hit him. It felt like he’d handed off a burden the other didn’t need to carry.Worried that Sa-heon had been stewing over this ever since, Seo-eul carefully picked his words.He wanted to make sure this time that Sa-heon heard his sincerity—using the kind of sentences that would soothe him best.“Sa-heon, I wasn’t upset. And… okay, yeah, I was scared, kind of. But that’s just because I’ve never done this kind of show before, so it feels awkward. You know me—I’m used to standing in front of cameras with a script I’ve memorized line by line.”“……”“But here, there’s no script, no rehearsal. I just don’t know what to do, that’s all. It’s not that I don’t want to see you, it’s just…”His words flowed easily until suddenly stopping.Sa-heon, who had been silently listening, asked softly, “Just?”“…I just felt like I was treating you too much like a kid.”Maybe it was because they’d known each other since childhood.He knew perfectly well that Sa-heon could handle himself, yet he still couldn’t help but fuss over him.Even though he knew the man in front of him was a grown adult, he couldn’t break the habit.He’d joked once that it was because Sa-heon sometimes acted like a bratty four-year-old—but really, it was just reflex, a habit too deeply ingrained to fix.Even Seo-eul himself knew he had a tendency to overprotect him.Whatever the reason, that was simply the shape their relationship had settled into.It felt normal to them, but objectively, it was hard to define.Sa-heon had been there since before either of them could even remember—they’d never been apart once.There were rumors they’d even shared prenatal bonding time, and honestly, that said it all.The only real difference was that they’d been born from different wombs.Recalling those old words, Seo-eul loosened his hold.He’d mastered the art of polite, superficial relationships, but at the opposite end stood just one person.There was no one else to compare with, which made things even trickier.He didn’t care what anyone said about him, but the thought of Sa-heon getting dragged into rumors because of him made his stomach twist.He’d tried to express that indirectly, but Sa-heon said nothing.He clearly understood the meaning but showed no intention of letting go.The silence grew awkward. Seo-eul gave his wrist a subtle twist, but the hand wouldn’t budge.He’d expected that, yet it still scraped at his pride, so he tried once more—only to stop when he heard a quiet sigh right in front of him.Looking up, he saw Sa-heon’s face—drained of tension, almost weary.“I’m the one who’s useless, so you look after me. What’s wrong with that?”His tone was so calm that it took Seo-eul a moment to process it.If someone overheard, they’d probably think he’d said, ‘What’s wrong with eating when you’re hungry?’—that’s how matter-of-fact it sounded.Thrown off by the bluntness, Seo-eul could only stare blankly for a few seconds.Useless? That was not the comeback he’d been expecting.Finally finding his voice, he stammered, “You’re not—useless or anything….”“I can’t even pack properly without you. If that’s not useless, then what is?”“……”Well, that… could just mean you’re bad at packing, not—He wanted to defend him somehow, but no words came fast enough.In the meantime, Sa-heon brushed the hair tickling his forehead aside with a careless sweep.His furrowed brow made him look oddly wronged, and when Seo-eul tilted his head in curiosity, he sighed again and leaned in.The tall frame folded down in an instant.Resting his forehead against Seo-eul’s shoulder, Sa-heon muttered with a grumble,“Great. I worried for nothing. Thought you were mad at me, Seo-eul.”The childish whine made Seo-eul chuckle.His tone was light again, as if that brief storm of unease had never happened.Lifting his free hand, Seo-eul /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ patted Sa-heon’s back twice.Mad, my ass, he thought. You’re just fishing for attention again.But he played along, asking gently, “Why would I be mad?”“I don’t know. You were overthinking about the cameras again. Instead of worrying about that crap, you should focus on me, Seo-eul. You forgot what the CEO said?”He hadn’t forgotten.That was practically all Yeom Gang-sik said to him lately.He started to nod, thinking it was just the usual reminder not to overthink things—but Sa-heon’s next words went in a completely different direction.“He said, ‘Just act natural.’ Everyone already knows we’re close, so why are you acting like strangers? That’s what’s weird. You’re ruining the show’s concept and lying to the audience.”“……”“Seo-eul, do you want PD Jeon to sue you?”Why on earth would PD Jeon Jae-yeon sue me?There were so many points of nonsense in that one line that Seo-eul simply gave up.All that fretting he’d done suddenly felt pointless.No matter how careful he was, Seo Sa-heon would just blurt out something absurd like this anyway. What was the point?His eyes dulled as he muttered in a drained voice, “Don’t exaggerate….”“If PD-nim doesn’t sue you, then I will.”“…And what would you even sue me for, idiot?”“For failure to fulfill best-friend duties.”Where the hell did that clause exist?The words were so blatantly made-up that Seo-eul just sighed and patted his back hard.“Enough with the nonsense. Let go already.”Grumbling, Sa-heon straightened reluctantly, looking dissatisfied.He somehow seemed even more childish today, though Seo-eul didn’t have time to dwell on it before Sa-heon frowned.“Following you around made me hungry.”“Don’t use me as an excuse. You’re just hungry because it’s morning.”Sa-heon was hungry all the time—except when asleep.Knowing that, it was ridiculous to hear him blame it on following Seo-eul.Still, when Seo-eul pointed it out, Sa-heon nodded obediently and finally released his hand.Stretching with a crack of his back, he asked casually,“Did you have coffee yet?”“No. Just showered.”“If you’re gonna drink, eat an apple first.”“You want the other half?”“Yeah.”At that, Seo-eul turned toward the fridge.It had become routine thanks to Sa-heon, who hated seeing him drink coffee on an empty stomach.He’d spent years now grudgingly eating two slices of apple before his morning coffee under Sa-heon’s strict orders.Since he could never finish more than half, the rest always went to Sa-heon.He washed one of the apples from the vegetable drawer, sliced it cleanly in half, and was about to cut it into pieces when Sa-heon came over and just took the whole thing.Crunch.Biting into it skin and all, he checked the time and said, “I’m going for a run. Wait for me.”Seo-eul nodded automatically—it was a familiar part of their morning routine.It’d take about an hour. Maybe he should start making breakfast in advance.He opened the fridge again, but since they’d be away for two weeks, all the perishable food had already been cleared out.Staring at the empty shelves, he thought about settling for something instant—when suddenly:Ddan-dan dan darara!The loud jingle startled him so much he nearly dropped the fridge handle.Looking around in confusion, he realized the sound was oddly familiar.Before he could recall from where, Sa-heon, who had been heading toward the door, turned back.Their eyes met, and both glanced toward the same spot.The noise came from Seo-eul’s phone on the table.As he stepped closer, the screen lit up with a notification banner from an unknown source:chat(NEW!) ※Best☆Friend★Swap EMERGENCYNOTICE ☞☞Log in nowOr rather—Correction.It was spam.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.