Only after seeing off the production crew, who packed up like clockwork, did hunger finally hit. When the minute hand neared three, it occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten all day. I skipped meals often enough that it wasn’t unusual—but Seo Sa-heon wasn’t the type who could tolerate an empty stomach. Just as I thought that, something heavy dropped onto my shoulder.“Seo-eul. Are we on a diet?”“You’re nothing but muscle.”“Yeah. Which is why I’m currently losing it.”He said it like a joke, but it was true. He had been fasting for nearly twenty hours. Realizing that made me sit up straight; I’d assumed we’d eat as soon as we arrived, but one thing after another kept happening, and not only had we not eaten, we hadn’t even drunk water.Turns out Yoon Hyuk and Ye Ju-yeol were in the same situation. They’d worked hard since morning, but everyone’s stomach was empty.Since we hadn’t bought groceries yet, there was nothing to cook. After a short discussion, we decided to eat nearby and stop by the mart on the way back. It’d be easier to move in one car than separately, so we took Sa-heon’s SUV. When he automatically went to the driver’s seat again, I forced him into the passenger side and asked,“What do you want to eat?”As I adjusted the seat and mirrors, everyone answered at once.“Pork cutlet!”“Stir-fried pork…?”“Set meal.”Yeah. Typical men’s menu.I was looking up restaurant reviews when Sa-heon leaned over and asked,“And you?”“Hm?”“What do you want?”“I’ll see the menu when we get there?”“If nothing comes to mind, let’s just get noodles.”Unlike Sa-heon, who always craved something specific each day, I never cared much about choosing menus. Even when we went to restaurants together, I was the type who’d order the other option so we could share if someone couldn’t decide. People who always had a “today’s craving” were a mystery to me.Still, even I had foods I liked.One of them was noodles, which was why Sa-heon sometimes dragged me into noodle shops like that. Soft noodles went down easily, without much chewing. I’d eat slowly, spooning up the mild broth, while he’d already emptied three bowls and was resting his chin on his hand, waiting. Maybe that’s why I always ate a little more.“It’s fine. Let’s go to a Korean place. This one looks good—want to check it?”“Yes, give it here, hyung.”“Here.”Just as I passed my phone with the review screen open to the backseat, Ye Ju-yeol suddenly leaned forward.“But, um.”“Whoa—! You scared me, Ju-yeol. What is it?”“Why do you only speak casually to Hyuk?”“Huh?”“I’m the same age as him…”Honestly, he’d wanted to ask since earlier—ever since the paper cup and marble choice game. Watching me naturally drop formal speech with Yoon Hyuk while keeping it with him had genuinely shocked Ye Ju-yeol. He hadn’t had a chance to ask then, but now he could.Even Sa-heon joined in.“True. You don’t usually talk casually first.”“……”That one had a sting to it.Deciding to pretend not to notice, I fiddled with the AC controls and mumbled,“Hyuk told me to speak comfortably, so I just did…”“……”“Uh… should I talk casually to you, too?”“Yes!”“Alright, let’s do that.”I’d expected this the moment I spoke casually to Hyuk. They were the same age; insisting on polite speech with one of them would look ridiculous. That was all there was to it, but Ju-yeol looked genuinely delighted. How could a simple shift in speech make him that happy? It felt over the top, but also kind of funny. When I glanced in the rearview mirror, our eyes met.“But I’ll still call you ‘sunbaenim!’”“Huh? You can just call me hyung.”He was the last person I thought would hesitate to use “hyung,” so it was unexpected. He didn’t seem like the timid type, but I asked anyway, and he replied just as unexpectedly,“I dunno. When I say ‘sunbaenim,’ it feels like we’re part of the same profession. Like we’re both actors, you know? ‘Hyung’ is nice and friendly, but I prefer the other feeling.”What kind of difference was that supposed to be? Professionally connected—as in, both actors? I couldn’t quite understand, but it didn’t matter. Whatever he liked was fine.“I don’t get it, but do whatever you want, Ju-yeol.”“Gasp…!”The sound of a swallowed sob came from the back. By now, I was used to it.Yoon Hyuk was clicking his tongue as his friend dissolved into teary joy because someone had finally said “Ju-yeol.” Insane. Then again, knowing how long he’d liked me, it made sense.After scrolling through all the restaurant reviews, Yoon Hyuk handed my phone back.“This one looks good.”“Alright. We’ll head out—seat belts on.”The way I answered each line made me sound like a teacher.Ever since learning their ages, I’d unconsciously softened my tone. Maybe it felt like dealing with younger cousins—or distant juniors. Honestly, I saw them as much younger than they really were, though that was my secret. It wasn’t the right moment to bring it up, so Yoon Hyuk just took out his phone. Whenever he had a spare minute, he checked Bubble.The car started moving, and the noise quieted down.Keeping my eyes on the road, I glanced in the mirror.Nothing special—Yoon Hyuk was busy replying to messages, and Ju-yeol was holding himself back from talking so he wouldn’t disturb the driver.Next to me, Sa-heon just stared ahead, lips pressed into a line. He didn’t look pleased. Probably starving by now. If it were anyone else beside him, he’d have thrown a fit already. It was only half a joke—he really did hate skipping meals that much.“……”As I checked the time left to the restaurant, the light turned red.A quick glance sideways showed Sa-heon with his eyes closed.After a brief hesitation, I reached out and gave the back of his hand a light pat. We’ll be there soon, the gesture meant—but he caught my hand and opened his eyes, slow and heavy.I hadn’t meant to wake him.When I tried to pull away, he flipped his hand over and caught it. Then he brought up his other hand from the window ledge and began tracing something on my palm. The ticklish strokes made me clench my fist, but when I opened it again, he kept drawing letters—consonants, vowels, line after line.By then, I couldn’t help being curious.I stilled my hand and focused.Salted… crab. Fish? Grilled. Abalone, hot… no, pot rice.“Pfft…”He was so serious, and it was all food names. I couldn’t hold in a laugh just as the light turned green. I pulled my hand back—no more playing menu board while driving.“Let go. The bill’s paid.”“Ha, we’re not done yet…”But he let go anyway, pretending to surrender.Even holding the wheel, I couldn’t stop laughing.Luckily, the restaurant was only five minutes away. I pressed the accelerator as the GPS said to go straight—then caught a glimpse of the rearview mirror.Both Ju-yeol and Yoon Hyuk were frozen, eyes wide. I looked forward again, then checked the mirror once more.“What’s wrong?”Was the back AC off?I checked—working fine.Maybe they were just starving too. I glanced at the navigation again.“Three minutes left. It should be right ahead. Just hang on.”A completely wrong assumption, but accidentally convenient. The truth was, both guys in the back were desperately erasing what they’d just seen from their memories. It had felt like witnessing something they shouldn’t.Not that it mattered—every bit of it had been caught on camera.Later, when people started obsessively shipping Seo Sa-heon and Lee Seo-eul, that clip became one of the most replayed moments.“Who knew a love letter could look this savory and salty,” fans wrote, going feral as they nicknamed the lunch set from «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» that day after the scene and dissected every frame down to the nanosecond…But that was a story for later.In the end, whether it’s fandom or love, you have to be a little insane to do it right.

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