“……”“……”A heavy silence settled among the four of them.Two of them were stunned speechless, unable to find an appropriate response, while the third had only just noticed the hand wrapped around his waist.When had they even started standing like this? Startled, Seo-eul quickly pulled Sa-heon’s hand away and stepped forward. He’d worried Sa-heon might cling to him like he did at home, but thankfully, Sa-heon didn’t stop him this time.A little disappointed that the warmth slipped out of his arms, but well—He swallowed it down just fine. Then Sa-heon reached out a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) hand toward Ye Ju-yeol.“…Just kidding. I’m Seo Sa-heon. Let’s get along.”He sounded so polite that it was hard to believe he was the same man who had just said something outrageous a moment ago. When their eyes met, Sa-heon even smiled briefly. The faint curve of his lips transformed his expressionless face into something strikingly beautiful. It was easy to see why his debut photobook had sold out in minutes.Ju-yeol, caught off guard by how quickly the man’s demeanor had changed, hesitated before finally shaking the offered hand.His hand was big and solid—not from applying pressure, but from the strength naturally embedded in it. The roughness of a man used to handling metal tools lingered on his palm, and as Ju-yeol felt a strange kinship in that, Sa-heon withdrew and offered his hand to Yoon Hyuk next.Swept along, Yoon Hyuk also shook it and said, “Please take care of me,” to which Sa-heon simply nodded and drew his lips into a faint smile again.That was it.As if he had completed all the formalities, Sa-heon casually returned to stand beside Seo-eul, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.The look he cast downward seemed to ask, Did I do well?—so much so that both Ju-yeol and Yoon Hyuk doubted their eyesight. They wanted to believe they’d imagined it.Anyway, with introductions finished, the mood reset to square one.Ju-yeol, who had been dying to bombard his idol with questions after meeting him as if by fate, found himself too intimidated by Sa-heon’s presence to even try.Feeling dejected, Ju-yeol’s shoulders drooped, and noticing that, Seo-eul spoke up—not realizing he was the reason behind it. It was simply that they couldn’t keep standing here forever.“Um… do you want to come inside first? We just arrived too, so we haven’t really looked around yet. We need to unpack and choose rooms, and… ah, did you check the Friendly Market?”“Huh? It wasn’t opening for me…”“Ours just opened a moment ago. I think it becomes accessible once you move in—”Ddan-dan ddan darara!Before Seo-eul could finish, both Ju-yeol’s and Yoon Hyuk’s phones rang at the same time, as if on cue. Seo-eul closed his mouth; he already knew what it meant. Both men checked their phones—the notification announced that they’d failed the first-come event, followed by the opening of the Friendly Market.Without delay, both entered their respective Market apps, and their expressions shifted subtly.Unlike Seo-eul, who had practically lit up with joy upon spotting a pair of loafers, their reactions were strangely mixed.Seo-eul grew curious—what on earth did they see in there to look like that? But then he remembered the rule: Market contents must not be shared with others. Since they were “friends” but not best friends, that prohibition included him.Seo-eul tugged on Sa-heon’s arm. They probably had private things to discuss anyway, so it seemed like a good time to leave them be.…Though honestly, he also wanted to spare Ju-yeol the embarrassment of realizing he’d stepped into the house with his shoes still on.Since the poor guy hadn’t noticed yet, Seo-eul excused himself, saying they’d go check the rooms first, and went upstairs with Sa-heon.When he thought they were far enough that their voices wouldn’t carry, a quiet sigh escaped him. Only then did he realize how tense he’d been. Sa-heon, noticing it instantly, let out a low chuckle.“Don’t laugh.”He knew exactly why, which made it even more humiliating.Trying his best to look unfazed, Seo-eul went ahead up the stairs.The first door they saw opened into a bright room, and as Seo-eul stepped inside, Sa-heon caught up quickly behind him.“Lee Seo-eul,” he said. “Did you know your ears turned red just now?”“……”“You were trying really hard not to be shy, huh? Are you like this on set too?”Apparently, watching his socially polite side at work had left quite the impression. There was so much amusement in Sa-heon’s voice that Seo-eul, half-embarrassed, muttered a low warning.“Sa-heon. Be quiet…”“Why? Is it a secret?”“……”“I’m just curious, that’s all.”Seo-eul’s expression grew faintly sour. He wasn’t even sure which part Sa-heon was curious about—his red ears or how he acted on set—but it didn’t matter. He had no intention of answering anyway. Still, remembering how awkward things had been earlier, his tone slipped into a grumble.“…What else was I supposed to do? They both froze up. And you—obviously—you wouldn’t have been any help.”“Ah, so the great senior actor Lee Seo-eul had to step up?”“……”There was no point arguing further.Flustered, Seo-eul pushed away Sa-heon’s arm from where it brushed his. Even a child could tell he was being teased, and recalling the moment he’d tried to loosen the tension with that silly line made his ears burn all over again.And all of that was going to air on TV.Right now, he wanted to grab his suitcase and run straight out of the house.Whether Sa-heon knew or not, he quietly allowed himself to be pushed back, his face strained with suppressed laughter. That alone made Seo-eul scowl. When Sa-heon noticed, he stifled his chuckle—but then leaned close again.When Seo-eul ignored the whispered, “Don’t be mad,” Sa-heon reached out and flicked his earlobe with a fingertip. It was impossible to tell if he was trying to soothe him or rile him up.“But why are they red now?”Of course he knew. He was just doing this on purpose. Seo-eul swatted his hand away again, though he hesitated for a moment. He could feel the heat radiating from his skin—was it really that obvious?He pressed his palm against his ear. The warmth was undeniable.That, too, would’ve been caught on camera, which made him all the more self-conscious.Maybe it was an occupational hazard—knowing the camera was always watching—but still, he couldn’t help it. Unlike a drama or film where he played a role, Lee Seo-eul himself was being broadcast this time, and that fact made him deeply uncomfortable. He knew exactly why, yet he didn’t want to unpack it. There was no point.As he stood there quietly trying to cool his skin, something felt off.Why wasn’t Sa-heon saying anything?Normally, he’d keep teasing until satisfied, but now, silence. Seo-eul turned his head. He’d expected to find that same half-smiling face, but—“……”Sa-heon was looking at him, yes, but his expression was different. Strange.Seo-eul froze without realizing it.Even when their eyes met, Sa-heon didn’t speak. His unreadable gaze made Seo-eul tense in a different way.“…What.”Silence between them had never been awkward before, but right now it was. Something about it made him want to flee. He dropped his hand from his ear and asked again.There was nothing on his face, no reason for that look. Was he about to say something weird again? Seo-eul waited, but Sa-heon said nothing.“…Why aren’t you saying anything?”In the end, Seo-eul broke the silence first.If he didn’t, he swore his face might just burn a hole through itself.He wanted to rub his cheeks in exasperation but somehow knew he shouldn’t. As he swallowed hard, movement from outside the room caught his attention.“……!”Ye Ju-yeol and Yoon Hyuk.They were the only other people in the house, so it had to be them.He’d found them awkward before, but now their presence was a relief. His expression lightened as he turned quickly, ready to excuse himself under the pretext of showing them the rooms.“…Lee Seo-eul’s ignoring me.”That single sentence from behind shattered his plan completely.Don’t turn around, he told himself, but there was something faintly sulky in Sa-heon’s voice that made it impossible.After a few seconds of hesitation, Seo-eul glanced back—and there stood Seo Sa-heon, his face openly displeased.It was absurd; he was the one being teased, yet Sa-heon looked like the offended party.“You keep teasing me. What do you expect?”“I wasn’t teasing.”“Then what were you doing?”Seo-eul sighed deeply. He was tempted to just walk out, but what difference would that make? He’d dealt with this countless times before. It wasn’t like he was genuinely upset, so he decided to humor him briefly and then move on to checking the rest of the rooms.“I just thought you were cute, that’s all.”“……”If only Seo Sa-heon hadn’t said that.

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