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Chapter 103: The Weight of Silence
As Min-jun gazed at Joon-ho lying on the bed, he didn’t know which way his body should lean. Should he lean in, or lean out? The space felt smaller than ever before. After living here for four years, he had grown accustomed to the narrowness and even began to think of it as home. But with Joon-ho sitting on the bed, the six-pyeong room felt compressed by the weight of their relationship.
Joon-ho was still staring at the ceiling, his neck tilted back, and the mold map on the ceiling reflected in his black eyes. He had his mouth shut tight, as if afraid that if he spoke, everything would shatter.
“Hyung…” Min-jun said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Joon-ho slowly lowered his head, and their eyes met. There was something flowing in his gaze, something that wasn’t quite tears, but similar. It was a wave of emotion being suppressed by extreme self-control.
“Have you been living like this?” Joon-ho asked, his voice low but intense.
“Yes,” Min-jun replied, feeling no need to hide anything anymore. Joon-ho had already seen everything.
“For four years?” Joon-ho asked, his voice still low, but with a sense of urgency.
“Yes,” Min-jun replied again.
“Alone?” Joon-ho asked, his voice cracking slightly.
“Yes,” Min-jun said once more, feeling a lump form in his throat.
Joon-ho stood up, his knees touching the edge of the desk as he rose from the bed. The room felt even smaller, as if an adult couldn’t even move around. Joon-ho turned towards the window, a small window in the semi-basement that allowed him to see the feet of passersby on the street above.
“Did you have dreams here?” Joon-ho asked, looking out the window.
“Yes,” Min-jun replied.
“What kind of dreams?” Joon-ho asked, his voice still directed at the window.
“I dreamed of being the lead actor, of shining on stage, of someone calling my name,” Min-jun said, his voice sounding like someone else’s for a moment, as if he was acting.
Joon-ho turned around, his eyes locking onto Min-jun’s face, a gaze that went from eye to eye, from heart to heart.
“Did those dreams grow here, under this ceiling?”
Min-jun hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
“Or did they grow because you were trapped here?” Joon-ho asked again, his question not gentle, but not violent either. Just precise.
Min-jun couldn’t answer, because that was the very question he had been asking himself for the past four years. As he stared at the mold map on the ceiling, he wondered if he was dreaming or trapped in a nightmare.
Joon-ho looked out the window again, his hand resting on the window frame. The cold, metallic sensation must have transferred to his fingers.
“I knew from the moment I met you,” Joon-ho said, his voice now tinged with a nostalgic tone.
“What did you know?” Min-jun asked.
“That you had to get out of here, out of this space, out of this life. And it’s not just about physical movement.”
Min-jun asked, “What do you mean?”
Joon-ho replied, “Soul movement.”
As soon as Joon-ho spoke, Min-jun felt a lump form in his chest, as if someone was squeezing his heart with both hands. Joon-ho’s words had a physical impact on him.
“How did you get out, hyung?” Min-jun asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Joon-ho raised his hand, placing it on his chest. “From here. From here, I escaped.”
Min-jun asked, “From your heart?”
Joon-ho nodded. “I fought until my heart awakened, until my heart recognized me, until I realized I had the right to live.”
Joon-ho looked at Min-jun again, his gaze intense. “Are you still fighting?”
Min-jun nodded. “Yes.”
Joon-ho asked, “Right now?”
Min-jun repeated, “Yes, right now.”
Joon-ho’s lips curled into a faint smile, but he swallowed it back. “Good.”
Min-jun asked, “Why is it good?”
Joon-ho replied, “Because fighting means you’re alive.”
As Joon-ho finished speaking, he sat back down on the bed, this time pulling Min-jun to sit beside him.
The room was quiet for a moment, the only sound the distant hum of the city outside.
Min-jun asked, “Do you come here often?”
Joon-ho replied, “Yes, regularly.”
Min-jun asked, “I didn’t know?”
Joon-ho nodded. “You didn’t know.”
Min-jun asked, “Why?”
Joon-ho’s expression turned serious. “I wanted to protect you, to watch over you, to make sure you didn’t leave this space, this life, until you were ready.”
Min-jun felt a shiver run down his spine. The realization that someone had been watching over him, protecting him, without him knowing, was both comforting and unsettling.
Joon-ho didn’t say anything for a while, his breathing the only sound. The noise of cars passing by outside, the creaks of the old building, and the distant sound of someone taking a shower from the floor above filled the silence.
Finally, Joon-ho spoke up. “I wanted to keep you safe.”
Min-jun asked, “Safe from what?”
Joon-ho replied, “From the world outside, from the things you’re not ready for, from the things that might hurt you.”
Min-jun felt a surge of emotions, a mix of gratitude and fear. He didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.
The night wore on, and the darkness outside seemed to grow thicker. Min-jun’s phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. The screen showed an unknown number, a Seoul number, but not one he had saved.
Min-jun looked at Joon-ho, who nodded. “Answer it.”
Min-jun pressed the call button. “Hello?”
A woman’s voice, low and calm, spoke on the other end. “Min-jun, it’s me, Lee Soo-jin.”
Min-jun’s blood ran cold. The CEO of Deestar Entertainment, Lee Soo-jin, was calling him at 11:47 PM. This was not a normal call.
Min-jun tried to compose himself. “Yes, CEO?”
Lee Soo-jin’s voice was firm but polite. “Be at the set tomorrow before filming starts. 9:00 AM sharp. Come alone.”
Min-jun’s heart sank. “Yes, I understand.”
The call ended, and Min-jun felt like he was in a daze. Joon-ho was watching him, his expression unreadable.
“What did she say?” Joon-ho asked, his voice low and cautious.
Min-jun replied, “I have to meet her at the set tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Alone.”
Joon-ho’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched. “Be careful.”
Min-jun felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew that Joon-ho was worried, but he didn’t know what to expect.
The night wore on, and the darkness outside seemed to grow thicker. Min-jun couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off, that something was waiting for him in the shadows.
At 5:00 AM, Joon-ho woke Min-jun up, his hand gently tapping on Min-jun’s shoulder. “Time to go.”
Min-jun got up, feeling a mix of fatigue and anxiety. He knew that today was going to be a big day, a day that would change everything.
As they left the semi-basement, the morning air hit them like a slap in the face. The sky was still dark, but the eastern horizon was slowly lightening up.
Min-jun looked at Joon-ho, who was watching him with an intense gaze. “You can do this,” Joon-ho said, his voice firm but gentle.
Min-jun nodded, feeling a surge of determination. He was ready to face whatever lay ahead, ready to take on the challenges that awaited him.
The set was a large, sprawling complex, with various buildings and streets designed to look like a real city. Min-jun and Joon-ho arrived at 8:00 AM, two hours before filming was set to begin.
Joon-ho headed to his trailer for makeup and costume, while Min-jun made his way to the office where he was supposed to meet Lee Soo-jin.
As Min-jun stood outside the office, he felt a sense of trepidation. He didn’t know what to expect, what Lee Soo-jin wanted to talk to him about.
At 9:00 AM sharp, Min-jun knocked on the door. “Come in,” a voice said from the other side.
Min-jun took a deep breath and stepped inside, leaving the familiar world behind and entering a new, unknown realm.