There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)-Chapter 770: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 53

As someone who rarely consumed entertainment--except when he was a child and obsessed with the knight cartoon--Kar had little knowledge of showbiz.

He didn’t know what a harsh place it was behind all the glitter and glamour. But then again, people thought it was nice being an esper with all their majestic power without seeing the dangerous aspect of risking their life. Perhaps, things weren’t very different in all aspects of society, after all.

Kar had wanted to see what those hate comments toward Byul was like, but Byul warned him never to check that stuff out with a glare. That was cute, so Kar folded immediately.

But he was still curious, so he asked his sister. Instead of answering, Lucy asked him if he had watched Byul’s works and scolded him when he said he hadn’t. A few minutes later, his commlink was bombarded with links to the platforms where Kar could watch Byul’s works--including the one where Byul was only a cameo.

[You should arm yourself before fighting those haters] was what Lucy said.

"Makes sense," Kar nodded.

And that was how he spent most of his free time in front of the screen, watching teenage shows. If anyone saw him, they would probably laugh because Kar was watching it with a serious gaze, trying to work his brain through the melodrama and all kinds of stuff that defied his common sense.

Because...why would someone stay after their partner cheated? How could someone treat their lover badly and call it love? Why was no one suspicious about that obviously suspicious person and let things go bad? And why--Gods, why--would someone head into a dark alley while having a bad feeling about it without even bringing some kind of defensive equipment?

His brain hurt, but his heart was soothed every time he saw Byul’s face.

It was hard when Byul was only a cameo, and Kar had to skip a lot of parts to look for Byul’s appearance. If only he knew it was possible to just look for clips of only Byul’s appearance in the link, he would probably flick Lucy’s forehead so hard for putting him through the ordeal.

But he did it. He finally arrived at Byuls latest drama series--the one where he received an award.

"H-huh? You’re watching my show, Hyung?" Byul widened his eyes when he found Kar in front of the TV screen when he returned from his shoot at night.

"Yeah," Kar replied while stroking his chin. "I think I need to assimilate myself more with society. I can’t understand how people’s minds work..."

Byul blinked and burst out laughing, so much so that he almost hit the back of the couch. "Oh, Hyung...you really are Uncle Zein’s son."

"I heard that a lot," Kar chuckled while shielding Byul’s head from the couch. "Be careful; Lucy said an actor can’t get hurt in their face."

"That’s true." Byul grinned before glancing at the screen. "It’s...rather embarrassing, though..."

"Why? You look good," Kar tilted his head. "Isn’t this where you get your award?"

Byul sighed and pursed his lips slightly, leaning on the back of the couch and propping his chin against the headrest. "It’s not that I’m good. It’s just that the other actors really...umm..."

"Suck?" Kar smirked. He might not know much about acting, but he could still tell if someone was bad at it.

The kind-hearted Byul scratched his neck awkwardly. "Well...yeah. Thanks to that, my acting stood out, even though I’m just a little better."

"It’s not just a little, in my opinion."

Byul grinned sheepishly. Even if it was only consolation, he would take it greedily if it was from Kar. "Thank you, but coincidentally, other dramas also weren’t doing so well at that time, so...I was just lucky."

"I heard luck is also a skill." Kar smiled, shifting around so he could look at Byul better. "And thanks to that, you get a lead role this time, aren’t you? I’m sure if it’s just because of the award, you also won’t get all of those commercial deals."

"That’s true..."

Kar looked at the younger’s unconfident expression and reached out to pat the curly hair. "Luck could only take people so far, Byul. No matter how much mana an Esper has, if they don’t practice how to use it well, it will only hurt them," he said. "Even if you think what you have achieved so far is only due to your luck, all you have to do is keep working hard so it’ll no longer just luck--right?"

Byul pressed his lips and nodded. "Yeah, you’re right, Hyung."

"Stop thinking so low about yourself," Kar flicked the younger’s forehead. "You are climbing step by step, and you do it well. Be proud of it."

"Mm," Byul nodded again, hiding his shy smile behind the couch.

Kar brushed his fingers across the dark curl and played with the fluffy hair, smiling gently at the adorable display. "So, when will you be done with your shoot?" freewebnøvel.com

"Umm...it should finish next week, unless the director wants to do some re-shoot. Why, Hyung?"

"Then, you won’t get busy after that?"

"Uhh..." Byul let out a long sigh. "I’ll have to start taking my class after that, and doing promotion, and--oh, I’m going to shoot for a music video too."

Kar closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. It was truly hard finding time to ask an actor for a date. "I see," he smiled and stroked the younger’s head. "It must be hard for you."

Byul groaned; he also wanted to cry. What was all that worry and nervous break about living together if he could barely spend time with his hyung?

"Oh! But I won’t have any schedule on the day the drama is aired, Hyung!" Byul suddenly remembered and stood up happily, looking at Kar with sparkling eyes.

"Then, should we watch it together?" Kar snapped his fingers and nodded. "Yes, of course, we should."

"H-huh?" Byul suddenly realized his blunder. He did want to spend that time with Kar, but...he realized quickly how embarrassing it would be to watch his work with someone he liked.

But...how could he say no? Ugh...well, as long as he could be with Kar, Byul decided to swallow his embarrassment. He would just hold a cushion to hide his face or something. Yes. It would be fine.

* * *

It wasn’t fine.

"Oh?"

Byul widened his eyes at the spread of snacks on the table. It was filled with food and all kinds of drinks. The TV screen on the first floor’s mini theater, which was already wide enough before, had disappeared and been replaced by an even bigger one.

Even the couch had been replaced. It was chic and minimalist before, but the new couch looked fluffy and cozy, with cushions stacked and blankets draped, ready to be used to warm themselves while watching the drama.

"Byul, you like marshmallows in your chocolate, right?" Kar asked from the kitchen, and Byul’s reply came like a squeak because of flusters.

"Y-yes, Hyung!"

Augh! Byul screamed inwardly and dove into the couch, wrapping himself in the blanket as if it could hide his embarrassment. He also snatched a cushion and hugged it, hiding his face there before the drama even started.

"You’ve worked hard, Byul."

A warm mug touched his cheek, and Byul raised his face, exhaling softly. He received the warm chocolate and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Hyung. But...uhh--you might see me hiding a lot later. It’s just...it’s just embarrassing to watch my work with someone else."

To be exact, with someone he liked. He knew that it was weird since his job was to be seen, but he didn’t mind if it was people he wasn’t very close with.

"Are you not usually watching your own work?" Kar tilted his head, taking a seat beside the embarrassed actor.

"I have no problem watching it by myself or with the crew..." Byul muttered before taking a sip of the warm chocolate and sighed blissfully. "Haa...your sweets are the best as always, Hyung~"

"I’m glad," Kar patted the curly hair and looked at the clock. "Oh, I think it’s time."

"Ack!"

Byul hid half his face behind the cushion again, as if they were watching a horror show instead of a romance with a hint of action and adventure. Ironically, Byul didn’t even flinch when he watched horror movies--unlike Asa.

"So, what’s this about?" Kar asked as the opening rolled.

"Oh, hmm...how should I say this? The main character finds out one day that her family is not her real family. She’s following a trail to find her real family, and that’s how she met the role I played."

"Ho...so, you play as the love interest?" Kar narrowed his eyes, watching the screen that followed what Byul had explained to him. "Does that mean you won’t appear until much later in this episode?"

"Yes," Byul finally stopped hiding behind the cushion when he remembered that the first part of the first episode would only show the protagonist, who was still in high school at the start of the drama. "I think I might only appear at the end, since I’m supposed to save the protagonist when she’s falling in the mountai--"

Byul couldn’t finish his words because, contrary to his prediction, he already appeared on the screen.

In a classroom, with the protagonist, kissing.

"Huh..." Kar spoke dryly. "You’re on already."

What? What?! That...why was that scene already...

"No!" Byul raised his cushion in panic, shielding Kar’s vision from the screen. "That--that’s not it! That’s not what it looks like!"

Damn it! The director must have thought that only putting the male lead at the end would be boring, so they put in a ’kissing’ scene to make the audience work up. In the story, Byul’s character was indeed studying in the same school as the protagonist--but it wasn’t a kissing scene!

"I-it’s just the angle! She was supposed to treat my wound--it’s supposed to be a flashback scene in episode 3! We did not kiss, I swear!"

"Okay, okay--calm down," Kar chuckled and pushed the cushion down. "Why are you so flustered, anyway?"

W-why? Why?!

"I thought kissing was normal in romance drama?"

Byul bit his lips and hugged the cushion again. "I--I never did it, okay?! I’ve never done a kissing scene!"

"Why?"

Hiding his face deeper with the cushion, Byul mumbles against the fabric, half hoping that Kar wouldn’t hear it. "B-because...I haven’t had my first kiss yet."

Oh, it was so embarrassing to say it when he was already an adult. Byul didn’t even dare to look at Kar, because he knew his whole face was already a boiled crab.

"...why haven’t you?"

Why? What kind of question was that?! Byul pressed his lips and muttered in slight annoyance. "B-because I want to have it with the person I love--"

People sometimes say stuff they would regret. Byul felt it instantly after saying it, within the two seconds of silence that felt suffocating. He wanted to look at Kar’s reaction, but felt too scared to do it. While he was still groaning inwardly in regret, suddenly, his chin was held and his reddened face was lifted.

And Byul felt like his heart stopped when he saw the rigid expression on Kar’s face. The esper looked angry, but Byul knew Kar enough to know that it was Kar’s face when he was restraining something.

"Are you doing it on purpose?"

The voice was dry, but there was a slight shaking behind the cold layer. And Byul didn’t know what that question meant, but he replied while following his instinct.

"Yes."

And he would forever thank that instinct, because that night, Byul received his first kiss.