Survive! Foolish Bottom!

“How do you know that? You said it yourself. Even if by a slim chance it does air, it’s better for us to stay quiet. Doesn’t that mean there’s still a slim chance it could air?”

Junwoo didn’t know it, but Park Haeun was originally a master at being persistent. When he retorted, bringing up his own words, Junwoo seemed a bit flustered and couldn’t respond. Haeun inwardly smirked with satisfaction.

Yet, for some strange reason, after finishing his words, Haeun felt a pang of guilt. The usually shameless Park Haeun felt an unfamiliar prickling in his chest and a tingling sensation in his mouth. In the end, his twitching mouth opened on its own and started to spill out an apology.

“I’m really sorry for making you hear things you didn’t need to. But…”

“If you chose that kind of useless noise marketing to get even a second more airtime, who would trust your judgment?”

A response came that made it seem like it would have been better not to apologize at all. Park Haeun felt a surge of anger strong enough to override the abnormal guilt.

“That’s why I said I’m really sorry.”

He replied through gritted teeth, but Yoon Junwoo was indeed a tough opponent.

By now, the notifications of decreasing favorability didn’t even surprise him. At this point, it seemed there was no favorability left, possibly even hitting negative. As soon as he thought about this, a foreboding feeling crept in.

Damn it, of course.

“I didn’t realize, but your way of thinking is really—”

Junwoo, unaware of what was happening, continued to be angry, but Haeun’s body was already acting against his will. Tears suddenly started to fall from Haeun’s eyes as if someone had rubbed an onion in his eyes.

Yoon Junwoo paused momentarily when Park Haeun started crying out of nowhere. It was a reaction that no one would have expected from a grown man.

“

…”

A pitiful sound came from his mouth, chillingly so. Despite his pride as a man, Park Haeun hadn’t cried in front of others since he was a child. Naturally, he had never made such a sniveling sound before.

“Why are you crying all of a sudden?” 

Junwoo asked, sounding baffled. He probably meant why Ha-un was crying in such a situation, but to Haeun, it sounded like he was asking why he was making such a sound while crying.

Even in this situation, the choices shamelessly popped up. Since the effect would last for five minutes, stopping soon wasn’t an option, and he didn’t want to admit that Junwoo was right about everything. Only one option remained.

“

… I’m sorry. I just really wanted to do well…”

“Hyung, just stop crying for now and talk to me.”

Eventually, it seemed Junwoo decided to calm Haeun down. His voice had softened. He gestured as if telling him to take it easy.

But the set time was five minutes. For that duration, it seemed he had no choice but to make a scene of crying and sobbing. When Haeun showed no signs of stopping, Junwoo sighed heavily.

“How are you going to cry like this? We have a shoot coming up.”

“S-sorry.

”

When Haeun made even more sniffing noises, Junwoo openly displayed an annoyed expression. Wasn’t the penalty supposed to help recover lost favorability? It seemed to be having the opposite effect.

Haeun couldn’t even guess where the sudden rise in favorability came from, and why it fluctuated almost simultaneously.

“Alright, so—”

“Who rented this place on the stairs?”

However, there was no time for Haeun’s mystery to be solved or Junwoo to calm him down. Someone’s voice came from below the stairs. Both of them turned their heads instinctively.

With tears blurring his vision, Haeun couldn’t identify the person who had just interrupted. At first, he thought it might be Yejun, who had defended him during the shoot, but the voice was different.

Haeun wiped away his tears and squinted. The man seemed quite tall. Though not standing side by side, it was evident he was taller than Haeun.

Who could it be?

Whoever it was, he was undoubtedly a celebrity. There was an unmistakable aura about him that screamed “entertainer,” even if his face wasn’t clear. Was he a model? Did he know Junwoo or the old Park Ha? Why had he suddenly intruded?

“I’d like to use the stairs…”

The man’s voice interrupted Haeun’s thoughts again. It was an impressive, memorable mid-low tone that couldn’t be easily mistaken for someone else.

“You’re blocking the way.”

With tears still streaming down his face, the man’s expression was so oddly distorted that it was impossible to tell if he was smiling or grimacing. Unlike Haeun, who was busy wracking his brain and scanning the scene, Junwoo responded calmly to the man’s comment.

“There’s plenty of space for you to pass, isn’t there?”

It was true. Junwoo and Haeun were standing off to the side, leaving enough room for anyone to pass without needing to be avoided. The man was also half a flight of stairs below them. His claim that the way was blocked was a baseless complaint.

However, the man seemed unfazed by Junwoo’s retort. He slowly began to climb the stairs, his gaze fixed on them, his voice steady.

“Blocking isn’t just about physical obstruction. I’ve been forced to stop because of this situation, so in a way, you are blocking my path.”

What kind of logic was that? Junwoo furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t respond. Listening to the man’s words, it seemed like they didn’t know each other, but maybe Junwoo was at a loss for words because a stranger had suddenly decided to intervene. 

Looking closely at Junwoo’s face through his tear-blurred vision, Haeun noticed a mix of difficulty and unease. Apparently, Junwoo did know who this was—and found him quite troublesome.

The man was close now, but still not so close as to be unable to pass by. Haeun subtly rubbed his eyes, trying to observe him without making it obvious.

But Haeun’s thoughts were cut short once again. Just when it seemed like his sobbing had calmed down a bit, it intensified again as soon as the man approached. The system seemed just as surprised, and for a moment, Haeun only shed silent tears. But as the initial shock wore off, he started to cry loudly again.

Junwoo looked at Haeun with an incredulous expression. It must have been baffling to see Haeun suddenly start crying louder just because someone had appeared.

Even though Junwoo was annoying and really frustrating, Haeun had no desire to give this stranger the impression that Junwoo was the kind of idol who would drag his groupmate out and make him cry. Doing so would tarnish Stone Cherry’s reputation, which was not something Haeun wanted when he was dreaming of becoming a super idol.

“It looks like you guys are from the neighboring filming set. What happened that you had to drag someone out and make them cry? You’re not some kind of thug, are you?”

Haeun lowered his head in embarrassment and pretended to cover his eyes with his hands, more to hide his face than to wipe away the tears. 

With Haeun now sobbing into his hands, it fell to Junwoo to clean up the situation. Junwoo answered with a trembling but a polite manner.

“Thank you for your concern, but it wasn’t like that. I’m sorry, hyung. I meant what I said for your sake, but if I didn’t consider your feelings—”

“N-no, it’s not…

!”

Just as he opened his mouth to support Junwoo’s efforts to calm the situation, an unexpected and annoying hiccup escaped Haeun’s lips. Haeun, who was genuinely annoyed, tried to shut his mouth again.

If only those damn choices hadn’t appeared.