Survive! Foolish Bottom!

 

The notification that a character’s favorability had dropped often sent a chill down Haeun’s spine. It always made him wonder what outlandish thing he’d have to do to raise it back up. 

 

But with Seongjae, even when the notification popped up, he felt oddly at ease. Haeun had this strange confidence that he could just play the pitiful “Park Ha” card and bring it back up with a few words.

 

Seongjae, who had been watching him, opened his mouth reluctantly.  

 

“…You’ve changed your image lately.”  

 

‘Of course I have; I’m a completely different person now. Did you just notice that?’

 

“I’m still the same, though.”  

 

It was a brazen statement, completely at odds with the truth. Seongjae squinted at him for a moment, then shrugged.  

 

“Well, I guess I never really knew what kind of image you had to begin with.”

  

Hearing that made Haeun wanted to ask, “And what do you think now?” But he held back. There was no point in hearing Seongjae admit they were close now, especially since it wasn’t entirely true. Besides, if he overstepped, the system might impose some sort of penalty, and he’d only be hurting himself.

 

‘If this were reality, we might have gotten pretty close,’ he thought absentmindedly, turning his attention to the dull TV. 

 

Gloomy’s Lee Jaewoon had just ranked third in the category of “Most Likely to Get Along with Others.”

 

Meanwhile, the man who would undoubtedly rank dead last in that category, Lee Seongjae, was watching the screen too. He slowly opened his mouth.  

 

“Hey.”  

 

“What?”  

 

“Wanna come with me?”  

 

“Woah… It’s very cold today.”

 

Haeun warpped his two arms around his body and muttered. Although they had just made a summer comeback and it was only the beginning of autumn, the early hour made the weather feel particularly chilly. Seongjae, who had a scarf securely wrapped around his neck, glanced over at Haeun, his hands in his pockets.

 

“I told you to dress warmer.”

 

He said it offhandedly, noticing Haeun had thrown on clothes without much thought. The day before had been warm, and Haeun had been caught off guard, assuming early September wouldn’t be too cold. He had overlooked the fact that his current body, Park Ha’s, was a bit more sensitive to the cold than the original Park Haeun.

 

“I didn’t expect it to be this bad.”

 

When he grumbled, Seongjae replied bluntly, “Didn’t you check the weather forecast?”

 

Haeun didn’t respond, mostly because he actually didn’t check the weather forecast. Seongjae, who had been walking ahead, noticed his hurried steps as he tried to fend off the cold and made a slightly irritated face.

 

“Here, just take this.”

 

He eventually unwrapped the scarf from his neck and handed it to him. Seeing that he had brought a scarf for a September morning suggested Seongjae wasn’t immune to the cold either. Even though his words were curt, the way he offered it without hesitation felt unexpectedly considerate.

 

“Oh, thanks.”

 

Haeun took the scarf without refusal. Seongjae seemed momentarily taken aback, as if he had expected her to say something like, “But you’re cold too,” or “No, it’s fine. You keep it.” Instead, Haeun had accepted it so easily that it made him visibly pause for a second.

 

Still, Haeun didn’t leave Seongjae’s outstretched hand hanging awkwardly. He draped his scarf haphazardly over her hands, then stuffed his own back into his pockets, striding ahead with long steps. 

 

Haeun wasn’t particularly good at tying scarves. He had never really felt the need to, even in the dead of winter, when in his original body, he often skipped scarves and gloves for the sake of appearance. Seeing no reason to style it neatly now, he wrapped it messily around her neck. The scarf, though untidy, was warm.

 

By the time he caught up, Seongjae, who was now far ahead, turned his head abruptly to check on him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw how he had tied the scarf.

 

“What the hell do you know how to do?”

Seongjae muttered, clearly exasperated, though his voice lacked any real bite. He seemed to have lost all will to criticize further after seeing the ridiculous sight. Haeun simply shrugged, unfazed.

 

“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? It’s not like you’ll freeze to death if I don’t tie a scarf properly.”

 

“Just hurry up. We need to catch the train before people start flooding in.”

 

Even though he spoke about people crowding the subway at this early hour, it was hard to take his warning seriously. Haeun had never taken a train at this time, so he had no frame of reference for how packed it might get. Still, since Seongjae wanted him to hurry, he picked up the pace, doing his best to catch up with him.

 

Once inside the subway station, the cold that had been biting just moments ago quickly turned into heat. Haeun hastily unwrapped the messily tied scarf and stuffed it into his hands. Seongjae, watching him with a slightly exasperated expression, held out his hand.

 

“Give it here.”

 

“You’re just taking it back now?”

 

“I’ll give it back if you get cold again. Just hand it over.”

 

It seemed like Seongjae had given up on getting annoyed at Haeun over small things. Laughing softly, he handed the scarf back. Seongjae folded it neatly in a matter of seconds, holding it in his hand, which Haeun observed with some amazement.

 

The subway arrived soon after. Since it was just after the first trains had started running, the car was almost entirely empty. Thanks to that, no one paid any attention to the two suspicious-looking guys wearing caps pulled low and faces covered by masks.

 

Haeun trailed behind Seongjae as he sat down, choosing the seat next to him. Seongjae muttered as if offering an excuse.

 

“I usually prefer standing, but since there’s no one here, sitting down is less suspicious than standing around like this.”

 

No one had accused him of anything, but since he seemed self-conscious about it, Haeun simply nodded in agreement. Lowering his voice so only he could hear, he whispered back.

 

“But you didn’t wear sunglasses, so I don’t think you look

that

suspicious. Maybe people will just think you didn’t shower before coming out.”

 

Seongjae grimaced, looking horrified at the thought. Given he was someone who could shower multiple times a day, it wasn’t surprising he didn’t appreciate the joke. As Haeun chuckled mischievously like a villain, Seongjae responded, clearly not putting much effort into his reply.

 

“No one’s going to recognize me, sunglasses or not.”

 

Is this the sadness of mangdols (idols with little popularity)? Haeun shook his head with a smirk.

 

“But you still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

 

“I know.”

 

“So? If you know, where are we going?”

 

Haeun grumbled, but Seongjae didn’t respond. Instead, he seemed to avoid answering entirely, opening his phone and staring at the screen instead. Haeun, curious if he was playing a game like Junwoo, glanced over but saw it was some entertainment news.

 

He considered poking his nose into his business but remembered they were on public transport and decided to hold back. Instead, he crossed his arms and leaned back uncomfortably. Although he wasn’t particularly sleepy, taking a nap on a long subway ride was always a good idea.

 

As Haeun attempted to drift off, Seongjae glanced at him and then buried his head back into his phone.

 

***

 

Seongjae shook Haeun awake. Blinking in a daze, he opened his eyes.

 

“Wake up. We’re going to miss our stop.”

 

“Ughhh…”

 

The sound that escaped his lips startled Seongjae, and he frowned. It seemed like a sound he instinctively made in her sleep, as Haeun still looked far from awake. With a bit of effort, Seongjae managed to pull him up, dragging him along until they finally managed to get off together.

 

Once they were outside, Haeun yawned widely, rubbing his eyes.

 

“What? Did we arrive?”

 

His voice, usually soft and airy, had a sharper edge to it this time. Seongjae found it strange—did he used to be grumpy when waking up? Puzzled for a moment, he shrugged it off and shook his shoulder lightly to help him wake up.

 

“Ah, I’m awake, I’m awake. Stop shaking me.”

 

As Haeun stood there half-awake, Seongjae paced in front of the sliding doors. He watched him for a moment, then raised a finger to point towards the stairs.

 

“Seongjae yah, the exit is that way.”

 

“Do you think I can’t find the stairs?”

 

“…”

 

Well, that was true. Haeun had momentarily thought he was acting like a fool. If he wasn’t looking for the stairs, then what on earth was he doing wandering around in front of the subway exit? He had been walking back and forth at the end of the platform labeled 1-1.

 

“Can you at least tell me what you’re doing?”

 

“It seems like this isn’t the right way. Let’s go up.”

 

It was like talking to a brick wall. But since he had prepared himself for this kind of response from Seongjae the moment he decided to follow him out, he didn’t feel too irritated.

 

Once they climbed the stairs, Haeun realized that this station didn’t connect to the opposite platform. He tried to swipe his card and exit without thinking, but Seongjae showed reluctance.

 

“Ah… Can’t we cross over to the other side?”

 

“Do you want to go over?”

 

Haeun asked casually, taking a step as if he were ready to board the train immediately.

 

Seongjae grimaced, glancing around before pulling Haeun’s leg down to the floor, interrupting his momentum.

 『Pro idols don’t break the law! (ヽ(´Д`;ゞ)』 

“Make some sense. Are you even aware that you’re a celebrity? Just swipe your card and let’s go back inside.”

 

Living as a celebrity seemed really tough. If crossing over was impossible, he could just press the call button and ask to be let over to the other side. But Haeun figured that he would probably refuse, worried about the risk of his face and voice getting out there. So, he followed his instructions and swiped his card twice to cross over.

 

Even as they descended the stairs, he couldn’t help but wonder what Seongjae was up to. However, as soon as they reached the bottom, the reason became clear.

 

Seongjae’s face was displayed prominently on the screen door, accompanied by the message,

“0903 Seongjae, Happy Birthday!”

It seemed he had come all the way out here early in the morning to see this.

 

Wait, today is September 3rd, right?

 

Instinctively, Haeun turned his head to look back at Seongjae. On his usually sharp face, a rare gentle smile appeared.

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