thanks

It doesn't matter

도겸(석민)

“Huh… Ha-eun noona… What are you doing now?!”

A heavy silence fell in the dressing room. The voice was clearly Dokyeom's.

Team Leader Seong Ha-eun looked back, and a beat later, her expression changed to one of bewilderment.

성하은 팀장

“Ahahaha, what the heck~ We’re all cleaning up~”

It was a forced laugh, completely different from the familiar voice.

Then he glanced around.

Let's give a hint to the staff who pretended not to know Go Eun.

In the awkward atmosphere, they too smiled awkwardly and picked up the clothes that Go Eun had been organizing one by one.

성하은 팀장

“We were just trying to sort things out quickly amongst ourselves… so it ended up looking like that~

성하은 팀장

“It’s nothing, Dokyeom. Let’s go and prepare for the rest of the filming~!”

Dokyeom listened to those words quietly, frowning slightly.

The somewhat forced smile and the inappropriate situation were clearly uncomfortable.

He looked at Go Eun again.

Then, as if she had been caught, Go Eun quickly avoided his gaze.

매니저

“Dokyeom, where are you~”

The manager's voice came from afar. Team Leader Seong Ha-eun immediately took advantage of the sound and spoke.

성하은 팀장

"Hey, I'm looking for you! Go quickly!"

Dokyeom looked back once more at her, who spoke as if pushing him back, but in the end, he quietly turned around with his lips pursed.

Go Eun bit her lips tightly and started organizing her clothes again as if nothing had happened.

Behind the scenes, the staff were muttering.

???

"What, what?" "The atmosphere earlier... was no joke."

Those who had been roughly organizing their clothes as if throwing them in the air between those words soon left the costume room with indifferent expressions.

Then, Team Leader Seong Ha-eun approached Go Eun again.

성하은 팀장

“Hey, don’t even think about coming out until everything here is over.”

It was a sharp voice.

She deliberately threw the clothes that had already been arranged back onto the floor, then turned around and left.

Go Eun quietly bowed her head. Her fingertips were trembling slightly.

임고은

“…Do you really have to go that far to feel better?”

Something seemed to be rising in her chest, but she never showed any emotion.

Because if I continued like that, I felt like I was going to collapse. For now, I had to maintain my composure.

I had to protect myself.

The wardrobe was strewn with clothes. It was a volume that would take a long time even with six staff members.

It was obvious bullying. No one said anything, but everyone knew.

Go Eun silently reached out her hand again.

A lot of time had passed. It felt like over 40 minutes had passed since I started quietly organizing things on my own.

Swish--

임고은

"...??"

Just as she reached out to clear the next area, someone's hand came down below her vision. Go-eun, startled, raised her head.

임고은

“…Dokyeom…?”

There, Dokyeom was. He had returned from his earlier departure.

At the unexpected face, Go Eun blinked and froze.

Dokyeom lifted one of the clothes and asked in a low voice. His tone was more bewildered than angry, more worried than disappointed.

도겸(석민)

“…You want to do this alone? Seriously… This much?”

Go Eun paused for a moment as she looked at Do-gyeom, but soon averted her gaze and moved her hand.

Pretend to be calm, pretend nothing happened.

임고은

“…It's my job. Don't worry about it. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll get it for you right away.”

Businesslike tone. It was a tightly closed wall.

But Dokyeom didn't back down from that attitude. He moved his hand in unison and spoke.

도겸(석민)

“…I know this is really rude, but…is this why you did that on the rooftop earlier?”

At those words, Go Eun's fingertips trembled slightly.

A surge of emotion welled up in her throat, but she held it back and took a short breath.

I barely managed to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes.

임고은

“…Please leave now. I think I’m going to have to work hard.”

But Dokyeom did not back down.

도겸(석민)

“…Tell me. Why are you doing this?”

임고은

“…I don’t know why… you’re interested.”

Go Eun stood up without looking at Do-gyeom, and Do-gyeom also slowly got up following her.

도겸(석민)

“A person was trying to kill himself… and you want me to just pretend not to know?”

Dokyeom's voice rose for the first time. He was truly, truly angry.

Go Eun took a deep breath, looked at Dokyeom, and said.

임고은

“It has nothing to do with Dokyeom. You just happened to be there.

임고은

“I’m sorry for showing you a bad side of myself… but if I made you uncomfortable, that’s all I could have done.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Dokyeom was about to say something more.

임고은

“If you don’t leave here, my work will only get delayed… so I’d like you to leave in 10 minutes.”

It was a firm statement.

Go Eun lowered her head, quietly opened the door, and left the costume shop.

As she walked down the hallway, her breathing was ragged. It felt like she was…suffocating.