Chapter 136
Saturday morning arrived far too quickly.
Haru woke to the unfamiliar feeling of having nowhere he immediately needed to be.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
No alarm.
No phone call from Mae-rin.
No early meeting.
No filming schedule.
Nothing.
Then his eyes drifted toward the clock on the bedside table.
He frowned.
He had slept later than usual.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps he had earned it.
The past week had been relentless. The award ceremony, the celebration afterward, the date with Raiven, the movie release approaching, and the endless scripts that seemed to multiply every time he finished reading one had left him with very little time to simply breathe.
He stretched beneath the blankets before turning his head.
The other side of the bed was empty.
Haru frowned.
"Jae-wook?"
No answer.
He pushed himself upright.
The bedroom door was slightly open, and from somewhere beyond it came the faint sound of movement.
Haru rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed.
He was still wearing one of Raiven's oversized shirts from the previous night, the fabric hanging loosely around his frame.
As he stepped into the living room, he found Raiven standing near the kitchen counter with his phone pressed against his ear.
"No, move it to Monday," Raiven was saying.
He paused.
His eyes landed on Haru.
His expression immediately softened.
"Yes. I'll call you later."
He ended the call.
"You sleep well?."
Haru leaned against the doorway.
"very?."
"I noticed."
"You didn't wake me?"
"You needed the sleep."
Haru smiled.
"You had somewhere to be."
"I canceled it."
Haru's smile disappeared.
"You did what?"
Raiven shrugged.
"It wasn't important."
"Jae-wook."
"It was a meeting."
"Which you probably needed to attend."
"I can attend another one."
Haru sighed.
"You're going to get in trouble."
"I've survived worse."
Haru shook his head.
He walked toward the kitchen.
"Did you eat?"
"Not yet."
"Then sit down."
Raiven smiled.
"Yes, sir."
Haru gave him a look.
"Don't start."
Raiven laughed as he followed him.
Breakfast was simple.
Neither of them had bothered with anything elaborate. Haru prepared toast, eggs, fruit, and coffee while Raiven sat at the counter watching him.
The conversation drifted between ordinary things.
Raiven's comeback preparations.
Haru's movie.
The rain from the previous night.
The date.
The new car.
Haru's eyes narrowed when the last subject came up.
"I still can't believe you bought me that car."
Raiven took a sip of coffee.
"You like it."
"That's not the point."
"It is a little."
Haru sighed.
"I've never received something that expensive as a gift."
"There's a first time for everything."
"You're too comfortable with spending money."
Raiven smiled.
"You're the one who called me a sugar daddy."
"That was a joke."
"I know."
Haru looked at him.
"Don't get used to it."
"I won't."
"You sound disappointed."
"I am."
Haru laughed despite himself.
After breakfast, Raiven handed him the car keys.
Haru stared at them.
"Why?"
"Take it for a drive."
"Now?"
"Why not?"
Haru looked toward the window.
The sky had cleared overnight.
Sunlight reflected off the glass buildings surrounding the penthouse.
He looked back at Raiven.
"Fine."
The underground garage looked different during the day.
Haru approached the BMW slowly.
He still couldn't quite believe it was his.
He unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat.
The interior still smelled new.
He adjusted the seat.
Then the mirrors.
Then the steering wheel.
Raiven stood outside the open passenger door watching him.
"You look like you're preparing for surgery."
"I want to make sure everything is right."
"You've driven before."
"Not this."
Raiven smiled.
"You're nervous."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Haru turned toward him.
"Get in."
Raiven immediately obeyed.
Once he was seated, Haru started the engine.
The car came alive with a low hum.
Haru smiled.
That sound alone made him understand why people loved cars.
He slowly pulled out of the garage.
For the first few minutes, he drove cautiously.
Raiven said nothing.
Haru glanced at him.
"You're very quiet."
"I'm letting you concentrate."
"You can talk."
"I don't want to distract you."
Haru smiled.
"You've finally learned."
Raiven laughed.
They drove through the city.
Haru gradually became more comfortable.
His hands loosened around the steering wheel.
The car responded smoothly to every movement.
It was easy to drive.
Too easy.
"This is nice."
"I told you."
"I can see why you bought it."
"I didn't buy it for myself."
Haru glanced at him.
"I know."
There was something about that answer that warmed him.
The car wasn't simply a luxury.
It was another indication that Raiven paid attention.
Haru had complained countless times about waiting for taxis.
He had mentioned how inconvenient it was when schedules ended late at night.
Raiven had listened.
And, in typical Raiven fashion, he had solved the problem in the most extravagant way possible.
Haru shook his head.
"You really are ridiculous."
Raiven smiled.
"You like me anyway."
"Unfortunately."
By Monday morning, Haru was back at the agency.
The atmosphere felt different.
He noticed it almost immediately.
People looked at him differently.
Not dramatically.
No one was bowing or treating him like a celebrity.
But there was a subtle shift.
Assistants greeted him more enthusiastically.
Staff members smiled when he walked past.
Haru understood why.
His award had changed something.
He was no longer simply an actor with potential.
He had proof.
He had a trophy that told the industry he was worth paying attention to.
Mae-rin was waiting for him when he entered her office.
She pointed toward the chair.
"Sit."
Haru sat.
She placed several thick folders on the desk.
Haru stared.
"More?"
"More."
He groaned.
"I thought the weekend would give me a break."
"Apparently the directors didn't get that memo."
She pushed the first folder toward him.
"These came in this morning."
Haru opened it.
A major production company.
The budget was significantly larger than anything he had worked on before.
He turned another page.
Lead role.
His eyes narrowed.
He continued reading.
"This is serious."
"Very."
He opened the next folder.
Another project.
Another major director.
Another lead role.
Haru looked up.
"Why are there so many?"
Mae-rin smiled.
"Because you won."
"I've won one award."
"That's enough to change how people look at you."
Haru leaned back.
He stared at the stack.
His career was moving faster than he had anticipated.
A strange sensation settled in his chest.
Excitement.
Fear.
Possibility.
Mae-rin watched him carefully.
"Don't accept something simply because everyone suddenly wants you."
Haru nodded.
"I know."
"Choose carefully."
"I will."
He opened another script.
The premise immediately caught his attention.
A complicated character.
A morally ambiguous protagonist.
Someone who appeared one way to everyone else but carried an entirely different world beneath the surface.
Haru read the synopsis twice.
"This one."
Mae-rin looked at him.
"You like it?"
"I want to read the full script."
"Take it home."
Haru nodded.
He closed the folder.
Then his eyes landed on another name in the production details.
His expression changed.
The director wasn't the problem.
Neither was the production company.
It was one of the actors being considered.
Chang-seo.
Haru stared at the name.
For a moment, the office seemed quieter.
Mae-rin noticed.
"You know him?"
Haru carefully closed the folder.
"I've heard of him."
That was technically true.
He knew far more than he intended to admit.
Chang-seo had once been Raiven's boyfriend.
And although Haru had no reason to believe that their past relationship meant anything now, seeing his name still produced an unfamiliar sensation.
Not jealousy.
At least, he didn't think it was jealousy.
Something else.
Something uncomfortable.
Mae-rin continued.
"They haven't finalized the cast yet. He's only one of the actors being considered."
Haru nodded.
"I understand."
"You don't have to take the project."
"I know."
Haru looked at the folder again.
"But I want to read it."
Mae-rin smiled.
That evening, Haru left the agency carrying the script.
His new BMW was waiting outside.
He stopped beside it.
The car still felt strange.
He unlocked it and climbed inside.
Before starting the engine, his phone vibrated.
A message from Raiven.
How was your day?
Haru smiled.
He typed back.
Busy.
A reply came almost immediately.
Bad busy?
Haru looked down at the script sitting beside him.
Then at the city beyond the windshield.
Not necessarily.
Another message appeared.
What happened?
Haru hesitated.
He could tell him.
He could simply mention the project.
Mention Chang-seo.
But something stopped him.
Not because he was hiding anything.
He simply wasn't sure why seeing the name had bothered him.
So he typed:
I'll tell you when I see you.
Raiven replied:
I'll be waiting.
Haru smiled.
He started the car.
As he pulled away from the agency, his phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn't Raiven.
It was a notification from a social media account.
A photograph had been uploaded.
Haru glanced at it briefly while stopped at a traffic light.
His heart skipped.
It was a photograph from the previous night.
Not of the date.
Not of the hill.
Not of the rain.
It was much simpler.
A photograph taken outside a restaurant several days earlier.
Raiven was standing beside him.
The two of them were smiling.
The image had been taken from a distance.
Haru frowned.
He looked closer.
There was nothing shocking about the photograph.
They weren't holding hands.
They weren't kissing.
They weren't doing anything that could definitively prove they were together.
But the caption beneath it made his stomach tighten.
Is it just me, or has Raiven been spending a lot of time with rising actor Haru lately?
The comments were already multiplying.
Some people dismissed it.
Others speculated.
A few joked.
A handful were beginning to connect dots.
Haru locked the phone.
The traffic light turned green.
He pressed the accelerator.
For several minutes, he said nothing.
The excitement he had felt about his new projects remained, but something else had entered the space beside it.
A reminder.
His life was changing.
His career was growing.
His relationship with Raiven was becoming deeper.
And increasingly, those two worlds were moving toward the same intersection.
Haru tightened his grip around the steering wheel.
He wasn't afraid.
Not yet.
But he understood something now.
The more successful he became, the more people would look at him.
And the more people looked at him, the harder it would become to keep the most important parts of his life hidden.
His phone buzzed again.
Another message from Raiven.
Drive safely.
Haru looked at the screen.
A smile slowly returned to his face.
Despite everything, that one message was enough to settle him.
He placed the phone down.
For now, he would deal with tomorrow when it came.
Tonight, he had someone waiting for him.
And perhaps, for the first time in his second life, Haru wasn't simply trying to survive what came next.
He was choosing what he wanted it to be.