Chapter 10: The Old Soul
They were roughly the same height, though Raiven had an inch or two on him. As they walked toward the three-story hotel in the deepening twilight, the silence between them felt heavy, though not entirely uncomfortable.
Sunghoon couldn't help but steal glances at the man beside him. Up close, Raiven looked exactly like his billboards,unnervingly handsome, with a face that seemed designed for high-definition lenses. During the day, he'd noticed the idol was a man of few words, moving through the set with a quiet, efficient gravity.
Raiven, meanwhile, was cataloging every detail of the person walking next to him. His mind traced back through his memories, trying to reconcile this encounter with the past. There was no way this guy didn't recognize him,his face was plastered across half the country. And yet, Haru looked at him with nothing more than mild curiosity. He still had that long hair, too.
It stung his ego, just a fraction. Most of Raiven's past encounters were a blur of sycophants and screaming fans, but he hadn't met anyone who simply… forgot him.
"We're here," Sunghoon stated, stopping at the hotel entrance and glancing back. "Are you going to eat with the rest of the crew?"
Raiven looked toward the recreation area, where the staff was already gathering for dinner. "No. I'm not that hungry."
Sunghoon frowned, his tone turning serious. "Do you want to collapse tomorrow? The schedule is tight."
He didn't want Se-hee waking up to a headline about her favorite idol fainting on set; she was already stressed enough about her "cleansing" failure.
Before Raiven could protest, Sunghoon reached out, took him by the arm, and led him firmly toward the food station. Raiven looked utterly bewildered, his eyes wide as he felt himself being steered like a child. He could feel the eyes of the remaining staff trailing them, whispers breaking out in their wake.
"I'm really not-"
"What do you want to eat?" Sunghoon cut him off. When Raiven didn't answer immediately, Sunghoon sighed. "Fine, I'll just choose for you."
He grabbed a plate and began serving various dishes,not too much, but a balanced portion. He shoved the plate into Raiven's hands before serving himself.
Raiven took the food in a daze. He couldn't get over how casual this guy was being. The lack of hesitation, the blunt care,it was so unlike the Haru he remembered. Sunghoon walked toward a nearly empty table and waved for Raiven to join him.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
Sunghoon noticed Raiven mostly just pushing the food around with his chopsticks.
"Is it not up to your standards?" Sunghoon asked after a sip of water.
"No, it's great," Raiven replied, finally taking a small bite.
Sunghoon let out a soft huff and pushed a small carton of milk toward him, punching the straw through the top. "Drink some of this, at least."
Raiven took a sip and set it down, watching Sunghoon.
"You really don't like eating, do you?" Sunghoon commented, laying his chopsticks down. Raiven remained silent, his expression unreadable. "It's fine. I understand."
Sunghoon stood up, disposed of his tray, and walked back to the table. "I have to head up now. It was nice meeting you. You aren't as stuck up as I thought you'd be."
The blunt words hit Raiven like a physical splash of water. He stared up at Sunghoon, stunned. How could he have changed so much in such a short time?
"Just on cue, here's your manager,"
Sunghoon noted, nodding toward Manager Kim's approaching figure. He gave a casual wave and walked away without looking back.
Manager Kim stopped beside Raiven, his eyes following Sunghoon's retreating form.
"So? Did you get what you wanted?"
"Not quite," Raiven said, his face clouding with confusion.
"Were you able to sort out the… situation?" Raiven asked, turning to his manager.
"I don't get why you're going to such lengths for a crew member," Kim sighed.
"He's just… interesting," Raiven murmured, taking another sip of the milk Sunghoon had given him.
The following day began with a rhythm that felt strangely intimate. Throughout the shoot, Sunghoon caught Raiven stealing glances at him from behind the monitors or during wardrobe changes. It made him uneasy; it felt as if Raiven knew something about "Haru" that Sunghoon hadn't uncovered yet.
The next morning, Sunghoon's alarm pulled him from sleep for his daily run. He had his wired earphones in, blasting a playlist of 90s hits he'd found on his phone. He was so focused on the trail that he didn't realize someone had joined him until he rounded a sharp corner.
Startled, his foot caught a root. He stumbled, but a strong arm reached out, catching him by the shoulder just before he hit the dirt.
"Do you want to give me a heart attack?"
Sunghoon exclaimed, clutching his chest as he ripped the earphones out.
"Sorry. I thought you heard me," Raiven apologized, stepping back.
"It's fine. I shouldn't have had the volume so high," Sunghoon said, stuffing the wires into his pocket.
"You still use wired earphones?" Raiven asked, a hint of a tease in his voice.
"They remind me of Walkmans," Sunghoon replied.
"Walkmans?"
"Yeah. You know,cassette tapes? Moving parts?"
"That's ancient," Raiven stated, beginning to walk ahead. Sunghoon followed suit.
"Well, I'm an old soul," Sunghoon said with a chuckle.
They walked the rest of the trail through the rice fields in a comfortable silence. The air was cool, and the scenery was peaceful.
"My friend is a huge fan of yours," Sunghoon said, breaking the quiet.
"Oh? I should sign something for her, then."
"That would be fantastic. She'll definitely scream my ear off when she sees it," Sunghoon said with a genuine smile.
"And you? Are you not a fan?"
"No, not really," Sunghoon answered honestly. He was distracted by a bird taking flight from the paddies, unaware of how much his laid-back answer puzzled the idol.
"Oh." Raiven's voice sounded slightly off. "I thought you were… I could have given you tickets to the tour."
Sunghoon stopped in his tracks and looked at him. "Why would you do that? We just met."
"For the help yesterday," Raiven reasoned, though he sounded unsure of himself.
"That was nothing," Sunghoon played it off, resuming his walk. "Any of the staff would have done the same."
"Yeah," Raiven said thoughtfully. "I guess."
He watched the back of "Haru's" head, wondering if he was overthinking everything. But the way this man carried himself,with the weight and confidence of someone twice his age,didn't match the boy Raiven knew