Chapter Text
"Where did you watch the last episode?" Woo Do Hwan asked over the phone.
"Yesterday?" Min Ho asked to confirm, scratching his hair that he needed to wash.
"Mhm"
"At Go Eun's place. You?"
"Oh... Why don't you two invite the rest over? I watched it alone."
"I don't know... It just sort of happened. We'll call you guys next time... We really didn't plan it."
"Hmm... Okay, hyung... If you say so... So you're okay about me changing that line? It's not awkward, is it?" Do Hwan referred to their script.
"No, no I like it. Always call me for stuff like that."
"Did you change it in your script?"
"I need to get up..."
"You're still in bed? It's past noon."
"I got home late last night..."
"Okay then hyung... Don't waste your days off on sleeping." Do Hwan laughed teasingly.
"You too. Don't think about the script so early." Min Ho groaned, suddenly unwilling to get up.
"But you just said...?"
"It's Saturday, no working on Saturday"
"If you say so my majesty."
"Bye bye Do Hwan-a"
"See ya, hyung"
Woo Do Hwan hung up and Min Ho stayed in his sheets, staring blankly at the ceiling and thinking over things.
Things like - Do Hwan got more comfortable around him. Calls him hyung and isn't afraid to ring him on Saturday morning... Afternoon.
Things like - Min Ho didn't watch the episode alone last night.
Like - He got comfortable around Go Eun.
Like - Maybe she got comfortable around him as well.
Min Ho suddenly smiled at the ceiling, clenching the sheets between his fists and then throwing them around the bed, squealing like a seagull at sundown.
*last night*
It was around 4 pm that he got lonely. In the military, he developed a strange condition of feeling loneliness after meals. In the army, he'd be surrounded with people the whole day, day and night. He couldn't feel homesick even if he wanted to. There was simply no time. Still, after lunch there was always a small climate of calm that was created, and at those times Min Ho felt incredibly lonely. He felt that he'd be lonely even if it weren't for the army. Nowadays, he realizes that he was right all along. Min Ho is more lonely now than when he was in the military. The cast got the weekend off, days off were the worst. He felt loneliness creeping up on him as the day got older.
He didn't want to watch the episode alone tonight. Anyone, anyone will do.
He took his phone and went through his contacts, but suddenly realized that his options were very limited. He called a few people, but it couldn't work out. He wondered if he should call Do Hwan, but he lives far away.
In that moment Go Eun sent a text on his line. A silly meme of Gong Yoo planning to murder him for hugging Go Eun.
"He's probably jealous" strangely went through Min Ho's head, "I'll probably be jealous once the show is over."
He pondered over it for a few moments, but decided to type away anyways.
-Are you watching the episode tonight?
Bunny
-Yup
-Any specific plans?
Bunny
-Why you ask?
Sometimes... Go Eun scared him with her unintentional forwardness.
-I don't have anyone to watch with... :(
-Do you want to watch with me? ...pls
Bunny
-I'm babysitting my nephews
-Oh
Bunny
-But you can come over if you don't mind a bit of screaming. I'll text you the address.
Min Ho wondered if she gives her address to guys that easily all the time? Does she introduce all her male leads to her nephews? If it was so, Min Ho didn't like it. Still, he happily got ready and left.
Cheerfully, he bought chicken on his way there, and arrived at Go Eun's apartment within an hour. This was the first time he was to hang out with her like this. He jumped up the steps, avoiding the elevator. He was excited that tonight he won't be lonely.
She oped the door, barely looking at him and turning right away. Go Eun was usually casual and unassuming, but there was something different about seeing her in her own home. Sweats and an over-sized shirt with buttons randomly done. It was the strangest, yet most appropriate look. Min Ho unconsciously smiled wide, following behind her.
"Oh you bought chicken." she noticed, briefly glancing at him.. "Well, we're eating vegetables over here, aren't we?" she announced cheerfully and received a childish boohoo in return.
Min Ho laughed, letting Go Eun take the chicken away from him and put it in the kitchen.
"Min Jun, come say hi to mister."
"Oh, we have similar names!"
The boy who looked about 3, frowned, not pleased with the new guest.
"He's a bit grumpy tonight." Go Eun whispered, still smiling at the boy sitting in a pile of puzzle pieces while a one year old was shoving handfuls of them in her mouth. Min Ho smiled, clearing his throat.
"We were doing a puzzle, but his sisters keeps trying to eat it."
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"What did you just say?"
"Me? No, nothing" he smiled, stepping away from her, but willingly accepting the well deserved slap on his shoulder.
"Come" she ordered and pulled him along. "Sweety, let's not put that in our mouth, okay?"
She picked up the girl, taking the treasure away from her and cleaning her small face.
"Let's meet mister Lee Min Ho! Say hi!"
The girl looked in confusion at Min Ho's over exaggerated facial expressions, but in the end decided they were worth a smile.
"What's your name?" He asked, petting the child's head.
She shyly turned away and hid in Go Eun's embrace.
"Omo, are you shy? Is mister too handsome?" Go Eun laughed, focusing on her niece and not at all at the now awkward Min Ho, scratching the back of his neck. "How can she just say stuff like that?"
"Tell mister Min Ho how old you are."
Min Ho watched Go Eun's face light up as the girl showed two fingers in response. She praised her and stopped asking her. Instead, she embraced her and turned to Min Ho.
"Her name is Ha Rin." she smiled bright, Min Ho almost forgot it.
"What a pretty name you have Ha Rin-a" he cooed and hoped the kids would accept him. Go Eun smiled again. A smile was always on her face, but tonight it hit him differently. He gulped.
They all eventually ended up seated on the floor in front of the TV doing the puzzle that was scattered on the carpet. Just like in business, Go Eun was competitive even in puzzle making.
"I think this is too advanced for 3-year-old's." Min Ho mumbled, picking the pieces in utter confusion.
"Don't put the children down if it's too advance for you."
They both laughed. He liked it. He liked the way she joked around him, with him.
"In all honesty, I bought this for myself thinking I should do something therapeutic... but I never opened it." She laughed.
The episode was about to start, the boy was still grumpy, and now frustrated from the puzzle which was clearly meant for ages 50 and above, because it was a picture of a Middle Eastern skyscraper. The baby was now drooling all over herself, seemingly about to cry any moment now, and if it was Min Ho he would've started to panic 10 minutes ago, but Go Eun was bright and relaxed, as if she just woke up from a long nap.
Once the chaos was unleashed, with both children screaming, she calmly sent him to the kitchen as if she needed that chicken right this moment. Of course, Min Ho knew she just wanted to spare him the stress. The way she handled the situation was very much like what he has seen from her so far - collected, kind, endlessly patient, always with a smile on her face. Go Eun was impressive in every way possible. And if Min Ho thought she was cool on set, right now, she seemed superhuman to him.
Even after all the tears were spent, Min Jun was still unhappy with the whole concept of tonight, or maybe of life, so he was allowed to not sit on the couch with everyone and watch "The handsome mister on the white horse" as described by Go Eun. They boy refused to watch the episode tonight. Even though Go Eun tried to convince Min Ho that he really did like it, Min Ho wasn't sure if 3-year-old's were his target audience.
The girl was placed between them on the couch and Min Ho and Go Eun spent a good amount of time laughing and taking pictures of the way the three of them looked.
The episode started and they were both quiet. When he watched himself he always ruthlessly judged. My lines are off putting, he knew it. That scene would be funny, he knew it. They could've edited that differently, he thought. Oh they cut that scene out. Go Eun is really pretty, he thought, and looked at her.
In one hand she held a drumstick which she hadn't taken even one bite of. In the other, she held a can of beer which she hadn't even opened. Instead of enjoying it, like she said she did, she judged herself just the same way he did, he'd just never seen it before, or Go Eun just never showed it before. Min Ho took the can away from her and opened it, unintentionally startling her.
"Oh right..." she mumbled, taking a sip and looking around as if she just got here for the first time. "Do you want one?" she asked, acting awkward, like she was caught doing something she doesn't let others see, "Ah you don't drink, right, I forgot..."
Instead of saying anything, he only offered a small smile and turned back to the episode. There was no reason for him to say anything. He understood it - The way one watches it's own work. They both meticulously monitored on set, but for some reason, he imagined she'd be carefree at home. She wasn't - she frowned and scowled at herself, laughed and teared up, but never looked away. That made Min Ho smile, they were very much alike, he never understood his coworkers who disliked watching themselves on screen. They were all actors after all, they were all there to fulfill their ego trips after all.
After a while, the baby fell asleep and Go Eun went to put her to bed. It was a kiss scene she missed. Min Ho watched it by himself, the boy wasn't paying attention anyways. Honestly, Min Ho was kind of glad she wasn't there. Sure it was them who actually kissed, and they monitored it together on set, but somehow, watching it in a dark room, edited, with music over, made it feel completely different. Out of all the kiss scenes Min Ho has ever done, and watched, these ones, with Go Eun, felt the strangest.
Sure, kissing on set is awkward and not romantic at all, even if he felt attraction to his costars, kissing them on film could never get him in the zone, but rarely did he find it not enjoyable. Kissing was kissing, most people he kissed on set and off were skilled enough for him not to cringe. As a guy, he was rarely uncomfortable with it, but he found most of his female costars did feel that way. There are a lot of kiss scenes in The King. Min Ho was rather worried at first, but soon found out that with Go Eun nothing can be uncomfortable.
At first it was a bit awkward and sometimes silly. She wasn't uncomfortable, but rather a bit shy which honestly made him feel shy too, yet he tried not to show it. Once the cameras would roll, and they'd continue to kiss, Min Ho would sometimes forget all of that was being filmed and non of it was for real. And he'd feel her smile against him, and he'd feel her body tremble in giggles, and he'd unconsciously start to feel warm all over. His ears would probably go red and the bottom of his stomach would start to strangely flip. Then he'd hear "cut" and instead of completely snapping out of it, or her making him, they'd continue to giggle or they'd hug instead, never eager to break up that made up bubble of intimacy which he wasn't sure was for the film or for themselves.
Go Eun came back and asked: "What did I miss?"
"The kiss."
"Bummer, I wanted to see it" She said.
Min Ho's ears probably went red again.