Stalkerizing

There was no trace of the atmosphere from the photos in Sa Shin-jae on stage. Seeing that, Cha Sa-yoon sank back into his chair, burying the body he had been leaning forward.

The photos uploaded on social media were often the best picks out of dozens or even hundreds of shots.

‘I should’ve thought of that.’

A small sigh of disappointment escaped him. It seemed he had unconsciously gotten his hopes up. The introduction… he should just think of it as meeting a good-looking junior.

“Hey.”

Sa Shin-jae’s first word was brief. But his deep, resonant voice was pleasant to the ears and enough to draw attention.

‘Huh…?’

And the moment Sa Shin-jae truly started acting, Sa-yoon sat up straight. His eyes, widened in surprise, were fixed on the stage.

“Sa-yoon sunbae! Long time no see!”

“Oh, Ha-rim. Hey. The play was good.”

“You saw it?”

Three years ago, they had met as group project teammates in a liberal arts class, and now, that connection had turned into a valuable bridge. Back then, Ha-rim had been just a freshman, but now, she had grown up enough to take charge of directing.

Sa-yoon knew that if he voiced such thoughts, he’d only be hit with remarks about his age. Instead, he handed over a bag full of snacks.

“Whoa! What’s all this? Thanks, sunbae!”

Ha-rim eagerly dug into the bag and grabbed a pack of squid-flavored chips. She clutched both ends of the bag and tried to pull it open, but her hands kept slipping.

Without a word, Sa-yoon took the bag, opened it smoothly, and handed it back to her.

“But why are you suddenly looking for Sa Shin-jae?”

“Do I need a special reason? I was hoping to ask him to be in my graduation project.”

“Oh, sunbae, you’re already filming your grad project?”

“Yeah, it worked out that way.”

“Ah… but you’re asking Shin-jae for that?”

Ha-rim’s words stretched out as she pulled a chip from the bag.

“Honestly, I kind of guessed when you contacted me.”

Along with her words, her energy noticeably dropped.

“Why? Is he difficult to work with?”

Sa-yoon, quick to pick up on the mood shift, immediately probed further.

“No, he’s a good guy. Really good, but…”

There were many ways to interpret the phrase ‘he’s a good guy.’

“But you know as well as I do, someone like Shin-jae gets a ton of requests like this. A ton.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

At Ha-rim’s emphasis, Sa-yoon nodded. If you had eyes, it made perfect sense that people would keep approaching him.

“I heard he refuses because if he accepted every request, it’d never end. I’m introducing you since you’re my sunbae, but… I probably should’ve asked first. I feel bad, like I wasted your time.”

“It’s fine. Just introducing us is a huge favor. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

“Oh, no need for that. This isn’t— Oh, speak of the devil, there he is. Shin-jae!”

Ha-rim suddenly stretched out her arm, pointing. Following his gaze, Sa-yoon saw a group of guys entering the club room.

Kids these days sure grow tall. They all towered over most people. But among them, one stood out by at least a head. A tall young man turned his head. It was Sa Shin-jae.

Confirming Ha-rim’s call, he strode over with long steps.

“Yes, sunbae?”

“Oh, Shin-jae. I wanted to introduce you to someone.”

His strikingly bright eyes shifted towards them.

Knowing it was rude, Sa-yoon still couldn’t look away from his face.

“This is Cha Sa-yoon sunbae from the film department—he’s helped me a lot before. And this here is the pride of the drama club! A freshman in business administration, Sa Shin-jae.”

The straightforward introduction was refreshing. At the mention that Sa-yoon was Ha-rim’s senior, Shin-jae immediately bowed his head.

“Hello, I’m Sa Shin-jae.”

“You…”

There was not a single ounce of exaggeration in Seo Yeon-hee’s words.

“Whoa?”

“You’re seriously handsome.”

“Sunbae!”

It was a genuine sentiment that came straight from the heart.

From a distance, he seemed just ‘pretty good-looking.’ But the closer he got, the more Sa-yoon found himself wondering if today was his lucky day.

As if confessing his innermost thoughts like a runaway train, Ha-rim, standing beside him, immediately burst into laughter.

Realizing he had blurted out his thoughts, Sa-yoon lightly bit the tip of his tongue. But just as quickly, he shamelessly shrugged. It wasn’t like he had said anything untrue. What was wrong with calling a good-looking guy handsome?

“This sunbae is a reeeally good person, but sometimes he has these random moments.”

“Ah…”

“He knows a lot about elective courses, has tons of connections, and is super helpful to know. Especially when you need past exam questions—there’s no one better than him.”

At Ha-rim’s playful remark, those bright-colored eyes turned toward Sa-yoon once again.

Was this what a golden retriever would look like if it turned into a human? His wheat-colored hair and warm brown eyes harmonized perfectly with his gentle features.

“Eh, it’s not that big a deal,” Sa-yoon said, nudging Ha-rim’s elbow.

“But if you ever have questions about a class, feel free to ask. If I know the answer, I’ll help you out.”

“Ha-rim! Wait a sec!”

Someone from the group gathered on stage called out to Ha-rim. She turned her head, checked who it was, and raised a loosely curled hand in their direction—a signal that she’d be right over.

“I’ll be back in a bit. You two keep talking.”

“Uh, sure. See you.”

With Ha-rim gone, a brief silence settled between them.

Sa-yoon was the type who couldn’t stand awkward silence, so he ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“So… what made you join the theater club?”

What a stupid question. Why would someone join a theater club? Obviously, because they liked acting.

But contrary to his expectation of an immediate answer, silence stretched on.

Did I say something weird?

Feeling puzzled, Sa-yoon looked up.

Shin-jae was still smiling gently. The moment their eyes met, he finally spoke.

“I was interested in theater.”

It was such a standard answer that the previous silence felt almost meaningless.

“I see.”

At that moment, his finely shaped features shifted all at once. His lips curled into a smile, and his eyes crinkled into soft arcs, making him look even kinder.

For a brief moment, it felt as if a radiant glow appeared behind him.

“Oh, sorry.”

Realizing he had been staring, Sa-yoon quickly apologized.

Shin-jae seemed used to this reaction, handling it with practiced ease.

“But, um… by any chance…”

“Hm?”

“Where did you hear about me?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t come looking for me because of rumors, did you?”

“Nope.”

Looking into those clear, unguarded eyes, Sa-yoon lied without hesitation. Somehow, it felt like he had to.

“I was just passing by to see Ha-rim, and she started bragging about how the new freshman was really handsome. So I asked her to introduce us.”

The day before, he had contacted his junior after months of no communication, asking for an introduction. Yet here he was, spouting lies without even a second thought.

“Oh, I see.”

Thanks to Ha-rim’s earlier introduction, calling Shin-jae the “face of the theater club,” he accepted it without much suspicion.

“The weather’s been crazy hot lately. Isn’t it tough coming to practice in this heat?”

Lately, temperatures had been exceeding 30 degrees every day due to abnormal weather conditions.

“I haven’t been coming in every day, so it’s not too bad. The ones who are here every day have it rougher.”

So he doesn’t come daily? Maybe it was because he didn’t have many lines. Sa-yoon quietly stored that bit of information in his mind.

“I saw your acting earlier. You were good.”

“Thank you.”

“Why haven’t you debuted yet? Oh, or do you already have an agency?”

Casually slipping in the question mid-conversation, Sa-yoon unconsciously ran his tongue over his lower lip.

Please say no. Please.

The reason was simple—if Shin-jae was signed with an agency, Sa-yoon wouldn’t be able to ask him to appear in his film.

Shin-jae, who had been staring at Sa-yoon, glanced around the room. The space was still bustling, with people taking a break after their rehearsals and feedback sessions. Since they were far from the stage, no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

Tilting his head slightly, Shin-jae looked down at Sa-yoon and finally spoke.

“No, I don’t have an agency or anything like that.”

“Really?”

Hearing the answer he had been hoping for, Sa-yoon’s face instantly brightened. Shin-jae’s tone had been somewhat peculiar, but Sa-yoon was too caught up in his excitement to notice anything off.

His fingers quickly rummaged through his pocket until they finally grasped his phone.

If Shin-jae had said he was preparing for a debut or was already signed, Sa-yoon had been prepared to shed metaphorical tears and wish him success.

But for someone like him to be unsigned? It was practically a sign from the universe that things were working in his favor.

Today, he was the one hitting the jackpot.

“Then, can I get your number? I’d like for us to get to know each other better.”

He put all his effort into pulling up the corners of his lips, though they trembled faintly. It was a habit born from years of experience—knowing all too well how his face could come off as unapproachable.

On the other hand, Shin-jae, who had the kind of face that could easily win anyone over, merely stared at the outstretched hand.

“Oh no…”

Then, out of nowhere, his brows drooped.