Hand warmers

"Haeyoung noona, sit over here."

Seongjun pointed to the seat next to him.

But before Haeyoung could hesitate, Yunhyuk grabbed her hand first. Naturally, he pulled her chair out and even gently pushed her shoulder to help her sit down.

It seemed like he was afraid she might quickly flutter over to Seongjun's side if he let go. Seongjun and Minji's gazes on the two were burning with intensity.

Soon after, Taeri, dressed in a white floor-length dress, and Dojin, wearing a leather jacket and looking a bit flushed, entered. They looked like a lily fairy and the male idol who kidnapped her.

"Wow, you two are friends?"

"But didn't you guys go on a date yesterday? The viewers voted for it!"

"Right. The viewers didn't know you were just friends and voted you number one."

Dojin and Taeri were talking about the date somewhat awkwardly. Haeyoung recalled seeing it on the broadcast.

Dojin had liked Taeri for a long time but seemed unsure about his feelings all that time.

He had assumed it was just friendship until the viewer-voted date yesterday made him realize otherwise.

Both Dojin and Taeri were now going through a confusing phase. The viewers responded strongly to this moment.

Probably because they felt all of Dojin's true feelings.

—"This is crazy, totally crazy."

—"Don't overthink it, just date already."

—"How could you not realize this? How do you not know that's love? Everyone but you guys knows! Dojin's eyes are literally screaming it: 'I love you, love you, love you forever!'"

—"Lock them both in a room, and they'll figure it out. But now, please turn on a 24-hour live cam."

—"No wonder DoRi's dates keep cutting off! Hurry up and release the edited video."

Taeri, who had settled next to Haeyoung, tapped her and motioned for her to come closer.

"But Yunhyuk oppa is seriously handsome."

It was a candid and cute comment. That explained why she had been glancing at Yunhyuk since earlier.

Haeyoung nodded in agreement.

"He must think he's the only person in the world."

Taeri muttered seriously. Cute. Yunhyuk was definitely handsome. Even with Dojin or Seongjun, who wouldn't lose out in looks, next to him, she only saw Yunhyuk.

It wasn't just his appearance but an untouchable aura about him.

It felt like a different kind of gravity worked on him, drawing the air, the gazes, and the attention toward him.

Next, Ga-eun and Chanwoo came in. The reactions ranged from surprise to "I knew it," and lively chatter filled the air.

The only one not there yet was Jaeyoung, which meant he would arrive with his friend, a new female cast member Magi.

Everyone seemed to guess this and chatted quietly without asking about Jaeyoung's whereabouts.

"This place is really pretty."

"Right? The view looks like a painting."

Following Ga-eun's words, the cast looked around.

Indeed, warm lights lit the area, and behind them was the city's dazzling nightscape.

Soft jazz music filled the space. It was a romantic setting where even nonexistent love could be born.

The only downside was the cold.

The open rooftop let chilly winds blow nonstop. Covering their laps with blankets didn't warm their bodies.

Haeyoung, who had a jacket, could endure it, but the other female cast members, wearing dresses that exposed their shoulders, looked visibly cold. If they stayed like that, they might fall ill the next day.

"It's so cold…"

"I know. Jaeyoung isn't here yet, and this shoot might take a long time."

As Ga-eun and Taeri complained, Minji was unusually quiet. Suspicious. Minji wasn't the type to show much understanding in such tough situations.

Watching Minji carefully, it was easy to figure out what was going on. Her hands, hidden under the blanket, were fiddling with something.

Just as she was about to lift her hand to pick up her drink, a hand warmer peeked out. Realizing her mistake, she quickly hid it again.

She was quietly using a hand warmer alone. It was obvious she felt guilty.

But where did that come from?

Minji had come with a tiny bag that wouldn't even fit a phone. No way there were pockets in a dress like that.

And it probably wasn't Seongjun's. He wasn't that considerate and had been openly neglecting Minji lately anyway.

Most likely, the staff had prepared it. Yeah, there had to be hand warmers for a cold rooftop shoot with blankets provided. But why only Minji got one?

If curious, just ask.

"Minji, where did you get the hand warmer?"

Haeyoung asked directly. Minji blinked, gripping her hands under the blanket.

"Minji, do you have a hand warmer?"

Suddenly all eyes were on Minji. She glanced toward the production crew behind the glass, as if searching for an excuse.

"Ah, a staff member inside gave it to me."

"What? Then why didn't they give it to us too?"

"I'll go ask."

Haeyoung volunteered and went inside. Warm air greeted her first. Inside, filming equipment was scattered, and a few staff members were watching monitors.

"Is there a problem?"

Of course, it was Hyuntae, who was chatting with another staff member.

"It's too cold outside. Do you have extra hand warmers? Minji's the only one using one."

Hyuntae scoffed openly.

"This?"

He picked up a hand warmer he had carelessly left down.

"That's mine. Did you steal it? Hand warmers? Seriously?"

"We didn't know the shoot was outside. All the women are wearing dresses that expose their shoulders."

"So?"

"Well, maybe there could be some other heating equipment—"

"Hey. You said you don't need my help, that you don't want advice. What's so sudden about wanting something now?"

He was bringing up the incident from last time when she refused help while putting on a microphone. It was petty and pathetic.

Haeyoung had rejected him, so she couldn't even get a hand warmer, but Minji, who was flattering him, got one?

"Producer Son, I'm not asking for personal help. I think it's a reasonable request as a cast member."

"If you don't like me, ask someone else—"

"Come on, guys, did you hear that? Just talking properly doesn't mean you get your way. Does the producer have to care if you're cold? No, so just go film. The shoot's getting delayed because of you."

"...I understand."

Haeyoung turned away obediently.

"Man, I really hate women like that."

"Producer..."

A staff member gave a warning, but Hyuntae grumbled loudly and passed his headphones to a colleague, saying he'd take a break.

Haeyoung went back outside into the cold. But she had no intention of backing down from that annoying man.

"I asked if there were more hand warmers, but they said no."

"Ah… only one? That's so unfair. Only Minji got one."

Taeri shivered and replied. Goosebumps rose on her bare arms. Poor thing...

"Right? Why only Minji..."

The atmosphere grew tense. No one looked directly at Minji, but there was a clear hostility in the air toward her. Minji seemed to notice the vibe and nervously looked around.

"I didn't know I was the only one who got one. If I had known, I'd have shared it right away. Here."

Minji hurriedly pulled out the hand warmer and tried to hand it to Haeyoung. But Haeyoung didn't take it and instead spoke again.

"So..."

All eyes turned back to Haeyoung.

"Minji, wait. Not yet."

Then Haeyoung opened her hidden hand behind her back and revealed two hand warmers.

"I stole these."

Haeyoung was holding two hand warmers in both hands, and the cast cheered.

"Where did you get these? Didn't the producer say there were none?"

"Yeah, I was joking about stealing. I found a bunch of empty packages in the trash, so I asked other staff. Apparently, they got theirs too. They said hand warmers weren't needed indoors, so they gave them inside."

Everyone was probably thinking the same thing.

The indoor staff, working in warm places, got hand warmers while they didn't? But everyone kept quiet because they were on camera.

Haeyoung handed one each to Ga-eun and Taeri, who were most exposed.

"How about you?"

"I have an outer jacket."

Yunhyuk muttered to Haeyoung to just keep hers instead of giving it away, but she ignored him.

Eventually, when Haeyoung was left empty-handed, Yunhyuk, who had been silently watching the situation, frowned and draped his jacket over Haeyoung's shoulders.