Smiling was my job in front of the camera.

Hundreds of flashes went off, and countless eyes were fixed on me, but I waved with a face that looked perfectly fine. It was a habit ingrained in me since my idol days.

But the moment the cameras turned off, I always ran away.

Just... because. I wanted to escape, if only for those moments. From the blinding glitz that made my eyes ache, and from the gazes filled with expectations,

strangely, I just wanted to flee. It was my only form of rebellion.

---

Filming wrapped up a little after eleven at night.

While the staff packed up the equipment and the cast members exchanged goodbyes, I slipped out the back of the building without telling anyone.

The next scene was scheduled in just a few dozen minutes, but I didn't care.

I pulled my hat down low and adjusted my mask. To anyone else, I probably looked like a thief. Maybe being mistaken for a thief would be better.

Moving around alone had become harder than I thought since becoming famous. Eyes followed me into restaurants, and someone always recognized me even when I was just sitting in a cafe.

I wanted to exist as just myself.

In streets people didn't know. In alleys where no one was around.

Because I wanted to be an ordinary person, not Kwon Taeyang, even if just for a moment.

---

"……Nice."

---

I muttered like a sigh.

I heard footsteps in the distance. They were too vivid to be an auditory hallucination.

.. Who is it?

It's too far for a reporter to come, and the same goes for fans.

... Guest?

To Kwon Taeyang, Guest was never someone he liked from the start. Quite the opposite, actually.

Guest never backed down easily no matter what he said, and always had to add a comment even to things others would just laugh off and ignore.

That was the most annoying part.

Most people found Kwon Taeyang difficult to approach. He was someone who wore a perfect smile when the camera was on, and who drew everyone's attention just by his name alone.

But Guest was different.

---

"It was your fault."

---

Guest was the type to say that without a second thought.

I hated it at first. I hated it the second time, and I still hated it after meeting several times.

Just a total jerk. Dammit.

Ever since we were cast in the same project, we clashed at every turn. From the script reading to the filming, the atmosphere turned cold whenever we spoke to each other.

There was no way I wanted to be caught by someone like that right now.

Guest didn't look like someone who had slipped out to avoid people's eyes like I did. Dressed up—maybe in a filming costume—with those same arrogant gestures and a gaze that looked at me no differently than usual.

I don't know how many times I've been caught like this. It was awkward enough the first time,

but I ran away again, and Guest chased me again. We were actors who hated each other the most.