𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔,

fans demand an actual series! he could see it now. maybe not. but a boy could dream. "we could have dramatic exchanges and cuts to make make use of how little time we have. although i wonder if an extreme amount of cuts would annoy people... damn. why did it have to be such a short window of time?"

but they were limited to three mere minutes, and from the sound of the other shorts, it wasn't supposed to be that serious.

he still remembered when rowon broke the news that he was moving out of the legacy dorms and to his apartment. it wasn’t pretty on his side, hyuk mentally admitted that because he hoped he’d get that from his friend, not by finding the place empty. but even when they found themselves apart and arguing, they always found a way to return to the moment when their friendship started.

“i’m sure you can come up with something delicious. you know i’m easy”, he replied, finding his favorite spot on the couch, with a privileged view of the kitchen. hyuk always liked rowon’s food, and it was easier to live off his food than trying to make people cook stuff the way he liked (he always ended up comparing them to anything rowon would cook for him). “i could offer help, but i bet you don’t want me around and risk setting the kitchen on fire.”

rowon thought this as he perused the ingredients crowded onto the second shelf, which had been unceremoniously reserved for dinners with minjun. he had vegetables, meats, a block of tofu, the last two eggs in the carton—but nothing he could spare.

his eyes flicked up to the top shelf. there sat a couple of condiments, ssamjang, doenjang, gochujang, and the last serving of kimchi that had lasted him a miraculous six months ... then a tub of old rice that he was planning to throw out, if minjun didn't have a better idea for it.

kimchi fried rice it was.

he dragged out the pitiful ingredients and halfheartedly decided to donate an egg so there was some protein. maybe he should've gone with delivery after all but knowing hyuk, who was sprawled out on his couch like he owned the damn place, he'd complain. and rowon didn't feel particularly in the mood to deal with that; he had spent his entire morning fending off minor annoyances.

hyuk was wanting to tell him something, though. rowon could sense it from the awkward air that hung around hyuk's words, as if he were still trying to figure out how to say it. usually, rowon would help him along, prying with curiosity and underlying intent; this time, he chose to stay quiet. hyuk was a talker. he'd find a way.

leaving the dorms. rowon's hand stilled around the knife that was wedged between stalks of bright red napa cabbage. debuting.

"you don't seem excited."

and, instead of being sad, because rowon’s words did hurt him, he felt anger. hot, blinding anger started to grow inside him, and minjun had to fight against every dark thought that crossed his mind, knowing someone pressed just the right buttons to make rowon that insane with jealousy - so insane that he felt he needed to hurt minjun to get his point.

after a long moment of silence between them, minjun reacted with a sigh, peeling himself off the ledge where he rested his back and crossed his arms, every wall that was once down, up and high. “i’m leaving for two months, a new tour and promotion. i came here in hopes to spend this time with you.” he didn’t hide the disappointment, anger, and even confusion in his tone (he hid his sadness, or tried to). “i got the perfect farewell speech. thank you, hyung. you really made me feel special.”

minjun shook his head, the words he wanted to say making him choke, suffocating him and making his eyes water - he hated how rowon could make him break so easily. “answering your questions, the coaches. they suggested junnie, they probably heard you calling me during our countless schedules when we were trainees. as for rehearsed words, that’s a way of calling me fake.”, he chuckled, no humor in his voice though, “that’s a first. and…i can’t answer your last question, hyung. i’m sorry you don’t believe me. i’m sorry if my words and everything i’ve been doing the past years apparently aren’t enough.”

that i’m not enough.

minjun hated everything he was feeling now, but most of all, he hated how he could feel a breakup coming up. to be honest, he never thought it would happen; he had hopes, dreams, wishes.

you’re not one of the lucky ones, kang minjun.

“i guess..i should go?” 

please don’t let me go. 

but to be rowon's was an impossible request. it required someone to surrender their freedom and identity and to rewire everything they knew about what was right and what was wrong. before their names should be his—like a bird he captured, kept, and fed, who had long forgotten the world outside of the cage it was put into, they should belong to him. rowon's bird.

rowon's minjun.

that was not who stood in front of him. rowon could only wonder where he'd gone wrong. had he left the door to the cage open? or had he been too kind to let this bird fly around, trusting it to come back to him the same? he should've tightened his grip. then, maybe, minjun wouldn't be looking at him like this—with eyes that betrayed the smile he was forcing.

"are you happy, minjun?"

he only asked because he had a good idea of what the answer would be: yes, but not right now. and he'd choose to hear just the first part.

"i am. i know it may not seem like it whenever i come to you like this, but i am."

his eyes flittered to minjun's lips. he wanted nothing more than to resolve this with a kiss, but that was equivalent to giving a bird water; it would be satiated until it became thirsty again.

"sometimes i wonder if the way i love is wrong. if it's too oppressive, suffocating, or unfair. if you love someone, truly and entirely, you wouldn't want to see them like this, would you?"

rowon lifted his gaze once more. his next question came frayed, stripped bare of intent. he was merely curious.

that was the selling point of his personal channel—mundane, boring, calm. he didn't film it with intent to entertain, and the comparatively low engagement reflected that. his videos were meant to be played in the background while the viewer studied, or perhaps as a force-reset for those who felt overwhelmed.

"i've gone on walks, kayaked along the han, fed a couple of strays around the block. recently, i tried my hand at baking croissants." a smile fell on his lips. "not particularly exciting to watch, but it gives you a peek into my world when i'm not han rowon, actor."

that, too, was a lie. his world was quite the opposite: turbulent and distressing, the corners of his mind clouded with distrust. everyone had a motive and they were rarely ever good.

"if it's anything like the actual masterchef, we'd have the freedom to cook any recipe. i say we go for something we're both comfortable in making, lest our nerves get the best of us with the clock ticking down." danny seemed like the nervous type, though rowon wasn't sure if that could be attributed to danny's personality or his consumption of caffeine. "we'd win. i'm certain."

the other two, he had came up with. similar to the first, their answers were also common four-letter english words. if everything went well, a third of his fans would be showing off the contents of the box to garner buzz while the other two-thirds would be scouring social media and working together for an answer. it was going to be frustrating, but he knew the delayed gratification would pay off.

the question sounded innocuous enough. most people wouldn't blink an eye at it and would rattle off seniors in the industry or close friends without thinking about what it revealed, but lay it out, and it would be as plain as day. such a question told the audience who they looked up to, who they were close to, their motivations, and their values.

to be perfectly fair, most people didn't care about those things.

but for rowon, who had spent his entire life crafting a very specific image of himself, it was something he had to consider.

"a café crawl," he answered smoothly. "i've been filming these vlogs of me doing mundane things or trying out new hobbies. one of my plans for a future video is to go around local cafés and try their pastries and drinks. i know we just talked about our resolution of cutting down on caffeine, but i'd love to have you come along as a guest one day." he feigned a sheepish smile. "i didn't mean to shamelessly plug my personal channel, you'll have to forgive me."

LGC AGENCY Official @LGCAGENCY

CELEBRATE 2025 HAPPY ROWON DAY AT THE LEGACY CAFÉ!

IN COLLABORATION WITH LEGACY ENTERTAINMENT X HAN ROWON DC GALLERY

📆 December 29, 2025 from 12PM - 4PM KST 📍 The LEGACY Café 🎟 Admission free upon entry. Receive a CUSTOMIZED CUP SLEEVE and 1 of 3 RANDOM PHOTO CARDS with every purchase of the limited edition dessert + drink combination, designed by ROWON himself! Limit one order per customer. Offer valid while supplies last.

▶️ 네이버TV : tv.naver.com/LGCagency ▶️ YouTube : youtube.com/channel/LGCAGENCY ▶️ Instagram : instagram.com/rwon_h

#LGCENT #HANROWON #2025_HAPPY_ROWON_DAY Copyright © 2025 LEGACY Entertainment. All rights reserved.

lead actor. rowon isn't someone who is proud of his achievements. if he succeeds in something, so be it. that's how it is. he doesn't celebrate. doesn't talk about it unless it's advantageous to him. if he doesn't succeed, then it's not a big deal; he'll find another way, or he'll change the goal completely. but the title is nice to have. it's like cherry said—finally, they're starting to feel like real actors. "i heard we're ahead of schedule so they're going to film more ad-libs." rowon sets down his copy of the script which seems unloved compared to others' that are heavy with notes and highlights. the only 'highlights' he has are different colour tabs that indicate which characters he's interacting with in each scene. cherry's is yellow. "it doesn't seem like our characters would get along. yohan likes to run the office, and if you don't do things his way, he'll humiliate you in front of everyone." "or perhaps we could go in the opposite direction and make them a pair of unlikely colleagues." he peers up from the script book. "what do you think? should we try ad-libbing that?"

is still feels weird to say out loud… lead actress. cherry needed this, since her breakup from the summer, she’s been feeling… weird. like she’s fine and absolutely terrible at the same time. she was never public about her relationship, and her dad was the only one she told about it, so when they broke up, cherry had no one to talk with. she’s needed something positive, and something to take her mind off things, and this is exactly what she needed.

“unlikely colleagues does sound a bit fun to me” she nods her head “jisu is loud and can come off as unserious, but really she works hard, and she’s very loyal to those she trusts and like” cherry hums. “they could be an unlikely match, a pair of friends nobody expected to be friends” she chuckles.

He follows Rowon's displays of his lucky items, fascinated that it is all carried on his body, in a way. "Ahh, I like that they're material so you have the physical embodiment of them. And much easier to carry around rather than what I've heard some people have, which are clothing items since... You'd have to wash them, or I'd hope. This is much more practical," Danny responds, glancing at the bracelet which looked rather expensive and of nice quality. "And I like that both are also gifted from others. I wonder if they are lucky too, in which the luck became transferable," he says offhandedly, his brain transitioning into the next phase of new questions already.

"and if you ever need a hand in the kitchen, i'm happy to help. i'm not, by any means, a brilliant cook—but i can make some decent dishes. i can only say that because that was my resolution from last year. i was more of a baker before that."

rowon realized then that he had made a critical consistency error. some months ago, he was floundering around the pastry station for date lottery. he supposedly didn't know anything about baking, but now he was saying the opposite. he could only bank on that slip up going over people's heads.

or so he thought.

"thank you," iseul answers, feeling very proud. that's the general vibe that he had been going for, so he's pleased that rowon had picked up on it.

"hey!" he protests, hearing what the other was saying and he rushes over, trying to look like he's much meaner than he is. "don't go telling your viewers about my personality," he complains, playful. "they should see it for themselves eventually," he adds, grinning.

"bumblebee chic," rowon mused, letting his mind wander with that. "it could start a trend, you never know." he'd seen worse stylistic choices trend, so he didn't doubt for a moment that something like this would catch on, especially since this was going on his channel where he had many ... impressionable viewers.

ren hesitates just a little before he adds, “i respect the company guidelines. and i meet deadlines. i don’t plan on giving you excuses or…” he pauses, watching the way yohan closes the box of pastries. ren’s expression shifts, a flash of confusion, or maybe disappointment, or irritation(?). a mix of his and akio’s emotions, again, as the idol tries to rein himself in and not be scolded again for breaking character. he clears his throat, straightening his posture again. “... or being impolite,” he finishes. 

but rowon doesn't trust akio. he needs a little more ... insurance, if you will. insurance in the form of pity, guilt, or fear. he'll even be nice about it and let akio choose which.

he stalks akio to the corner of the office. there's no need to sugarcoat it; that's what he's good at doing. he knows it, he's sure akio knows it. still, rowon plays it casual. he feigns concern like a compassionate seasoned actor who's looking out for the new actors on set.

"don't mind him." the director. "you could be lee byunghun and he still wouldn't be impressed."

akio looks like a kicked puppy. deflated, defeated. this might be the first time he has performed without praise. "you did well," rowon assures, his words smooth as velvet like it usually is when he lies. only, he's not lying. not this time. akio's ren is the same as the script book's ren except with a bit more bite which rowon, and by extension yohan, likes.