Best Friend X Swap

Let’s see what kind of luck Ye Ju-yeol and Yoon Hyuk have today.
From the very start that morning, things felt unusually good.
When Ye Ju-yeol cracked an egg to make fried eggs, he found a double yolk, and when Yoon Hyuk, as part of his morning routine, spun the gacha in his mobile game, he summoned an SSR card—“The Guardian Who Devoured Chaos.”
Yoon Hyuk thought,
This is insane. “The Guardian Who Devoured Chaos” is a zero-tier card you can’t even get through rerolling¹). There are countless people who’ve hit the pity ceiling²) trying to pull it. But me, a non-spender, got it from a free pull?
He immediately opened Bubble and posted a screenshot along with a morning greeting to his fans. Even though it was early, replies came in fast. Since they were playing the same game, most of the responses mixed envy and jealousy. Seriously, they were too cute.
After staring at the screen for a while, Yoon Hyuk finally checked the time and jumped out of bed. His body was so used to self-filming that the camera installed in his bedroom didn’t even feel strange anymore.
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Thanks. I’ll give you all my good luck, so cheer up today lol]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Stop googling “how to bankrupt my company so I don’t have to go to work”]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[How do I know office-life tips, you ask?]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Because you guys send them to me every single day…]
He had to tap the confirmation button several times for each message he sent, but he was long used to that by now.
In his fifth year since debut, Yoon Hyuk was famous among fans of other idols for his unusually short Bubble gaps—despite being someone who actually found messaging bothersome.
His fans knew his personality well, so every morning when his messages arrived, they clutched their chests in delight. They could feel that all this came from their idol’s sincerity and affection.
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Of course that goes for school too]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[But if you send me those Bubbles even on weekends, it feels kinda weird]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Hang in there]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[I’ll do my best too]
Yeah. I’ll do my best.
If only he could tell them what kind of day it was today.
Since the partner’s identity is revealed only after moving in, the program’s cast list was still under wraps. He’d heard that an article would drop sometime next week, so Yoon Hyuk restrained his itching fingers and scrolled through the flood of replies. Let’s do our best together. I’ll study hard. I love you today too. You know you don’t actually have to try that hard, right? Just die lol. Please cheer for my job hunt. Eat well….
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Yeah yeah, let’s all do our best—working, studying, eating, everything]

ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Busy busy modern life]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[But if it’s hard, you can rest]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[You know that]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[I’ll come back later, guys]
ARTIST Yoon Hyuk
[Bye]
Only after closing the app did he shuffle out of his room.
The living room, with his pre-packed suitcase sitting forlornly in the middle, was filled with every possible retro aesthetic.
A glossy leather sofa, a burgundy massage chair, assorted souvenirs and picture frames on the TV stand, and a large Daruma painting hanging across the entryway wall—honestly, calling it “retro” was generous. It looked more like a country grandmother’s house. Even the blanket he’d just thrown off was covered in a riot of floral patterns.
Judging by looks alone, you’d think he’d scream Tactorest aesthetics or death, but he was actually a proud K-grandparent enthusiast.
In other words, a rationalist who cared only about practicality and tossed aesthetics to the dogs.
“Guess I’ll eat out.”
Staring down at his growling stomach, Yoon Hyuk naturally declared an external meal. Ever since realizing how catastrophic his cooking skills were, he hadn’t gone near the kitchen in years.
Or maybe he could just steal something from Ye Ju-yeol’s place.
Finishing that calculation, he washed up quickly and went into his dressing room.
Moments later, he emerged looking every inch the idol—from head to toe, perfectly styled. Even the single strand of fringe peeking from under the Velcro strap of his cap was set just right. He gave the house a last sweep with his eyes and, without hesitation, dragged his suitcase to the door.
As soon as he stepped outside, the assistant director waiting there greeted him, and Yoon Hyuk bowed politely before heading for the basement parking lot. The real filming wouldn’t start until he met his partner, so he felt impatient.
After all, this was the long-awaited first shoot of Best Friend X Swap. For any entertainer with variety ambitions, it was a dream show, and even the normally calm Yoon Hyuk couldn’t hide his excitement.
Fortunately, Ye Ju-yeol’s house was less than ten minutes away by car, so he arrived quickly. Without getting out, he picked up his phone and tapped the topmost number in his recent call list. The name Yesjoo filled the screen, and soon a familiar beat flowed out—his first solo track, Keynote.
“……”
But even after the song ended, the other person still hadn’t answered.
Knew it. Letting out a sigh, Yoon Hyuk strode up to Ye Ju-yeol’s house with practiced familiarity. He probably wasn’t still asleep—most likely his phone was buried somewhere in his bed again.
The moment he stepped inside, he locked eyes with Ye Ju-yeol, who was gulping down two fried eggs. The tall guy looked ridiculous with his mouth full of yolk.
“Eh d’you cahl befor’?”
“That’s gross. Swallow first.”
“Mm.”
Nodding, Ye Ju-yeol promptly demolished the rest of his eggs.
Meanwhile, Yoon Hyuk fished the phone out from Ju-yeol’s bed and sighed, half-annoyed.
“Hey, keep your phone with you from now on. All the event and mission alerts come through it.”
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll wear my watch. Oh right! I got a double yolk today! The one I was eating just now had two yolks. Awesome, huh?”
“Great. Then I’ll have seven fried eggs.”
“…Are you a thief?”
You sure you didn’t mistake this place for a poultry farm?
Still muttering, Ye Ju-yeol took out the leftover eggs from the fridge and started frying them. To be honest, the two of them were equally hopeless in the kitchen—but when you live next to someone who’s truly catastrophic, you inevitably become the chef by comparison.
Pleased with his moderately successful plate, Ju-yeol grinned and shouted toward the veranda. Today, he really did feel lucky.
“Hyukss, come eat! It’s done!”
Yoon Hyuk, who’d been checking on the plants, hurried back to the kitchen. Ju-yeol even took out a fork for him, beaming proudly.
“There were only four left, so don’t complain.”
Then, deciding that needed more explanation, he added quickly,
“I saved these because of you, you know. We’ll be gone for two weeks starting today. Oh—did you empty your fridge? You know everything’ll rot while we’re gone, right? Cleaning that up is worse than death, so think carefully. If you need to toss stuff, we can stop by on the way. …But wait, you don’t even cook. Then you probably don’t have any groceries.”
“…Hey.”
Once he started talking, the words poured out like floodwater, and Yoon Hyuk’s ears were about to bleed. But there was an even more pressing issue, so he raised his fork and asked seriously,
“Weren’t you playing a genius chef last time?”
“……”
“You said you learned cooking.”
He wasn’t wrong. Ye Ju-yeol, the hottest rising actor of the moment, had just finished playing the role of Cha Yoon-je, a genius chef who didn’t know appetite.
A man who always prepared the finest dinners, yet had never once felt the desire to eat. The film Taming depicted how he discovered that his problem wasn’t appetite but simply ingredients. It swept awards both domestically and abroad.
The success of the film was # Nоvеlight # notable, but what shocked people more was that Ye Ju-yeol had pulled off the role himself.
Once nicknamed “that sub-male-lead guy,” Ye Ju-yeol—with his light-colored irises and puppy-like softness—had always stolen the hearts of older female fans. Tall and well-built, he was catnip for anyone weak to “big dog” charm, and since his real personality was just as airheaded, it was easy to over-immerse.
But then.
That same puppy put on the mask of the sharp, cold Cha Yoon-je—and it was intoxicating.
Seeing their perpetually smiling actor shed all warmth to portray a dry, severe man was too much. The fans collectively collapsed.
Since then, Ye Ju-yeol, once known only by his character names, had exploded in popularity and was now recognized as a next-generation actor whose future projects were eagerly anticipated.
And yet, facing such a “great man,” Yoon Hyuk frowned deeply and asked again,
“So you didn’t learn?”
“I did.”
“Then what’s this?”
His fork pointed accusingly at the plate.
Caught, Ye Ju-yeol’s eyes darted upward like a guilty puppy.
“It’s just… a little burned on the outside…”
“So why does that ‘outside’ take up more than half the thing?”
“……”
“……”
[Footnotes]
1. The act of repeating the initial gacha draw until the desired character appears.
2. A guaranteed ceiling where, after a set number of pulls, the player can choose the desired item.