I’m Not That Obsessive

Chapter 49

The worker carrying the lighting equipment froze suddenly. He had witnessed a strange scene on his way to the storage room to drop off some items.

Mitchell and Geon-woo.

Surprisingly, those two came out of the narrow cleaning supply closet.

This corridor, rarely frequented by people, had many places where one could slack off. The worker had come to this secluded spot to take a brief rest too. That’s when he happened to see the two of them.

The worker was a fervent follower of Mitchell. Always wanting to be like Mitchell, he imitated his hairstyle and clothing.

To the worker, Mitchell was always the one and only superstar, a mentor defining his life.

Not just Mitchell in movies, but Mitchell in everyday life off-camera was also a towering presence for the worker. Completely captivated by Mitchell’s charisma, the worker was his fanatical fan.

The worker’s infatuation with Mitchell began at an awards ceremony. Before stepping onto the red carpet, in that place packed with countless people, Mitchell had signed an autograph for just one person before promptly entering the ceremony hall. That single individual was the worker.

The worker already idolized Mitchell, but such a special autograph? It was nothing short of a blessing from heaven for him. Naturally, his fan devotion grew even stronger after that.

The worker, who had been doing lighting work, volunteered to join the lighting team as soon as he heard Mitchell was cast for this movie. He turned down higher-paying offers to join this team. It was a choice born purely from the desire to be close to Mitchell.

And this idol had done something with the Korean actor who had caught a serial killer, in that cramped cleaning supply closet.

Could it be… a secret romance?

The worker shook his head.

It couldn’t be.

Mitchell’s love life was surprisingly clean. There was one incident where an anti-fan maliciously reported a scandal to cause trouble, but that was all. Mitchell wouldn’t be interested in men.

But the closet the two had entered kept bothering him. What could two men do in such a tight space? Nothing but feeling each other’s bodies away from prying eyes.

Hidden behind the wall, the worker swallowed silently. Only when the two had completely disappeared from view did he cautiously emerge and peek into the cleaning supply closet. Indeed, it was a space that would be full with just two men inside.

He quickly moved the lighting equipment to the storage room and rushed back to the filming set. Mitchell and Geon-woo were talking to the staff with their usual nonchalant expressions.

Suddenly, the worker thought he understood why Geon-woo was frantically going in and out of the set. It wasn’t passion for the movie, but because of Mitchell!

‘To think that Korean actor was gay.’

There’s a thrill that comes with discovering a truth unknown to others.

The worker didn’t like Mitchell sexually. Instead, as a devoted fan who admired everything about Mitchell, he quietly thrilled at knowing his private secret. Although it was quite shocking, a sense of pride vibrated through his body at being special, different from ordinary fans.

Just as he couldn’t contain his excitement,

“Uh…”

While lingering around, he accidentally met Mitchell’s gaze. Startled, the worker smiled awkwardly and moved away. Mitchell’s cold gaze bothered him, but it wasn’t enough to quell the excitement of a fan who had discovered his favorite star’s secret private life.

The worker secretly observed the two all day during filming. To be precise, he only watched Geon-woo. Leaving Mitchell busy with filming, he followed only Geon-woo with his eyes.

‘That’s right! Correct.’

It was as he expected. Geon-woo only looked at Mitchell. He never took his eyes off Mitchell. His burning gaze was so persistent and tenacious that it seemed like it might even burn Mitchell himself.

This must surely be the power of love.

It’s impossible to gauge how tenacious this desire is. It’s like trying to remove strong adhesive long after it’s been applied. Not only is it difficult to remove what’s been glued with adhesive, but even if you somehow manage to remove it, sticky traces remain. Geon-woo’s gaze was like that, and so were his actions.

‘Is he that persistent?’

The worker was momentarily distracted while pondering his observations about Geon-woo. Focusing only on Geon-woo, he missed the second person he should have been watching.

Ah!

Once again, he met Mitchell’s gaze. This time, he was caught staring at Geon-woo. The worker turned pale, worried that Mitchell might misunderstand, but Mitchell instead smiled enigmatically at the worker. The worker didn’t know what that meant.

***

Would you consider loving me, he asked.

Mitchell’s words from earlier ran through his head about seven hundred and eighty million times. Below that, the additional details were racing through his mind in an endless chain.

Opinions of all sorts were speeding through his head like race cars. Some opinions zoomed by at 240km/h, while others puttered along like slow tractors, barely able to move forward. In any case, the complex race was about to make his head explode.

At first, I didn’t understand Mitchell’s words. Mitchell kindly explained for me as I just blinked, and since then, I’ve been in this state.

He said a movie offer had come in. Surprisingly, it was a queer film. Mitchell had been offered the role of a doctor who loves another man, and Mitchell’s co-star hadn’t been decided yet.

‘If you do it, I’ll do it too.’

Although it’s still on hold, he said if I do it, he’ll do it too. Mitchell added that he plans to accept the casting on the condition that I’m cast as his co-star, and this has already been discussed with the director.

It was somewhat fortunate that Director Angelio, who will be directing, is as famous as Director Robert. While Robert of “Racing Instinct” specializes in commercially successful entertainment films, Angelio sweeps awards ceremonies with every film he releases. His work won Best Picture at last year’s Academy Awards.

What’s the big deal about playing a gay role in such a director’s work? People would be lining up like at a popular restaurant even for a role as a pebble.

I felt the same way, so the gay role didn’t bother me. If my luck, which had been particularly bad in Korea, were to turn around in America, I could smile even if I had to wait for 2 nights and 3 days with ticket number 785 at grandma’s noodle shop. It was that moving of an opportunity.

My only concern was Mitchell. For someone who had been embroiled in a crude gay scandal, albeit a false one, to take on a gay role…

“Yes. I want to love you.”

Yet, I answered that I would love Mitchell on screen.

“I’m okay with it, but are you okay?”

When I cautiously asked Mitchell, he instead worried about me.

“I’m fine, but are you okay?”

As the same question went back and forth, I ended up laughing, and our conversation ended there.

I’ve committed to it, but I’m still not sure if it’s the right choice. We might start filming within a month. Being a quiet melodrama, there wasn’t much elaborate preparation needed. I heard the script was almost finished and the production team was fully assembled.

If it really happens, it might overlap with the “Racing Instinct” schedule, which was a bit awkward.

Anyway, I kept smiling at Mitchell’s consideration for me.

It must be because he’s comfortable with me, right?

Naturally, it would be more comfortable to have me, who has shown him everything – good and bad – as a co-star, rather than getting to know another unfamiliar actor from scratch.

We’ve even kissed already.

Mitchell was really good at kissing… I unconsciously licked my lips. As I thought about it over time, my little worries disappeared one by one.

The moment Mitchell’s filming ended, the race in my head also concluded. The fastest-running thought crossed the finish line and calmly claimed victory.

‘I should love Mitchell.’

I was certain as I watched Mitchell walking towards me.

“Good work. Mitchell, did you know your phone call acting earlier was really amazing?”

Mitchell put his hand on my nape in response, then dropped it. The smile on his face told me his mood.

I continued to praise Mitchell’s acting and told him how perfect his costume and makeup were for him. Strangely, it was a day when I wanted to say such things.

While speaking passionately, I almost fell over after bumping into a staff member carrying lighting equipment.

“Get in the back. Rest a bit.”

I insisted on moving Mitchell, who was about to get in the passenger seat, to the spacious back seat before driving. As we set off for the interview location, Mitchell reclined the seat fully and closed his eyes. He didn’t move at all, perhaps falling asleep in the meantime.

Even after arriving, driving as carefully as possible, I didn’t wake Mitchell. Only when it was close to the appointment time did I get out of the driver’s seat and open the back door. Although I climbed in carefully, Mitchell woke up at the sound of the door closing.

“Are we here?”

“Yeah. We can go in about ten minutes. Keep lying down.”

“Give me your hand.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Mitchell interlocked his fingers with mine and closed his eyes again. It was pitiful to see his whole body completely slumped. Action movies require pushing your body to the limit every day. Having experienced filming one, I could naturally feel how exhausting it was.

I was curious why he held my hand, but the person to ask was fast asleep. I leaned against the seat and looked at Mitchell.

Handsome guy.

Perfect human.

Someone without any flaws… well, there might be a slight issue with his personality, but compared to his excellent appearance, that can hardly be called a flaw.

I stroked the back of Mitchell’s hand with my other hand.

“You worked hard.”

I said it very quietly, almost inaudibly. Mitchell’s eyelashes trembled slightly, but there was no other movement.