But the doll illuminated by moonlight was not a gift from Yuan. It wasn’t even a doll to begin with. It was……

“Ah……”

The coat tailored to fit the man’s build covered Perry’s toes with length to spare. His hand, freed from gloves, roughly wiped his face. His earlobes burned hot.

He stood there blankly for a long time. It was enough time to change out of his uniform, but it took him a while just to steady his breathing. The back and palm of his hand busily pressed against his heated cheeks.

“Yuan?”

“Sorry, did I wake you?”

Sleep was thickly smeared in her black eyes. Perry mumbled intermittently in a drowsy voice.

“Is it morning already? No, it’s dark……”

“No, it is night. My schedule changed a bit, so I came early.”

“I see…… That’s good, that’s good……”

“But, um, why my clothes……”

When asking about it in the morning after waking up would have been fine, Yuan’s usual patience and consideration had long vanished. Fortunately, Perry earnestly explained the situation even while nodding off.

“When I miss you……”

“Yes.”

“People usually look at photos, or portraits.”

“Yes.”

“Since that’s difficult for me……”

“So……?”

“So…… yes, so……”

In that moment, Yuan Bellium was intensely gripped by an impulse. Despite his churning emotions, the voice that squeezed out of his throat was reasonably steady.

“Listen, Perry.”

“Hmm……”

“I know you shouldn’t lie on the bed in outdoor clothes. I know, but……”

“Hmm……?”

“Would you allow it just this once?”

“Okay……”

No sooner had permission been granted than his long arms pulled Perry closer. Lying face to face with his lover, Yuan focused on embracing her completely in his arms, regardless of whether his uniform shirt got wrinkled. A soft groan gently echoed over the bed.

“What should I do……”

“Hmm?”

“You know, Miss Actor Perry.”

At the playfully changed form of address, Perry lifted her head abruptly. Perhaps due to the loving embrace, her wide-open eyes were clear without a trace of sleepiness. His long extended fingers gently combed through her hair that had nothing caught in it.

“I’ll really look into it carefully. So—”

“Look into what?”

“Can we live together?”

The topic they had discussed half a year ago resurfaced. At that time, Perry, facing the expiration of her lease, was looking for another place her parents couldn’t find, and cohabitation was among the options.

But it was quickly abandoned due to their different activity zones.

Yuan had argued that he could live near Perry’s agency, but Perry shook her head, bringing up the pilot’s condition. He tried to persuade her by mentioning colleagues who commuted from much farther than Roju and that his proposal took physical management into consideration, but…… it didn’t work at all.

The environment hadn’t changed. Perry still roamed the theater district while Yuan commuted to Priton Airport. The difference was…….

“Hmm? Perry, would it be difficult?”

“We already discussed—”

“I’ll work hard at learning to cook too. I honestly don’t think I can do it as well as you, but, hmm?”

“It’s only been a few years since I moved.”

Despite her cold answer, her tone was much softer. Yuan didn’t miss this small opening.

“I’d like you to always be there when I come back.”

The sharply extended corner of her eye formed a gentle curve.

“Don’t you feel the same, Perry?”

Yuan, curving his waist, leaned his forehead against Perry’s collarbone and acted spoiled. It was a strategy he couldn’t have imagined at this time last year.

“Hmm? Don’t you want to see me?”

“Of course I want to see you every day……”

“The real thing is better than a coat like this.”

Though he had thought showing weakness was unseemly, surprisingly, Perry welcomed Yuan’s neediness. Once when Yuan was venting workplace complaints and then checked her reaction, she even smiled, saying she was actually glad.

‘It means you trust me that much.’

‘It’s not that I didn’t trust you before, it’s just……!’

‘Instead of making excuses, just keep leaning on me. Let me keep holding you.’

It was a moment when their heartbeats seemed to beat as one. After a long silence, Perry confessed in a small voice.

‘This makes it feel like you’re mine.’

‘I am yours.’

‘It feels more vivid.’

But that doesn’t mean the tension ingrained in his body would disappear in an instant. Just gradually, Yuan learned how to relax and breathe leisurely by Perry’s side. Like the day he first learned to swim.

The man who had lived his whole life watching his surroundings returned to his lover as vulnerable as could be. Sometimes he would slip her his insubstantial, shabby core and ask, ‘Is this still okay?’

“Tell me you love me, Perry.”

Because he wasn’t afraid at all of what answer would come back.

“I love you, Yuan.”

“I love you too. I’ll find a house— no, shall we look together? This place is fine, but you said the neighbors are a bit noisy. Let’s find somewhere quiet.”

“I haven’t said yes yet.”

“You don’t want to?”

“……No, it’s not that I don’t want to. I do like it, but, well, um……”

When he raised his head, he noticed her quivering lips. Her neat eyebrows wrinkled as if angry. Now he knew this expression was a sign of permission. Yuan playfully pressed her narrowed brow.

“It’ll be fun.”

“……The contract here ends in summer.”

“That means—”

“Because I want to be with you continuously too.”

It’s fan service only for my first fan, the protagonist who had captivated Yuan that summer day whispered playfully.

“It’s an honor, Miss Actor.”

Perry’s devoted fan gladly decided to enjoy that special privilege.

The End

AFTER 1. Not That Close

The sound of a door opening and closing. Regular high heel footsteps approaching. A chair sliding on the floor. Indistinct voices.

Oh my, why is this turned on…… starting right away……

Reporter (hereafter ‘R’): Hello, Ms. Sol. It’s an honor to meet you. I understand you don’t often agree to interviews, so I was quite surprised when we received your positive response.

Bria Sol (hereafter ‘B’): That’s been true for quite some time. Perhaps because I’ve been exposed to the public since childhood, I’ve deliberately been more cautious. As for today’s interview…… it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? I wanted to reintroduce myself to those who might still remember me as young Bria Sol, the little miss who used to hold her mother’s hand.

R: On behalf of all the staff at Mylot, thank you again. This is a secret, but there was quite a fierce competition among us about who would conduct this interview. “I’ll go,” “No, I’ll go”…… Someone even volunteered to fetch the editor-in-chief’s coffee before it was decided. I’m the fortunate one who got the opportunity.

B: My goodness.

R: Let me start by asking about your recent activities. Since we’ll discuss your work later, please share a bit about your life outside of that. How do you spend your leisure time, for instance?

B: Leisure time…… Come to think of it, I’ve developed a new hobby a few months ago. I just started it with the new year.

R: Oh, what is it?

B: What do you think? Try to guess.

R: Me? I should be careful here. (brief silence) This is difficult. Driving? I heard you bought a new car last year. Oh, I didn’t dig that up from anywhere—

B: I don’t misunderstand. The rumors started from the day I signed the contract…… Unfortunately, that’s not it. I do enjoy driving, but my recent hobby is boxing.

R: Boxing? Wow, that’s really unexpected! It’s quite the opposite of the image you’ve shown so far. Though such a twist has its own charm.

B: It’s good for relieving stress. I try to be careful not to injure my face, but…… it doesn’t always go as planned.

R: Have you been under a lot of stress lately?

Quite a long laugh. The sound of earrings jingling. Bria clears her throat while letting out a faint chuckle as if her laughter won’t stop.

B: I can’t say there isn’t any. I used to relieve it through driving, as I mentioned earlier, or by visiting various restaurants.

R: Delicious food is the best friend. Did you go alone?

B: (brief silence) I went with someone else back then. I had an acquaintance with good taste in food. They were quite picky, so I probably tasted all sorts of delicacies in the kingdom during that period.

R: Could that acquaintance possibly be—

B: Oh, let’s stop here. You can probably guess…… you won’t cover this, right?

R: I promise.

B: Well, actually, I wouldn’t mind if it came out. It’s all been revealed anyway, hasn’t it? My love life and such. Everyone knew. Unless they were an oblivious fool who couldn’t read their surroundings.

R: Haha…… Are you seeing anyone new these days? I won’t write it down.

B: No.

The sound of pages turning. A faint breeze. The sound of tableware being placed and removed.