Chapter 2 : When the camera stops rolling

“On screen, we know exactly what to say.

Off screen, even silence speaks louder than words.”

The hum of the air conditioner filled the car, mingling with the distant city sounds as Pond drove through the quiet streets of Bangkok. The atmosphere inside the vehicle was tense but not uncomfortable – like the silence between two people who once knew everything about each other… and now were unsure where to begin again.

Phuwin sat in the passenger seat, hands resting on his lap. He stared out the window, watching neon lights blur into streaks of color. He could feel Pond glancing at him now and then, but neither of them had said anything since leaving the restaurant.

Finally, Pond broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

Phuwin blinked, then turned slightly toward him. “At the audition?”

Pond smiled. “No. Before that. At that workshop. You were wearing this ridiculous pink hoodie.”

Phuwin laughed softly. “It wasn’t ridiculous. It was cute. Everyone said so.”

“I didn’t.” Pond grinned. “I thought it was distracting. I couldn’t focus on anything else the whole day.”

That made Phuwin smile wider, but his voice softened. “You used to say that about a lot of things. Then you stopped saying anything.”

Pond’s hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. “I didn’t stop because I wanted to.”

“Then why did you?” Phuwin asked, not accusatory – just curious. Tired, maybe.

Pond didn’t answer right away. He turned onto a quieter street, then pulled over near Phuwin’s condo building. The car idled in silence.

“Because the company said it was better for both of us,” he finally said. “Because I thought… maybe giving you distance would help. That you’d move on faster if I didn’t get in your way.”

Phuwin looked down. “You didn’t even ask me what I wanted.”

“Would you have stayed?” Pond asked.

Phuwin looked at him then, really looked. “Yes.”

The word landed with the weight of three years of silence.

Meanwhile, at a nearby rooftop café, Joong and Dunk sat across from each other. The city skyline sprawled behind them, the glow of traffic like veins of light through the dark.

Joong stirred his coffee, watching Dunk over the rim of his cup.

“You didn’t have to come,” Dunk muttered, not meeting his eyes.

“I wanted to,” Joong said simply.

“Even if people see us? Think we’re dating again?”

Joong shrugged. “We were never really not dating. We just never said it out loud.”

Dunk looked at him then, eyes sharp. “That’s the problem. You never say anything. You just… stand there. Smile. Pour tea. Look at me like you know what I’m thinking.”

“I usually do,” Joong said, his smile gentle.

“And yet you never say it. Never admit it.”

Joong put down his cup. His voice, when he spoke, was quiet but firm. “Fine. I’ll say it now.”

Dunk froze.

“I liked you, Dunk. I still do. Not because the fans wanted it. Not because the script told me to. Because… somewhere between the first scene and the last, you stopped being a co-star and became the only person I looked for after every take.”

Dunk’s lips parted, but no sound came. His eyes glistened – not with tears, but confusion. Fear. Maybe hope.

Before he could speak, his phone buzzed. A notification lit up the screen: “New fan post: ‘JoongDunk spotted again last night!’”

Dunk sighed. “It’s always like this. We take one step closer, and the world drags us back two steps.”

Joong leaned forward, voice lower. “Then let’s walk faster. So the world can’t catch up.”

Back in Pond’s car, the silence had shifted.

Phuwin turned slightly. “I don’t want to pretend anymore.”

Pond looked at him, heart thudding. “Pretend what?”

“That we’re just co-stars. That we’re just acting. That none of it meant anything.”

He paused. “Because it did. It still does.”

Pond reached over, slowly, brushing his fingers against Phuwin’s hand. “Then let’s stop pretending.”

Phuwin didn’t pull away.

Not this time.

Outside, the city kept spinning. Cameras kept rolling. Scripts kept being written.

But somewhere between take one and take forever, something real had returned – quietly, surely, and ready to face the lights again.

Together.

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