Off Script (JoongDunk)

Chapter 9: Not meant to be

Dunk woke up around 9:30 am, panicking as he noticed how bright it was outside. Why wasn't he at the airport already? Then the memories of last night hit him, and a wave of embarrassment rushed over him. The impulsive lies felt childish now. He'd sacrificed a rare chance to spend time with his family just to stay in Bangkok to see Joong. "Couldn't I have just waited three days? Really, Dunk?" He scolded himself, his cheeks warming at the thought.

He reached for his phone to check his DMs. No new messages from Joong, unsurprisingly, as Dunk had never replied. He sighed, torn between texting Joong to say he was still in Bangkok or just keeping silent to avoid looking desperate. "If I tell him, it'll be obvious I stayed just to see him," he thought, groaning into his pillow.

Trying to shake off his thoughts, Dunk went downstairs to prepare breakfast. The stillness of the empty house felt surreal, and a wave of cautious excitement hit him. He was free to do whatever he wanted for three whole days. "But today, I'd better play the sick role convincingly," he reminded himself.

Dunk turned on his favorite playlist, made a smoothie, and scrambled eggs, settling on the couch to scroll through X. He cracked up at the crazy and hilarious DungJang fan posts, "Our fans are so naughty" he thought to himself, feeling a little shy but excited at the thought. Checking IG, he noticed Joong hadn't updated yet, even though fans on X were already trending the YSL event hours before it started. His phone rang—it was his mom.

"Hey darling, how are you? Are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Hi, Mom. I'm still weak, but I think I'll be fine."

"Dr. Charles should be there around 11 to check on you," she added.

Dunk's stomach dropped. He'd completely forgotten about Dr. Charles. "How on earth am I going to convince a doctor I'm sick?"

After finishing the call, he ran to the bathroom to check his temperature, but the thermometer read a perfect 36.6°C. After a moment's thought, he had a brilliant idea: running on the treadmill to heat up his body. Twenty minutes later, he checked again—37.2°C. Still not enough for a fever. Not wanting to give up, he heated up some water and gulped it, nearly burning his mouth just as the doorbell rang.

Dr. Charles checked his vitals, noting, "You do have a slightly elevated temperature, but nothing critical. Your throat looks fine, too."

"I think I sweated a lot during the night, but I'm feeling better now," Dunk replied, trying his best to sound convincing. "I'm an actor, after all," he reminded himself.

Dr. Charles nodded. "Maybe you're just overworked from your schedule. Take these meds twice a day, and call me if your symptoms worsen," he advised before leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Dunk let out a sigh of relief and practically jumped for joy. He dashed upstairs and turned on his PC. "Let's play some games, baby!" he said aloud, grinning to himself.

The first hour passed quickly, but the game felt oddly boring after that. He found himself glancing at his phone, hoping to hear from Joong. Frustrated with his wandering thoughts, he closed the game and lay on the bed, scrolling through X, his mind drifting to Joong's schedule. Today was huge—Joong was the face of a new YSL collection and would be at a high-profile event. Dunk looked forward to glimpsing Joong's day online.

But as he scrolled, his heart sank. Photos and videos of Joong started appearing, but he wasn't alone. A stunning model, someone Joong was friends with and who had always made Dunk feel a little jealous, was by his side in every shot. She smiled brightly as she leaned toward him, her hand occasionally resting on his arm. Joong looked natural next to her, like they were a perfect couple—a sentiment fans were echoing in the comments.

"It's nothing... just posing for the camera," Dunk tried to convince himself, but a particular photo where Joong and the model were looking into each other's eyes, her hand resting casually on his chest, sent a twist through his stomach. When he came across another shot showing them gently holding hands, it almost felt deliberate, like they were trying to be discreet.

"Joong is straight, after all. Being with a woman is better for him in the long run. There's no way he'd ever choose me," Dunk thought, the jealousy creeping in more and more. Frustrated, he set his phone on silent and tossed it to the other side of the bed.

The rationalizations hurt, and his thoughts spiraled downward. His eyes began to well up. Dunk wasn't one to cry over things he couldn't have, but the emotions were overwhelming, and soon, silent tears slipped down his face as he lay there, blankly staring at the ceiling. Eventually, mentally exhausted, he drifted off to sleep.

[Meanwhile ]

Dnie, Dunk's little sister, sat alone in a cozy café in Osaka, realizing that Japan just wasn't as fun without her big brother around. Their parents were off at a business meeting, leaving Dnie to explore on her own.

Around 2 p.m., she texted Dunk, "Hey, bro, are you feeling better? It's boring without you here 😔."

An hour passed with no answer from Dunk. Growing a bit worried—she knew he was prone to high fevers whenever he got sick—Dnie decided to text Joong instead. "Hey, my bro got sick and stayed home. He's not answering my calls. Could you please check on him when you're free? Thanks!"

Mostly, she just wanted someone to make sure he was okay. But she had to admit, a part of her hoped this would nudge them into spending some time alone together—a rare opportunity. She could tell there was more between them than just friendship, and she was quietly rooting for them to get together eventually.