The convention hall was still buzzing from the kiss.
Staff hurried to place microphones in the aisles while fans lined up eagerly. Some were shaking with excitement. Others were already crying.
Back on stage, Est leaned toward William.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
William looked amused.
"It's just questions."
Est stared at him.
"You just kissed me in front of ten thousand people."
William shrugged casually.
"So?"
Est opened his mouth… then closed it again.
"…I hate that you have no fear."
William grinned.
"Not true."
"Oh really?"
"I'm afraid of you."
Est blinked.
"Why?"
William leaned slightly closer.
"Because you're the only person who can tell me no."
Est froze for a second before quietly muttering,
"…stop being charming."
William smiled to himself.
The fan Q&A began.
A young fan stepped up to the microphone, clutching a huge banner that read:
"WILLIAMEST REAL SINCE DAY ONE"
The audience cheered immediately.
The fan took a deep breath.
"Hi! I love you both so much!"
Est waved warmly.
"Thank you."
William nodded.
"Thanks for coming."
The fan looked nervous.
"My question is for both of you."
She held the microphone tighter.
"…did the kiss just now feel different from acting kisses?"
The entire hall went quiet.
Est's eyes widened.
"Oh wow."
William leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand.
"That's a very detailed question."
The fan nodded quickly.
"Yes."
Est looked like he wanted to disappear.
William answered calmly.
"Yes."
The audience screamed.
Est slapped his shoulder.
"You answered too fast!"
William laughed.
"You asked for honesty."
Est muttered,
"I regret everything."
The next fan approached with a mischievous smile.
"My question is for Est."
Est pointed at himself nervously.
"…why me?"
The fan grinned.
"Were you nervous when William leaned in to kiss you?"
The crowd leaned forward again.
Est looked at William.
William was clearly enjoying this.
"Extremely nervous," Est admitted.
The crowd laughed.
"Why?" the fan asked.
Est sighed.
"Because he didn't warn me."
William raised a finger.
"I absolutely warned you."
"You whispered 'I'll wait until you're ready.' That's not a warning!"
The audience laughed loudly.
William looked proud of himself.
"Still counts."
The third fan stepped forward slowly.
She looked determined.
"Hello."
William nodded politely.
"Hi."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"My question… is about jealousy."
Est covered his face instantly.
"Oh no."
The fan continued bravely.
"William… if Est had a romantic scene with another actor… would you get jealous?"
The audience gasped.
William leaned back thoughtfully.
"Hmm."
Est whispered urgently,
"Choose your answer carefully."
William ignored him.
Then he said calmly:
"Yes."
The audience exploded.
Est looked shocked.
"You're serious?"
William shrugged.
"Of course."
The fan clapped excitedly.
"Why?"
William answered simply.
"Because I like him."
The crowd screamed again.
Est turned bright red.
"You cannot keep saying things like that!"
William tilted his head.
"Why not?"
Est struggled to respond.
"…because!"
William laughed.
The next fan who approached looked like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.
She stepped up to the microphone confidently.
"I have a request."
The host looked intrigued.
"A request?"
The fan nodded.
"Yes."
She pointed dramatically at William and Est.
"Can you kiss again?"
The hall erupted.
Est nearly fell out of his chair.
"No!"
William burst out laughing.
The fan pleaded dramatically.
"Please! Just a small one!"
Est shook his head violently.
"Absolutely not."
William leaned toward him.
"You're rejecting the fans?"
Est whispered back,
"I already survived one heart attack today."
The fan looked disappointed.
Then William turned toward the audience.
"Well…"
Est grabbed his arm.
"No."
William grinned.
"Relax."
Est squinted at him suspiciously.
William turned back to the fan.
"How about a compromise?"
The audience quieted again.
Est looked worried.
"What kind of compromise?"
William casually slid his hand into Est's.
Their fingers intertwined.
The crowd screamed even louder than before.
Est froze completely.
"…William."
William smiled calmly at the audience.
"Hand holding is safe."
The host laughed helplessly.
"I don't think anything about this event is safe anymore."
Est sighed dramatically but didn't pull his hand away.
The fan looked thrilled.
"Thank you!"
While the next fan walked up, Est whispered,
"You are impossible."
William squeezed his hand lightly.
"You're still holding it."
Est looked down.
He was.
"…I forgot."
William smiled softly.
"You can let go."
Est hesitated.
Then quietly replied,
"…I don't want to."
William's smile widened.
But before he could respond—
Est was still leaning face-down on the table when the next fan spoke into the microphone.
"I have a question about your first confession."
The audience instantly screamed again.
Est lifted his head slowly.
"…why are the questions getting worse?"
William looked very entertained.
"I think they're getting better."
The fan continued bravely.
"So… who fell in love first?"
The entire convention hall went silent again.
Even the host leaned forward.
"Oh that's a dangerous question."
Est pointed immediately at William.
"Him."
William looked offended.
"That was fast."
Est shrugged.
"You literally just admitted you get jealous."
William tilted his head.
"That doesn't prove anything."
The fan looked between them eagerly.
"So… it wasn't William?"
Est hesitated.
William watched him carefully.
Then Est muttered,
"…fine. Maybe it was both of us."
The audience erupted again.
William smiled slightly.
"That's a safe answer."
Est pointed at him.
"You're not escaping this."
The host jumped in excitedly.
"Alright, let's make it interesting."
She turned toward William.
"William—when did you realize you liked Est?"
Est whispered urgently,
"You don't have to answer."
William looked thoughtful for a moment.
Then he said quietly,
"During filming."
The audience leaned forward.
"Which scene?" the host asked.
William smiled faintly.
"There was a scene where Est had to cry."
Est blinked.
"You remember that?"
William nodded.
"You kept apologizing to the staff because you thought you were taking too long."
Est rubbed the back of his neck.
"I felt bad."
William's voice softened.
"But you stayed in character even when the cameras stopped."
The hall was completely quiet now.
"You were still crying," William continued.
"And instead of asking for a break… you asked if the scene was good enough."
Est looked down.
The audience made soft emotional noises.
William shrugged lightly.
"That's when I realized."
The host whispered dramatically,
"That is the most romantic thing I've heard today."
Est looked flustered.
"You didn't tell me that."
William smirked.
"You didn't ask."
The host immediately turned toward Est.
"Alright Est. Your turn."
Est groaned.
"No."
The audience started chanting again.
"TELL US! TELL US!"
William leaned closer.
"I'm curious too."
Est glared at him.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
William nodded.
"Correct."
Est sighed heavily.
"Fine."
He leaned closer to his microphone.
"But this story makes him look bad."
William raised an eyebrow.
"I'm intrigued."
Est pointed at him.
"Remember the day we had that outdoor filming in the rain?"
William blinked.
"Oh."
The audience perked up immediately.
"What happened?" the host asked.
Est explained,
"It was freezing. Everyone was miserable."
William nodded.
"That's accurate."
Est continued,
"And I slipped during the scene."
The audience gasped.
"You fell?" the host asked.
Est nodded.
"Hard."
William winced slightly at the memory.
Est smiled faintly.
"And before the staff even reacted…"
He looked at William.
"…he ran across the set and grabbed me."
William shrugged.
"That's normal."
Est shook his head.
"No. You were supposed to stay in position."
The host leaned forward.
"You broke the scene?"
William nodded casually.
"Yep."
Est laughed softly.
"The director was yelling and everyone was confused."
Then he looked down for a second.
"But he didn't care."
The audience quieted again.
"He just kept asking if I was hurt."
William rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's also normal."
Est shook his head again.
"That's when I realized something was different."
William looked at him.
"You mean that's when you liked me?"
Est smiled.
"…yeah."
The crowd absolutely exploded.
Fans were hugging each other and waving banners in the air.
The host clapped excitedly.
"This is the greatest fan meeting in history!"
But suddenly—
A loud commotion started near the front rows.
Fans were screaming again.
Security staff moved quickly through the crowd.
Est frowned.
"What's happening?"
William stood slightly, trying to see.
Someone near the front shouted loudly:
"PROTECT THEM!"
The host looked confused.
Then a staff member hurried onto the stage and whispered something to the manager.
William noticed immediately.
"…something's wrong."
Est's smile faded.
The energy in the hall shifted.
The fans were still cheering, but now there was tension in the air.
William instinctively reached for Est's hand under the table.
"Stay close."
Est looked at him.
"…what's going on?"
William didn't know yet.