“....“
Han Yeoreum said nothing. She lowered her head deeply and her shoulders trembled slightly. Joo Junseo looked down at her. Until the mont Han Yeoreum would lift her head. But instead of raising it, she slowly reached out and grabbed the front of Joo Junseo’s shirt.
“Don’t go.”
It was different from her usual vocal tone. It was a dangerously unstable voice, like it would scatter and disappear into the air. Joo Junseo’s heart dropped—thump. His throat bobbed for a mont.
“Hm...?”
The small hand gripping his shirt tightened. The crisp white shirt wrinkled ssily.
“Don’t go....”
Joo Junseo simply stayed still. Just as the script instructed, he made no movent and only looked at Han Yeoreum.
‘What do I do.’
Joo Junseo tried to recall what he had morized once more.
School – Rooftop (sunset background)
Chaewon: (tearfully looking at Jun.) Don’t go.
Jun: (quietly looking down at Chaewon.) ....
Chaewon: (bursting into tears, says again.) Don’t go....
This mont had surpassed the simple sentences written in the script. The unconscious thought he had while watching Han Yeoreum—‘she acts well’—was on an entirely different level now.
Then it happened. Han Yeoreum lifted her head. The deep glow of the sunset, bright enough to be blinding, covered her face.
“...!”
Joo Junseo bit his lip without realizing it. The tear-covered, wet face was not Han Yeoreum. It was Pi Chaewon, who sensed the breakup.
As written in the script, Joo Junseo stroked Han Yeoreum’s hair. He had done it several tis already. Stroking her hair was sothing he was sowhat used to. But Joo Junseo made a movent he had never done before—sothing not in the script.
“....”
For Pi Chaewon, who was silently letting tears fall, he slowly brushed her cheek with his fingers. At that mont, he saw his reflection inside Pi Chaewon’s eyes. It felt as if he were standing in the center of a runway. As if the entire world had stopped, and he had beco the protagonist of that frozen mont.
“Cut!!!”
Director Jang’s cut signal rang dully in his ears.
* * *
The wrap-up party was held at a samgyeopsal restaurant near the school. With the sizzling sound of at cooking, Director Jang’s loud voice bood inside the room.
“Alright!!! Everyone worked so hard! Especially our actors. Thank you for acting as if you jumped straight out of the script!”
The screenwriter of and Seong Team Leader from JC ENM were all present, and the dinner was overflowing with excitent.
“Stand up and each say a word! Hm? Before the first toast~.”
Director Jang kept smiling brightly without rest. At his cue, Joo Junseo, who had ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) been sitting quietly across from him, slowly stood up.
“...I lacked many things, but thank you for leading well.”
“Wow~. Humble!”
Laughter burst here and there at Director Jang’s playful comnt. The second person was Han Yeoreum, sitting beside Director Jang.
“Oh no, I’m so sad we’re parting~.”
Unlike Joo Junseo, Yeoreum had grown friendly with many of the staff and pretended to cry jokingly. At that, the staff playfully chanted “Don’t cry” together.
“It was my first set, but thank you so much for giving such good mories. Please don’t forget and call again next ti!”
“Ah~. Who knows if we’ll even be able to call Han Yeoreum later!”
Being hyped up by the lighting director, Yeoreum shrugged shyly as if embarrassed. The mood was soaring wildly even though no one was very drunk yet.
“...I learned a lot. Truly....”
Last was Choo Gaeul. Unlike the first day, she had beco increasingly quiet. As the atmosphere settled slightly, Director Jang lifted his glass high.
“To the success of !”
“To success!!!”
With that toast, the staff who had been working themselves to death on set released all their pent-up emotions like madness. Green and brown liquor bottles piled up ssily. at orders continued endlessly.
‘This is definitely going to do well!’
It was the best kind of atmosphere—the kind that only appears when everyone feels confident in the project’s success.
* * *
‘Ah, the taste of being the protagonist....’
It’s too sweet. So sweet it could kill . I was dizzy running around receiving drinks from Director Jang and everyone else.
“I watched a few clips... You were exactly, exactly the Chaewon I imagined....”
Ah, the writer can’t drink well. Her drinking habit is crying. I hugged the sniffling, emotional screenwriter once.
“They said you were really great on set? You’re going to beco the kind of actor with tons of wholeso stories told about them.”
Seong Team Leader, my ntor’s junior and the person who gave the audition opportunity, filled my glass only halfway and encouraged gently.
‘Judging from the fact he focused on “good reputation,” maybe he’ll help push a few press releases later for viral exposure.’
Having no agency made even a single article or viral mont incredibly precious. I bowed deeply and downed the drink in one go. After that, the lighting director, the sound team, and whoever else—I greeted all the familiar faces from the past few days.
“I’ve seen sooo many actors, you know~. Yeoreum-sshi, huh? I can already see it. You’re glowing yellow~!”
‘Pretty sure that’s not a complint?’
“No no... not yellow. You’re... rainbow~!”
‘He’s drunk....’
More and more staff mbers with flushed faces appeared. I stepped outside for a mont to catch my breath.
‘This feels strange.’
Had I ever felt like this after finishing a shoot? No. Not even once. That bittersweet sensation of becoming one with the role and then slowly parting ways. I closed my eyes for a mont to savor the lingering emotions—
“Hey.”
“Whoa, you scared .”
—But I guess I can’t. Turning toward the sound, I saw a staggering Choo Gaeul approaching.
“What?”
She had been drinking alone in a corner earlier. If you’re going to get this drunk, drink soda instead. Before I knew it, she had co right up to and grabbed my arm.
“You....”
Her eyes welled up. Choo Gaeul inhaled sharply with a long hiss.
“You’re good.”
“Oh wow. Didn’t expect that line.”
Choo Gaeul grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face, and stomped her feet as if annoyed.
“You parachute brat, damn it. Why are you... good at acting... making .... Huuhhhh....”
She was sobbing hard, staggering. But she also said sothing very strange. Parachute?
“Hey. What do you an parachute. I don’t even have an agency.”
“Exactly. You don’t even have an agency, damn... why are you good....”
“You better not go around telling people I’m a parachute. I don’t have an agency to cover for .”
“Right.... Unlike you who has no agency... I’m with LM Entertainnt... so... so....”
In her eyes, the sorrow had already turned into venom.
“Next ti we et... I’ll be better than you... I’ll work myself to death and be way better... and make you feel... this feeling....”
Oh wow, she could do thod acting after all. Did the spirit of so pitiful romance-manga heroine possess her?
‘She still hasn’t gotten out of Hina.’
Did Hina cling to her on set? It’s over, so why is she like this? I roughly patted her shoulder.
“Do what you want.... Yeah. Fighting.”
“You’re annoying... I thought you’d suck... your voice! Why is it... so good... huh?”
Listening closely, it was all complints for . Not bad to hear, really. I gently coaxed her with a question.
“Which part especially?”
“Uh... during the last shoot today, you even made Joo Junseo get emotional too, that part was really....”
I continued extracting complint after complint from Choo Gaeul. She even felt a bit cute at so point.
I was thoroughly enjoying it until her manager apologized repeatedly and dragged her away, leaving finally alone again.
‘Now I can finally savor the after–....’
—No, I couldn’t. Without a sound, Joo Junseo appeared right in front of . I thought he ca out to smoke, but judging from his behavior, the purpose was clearly . He just stood there silently, staring only at .
“Did you perhaps co to complint ?”
“...What the heck.”
“There was a bit of an incident just now. So why are you here?”
Joo Junseo looked down at quietly for a mont. anwhile, Han Yeoreum’s internal profit-calculator began moving again.
‘Co to think of it, the atmosphere at the dinner was good, right?’
They’ll probably go to round two soon. If the two rookie actors went to buy ice cream for the staff, it would make an adorable image.
“Let’s go buy ice cream.”
“...Oh, okay.”
Co to think of it, I owed Joo Junseo sothing. Thanks to him, my screen ti increased too. I was in a good mood. I gestured at him as he obediently followed to the convenience store.
“You may choose a cone, senior.”
“....”
“But don’t reach for the Ha***das freezer.”
* * *
‘It’s bad.’
It was unbelievably sweet. Joo Junseo, who usually lived without ever touching anything like ice cream, took a half-hearted bite of the sugar lump recomnded by Han Yeoreum.
Carrying the bag of ice cream without a word, he walked back toward the dinner venue, and only once they reached the front did he hesitate and finally open his mouth.
“...Um.”
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