Inside the monitor, Baekgang lay beside Isol on her bed.
Baekgang was lying on his side, looking at her, while Isol faced the ceiling, unable to meet his gaze.
She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, as if stubbornly rejecting anyone’s approach…
“Then, can I just sleep beside you?”
His voice was fragile, barely holding back the pain in his heart.
Baekgang’s eyes, unable to meet hers and looking at her one-sidedly alone, flickered on the monitor.
Standing beside Song Hyunsu and watching the monitor together, Han Jooyoung covered her mouth to keep from making a sound.
Song Hyunsu clenched his fists tightly and swallowed dryly.
On the screen, Isol painfully parted her lips.
“Wouldn’t it be hard? Tonight… just… sleep at your place…”
Her eyelids fluttered rapidly, and her breathing became uneven.
The pain of her conflicted heart, torn between a spirit already sinking and overwhelming guilt, was palpable.
Even her dry, chapped lips seemed to be part of Shin Hyojin’s performance.
Filming was in full swing inside Isol’s room.
S#78. Isol’s Room (Late Night)
It was the scene Yoon Juho had acted in on the very first day he worked part-time for script reading at his house.
It was also the first time Song Hyunsu witnessed Yoon Juho genuinely acting beyond just reading lines.
That day, Song Hyunsu had shed tears, completely immersed in Baekgang’s emotional arc.
But now, watching this scene unfolding on set as a complete work created by Baekgang and Isol together, his admiration as a fellow actor was even greater.
Not wanting to miss a single moment, he wished to absorb all their know-how.
“I’m not here to sleep with you just because I want to.”
Baekgang’s long fingers cautiously brushed against Isol’s hair and cheek, as if hesitant even to touch her.
“I think it would be nice to fall asleep while watching you like this.”
The ad-lib changed from the original line made Song Hyunsu glance momentarily at the director sitting in front of the monitor.
But instead of sending a radio command to stop the scene, the director kept his eyes fixed on the screen.
“I know you’re scared to fall asleep because you think it might be a dream.”
Baekgang’s smile was faint and fragile, like sea foam about to break.
Whether it was planned in advance or just a natural flow of emotion during acting, Yoon Juho was gradually changing the lines.
Isol’s face, which had stubbornly faced the ceiling all along, slowly turned toward Baekgang.
He lifted the corners of his lips a little more and tried to smile at her, but to the viewers, the smile looked as if he were crying.
The shimmering light in Yoon Juho’s eyes gave that impression.
How could one possibly act with such eyes?
“It feels like I have to run away through the window before Sani barges in in the morning.”
“……”
“Just like when we were kids.”
Like those days when everything was still unbroken.
Those lines seemed to be silently held behind Yoon Juho’s expression.
Director Jung Junhee, who was watching the monitor, slowly brought the radio to his lips.
“Cut. Okay.”
The moment the director said okay, Han Jooyoung and Song Hyunsu exchanged glances.
They let out long breaths as if they had acted themselves.
Han Jooyoung shook her head, and Song Hyunsu shook his wrist to cool the sweat soaked into his fist.
Thus, the first filming of wrapped up around midnight.
With his excitement still fresh on his flushed face, Han Jooyoung said,
“It’s a scene that purely rides on emotion. I watched it very intently.”
“Me too.”
As mealtime was drawing to a close, Han Jooyoung arrived, and along with Song Hyunsu, they observed Yoon Juho and Shin Hyojin’s acting from behind the monitor.
Isol’s room was small, so the director’s monitor had to be set up in the living room.
To help the two actors fully immerse themselves, staff access was strictly limited.
“Just thinking about having to act opposite those two… suddenly makes me fired up.”
Jooyoung’s words weren’t followed by a slump in enthusiasm as expected; quite the opposite.
Despite it being past midnight, she looked wide awake, as if proving her own point.
“Considering their experience and talent, I’ll probably get overshadowed anyway. But it’s better to work with good actors. Right, Hyunsu?”
“Exactly. Even if we get overshadowed, we have to gain something.”
Until now, watching lead actors perform rarely stirred any emotion in him.
He had only envied top stars who showed up with several managers, retreated to their own cars like royalty after their scenes, and sent requests through assistant directors about how the set should be managed.
He thought Yoon Juho was the very archetype of such a top star.
But now… he was filled with the desire to absorb everything he saw here and make it his own.
“Director, you’re coming to the dorm for a drink, right?”
Seeing Director Jung Junhee rise from his seat, Han Jooyoung spoke warmly to him.
“What are you talking about? It’s past midnight.”
“You’re just going to let the first day go by? We have to celebrate no matter what! And please give me some advice on tomorrow’s scenes.”
“So that’s your real goal.”
Director Jung laughed heartily.
Judging by his expression and laughter, he seemed satisfied with today’s filming.
The house of Isol and Sani, once wrapped in silence, grew lively with the bustling movement of cleaning staff.
Yoon Juho, wearing a black padded jumper, exchanged thanks with the staff as he stepped out of the room.
Though every cast and crew member wore similar black long padded jackets, it was incredibly easy to spot Yoon Juho.
Not only was he tall enough for his face to appear above most people’s heads, but even after hours of immersive filming, his face still radiated a glow.
Naturally, all eyes were drawn to him.
He looked tired, but that weariness didn’t make him look shabby.
Instead, it gave him an almost melancholic charm.
He spotted Song Hyunsu standing in the living room.
Their eyes met, and without any greeting, they exchanged an intense gaze for a moment.
“Good work, Sol, Gang.”
Though Song Hyunsu made eye contact first, the director naturally greeted first.
Shaking hands in response to the director’s offer, Yoon Juho said,
“I honestly didn’t think you’d call the third take okay. I was surprised.”
“You changed the lines?”
“Yes. I did it expecting a quick radio command calling me arrogant.”
“We already have footage that follows the script from the earlier takes. I don’t even know which one will be used.”
In the warm atmosphere, they all headed out of the set quickly, so as not to disturb the staff tidying up.
“Senior, we have to have a beer with the director.”
Walking side by side toward the parking lot where the actors’ cars were parked, Han Jooyoung teased Yoon Juho.
But Yoon Juho’s response was indifferent.
“You’re fresh because you didn’t shoot today. What kind of drinking is that after seven hours of filming?”
“But it’s the first day. Just one drink, let’s toast and go.”
“Listening to you talk like that, you sound like a pure Korean. Are you really from America?”
Yoon Juho looked down suspiciously at the grinning Han Jooyoung.
Watching the two bicker yet somehow grow closer, Song Hyunsu followed behind, hands stuffed in his padded jacket pockets.
Just a few hours earlier, during a break after the meal, Yoon Juho had called Song Hyunsu over to his sprinter.
Right there, in the restaurant where everyone could see, using the director’s excuse to get closer.
Yoon Juho’s sprinter was as impressive as the rumors said.
The second row had limousine seats even more spacious than the Escalade, complete with an electric table for meals, a refrigerator, a 43-inch monitor, and a home theater-level audio system.
Moreover, the partition between the driver’s seat and the back could switch to magic glass, ensuring complete privacy.
With the TV monitor, it offered double or triple layers of protection.
Yoon Juho sat in the third row.
Unlike the limousine seats, the third row was a continuous backseat like a normal car.
There, Yoon Juho lay down, resting his head on Song Hyunsu’s lap with his eyes closed.
‘Are you going to sleep?’
‘Just closing my eyes for a bit.’
‘Should I wake you in ten minutes?’
‘Yeah.’
He answered like that with eyes closed, then grabbed Song Hyunsu’s wrist and placed his palm gently over his eyes.
His long eyelashes twitched under the palm, then calmed quickly, and surprisingly, he fell asleep within two or three minutes.
Those ten minutes of rest were sweet even to Song Hyunsu, enough to melt away fatigue.
Walking with his head down and a smirk inside his padded jacket collar, Yoon Juho suddenly turned around.
“Hyunsu, let’s move to my car.”
“…What?”
“You heard what the director said. We have to be close enough to touch each other without hesitation. We should stick together as much as possible.”
Without changing his expression, Yoon Juho spoke seriously.
Song Hyunsu stood frozen for a moment, caught off guard, and the people around them began to laugh.
Jooyoung and Shin Hyojin teased that Yoon Juho was just using the director’s excuse to call him over and bother him.
Song Hyunsu awkwardly smiled.
It was ambiguous — was this bothering, or not? He didn’t dislike it, so maybe it wasn’t.
After sending his manager ahead, Song Hyunsu followed Yoon Juho into the sprinter.
This time, Yoon Juho was already sitting in the third row, resting his elbow on the window frame and lightly tapping the seat next to him with a grin.
The sprinter’s doors were firmly closed, the magic mirror blocked the view from the driver’s seat, and blinds covered every window.
Still, Song Hyunsu glanced around nervously and hesitantly approached Yoon Juho’s side.
“I told you to go to the dorm and rest first.”
“But it’s the first day. I want to stay until the end. I wanted to see the seniors’ acting live too.”
Yoon Juho gave a short smile, crossed his arms, and rested his temple against Song Hyunsu’s shoulder.
“So, how was your impression watching the acting live?”
His slightly drowsy voice from fatigue sounded pleasant.