“Hmm, let me see.” Senior Kim Eun-hye, who I thought would just go on with her other errands, suddenly pulled something out. It was the script.
She glanced back and forth between the script and the filming set, then looked at me with a faint smile.
“For today’s shoot, would it be okay if Eun-soo’s emotions were a bit clearer?”
She wasn’t delivering a conclusion or an order but asking for my opinion.
As if she were speaking to an equal colleague. ‘We are colleagues, I guess. But…’ The gap between us was vast.
Between Kim Eun-hye, the top star and respected actress known for her acting skills, and me, Yoo Chaemin, an actor with a reputation for bad acting.
No, it was even disrespectful to group us together as colleagues. Yet she asked for my opinion, as if she truly considered me a peer.
“Huh?”
When I didn’t answer, Senior Kim Eun-hye spoke softly. Instinctively, I quickly hid my face behind the script.
Perhaps it was because I had immersed myself in the emotions of playing Yoo Chae-min, the bad actor.
Or maybe because it was a senior I admired. ‘…When acting, it’s common to momentarily become one with the character’s feelings.’
So, these surging emotions couldn’t be helped. It was something I could quietly bury. Unexpressed emotions remain unknown to anyone, and the feelings only I know can be forgotten.
“I think it would be good, senior.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that because it’s me?”
She teased, narrowing her eyes playfully.
I shook my head desperately.
“No, really. I mean it.”
Literally, I meant it. In fact, if she expressed Yeon Eun-soo’s emotions a bit more clearly, it would be the best thing for me.
It meant that the somewhat ambiguous ending of ’s love line, which had tilted towards Jeong Bong-sik, would become more definite.
Jimin Sung wasn’t coming to today’s shoot. Originally, Kim Cheol-soo was supposed to appear in this scene, but the script sent a few days ago omitted his presence.
I heard that Kim Cheol-soo’s role had been changed to leave for overseas after all the operations were done.
I didn’t know what had happened on set without me, but Kim Cheol-soo’s role had been drastically reduced.
Accordingly, Yeon Eun-soo’s love line, which had been firm from beginning to end, had become uncertain.
Of course, the love line wasn’t the center of the movie, so leaving it as is wouldn’t cause a big problem.
Still, from an entertainment perspective, it would be richer if it could be salvaged even a little. “I thought you’d feel the same. Our chemistry was actually pretty good, right?”
I thought so too, but hearing it directly from her left me momentarily speechless.
The difference in acting skills was unavoidable, but when put together, it wasn’t a bad picture.
“Then, how about we just try matching the lines once?”
This was an opportunity I absolutely couldn’t miss.
“Yes…!” Senior Kim Eun-hye’s clear eyes turned toward me.
In an instant, her gaze changed. It was Eun-soo’s gaze.
But even that felt different from the previous shoots. Until now, Eun-soo’s look toward Jeong Bong-sik had lacked depth.
Sometimes cute, sometimes funny, often viewing him as a bothersome presence with a light gaze.
She never tried to hide the fact she liked him and wagged her tail cutely, but it wasn’t a look she put much effort into.
But now, her gaze deepened. Light, yet carrying a faint weight.
As if she had turned her head to look again at someone she used to just glance past.
And then silently watched for a long time.
But Eun-soo didn’t realize.
That her gaze had stayed on Jeong Bong-sik longer than she intended. That the glance she threw carried weight.
“……”
Just from locking eyes briefly, I could fully feel what Senior Kim Eun-hye wanted to convey. Even though she didn’t act forcefully, I felt as if I’d been hit hard.
Surely, we had acted together, exchanging gazes before, but it felt overwhelming now. ‘They must have been going easy on me until now.’
Because of the relationship between Jeong Bong-sik and Yeon Eun-soo. ‘Hold on. You can hold on, right?’ She asked.
If I failed to catch it, she would adjust her acting accordingly.
Maybe all of this was to gauge how far I could follow.
My fingertips tingled. ‘Yes.’ I silently answered and stared at Senior Kim Eun-hye, with Jeong Bong-sik’s gaze and expression.
…
Yeon Eun-soo and Lee Bo-na, both dressed to the nines more than usual, stepped into the clothing store of a department store.
The staff welcomed the two warmly but tilted their head curiously when a man walked in behind them.
With messy hair, thick horn-rimmed glasses, and a slightly loose plaid shirt — an outfit that didn’t suit a luxury store at all, though that wasn’t the real issue.
Anyone could come here wearing anything, after all.
The real problem was that the man looked like someone dragged along unwillingly.
He kept scanning the surroundings nervously, clearly not someone who came by choice.
That meant there was someone accompanying the man… ‘No way?’
The staff’s gaze slowly shifted from the man to the two women ahead of him.
After quickly scanning the store, the two women approached Jeong Bong-sik.
When Yeon Eun-soo put her arm around his shoulder, Jeong Bong-sik jumped in surprise and shrank half his body.
“W-why, why did you come here…?”
His voice sounded like he was about to cry.
If seen on the street, one might think he was about to be mugged. Seeing Jeong Bong-sik so utterly deflated, Lee Bo-na pushed her sunglasses up onto her head.
“This is crazy. Seriously, unni, this guy is just a problem. What’s the point of dressing him in designer clothes? His posture and attitude are the real issues…!”
Yeon Eun-soo answered very coolly. “Those can be fixed, too.” “Yeah, right…” To be honest, Lee Bo-na was somewhat skeptical about today’s shopping.
It wasn’t because the money felt wasted. The operation to take down Teddy Jang had been successful, and they’d made a lot of money.
Though only a small part had to be spent on Jeong Bong-sik, it still felt a little regrettable… but not unpleasant.
Still, was spending this money really meaningful?
Dressing Jeong Bong-sik in luxury brands wouldn’t suddenly turn a dork into a social butterfly. “Fix it. Absolutely fix it. So pick out some clothes already.”
“Sigh… alright, alright. Got it~” When ordered, there was no choice but to comply. For at least the next ten years, Lee Bo-na couldn’t refuse Yeon Eun-soo’s requests.
Yeon Eun-soo hadn’t explicitly set a deadline or anything. Lee Bo-na just decided that on her own. It wasn’t just about the money — surviving the attempt by the boyfriend who wanted to hand her over to Teddy Jang was all thanks to Yeon Eun-soo.
‘Thinking about it again, I’m kind of pissed.’ Lee Bo-na shot a glare at Yeon Eun-soo as she turned toward the clothing section.
“What? Why?”
“I’m seriously annoyed with you.”
She wouldn’t even let me hate her freely.
At Lee Bo-na’s grumbling, Yeon Eun-soo just snorted.
“Sigh, let’s just get on with it!” Turning the whole thing into work, Lee Bo-na clapped her hands. Then, with quick fingers, she took off Jeong Bong-sik’s horn-rimmed glasses.
“Gasp…!”
“Whoa…”
Those quietly watching nearby gasped as if mesmerized. Lee Bo-na shrugged her shoulders as if she were the one being praised.
“G-give me the glasses! I can’t see…!” Only Jeong Bong-sik, who hadn’t caught on to the mood, waved his hand in the air with a choked voice.
Then Yeon Eun-soo grabbed his hand.
“W-who…!”
Jeong Bong-sik’s face flushed bright red as he realized who was holding his hand by the scent of her perfume. “Hic! Hiccup!”
His trademark hiccups started again. At first, Yeon Eun-soo had been watching all these reactions with a ‘you’re so ridiculous’ look, but now she ruffled Jeong Bong-sik’s hair wildly.
“Cute guy.”
Jeong Bong-sik’s legs gave out, and he staggered. In the end, Jeong Bong-sik finished shopping holding one of Yeon Eun-soo’s hands.
All he did was barely stand on shaky legs and act as a clothes hanger.
Lee Bo-na picked out the clothes, and Yeon Eun-soo confirmed them.
Jeong Bong-sik came out of the fitting room. Before he could get far, Lee Bo-na snatched the glasses she had briefly returned from him.
With his handsome face looking as if rose petals were falling, dressed to the nines, all eyes passing by landed on Jeong Bong-sik.
Even his messy, stuffy curly hair looked like an intentional style.
Unfortunately for Jeong Bong-sik, this was only the first round.
They continued shopping at other stores.
They bought more clothes, shoes, watches, and perfume. Their next stop was a hair salon. No need to specify a style — just trimming the unruly hair would suffice.
Finally, they went to an eyewear store. Jeong Bong-sik, who was trying contacts for the first time, naturally didn’t know how to put them in.
Seeing him struggle for a long time, Yeon Eun-soo put the lenses in for him.
As his blurred vision cleared and he saw Yeon Eun-soo’s face sharply, Jeong Bong-sik hiccupped again for a while.
With all preparations done, they headed to a rather large barbecue restaurant.
…
Jeong Bong-sik’s nose bridge wasn’t heavy, yet his vision was clear. Every time he realized that, he felt the urge to cover his face with both hands.
He had worn thick glasses all his life and had never noticed how much they had shielded him from the world. Looking up, the sign of the barbecue restaurant came into sharp focus.
[Chomaok] It was the place his former team leader from his old company had invited him to.
The team leader had said there was a team dinner today, everyone wanted to see him, so he absolutely had to come… The tone of the team leader’s voice was filled with strange amusement and mockery.
He was always like that. He led the charge in making Jeong Bong-sik look ridiculous and insignificant within the team but stepped back as soon as the harassment started.
It would be the same this time. But now, many things had changed. Jeong Bong-sik was no longer foolish enough to take the team leader’s words at face value, and he was no longer an employee of the company.
He could easily forget the chance meeting and the team leader’s invitation.
That day, even if he hadn’t been with the members when he ran into the team leader, it would have happened anyway.
‘What’s with that guy? Why is he speaking so rudely?’
‘Bongsik, do you know that person? Hey, why are you shaking like that?’
‘Jeong Bong-sik, be honest. What did that bastard do to you?’
The members who saw a different side of Jeong Bong-sik didn’t leave him alone. Facing the nightmares from the past that surfaced after a long time, they kept knocking on the door.
If they had recklessly pushed him around in their usual manner, it might have been better.
But unlike them, they carefully watched his feelings and cautiously suggested things repeatedly.
Eventually, Jeong Bong-sik cried hard and confessed wounds he hadn’t even told his parents about.
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