[Jihwa! Th-this!]
The girl tightly closed her eyes and held out a box of chocolates.
The boy’s eyes widened at the sight of the neatly wrapped box.
“Isn’t this something Hyuk made for you?”
“No! I made it for you, Jihwa. From the very beginning…”
The girl’s voice grew softer with embarrassment.
The boy, interpreting her shyness as a mix of awkwardness and apology, smiled with a bittersweet expression.
There was a faint trace of resigned acceptance in his smile.
The girl still couldn’t lift her head, and the boy quietly stared at the box in her hands.
It was a small mint-green box, with a red ribbon tied clumsily around it.
Even the ribbon ends were uneven, as if cut awkwardly.
Yet the boy looked at that box as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
“Thank you.”
He carefully lifted the box with both hands.
Seeing the boy place the box gently on his lap, the girl smiled slyly before plopping down beside him.
She glanced back and forth between the chocolate box and the boy, nervously fidgeting with her bangs.
Biting and releasing her lower lip repeatedly, she finally gathered the courage to speak.
“You know… if you eat that…”
Her voice was barely audible.
‘The power of the original story is still too strong. He won’t easily fall for you. Even if you confess, he probably won’t hear it well. Just do it anyway.’
Though she thought of this half-hearted advice, the girl never finished her sentence.
“Huh?”
“N-no! Nothing! Ah! It’s really hot today, so hot!”
She quickly turned her head, fanning herself with her hand, silently sulking.
“Ahh, so cute.”
A fan of the original work muttered quietly while watching the TV.
Her gaze fixed on the screen, she reached into a snack bag, grabbed a handful of popcorn coated with thick caramel, and tossed it into her mouth.
The crunchy caramel popcorn crackled softly as it broke apart.
‘Sweet to the eyes and sweet to the mouth.’
Her face was warm with a gentle smile as she watched Yoon Jihwa and Han Yeoreum on the screen.
Of course, it hadn’t been this way from the start.
As a fan of the webtoon , she had long struggled with whether or not to watch the upcoming drama adaptation.
Should she watch this drama or not?
The webtoon’s adaptation wasn’t always a pure joy for fans of the original work.
Bringing the so-called 2D world into reality was never an easy task.
First of all, casting was a major issue.
Judging actors by looks was a superficial matter.
More important was how well the actors’ images matched their characters.
Next came the problem of adaptation.
Since the genre changed, it was inevitable that some parts would be added or removed.
However, the lack of understanding of the original was often so severe that the very themes of the work were sometimes shattered.
There were times when characters were merely used as templates for completely new stories.
Recently, the characters themselves were changed, resulting in works that shared only the title.
When the drama adaptation of was announced, fans feared this latter case the most.
Since it was not a simple school drama but contained fantasy elements, there was concern about how well those could be brought to life in a drama format.
But who would have expected Yoon Jihwa’s role to be cast with the notoriously poor actor Yoo Chaemin?
After the casting was confirmed, the mood among original fans was bleak.
On social media, declarations flooded in: “I won’t watch the drama. I’ll only support the original work as I have so far.”
Many vented their anger with harsh insults at Yoo Chaemin.
Caught in this overwhelming trend, the fan was swept up as well.
She didn’t even know Yoo Chaemin’s face properly or had ever seen his acting before.
She just assumed he was terrible because everyone else said so.
Yet in the end, she watched the drama’s first broadcast live.
Curiosity and a measure of naïveté won out.
She never openly admitted to watching it on her fan SNS, but after the first episode, she continued to watch faithfully.
“The adaptation is well done, and it’s actually interesting.”
Good visuals, music, and decent-looking actors were secondary factors.
It was simply fun.
Even though she already knew the story’s progression from the original, something kept her watching.
“Jihwa’s acting…”
Crunch, crunch. The popcorn continued to break apart in her mouth.
The acting was not something one could call good despite any effort.
But it was the eyes.
The director seemed to have added extra highlights only to Yoon Jihwa’s eyes, making them sparkle and always remain moist.
If it were just because her eyes were pretty, she wouldn’t feel this strange fluttering.
Gestures, expressions, voice — all of them had flaws that made one pause, but never the eyes.
Yoon Jihwa’s eyes changed when she looked at Han Yeoreum, when she looked at Lee Hyuk, and even when she faced less familiar characters.
It was obvious even without paying close attention, making it a definite strength.
When Yoon Jihwa looked at Lee Hyuk, many emotions surfaced in the boy’s eyes.
Envy, resignation, affection as a friend, and even suppressed hatred…
Watching that was truly awe-inspiring.
But the real thing was elsewhere.
When she looked at Han Yeoreum.
“Yeoreum.”
Yoon Jihwa spoke quietly on the screen.
Her voice was a bit hoarse, and her pronunciation was slightly off, but not enough to ruin the moment.
Above all, the boy’s face and gaze filled the screen, overshadowing all flaws.
“Huh?”
Just as Han Yeoreum raised her head, the scene slowed down.
Yoon Jihwa silently watched her, filling the frame.
When their eyes met, she instinctively glanced downward for a moment, then slowly raised her gaze again.
As their eyes locked once more, a soft smile spread across the boy’s lips.
His eyes remained fixed on the girl before him.
The look in his eyes was like someone watching something too precious, fearing it might wear away if touched.
No matter how much he tried to hide it, affection inevitably shone through.
But it was only for a moment.
The boy soon moved his lips as if realizing something.
The affection that burst out when he took it all in slowly faded away.
His eyes, once full of boundless affection, grew empty.
Knowing that suppressing it would be futile, he chose instead to empty his gaze.
Only habitual goodwill toward others remained in those vacant eyes.
“Ahh, seriously, this is crazy.”
She couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
There was also a helpless frustration that he didn’t show a little more desire.
The scene changed, and Lee Hyuk appeared.
Feeling a bit relieved, the fan popped the remaining popcorn into her mouth.
She stared into space for a moment, mulling over Yoon Jihwa’s gaze, then tilted her head.
‘If it’s this good… it’s not really fair to call it bad acting, is it?’
The chaotic atmosphere online was just baffling.
[The new record for bad acting set by the king of bad acting #ProtectMySubMaleLead #YooChaemin #BadActing]
[Yoo Chaemin bad acting compilation #ProtectMySubMaleLead #YooChaemin #BadActing]
[He would have succeeded if he debuted in the silent film era #YooChaemin #BadActing]
As soon as aired, countless shorts mocking Yoo Chaemin’s acting flooded YouTube.
For those looking to rake in views off controversy, Yoo Chaemin was an irresistible subject.
There were also those who ironically supported his acting career, hoping he wouldn’t quit.
Thus, shorts ridiculing his bad acting were uploaded almost like a monthly tradition.
The comment sections were filled with insults toward Yoo Chaemin and slanderous remarks.
But then.
“But Yoo Chaemin’s acting seems to have improved. That awful stuff from before is gone… I’m kinda sad though, is this normal?”
“I came in ready to cringe hard, but it’s actually pretty decent?”
As time passed, the reactions to Yoo Chaemin’s acting shorts began to change.
Even without anyone saying it, those who watched his acting instinctively felt it had changed.
It was different from before.
[The bad actor who finally seems to have improved]
This became widely known as shorts comparing Yoo Chaemin’s past and current performances began to appear.
“Whoa, he really improved??”
“Ah, Chaemin!!! What are you doing improving your acting?! I’m still going to hate on you though~~~”
“Don’t care. Still bad acting, no change.”
Since Yoo Chaemin’s acting still couldn’t be called good, this didn’t cause a huge shift in perception.
But the change was real, and it was enough to stir a new breeze.
[Being handsome is really a huge advantage for an actor]
Subject: Yoo Chaemin, correct
My family has been watching lately, so I ended up watching it with them.
I actually have a trauma about Yoo Chaemin’s acting.
I saw a drama he was in for a bit, and he was so bad, haha.
But his acting has really improved a bit.
Now I can see that handsome face…
And seriously, what is it with his eyes when he looks at Yeoreum??
Every time Jihwa gives that melodramatic look, I catch myself feeling fluttery, then get my pride hurt, damn lololol.
Seriously, it’s strange.
His acting seems to have improved a whole lot, and since he’s handsome, it’s good lololol.
Am I the only one feeling this??
“Wow, feels like I wrote this post lol.”
“Honestly, I didn’t understand why Yoo Chaemin kept getting cast because of his looks, but after watching this drama, I get it.”
“Every time Yoon Jihwa looks at Han Yeoreum, I get all fluttery, but it hurts my pride so much, ugh.”
“Did he have a serious relationship during his hiatus? Otherwise, how could his eyes have changed so much?”
└ “Well, his eye acting got especially better, which makes his eyes stand out more, but overall his fundamentals have improved a bit.”
- “I like Jihwa… it’s not Yoo Chaemin I like, it’s Yoon Jihwa ^^”
└ “Lolololol my friend said I’m a coward for saying that.”
└ “I don’t care, I’ll live cowardly.”
└ “223455678 Let’s live cowardly together.”
- “But guys, isn’t the shaky voice and unclear pronunciation kind of Yoon Jihwa? It suits that delicate, immature vibe hehe.”
└ “Yeah, I agree with some caution.”
└ “Right.”
- “Well, Yoon Jihwa is the male lead, but the drama feels more like Han Yeoreum’s story, so that makes sense? It’s a role that can blend in if not too flashy, and Yoon Jihwa’s only strengths are his pure love for Han Yeoreum and being kind, but his eye acting really brings out his charm lol.”
└ “His face.”
└ “Why say he has no strengths? His face.”
└ “Face.”
└ “Looks.”
└ “Agreed agreed agreed agreed agreed…”
└ “Okay everyone, calm down please.”