It's Fine If It's You (2)
The group project went surprisingly smoothly. We decided that Gang-hu would handle filming since he was our resident gearhead with a decent used mirrorless camera, Ga-ram would direct with her natural leader vibe, and Ha-min would take care of editing and sound.
“I was gonna do the editing though…”
“Doesn’t seem like there’s any point in complaining now…? They’ve already mentally cast us as the actors…”
When I muttered my complaint under my breath, Chae-ryeong leaned in and whispered beside me. I’d been planning to coast through the project using the editing skills I’d picked up from running our YouTube channel. Instead, I was stuck with the most annoying role—actor. This had suddenly gotten a lot more bothersome.
“Hey, you two. Quit with the lovers’ whispers and come over here with some scenario ideas and shooting concepts.”
Ga-ram had been watching us whisper and now spoke up with a teasing chuckle. At her mischievous joke, Chae-ryeong’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shot back.
“It’s not like that… what lovers’ whispers…”
“When two people who are dating huddle together and whisper, that’s exactly what you call lovers’ whispers. Right?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Hehe.”
The Ga-ram and Ha-min combo was at it again, cornering Yoo Chae-ryeong. Anyway, once we finished assigning the remaining roles, we rejoined the group and started throwing out real ideas for the film.
What kind of story should we do? As we tossed around ideas, Chae-ryeong suddenly clapped her hands together like something had clicked.
“Ah, how could I forget about that? Guys, there’s this short romance film I watched that was really good. Want to watch it together?”
She quickly typed a title into YouTube and found the movie in seconds. It had a bittersweet title: Last Goodbye.
We turned the volume down low and started our impromptu screening. To summarize the story: A couple who had dated for a long time breaks up, and they go on one last date at all their old memory-filled spots to sort out their feelings. It was sweet but carried a strong undercurrent of melancholy. Even though it was under ten minutes long, the film was surprisingly well-made. I and the rest of the group got pretty absorbed watching it.
When the end credits rolled, Chae-ryeong cautiously asked the team.
“So? What did you guys think? I really enjoyed it.”
“…Whoa. The quality is actually really good. The story just… it tugs at your heartstrings, you know?”
Ha-min’s reaction was followed by Yoon Gang-hu, whose eyes had turned slightly red.
“Honestly, if we weren’t in a classroom I probably would’ve cried?”
Ga-ram and I didn’t say much, but we both nodded in agreement that it was good. Since creative inspiration often comes from works you’ve enjoyed, Chae-ryeong bringing in a film she genuinely liked carried real weight. When everyone else reacted positively, she seemed to gain confidence and carefully shared her thoughts.
“……If you guys are okay with it, how about we build our scenario around this kind of vibe? Using it as a reference, I mean.”
We’d only settled on the genre so far, and everything else had been floating vaguely in the air. Having a concrete reference like this made the whole group feel convinced. It seemed like all five of us genuinely liked the film she’d brought. Starting with Ga-ram, approval came quickly and easily.
“Let’s do it.”
“I like it too. Chae-ryeong, where did you find such a good short film? You watch these kinds of things often?”
“I’m good with this too. Let’s go with it.”
Finally, her gaze turned to me. I naturally nodded at her.
……Romance was something she understood way better than I did. Just from watching our vlogs, she clearly knew what touched people’s hearts. Besides, I had zero intention of rejecting any of Yoo Chae-ryeong’s opinions anyway. I was always on her side.
“Then let’s start by defining the male and female characters and outline their past story of how they became lovers. After that, we can build the actual filming scenes.”
“Okay. Sounds good. Chae-ryeong’s really fired up, huh? This is refreshing.”
With Yoo Chae-ryeong as the main scenario writer, the script work progressed rapidly. True to her romance addiction, she created a convincing setup and a solid first draft in no time. Before we knew it, the meeting was heading into its final stretch.
“And here. This is going to be the highlight of our scenario. Probably.”
“Yeah, makes sense. It’s the final scene.”
“I think it’d be great if, like in that movie, the male and female leads kiss while crying as they break up. What do you guys think?”
Chae-ryeong referenced the final scene from the film and asked the group. Ha-min clutched her chest dramatically.
“Yes! That scene was so good, right? The actress’s eyes were incredible. Ugh, it hurt my heart.”
The overall mood was everyone just agreeing with whatever Chae-ryeong suggested, so I thought it would pass without issue. But then Ga-ram, who had been listening quietly, asked her directly.
“I thought that scene was good too, but are you sure it’s okay? That kind of scene really depends on the actors… Are you two fine with a kiss scene?”
At Ga-ram’s question, Chae-ryeong froze for a second. Her mouth opened slightly in an “Ah—” as if she’d been so absorbed in writing the scenario that she’d forgotten she was one of the actors.
……A kiss scene. No matter how you looked at it, that was a bit much, wasn’t it? We weren’t actually dating. In our vlogs we acted like lovers, but it had always been based on light skinship and conversation. A kiss scene would change everything.
When Ga-ram asked out of consideration, I shot Chae-ryeong a worried look. But then Ha-min, completely oblivious, chimed in.
“Ga-ram, why are you even worried about that? These two are a couple. A couple! You think they haven’t kissed before? It’s just a light kiss where your lips touch anyway.”
“Uh… well…”
“See? Chae-ryeong’s telling you not to worry. Look at that confident face. A kiss scene is nothing to her, right?”
Ha-min’s face was full of excitement and confidence as she looked at Chae-ryeong. Why are you more excited than us? We’re the ones who have to film it.
Chae-ryeong, who had been rolling her eyes while trying to figure out what to do, glanced at me for a second. Then she smiled and nodded.
“Ahaha… yeah… right. That’s true. A kiss scene is nothing! Since we’re dating. It’s easy! Super easy!”
…What? Wait a second. She was really going to do the kiss scene?
Watching her declare it so confidently, I felt my mind go blank and couldn’t say a word.
“……Sorry. I decided everything on my own.”
Class had ended, and we’d stopped by the café on the first floor of the lecture building. We picked a corner seat so no one would overhear us. Even though we’d finished mapping out the rough three-week filming schedule in just one day, Chae-ryeong’s face looked uncomfortable. She was probably feeling guilty about deciding on the kiss scene by herself.
“It’s fine. You must have had your reasons.”
“…I thought it was a scene the movie absolutely needed… Without it, it would feel really flat… And honestly, when Ha-min said all that, I didn’t want to say no and make things awkward for her…”
It was probably a mix of her considerate personality, her desire to match the mood, and her ambition as a producer for the necessary scene. Honestly, I was more worried about how she felt than about the kiss scene itself. We pretended to be lovers at school, but we weren’t actually dating. Kissing a guy she didn’t even like could definitely feel uncomfortable as a girl. That was exactly what I’d been worried about earlier.
“…..More importantly, are you okay with it?”
“With what?”
Chae-ryeong tilted her head and asked.
“Well… you know… kissing me. Even if it’s just acting…”
My face felt like it was burning, so I lowered my head toward the table and mumbled. Just saying the word “kiss” out loud made me feel incredibly embarrassed. If just the word did this to me, how would it actually feel to film the scene? I suddenly gained a new respect for actors.
“……It should be fine, right? If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to film our couple vlog with you in the first place.”
“But that’s a little different, isn’t it?”
“Is it?”
“In the couple vlog, we barely do any skinship. At most it’s holding hands, linking arms, or hugging. And most of the time we’re just talking. That makes sense to me, but this feels different, doesn’t it?”
It was a kiss, after all. Not anything else—a kiss. I didn’t know if it was because I’d never dated anyone and was putting too much meaning on it, but it was basically the starting point of a romantic relationship. The act of touching mucous membranes itself would feel unpleasant with a stranger. Chae-ryeong seemed to fall deep into thought at my words. It looked like she was imagining something. Then she parted her rosy lips.
“……You’re right. If it were another guy, I probably couldn’t do it. Hearing you say that made me realize. But if it’s you… I don’t think I’d feel that uncomfortable?”
Those meaningful words made my heart pump for no reason. Did she know? Every time she said things like that, I kept getting my hopes up. That I’d get excited by her words and spend the whole day replaying them. That maybe she felt the same way I did. That I’d torture myself with false hope, then tell myself it was just her talking without thinking like always and give up. She probably had no idea.
Maybe that’s why I ended up asking her a question I normally never would have.
“Why wouldn’t it be uncomfortable with me?”
I asked if there was another meaning behind her words. At my “why,” Chae-ryeong froze for a moment. Her blinking eyes looked a little flustered. But soon after, she answered like she genuinely didn’t know.
“……Why? Hmm. Isn’t it just because it’s us?”
As if she had never given it much thought. Her vague answer hung in the air, and the mood grew awkward. Chae-ryeong must have wanted to change the subject because she took a long sip of her drink through the straw before asking me.
“Then what about you? Are you okay with doing a kiss scene with me?”
I hadn’t expected the question to come back to me, so I was caught off guard for a second. Worried that hesitating would make things weird, I quickly pulled myself together and answered.
“It’s okay if it’s you.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
……Because I like you.
But when she threw my own question back at me, I couldn’t say those words. Instead, I hid my true feelings behind the usual mask once again.
“Well, isn’t it the same for you? We’ve been friends for a long time, so that must be it.”