No Such Thing as "Never" in a Romance Drama
The word "never" does not exist in romance dramas.
Episode 35. No Such Thing as "Never" in a Romance Drama.
"Huuu..."
During the thirty-minute break, Ju Ha-ryeong stood in the smoking area, cigarette in hand. To smokers, a cigarette doesn't carry any particularly deep meaning. Everyone starts for different reasons, at different times, in different ways.
For her, smoking was simply a way to sink into her thoughts. If people were around, she might chat with them, but usually, moments like this were reserved for reflecting on her acting.
"Haaaa..."
A deep sigh flowed out alongside the white smoke. With the hand not holding the cigarette, she pressed firmly around her eyes. She hadn't originally planned to do this drama. The only reason she took it was to fill a romance role in her filmography.
They say geniuses are usually eccentrics. Maybe she was the same.
That thought only made her mind feel more stifled. Should she just throw it away? No matter how she thought about it, that wasn't an option. Even a ten-million-view actor had an image to maintain.
"Unnie, hang in there."
"Ah, yeah. Thanks."
The only one who comforted her like this was her manager. From their very first meeting, they had smoked together. She was one of the few people who respected Ha-ryeong's personal space. It could have felt like a test at first, and some might have taken offense.
But in the end, they were a good match. What was good was good.
Her manager, Kim Ji-ah, spoke up again as they returned inside.
"Are you okay?"
"Ugh... I'll just have to do my best."
"It's fine. No one's around here."
After working as a manager for a while, one naturally developed an eye for spotting places where people wouldn't pass by. This was a small, lesser-known smoking spot that only insiders knew about. Even if no one was listening,
words were always something to be careful with. As the saying went, birds hear daytime words and mice hear nighttime ones. Instead of replying with words, Ju Ha-ryeong answered with her expression.
"Ahaha..."
"Still. I'll just have to do my best."
Would she really flip an entire drama just because her co-star was a little lacking? That didn't suit her personality. The result of living life doing only what she wanted had made her a ten-million-view actress. She intended to keep doing things that way.
Ju Ha-ryeong stubbed out her cigarette neatly in the ashtray and walked back inside first. As she entered, she saw Woo Dan-wol handing out Bacchus drinks to the staff. At first, she had been indifferent. Oh, a male actor. At least he seems to have some manners.
Then it turned to curiosity. He greets people properly. He's got principles. And even now, that curiosity continued.
"Sunbae-nim. I'm a fan."
"Thank you."
"May I ask you one question?"
"Of course."
"Is there a particular reason you chose this project?"
"Hmm... Just? I wanted to try it. It was out of curiosity."
Hearing that, Woo Dan-wol smiled. That's a really pretty smile, Ju Ha-ryeong thought as she nodded.
"As expected. I think we'll get along well."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm really looking forward to syncing up with you."
It was a sentence with a lot left unsaid. Fortunately, Ju Ha-ryeong understood the meaning. When people crazy about acting gathered together, the one who truly went insane was Lee Hye-ri.
"Dan-wol... W-watch your words...!"
"Ah. I meant syncing our acting, of course."
Woo Dan-wol had a habit of occasionally dropping the subject of his sentences, which sometimes led to strange misunderstandings. He wouldn't spread it openly on set, of course. But in the entertainment industry, one had to be careful even of falling leaves.
Especially since this role had an incredibly high synchronization rate with Woo Dan-wol. His acting-obsessed side matched perfectly with Lee Shin-woo's character. In a word, it was fox-like.
And there was also a gaze watching Woo Dan-wol with clear displeasure. It belonged to Jang Seon-woo. That didn't mean he could cause major harm right away. The reason there had been no scandals so far was simple: he only ever targeted those who were completely powerless and unable to fight back.
For now, gauging Woo Dan-wol's level came first. If an opening appeared, he planned to thoroughly destroy him.
"Sunbae-nim~"
"Yes, hoobae-nim."
Jang Seon-woo stuck close to Ju Ha-ryeong's side. Most actresses would start paying attention to him from this point, but Ju Ha-ryeong was no ordinary person. She treated him as if she had no interest in the opposite sex at all. Just like any junior in the industry.
"While I was analyzing the script..."
"Yes."
"I'll take my leave first."
This guy... Jang Seon-woo glanced at Woo Dan-wol. Normally, a rookie male actor's reaction here would fall into one of two categories: completely backing down or starting a power struggle.
Woo Dan-wol was steadfast. No, he simply didn't understand the typical male power struggles from his original world. But from Jang Seon-woo's perspective, his impression was, This won't be easy.
Ju Ha-ryeong's gaze was fixed on Woo Dan-wol. His polite, profound behavior had left the openly flirtatious Jang Seon-woo looking awkward. Of course, to a third party it would have just looked like normal conversation.
However, in the male world of his original life, this would have been described with the professional term: "giving him the finger."
Is he picking a fight...?
Jang Seon-woo glared at him, but Woo Dan-wol had already turned away and walked off into the distance. There were still more Bacchus drinks left to hand out.
Anyway, returning to the moment, Jang Seon-woo pushed his emotions aside and engaged in a dry, emotionless conversation with Ju Ha-ryeong. He pretended to analyze the character, the emotional arc, and so on.
He acted, but without sincerity. That was what acting meant to the actor named Jang Seon-woo.
And people like that were exactly the type Ju Ha-ryeong hated most. As a result, she was under a great deal of stress during their conversation. Of course, she didn't show it on the surface. Perhaps because they both felt the same way, the conversation ended at an appropriate point.
And then. The long, long thirty-minute break came to an end. The script reading began once more.
"Then, let's begin~"
Only then did Ju Ha-ryeong realize why Woo Dan-wol had come to greet her. The next scene was one where they had to sync their performances together.
Director Seong A-reum began reading the stage directions.
"Ha Min-ah and Lee Shin-woo, who happen to meet on the bus. By chance, their seats are right behind each other."
It was a script reading. There was no need to put in full effort, but it was a time to check whether their chemistry worked and if the scenes matched the writer's vision.
As always, Ju Ha-ryeong began her acting with complete sincerity.
"Huh? What the..."
The female lead of the drama, Ha Min-ah, was spacing out in the back seat when she noticed the shrimp cracker bag she was holding slip from her hand. A light, easy breath to start.
Ju Ha-ryeong held her breath and watched to see how he would respond. While Forest of Flowers had been filled with nothing but praise, she wanted to see his acting with her own eyes.
At that moment.
-Whoosh.
A breeze seemed to blow. Or rather, the illusion of one. Lee Shin-woo turned his head backward. Of course, since this was just a drama script reading, he was only lifting his head, but the atmosphere and charm came through perfectly. It was autumn. Definitely autumn.
Yet for Woo Dan-wol, spring was blooming. The first day of school, moving from middle school third year to high school first year. In that moment of pounding heart and full expectation, the time when the opposite sex starts to catch one's eye had arrived. It felt exactly like that.
Lee Shin-woo's eyes and aura carried that exact scent. Could such a feeling be created without a single line, just through delicate expressions and unique atmosphere? Ju Ha-ryeong was taken aback. But as a professional, she didn't break her rhythm.
How many years ago had it been? She had been twenty-eight then, so it was more than ten years ago. With a bit of exaggeration, it was practically a memory from a past life.
Yet right now, it felt as if she had gone back to that time.
"Why are you the only one eating?"
Lee Shin-woo was eating the shrimp crackers. He had torn open the entire bag and was munching away quite diligently. Ha Min-ah must have found it ridiculous. Even if they were classmates, who just opens someone else's snack bag and starts eating?
Feeling a surge of annoyance, she reached out her hand.
"Give me some too."
Lee Shin-woo didn't say a word. Munch, munch. As he ate the shrimp crackers, his hand reached into the bag. He picked out a single piece and handed it to her.
The eyes of everyone on set turned to Woo Dan-wol. Everyone except one person was smiling.
Seong A-reum and Seong Da-un wore satisfied smiles. The fresh, youthful feeling that had been completely absent from the earlier pairing of Jang Seon-woo and Ju Ha-ryeong was present here. If they hadn't been on set, Seong A-reum probably would have cheered, "This is it!"
"Ugh...! Give me more..."
Ha Min-ah grew even more annoyed. One piece? Just one?! Her acting became even more natural. Her eyes grew more serious. And inside her heart, not on her face, a smile bloomed.
How long had it been? The feeling of truly immersing herself in a role and becoming a person from that world. As a ten-million-view actress, Ju Ha-ryeong's threshold was naturally high.
When was the last time her heart had raced while acting? She hadn't lost interest, but she had fallen into mannerism. That was why this moment was so incredibly precious to her.
The rustling sound of shrimp crackers. It couldn't actually be heard, but she was immersed so deeply that it felt like she could. The surrounding noise faded away.
It meant she was concentrating so hard that no background sounds reached her. In the end, Lee Shin-woo grabbed a whole handful of shrimp crackers and handed them to her. It was quite different from his usual grumpy, delinquent-like demeanor.
Perhaps that contrast made it oddly cute. No one burst out laughing, but everyone watched the reading with gentle smiles on their faces.
"S-sorry...!!"
Ha Min-ah, who had been glaring at the back of Lee Shin-woo's head while munching on the crackers. When the bus tilted, the fallen shrimp cracker bag slid sideways. With her apology after realizing the whole situation, the scene came to an end.
"The chemistry's good, right?"
"Yeah, they really suit each other."
Whispers. The beautiful duo spoke so softly that only they could hear. This was a script reading site. And in romance dramas, the story could change at any time.