I Want to Stay for Just One More Minute (6)
Black shorts and a black T-shirt. The seemingly casual all-black outfit existed purely for function. The fabric clung to the body, ready to wick away sweat at any moment.
"Try it again."
......
Without a word, Ha Min-ah launched into action. Lee Shin-woo watched with a detached gaze, then tilted his head. Why did she look so cute? This was the same girl rumored to be prickly and ill-tempered.
"You suck at this."
"Hey!"
Was that really what he was going to say after thinking it over? You suck at this?
Ha Min-ah shouted in irritation. Was the price of his sharp tongue an assault on the eardrums? Ugh. Lee Shin-woo covered both ears and continued.
"Look at you. Every time you focus, your chin lifts. That's how you eat a hook. Didn't that happen in your last match?"
"...!"
Ha Min-ah's eyes widened. No wonder—she hadn't expected that line. In the original script, her character was supposed to get provoked, lash out in anger, and turn the scene into a sparring match. It was an ad-lib, but Ju Ha-ryeong wasn't the type to call for an NG.
"You... lifted your chin again?"
"Yeah. You seem aware of it, at least. Too many stray thoughts? I get like that sometimes too."
Lee Shin-woo answered indifferently, but Ha Min-ah's gaze on him was piercing. The habit she thought she'd fixed had slipped out again. She didn't wonder why. Just as he'd said, maybe she really did have too many thoughts running through her head.
She released her emotions through boxing. It was fine as a hobby, but becoming a pro meant she had to be careful about it.
The ad-lib ended there. The next line flowed out naturally.
"Put on the gloves."
"Why?"
"Help me out for a bit."
"...Okay."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Nothing..."
Ha Min-ah looked flustered. Was it really okay to agree so readily? With a slightly dazed expression and a ticklish feeling in her chest, she stared at Lee Shin-woo. Just like that.
"Cut!"
The scene wrapped up. A satisfying ad-lib. Director Seong A-reum's face brightened.
"Okay!"
It was the Jang Seon-woo effect. She didn't say it out loud, but the thought stayed in Director Seong A-reum's mind. When she filmed Jang Seon-woo and then turned the camera on Woo Dan-wol, a thrill ran through her. The reverse was also true.
When she filmed Woo Dan-wol and then turned to Jang Seon-woo, the pain was nothing short of torture.
Anyway. It was proof of just how outstanding Woo Dan-wol's acting was. The more she thought about it, the better she felt, and the corners of her mouth naturally lifted.
She could practically hear the ratings climbing all the way from here.
"Dan-wol, are you sure you don't need a stunt double?"
"Yes. I worked hard on it, Director."
"...Good."
"Could we go straight into the next take without a break?"
"Ha-ryeong?"
"I'd appreciate it."
Ju Ha-ryeong made the request. The vibe had come. Sometimes while filming—especially when she became deeply immersed in her role—a moment would arrive when she felt this is it. This was one of those moments.
"Dan-wol, if we do it like this here..."
"Ah, I understand."
And so, to keep from losing her current state, Ju Ha-ryeong explained the additional sparring sequence to Woo Dan-wol. The martial arts director should have done it, but the basic choreography had already been shared. In other words, they were discussing extra movements on the spot. Woo Dan-wol nodded. She still felt a bit skeptical, but she decided to trust him.
"You really understood all that?"
"Yes. Shall I put on the gloves?"
He was like a true professional. That was Ju Ha-ryeong's thought about Woo Dan-wol. He never took the physical training required for a role lightly.
The sight of Woo Dan-wol wrapping his hands and pulling on the gloves was filled with seriousness. Deep in Ju Ha-ryeong's heart, an inexplicable sense of excitement welled up. How long had it been? How long since she'd felt this electrifying, vividly alive sensation while acting?
He was nothing like a rookie. At some point, Ju Ha-ryeong had begun treating him as a seasoned actor.
With the gloves on, filming preparations were complete.
Her heartbeat gradually quickened. Ju Ha-ryeong's heart was no longer simply doing its job. It was crying out that it wanted to step into the world with Woo Dan-wol.
Director Seong A-reum's signal came. Ju Ha-ryeong met eyes with Woo Dan-wol, who was now wearing gloves. After the cue, the exhilaration she felt inside her chest began to grow, rising to the surface.
"You're really going to do this?"
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a man."
"Of course not."
Their expressions turned serious. The atmosphere sharpened in an instant. The two people who were truly sincere about boxing began to clash. Though it was called sparring, it was closer to a real fight.
In this world, women were fundamentally stronger than men. The gap widened even further after secondary sexual characteristics developed.
But this was a filming set. It wasn't real sparring—it was a place where actors matched their movements and captured something that looked like a real fight on camera.
Both of them knew that. Ju Ha-ryeong held back as much as possible. At the same time, Woo Dan-wol didn't put enough power into his strikes to actually hurt her.
They were both pulling their punches. Of course there would be differences in speed due to their physical conditions, but within the boundaries of acting, the gap between man and woman wasn't that significant.
-Whoosh!
Director Seong A-reum's eyes widened. From a civilian's perspective, the attack looked far too sincere. She was about to say something to Ju Ha-ryeong when Woo Dan-wol, dodging the fast and threatening right hook, was captured on camera.
She had seen countless performances, but this was the first time acting had become indistinguishable from reality. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they were filming an actual sparring match. The line between the two had blurred completely in this scene.
Eventually, a rough sound escaped Director Seong A-reum's mouth.
-Thud!
It was a brutal impact sound. Woo Dan-wol had been hit by the fist Ju Ha-ryeong swung. To be precise, he had blocked it with his guard, but to Director Seong A-reum, who knew nothing about boxing, it looked like a major accident.
If Woo Dan-wol's face had been struck—if his nose bone broke or his face was injured—it would cause a huge controversy. The drama itself could be ruined!
This was only episode seven. They were only on episode seven!
Thanks to the actors' excellent performances, they had been shooting at a rapid pace. But if an actor got hurt and couldn't continue, everything would go down the drain.
Countless headlines flashed through Director Seong A-reum's mind. Woo Dan-wol injured... Director Seong A-reum... controversy...
In the end, having seen that dark future, Director Seong A-reum screamed.
"Dan-woooool!!!"
She forgot to call cut. From the moment she heard the impact, her mind had run through a quick calculation, and she sprinted forward.
-Crash!
She fell, but there was no room to feel the pain in her knees. Director Seong A-reum climbed into the ring in a panic. Between her ragged breaths, she felt the actors' gazes on her.
"Dan-wol, Dan-wol. Are you okay?"
"...Director?"
"Ah...?"
Lee Hye-ri arrived a beat late. She tripped in the exact same spot where Director Seong A-reum had fallen. Yet her gaze remained fixed on Woo Dan-wol.
Of course, she hadn't jumped in because she saw Woo Dan-wol's condition. She had run after seeing Director Seong A-reum sprinting desperately during the sparring shoot.
It wasn't a long distance, but both Lee Hye-ri and Seong A-reum were panting heavily. Their breathing wasn't rough simply from the intense movement. It meant they were both emotionally heightened.
On the other hand, the actors whose immersion had been broken looked puzzled. They had been acting so well—what was going on?
"Is something wrong...?"
"Dan-wol, your face. Your face...!!"
"Are you hurt?!!"
"No...?"
Woo Dan-wol spread both hands to show his condition. Director Seong A-reum, who had been checking his face, became flustered. No wonder.
"He's... fine?"
"I blocked it with my guard."
Even though he had pulled his power, he shook his slightly numb arm. Ju Ha-ryeong wore a faintly apologetic expression. Woo Dan-wol answered her.
"Senior Ju Ha-ryeong, I think you could go a little harder?"
"Ah, no way."
"No way!"
"...?"
Woo Dan-wol couldn't understand. A better scene meant a better drama. No one was forcing them; the actors themselves were saying they wanted to do it. Yet when asked, Ju Ha-ryeong closed her mouth, and both the director and the agency CEO waved their hands, saying no.
"It's fine. I won't die."
"...I'll take it easier."
At the words I won't die, Director Seong A-reum looked even more horrified. Knowing his style, Lee Hye-ri gave up first and stepped out of the ring.
"Team... I mean, CEO?"
"Director, please come down too. No one can stop him..."
Her expression was one of complete resignation. It was only possible because Lee Hye-ri had already grown used to Woo Dan-wol.
"That's right. We'll match our timing well, so please trust us."
"It's not that I don't trust you, but..."
"The medical team is on standby. What could go wrong?"
"No, no, that's not what I..."
Was this a hidden camera prank? Director Seong A-reum felt like the whole world was playing a joke on her. Logically, there was nothing wrong with what he said. There was nothing wrong, but... even so!
Not everything in the world had to be perfectly safe, did it? To someone who knew nothing about combat sports, the scene looked incredibly dangerous.
Of course the viewers would enjoy it, but to Director Seong A-reum, who carried the responsibility, it felt different. Shouldn't the actors be the ones showing more restraint...?
Dragged out of the ring like a reluctant child, Director Seong A-reum's face still held a look of confusion as she returned to her spot.
"You're not giving the signal?"
"...Fine."
Whatever. At worst, the drama would flop and she'd be blacklisted from the industry. What else could happen?! She didn't know why, but Director Seong A-reum felt like tears were pooling in her eyes.