Chapter 66
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Tearful Scene and Coffee Cheers
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Even after PD Kim Shin-hyo called "cut," I still couldn't pull myself out of the emotions.
Behind that door, Park Ji-eun would be waiting. Shouldn't I chase after her right now and grab her?
No, the one there is Park Min-ha.
Truth be told, it didn't matter to me whether the person up ahead was Park Min-ha or Park Ji-eun.
All that mattered was the gut-wrenching feeling that I'd never see again the one person who'd become so important to me.
It was right then, as the thought crossed my mind that it might be better if time froze forever like this.
Clap, clap, clap!
"I totally forgot it was just acting."
"Me too."
"Me three!"
Familiar voices rang out along with the applause. No, not just familiar—these were voices I heard every single day.
I whipped my head around in surprise, and there they were: the members, squeezed in among the staff. They looked so out of place.
How the hell did they get here?
"Junior?"
"Yes?"
I turned at Park Min-ha's call.
"Wipe your tears here. Your makeup's gonna run at this rate. You were really immersed."
"Ah, thank you."
I took the tissue she held out and quickly dabbed my eyes. I'd thought I'd only teared up a little, but it was already soaked.
"Watching you get so immersed... If you weren't playing Chee-i but the male lead instead, you'd probably fall head over heels for real."
"Haha..."
"Not kidding. That's why so many actors end up dating after filming dramas together."
Come to think of it, while analyzing Lee Jeong-woo, I'd often noticed my own behavior shifting little by little.
If it were a real situation of falling in love, I could've dived in completely. And that was the foundation of method acting, after all.
"Alright, short break, then back to it."
In the meantime, PD Kim Shin-hyo had called for a rest. I headed over to the members first.
"What the...? How'd you guys get here?"
"You really looked dumped, hyung. Not crying anymore?"
Lee Jae-ha grinned, teasing me. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I waved it off.
"It's acting."
But I couldn't escape the ribbing. Mindful of the staff's eyes, Park Tae-hoo and Kim Ha-woon lowered their voices to poke fun.
"Too heartfelt for just acting, though."
"We watched the whole thing from the start. I almost cried thinking you'd actually been dumped, hyung!"
These punks...
Desperate to change the subject, I raised my voice a bit and asked again.
"So why are you here? What's up?"
"What do you think?"
"I asked first."
"We brought the coffee truck!"
Kim Ha-woon cut into my back-and-forth with Jae-ha, shooting his hand up high.
"What?"
I couldn't believe my ears.
Did I hear that right? A coffee truck? Where'd we get the money for that? We haven't even gotten our settlements yet.
"The money?"
My eyes must've gone wide, because Jae-ha dropped the teasing and answered straight.
"Wasn't us."
"Then?"
"Company covered it. We just tagged along to check out your shoot and cheer you on."
"Ah..."
I'd been wondering where the cash came from. Needlessly worried they'd pushed it because of something I'd said.
"But hyung!"
Ha-woon suddenly shouted my name, then dropped his voice.
"Who's that woman you mentioned last time?"
Ah, so that was part of it.
I scanned the set, but by coincidence, she was nowhere in sight.
Of course—today they were batch-shooting the scenes with Park Ji-eun and Lee Jeong-woo at the animal hospital, so no reason for her to be here.
"Her shoot's not today, so she's probably not around."
"Aw, wrong timing."
Kim Ha-woon grumbled, looking disappointed for some reason.
"What kinda nonsense is that? It's a good thing."
But he got an earful from Tae-hoo and backed down. While those two bickered, Jae-ha smiled at me.
"Coffee first?"
"Yeah. Thirsty."
We headed to the coffee truck. Parked in the lot, it had a banner: 'B.O.Y treats! Park Min-ha & Lee Do-jun, fighting!'
What? Not just me—Park Min-ha too. Fair enough; if they were doing it for me, couldn't leave her out.
As we approached the truck, Park Min-ha—who'd been munching a croissant and sipping coffee—spotted the members and gave a slight bow.
"Ah, thanks, everyone. I'll enjoy it."
"We didn't buy it."
"Still."
A soft smile lit her face. In that instant, I flashed back to Park Ji-eun coldly brushing me off and walking away.
My chest tightened.
"Junior, grab something too."
"Yes? Oh, right."
That was close.
I creaked my way to the truck and took a coffee. For some reason, acting natural felt impossible.
It was like I couldn't look straight at Park Min-ha's face for the first time.
The shoot continued without a hitch.
For a while, Do-jun had a hard time even looking at Park Min-ha. It was a side effect of his immersion in the role.
But in a drama shoot, he couldn't hold onto the same emotional thread forever.
Some days called for bickering with her; others, for painstakingly hiding his one-sided crush.
Absorbing those shifting emotions scene by scene gradually wore away the awkwardness.
But what was bothering him most right now was something else entirely.
"Morning, Do-jun! Nice day!"
"Yes. Hello."
"Why so stiff? Coffee together?"
"I'm good."
Ignoring the stares around them, the woman kept up her overly friendly act. Maybe that was the whole point—making a show of it.
'How long is she gonna keep this up?'
Knowing her game made it frustrating, but he couldn't just treat her harshly.
So Do-jun maintained a consistent distance, keeping chats as brief as possible. And Kim Han-soo, the team leader, was always glued to his side.
Do-jun wasn't the only one frustrated by the scene.
Jun-hyung—who'd schemed up this whole mess in agreement with the rep—was just as fed up that things weren't going to plan.
After wasting days with nothing to show, he finally called the woman to his place, away from prying eyes.
The moment she stepped inside, his sharp voice filled the living room.
"Not doing it right? Days gone by and you can't snag a single number?"
"He's a rookie. Seems cautious."
"No! Rookie or not, doesn't matter. Rookies got no interest in girls?"
"Must be different from your rookie days, oppa."
Jun-hyung shot her a menacing glare at her muttering jab. He was so on edge, it felt like one wrong word would set him off.
Sensing disaster, she quickly switched topics.
"Or maybe Lee Do-jun's got a girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?"
"Else it doesn't add up. A girl like me showing interest, and not even a twitch."
Jun-hyung knocked back a swig of whiskey from the table, scowling.
Girlfriend, huh. No word of one, but it wasn't impossible.
Didn't think he'd stonewall this hard. Figured a pretty girl like her could hook him with just a hello.
'This bastard... he and Park Min-ha for real?'
The mere thought boiled his blood. He wanted to believe no, but the maybe gnawed at him.
That's when the woman sidled up, poured herself some whiskey, and murmured with a sly little smile.
"Honestly, him not falling easy just makes him more appealing."
"Then step it up. Quit yapping."
"Nooo! He's always stuck to that manager. How am I supposed to seduce him?"
Lee Jun-hyung looked down at her coldly and snapped.
"Want the role? Earn it. You think I'm volunteering?"
She pouted and chugged her whiskey. She knew better than to poke the bear right now.
After a quiet beat, Jun-hyung plucked a cherry tomato from the plate and muttered low.
"Hang tight a bit."
"You'll help?"
"Yeah. He's a guy—if I piss him off right, he'll crave booze or tail. I'll give him a proper scratch."
Squish.
The tomato burst in his mouth, juice flooding his tongue.
The crisp tang cut cleanly through the booze.
Felt like it promised a wide-open path ahead—his mood lifted.
"Oh, hello. Do-jun too?"
Right on cue, the woman swung by with her greeting, breezing past without a care that Park Min-ha was right there.
"Talk about dedication."
Park Min-ha—who'd already heard the rundown—glanced her way, then whispered low.
"At this rate, it's not whatever junior or the team leader expected. Maybe she really likes you?"
"...If she did, she wouldn't drag it out like this."
"Fair point."
If she'd just come out and said she was a fan, it'd be less weird. This in-between hovering just bred suspicion.
What had been a hunch was now virtual certainty.
"Want me to tell the director not to call her anymore?"
Park Min-ha's offer tempted him for a second, but he shook his head.
He and Kim Han-soo had mulled the same thing.
Problem was, she'd been vouched for by Lee Jun-hyung's manager.
"Staff already know things are rocky between us. Don't want misunderstandings spreading."
If she weren't targeting him, she was solid—clear background, useful extra for the production.
Telling them to cut her based on suspicion alone?
'What kinda backlash would that bring?'
Better to just keep his distance.
"Mm, yeah, could be."
Of course, if he were at Park Min-ha's level, he'd shrug it off and speak up. But he wasn't.
"Plus, team leader's always with me."
"True. That's reassuring."
With that, they wrapped the chat and got back to the routine shoot.
Script in hand, wait for your turn. Get called, shoot. Lather, rinse, repeat.
How many hours passed like that?
As lunch neared, Lee Jun-hyung showed up on set. Eyes puffy and bloodshot red—probably nursed a bottle all night.
Mood looked stormy; better not greet or risk picking a fight. He'd ignore like always anyway. Do-jun tried focusing on his script, pretending not to notice.
But.
'Huh?'
Kim Han-soo tapped his shoulder. Do-jun looked up to see Lee Jun-hyung crooking a finger at him.
What now? Uneasy, but couldn't ignore a senior summoning him. He approached and bowed.
"Hello."
Lee Jun-hyung smirked thinly.
"Do I?"
Do-jun stayed silent. Anything he said would be twisted.
Honestly wanted to say no, but couldn't force the words. Frustrating as hell.
And sure enough—a thick curse smacked his ears.
"Fuck, green-ass junior spots me coming and keeps sitting? Hel-looo?"
Ah, why start raging right off the bat?
Irritation surged, but he swallowed it. Kept his face blank, bowed, and apologized.
"Sorry. Didn't realize you were here."
"Didn't 'realize' what, you little shit? So what I saw was a hallucination?"
"If I caused a misunderstanding, my apologies."
Unlike usual, he didn't care who overheard—staff included.
Of course, Do-jun had a pretty good guess why.
'Woman ploy flopped, so he's pissed?'
Nothing else fit.
"Sponsored actor? Then act the part, punk."
"Yes. I'll keep it in mind."
His calm reply made the guy's eyebrow twitch hard. He spat on the ground and kept going.
"Fuckin' punk, looking like some half-starved stray."
Thanks a ton.
Do-jun stood still, giving no reaction. Lee Jun-hyung brushed past with a sneer.
A whiff of stale booze hit him mid-stride.
Still drunk and on a tirade?
"Came in on sponsorship? Stay quiet like the side dish you are."
Says the guy who lost screentime to that side dish...
He stormed off, and Do-jun returned to his seat. Kim Han-soo patted his shoulder, trying to soothe.
"Do-jun, you handled that well."
"Man, the water here's toxic."
Maybe carry a recorder next time? Catch it all on tape?
As those ridiculous thoughts bubbled up, Kim Han-soo chuckled lightly.
"But we learned one thing."
"Huh? What?"
"Looks like Dangun Enter doesn't care for side dishes much."
His rare joke drew an involuntary snort from Do-jun.
"Guess not. No kimchi either?"
"Oh dear. Better send some kimchi next time."
Hm...
Not all rare jokes land funny.