Spring's Lover
After hearing the director's introduction, Yeon-woo glanced sideways as Su-yeon greeted him.
A demure, pretty actress whose fair skin and delicate features sat in perfect harmony.
It was a face that lived unmistakably in Yeon-woo's memory.
"We've met before, haven't we? I'm Ryu Yeon-woo. Looking forward to working with you today."
Su-yeon looked puzzled at his words.
"Have we met?"
"Hmm. At the closed audition for Summer's Closet. You went in right before me."
"Ah, I was so nervous then that I barely remember who was there. I'm sorry. I've seen you a lot on TV, though."
Back then Jeong Su-yeon had been so desperate for the audition that she had no room left to notice anyone else.
But since Ryu Yeon-woo had landed the lead role in that drama, of course he would have been there.
Su-yeon bowed politely to him.
Jeong Su-yeon, who had been making a name for herself among younger audiences through web dramas, had walked out of that audition looking grim. An Jun-ho had first spoken to Ryu Yeon-woo that day, muttering that she seemed "pretty intense."
Yeon-woo smiled gently and chatted with his co-star, saying they should do well today and offering a few light words of encouragement.
Being naturally introverted, Su-yeon only flushed faintly and gave a small nod.
"All right, first scene. It's the heroine's narration sequence, so we're just grabbing a quiet close-up of the expression. High cue."
It was the moment when Woo-hyuk blocks a soccer ball flying toward Ye-ri—the heroine washing flowerpots at the outdoor faucet—and the two look at each other for the first time.
Director Kim Han-su planned to shoot the ball-blocking later and wanted the close-ups first.
Yeon-woo kept his face almost expressionless, yet the faintest tremor in his pupils captured the raw, awkward freshness of a teenage boy seeing Ye-ri for the first time.
Watching that face on the field monitor, Director Kim Han-su silently cheered that his instincts had been right.
An expressionless face that somehow made the viewer feel a flutter of excitement for no reason at all.
Su-yeon's slightly startled expression as Ye-ri, looking at him, was perfectly judged as well.
"Okay, cut!"
A clean OK on Yeon-woo's very first take eased the tension among the staff.
Director Kim Han-su had been in a low mood all morning thanks to the hard-to-control student extras, but after that take his grin stretched ear to ear and lifted the entire atmosphere on set.
"Next scene right away. Props, please."
"Actor, I'll throw it from here like this—block it with your right hand."
"Yes."
After a quick rehearsal under the crew's direction, the OK came and the soccer ball floated slowly toward them.
Thud—
Ji Woo-hyuk batting the ball away; Ha Ye-ri looking back in surprise while washing the pot.
Both actors played the scripted situation cleanly.
The scene is fine, but…
Even after two more takes and another look at the field monitor, Director Kim Han-su tilted his head.
The performances were solid, yet the flying ball simply did not look threatening enough on screen.
And he could not just speed that section up in post.
"If the actors are all right with it, I'd like the ball thrown a bit faster. Yeon-woo, will your arm be okay?"
"Yes, Director. No problem at all."
Seeing Yeon-woo and Jeong Su-yeon both nod, Director Kim Han-su turned to the crew.
"Okay. Then throw it faster—not a high arc, more of a straight line. Let's go again."
"Yes. Throwing."
On the signal a burly lighting technician put everything he had into the throw.
Whoosh.
Thunk—
The extra force ruined the accuracy. Instead of flying between Jeong Su-yeon and Yeon-woo, the ball clipped the corner of the concrete faucet and ricocheted straight toward Su-yeon's face.
The thrower froze in shock.
Yeon-woo, already watching with coiled tension, reacted on pure reflex. His hand shot out and slapped the rebounding ball aside.
Bang—
"Kyaa!"
Su-yeon truly startled at the ball suddenly streaking toward her face. She screamed, stumbled backward, and nearly toppled over.
A hit from the ball would have hurt, but it would not have been catastrophic. Falling backward onto the brick-and-cement faucet area, however, could have turned into a serious accident.
Yeon-woo's arm was already around her waist, catching her before she could fall.
For a heartbeat the entire set froze.
Then the director shot to his feet, hand raised, silencing the crew's agitation so the cameras could keep rolling.
Yeon-woo read the atmosphere in an instant and stayed inside Ji Woo-hyuk.
"You okay?"
He ad-libbed the line, carrying the exact intonation and presence of Kang Ju-won, the actor cast as the adult version of the character.
He pulled the still-dazed Su-yeon upright against the faucet, released her, and leaned in close.
"Did she get too shocked? Why no words? Are you okay?"
It was as if young Kang Ju-won himself had stepped onto the set and asked the question.
Only then did Su-yeon realize the cameras were still rolling. She slipped back into Ha Ye-ri and found her voice.
"I-I'm okay."
Director Kim Han-su finally lowered his hand and called out.
"Okay! Cut! Perfect! Nice!"
A roar of applause rose from the crew as they watched the two actors turn a near-disaster into seamless ad-lib.
"All right—let's look at that take on the field monitor."
Yeon-woo and Su-yeon stepped over.
The raw, unedited footage played on the screen.
The ball streaking in, clipping the faucet corner, rocketing toward Ha Ye-ri; Ji Woo-hyuk, half out of frame, snapping into motion and batting it away by a hair's breadth.
Then Ye-ri's real, unacted scream as she toppled backward—and Woo-hyuk snatching her as cleanly as if the whole thing had been storyboarded.
Yeon-woo's mouth opened, fully possessed by the adult Kang Ju-won.
"You okay?"
"Did she get too shocked? Why no words? Are you okay?"
A shiver ran down Director Kim Han-su's spine.
It was Ryu Yeon-woo acting, yet a distinct Kang Ju-won lived inside the performance—something far deeper than mere physical resemblance.
"Yeon-woo, how did you do that? It's like you climbed inside my head and came out as pure Ji Woo-hyuk."
"Ah—I heard Senior Kang Ju-won was locked in for the adult role, so I wanted to maximize audience immersion as much as possible…"
Director Kim Han-su clapped once, understanding everything from that short explanation. An experienced director needed no more.
He felt genuine gratitude toward a young actor who had prepared this thoroughly for what was only a cameo.
"Junior Cheol-min never stops singing your praises at drinking parties. Looks like he was right—you've got the makings of a great actor."
"Director, that's far too kind. Thank you."
The director's lavish praise left Yeon-woo with nowhere to put himself.
He had simply prepared for the role he had been given.
They moved straight into the remaining scenes scheduled for the day.
Yeon-woo standing beside Jeong Su-yeon at the school festival, watching the stage.
Turning at the cue among the cheering students at the sports meet.
Even the clear, refreshing smile that lit his pale skin and striking features.
The school sequences that followed felt like flipping through a living photo book; the assistant director let out an involuntary sigh of admiration.
"Ha… so good. The visuals really are something else."
Director Kim Han-su nodded quietly at the monitor, clearly sharing the thought.
"Okay. Cut!"
They were short, transitional shots that would be trimmed in the edit, yet those were exactly the moments that had to capture the director's intended image with precision—hence the many retakes and the long hours.
Before anyone noticed, the final scene of the day was in the can and the OK fell.
Waaah!
Clap clap clap!
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Everyone worked hard today."
Extras and crew exchanged greetings as the shoot wrapped.
Only then did the hesitant student extras approach Yeon-woo.
"Um… could we maybe take a photo?"
"I'm a fan of hyung."
Plenty of them—boys and girls alike—were aspiring actors, and their eyes shone with open admiration for the young star who had rocketed to fame that year.
"Of course. Let's take some together."
They lined up one after another, beaming beside him.
The male students, however, burst out laughing the moment they checked their phones.
"Wow, I can't post this. Standing next to that hyung I look like a squid."
"What are you talking about? I'm worse. Look at this."
"Heh. Yeah. Still better than you, though."
Most of them had come from the same academy or had known one another since child-actor days.
Yeon-woo had never really befriended actors his own age, so the easy camaraderie on set felt strangely novel.
Well, if they were actually my peers, they'd have to be around Teacher Jeong Cheol-min's age.
He laughed inwardly at the ridiculous thought.
"Director, thank you for your hard work today."
"Aigoo, no—thank you. The quality of our film just jumped thanks to you. Release will probably be after the CSAT, so when we do the stage greetings, let's go up together for sure."
"Yes, Director. Call me and I'll be there."
"Just hearing that is enough. Haha."
A young actor who had risen so fast could easily have grown arrogant, yet Yeon-woo still bowed with the same polite sincerity as on day one. Director Kim Han-su watched him with a warm, satisfied smile.
After greeting the director and the rest of the crew, Yeon-woo turned toward the parking lot where Min-su was waiting.
"Excuse me!"
At the call he looked back. Jeong Su-yeon came trotting over with quick little steps.
"Ah—Su-yeon."
Her ears were bright red as she carefully held out her phone with both hands.
"Um… if it's not too much trouble, could we exchange numbers? I don't really have any friends my age in the industry, and…"
Her voice dwindled to an ant's whisper by the end. Yeon-woo smiled and took the phone.
"Sure. I don't have a single friend my age doing the same work either."
He typed his number, pressed call so his own phone rang, then handed hers back.
"Next scene! Actress Jeong Su-yeon!"
"Yes!"
She answered the distant crew call, bowed once more to Yeon-woo, and hurried off again with the same quick steps.
Ziiing—
The van window rolled down and Min-su's teasing voice floated out.
"Yo, our actor. Did you just score a number? From someone that pretty?"
Yeon-woo looked at him and grinned.
"Seems like it."