Chapter 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3
“What are you doing? If you’re here to work, don’t just stand there. Get started. Come closer.”
Yeon-ju stared at Eun-seong, who spoke so casually about being measured, before she finally forced her feet to move.
It was a purely mechanical reaction, driven by the instinct to follow a command. She opened her drawstring bag, pulled out a tape measure, and set her notepad on the table.
She was so grateful for his indifferent attitude that she felt like she could cry.
Unwinding the tape, Yeon-ju reached around his torso. She quickly wrapped it around him, bringing her hands together at his chest to read the numbers. It was impossible to avoid physical contact, and her skin brushed against his more than once.
Just as she finished measuring his chest, the door flew open and Hae-young rushed in.
“Oh, Eun-seong! I’m so sorry. I had an issue with a vendor I had to sort out.”
“It’s fine. Anyone can take measurements.”
Anyone.
The word echoed in Yeon-ju’s mind as she silently continued her work.
Standing beside them, Hae-young showered Eun-seong with compliments to keep his spirits up. Flattering an actor was a necessary part of the job, but with him, she hardly had to lie. Most of it was simply the truth.
“Our job is normally to cover up a model’s flaws, but you don’t have any, Eun-seong. It makes it hard for us to show off our skills,” Hae-young said in a warm, friendly tone.
“You look even more toned than before. Your shoulders seem broader, too. Right? You must have been working so hard.”
She tried to draw him into conversation, but he remained silent. Having worked with Eun-seong several times before, Hae-young quickly sensed his foul mood and took the tape measure from Yeon-ju.
Yeon-ju took a few steps back. As she jotted down the numbers Hae-young called out, she did her best to keep her eyes off him.
Once they were finished, Hae-young gently nudged Yeon-ju forward to face Eun-seong.
“Eun-seong, this is Go Yeon-ju, our team’s newest member. She just started today. Yeon-ju, you’ve introduced yourself to our actor, Im Eun-seong, right?”
Yeon-ju nodded as Hae-young smiled warmly. Eun-seong, completely ignoring the introduction, simply slipped his shirt back on.
“Are we done?”
“Yes, all done. Thank you for your time, Eun-seong. We’ll make sure the costume looks impressive.”
Buttoning his jacket, Eun-seong fixed his gaze on Hae-young.
“Director Jin. ‘Passable’ is just an excuse. Either do it right, or don’t do it at all. Let’s not cut corners. We’re both professionals.”
“Of course. We’ll make sure it’s perfect. Get some rest, Eun-seong.”
Hae-young maintained a bright, beaming smile until Eun-seong had left, but the moment the door clicked shut, she slammed the tape measure onto the table.
“Why is he so damn sensitive today? Nagging us for being a few minutes late. These actors think nothing of keeping us waiting for hours!”
Yeon-ju picked up the discarded tape measure. She knew his irritation had nothing to do with Hae-young’s tardiness, but she couldn’t say a word.
Watching Yeon-ju silently pack up, Hae-young felt a pang of guilt for taking her anger out on the newcomer.
“Im Eun-seong isn’t usually like that, you know,” she added quickly. “He’s probably suffering from carb withdrawal because of his diet. See? This is why people need carbs. It just proves my theory: a good personality is built on carbohydrates.”
“I suppose so.”
“But listen, Yeon-ju, the film set is full of people like him. Brace yourself. If you throw that ten million won back in my face and tell me you’re quitting, I’ll literally cry.”
Hae-young arched an eyebrow playfully, and Yeon-ju offered a faint smile. Everything still felt unreal, like a dream she desperately wanted to wake from. All she wanted was to go home.
* * *
Stepping into his private practice room, Eun-seong slammed the door shut. Only then did he let out a ragged breath, his jaw clenched tight.
“How dare she show up here…”
When Go Yeon-ju had suddenly appeared before him, he’d felt as if the ground had split open beneath his feet.
He had managed to mask his shock relatively quickly, relying on pure acting instinct, but the fact that he had frozen for those few agonizing seconds filled him with shame. If he weren’t an actor, keeping his composure would have been impossible.
He couldn’t even begin to process his feelings. No one could have warned him, so he’d been caught completely off guard. But she… Yeon-ju must have known exactly what she was doing when she came here. That realization made his blood boil.
A hollow, dumbfounded laugh escaped him, followed by a sharp, angry exhale at her audacity. Anyone else in the world, fine. But you, of all people, should have avoided me. How could you just walk right back into my life?
A toxic mix of rage and betrayal churned inside him, and he couldn’t tell which was stronger. Letting out a heavy sigh, Eun-seong collapsed onto the sofa.
He needed to calm down.
For the past ten years, he had fought tooth and nail to maintain his composure in this notoriously volatile industry. He had traveled the world and seen it all. After becoming an overnight sensation, the scandals and rumors that swirled around him were too numerous to count.
He hadn’t been this bewildered when rumors spread that he was gay. He hadn’t been this shaken when accused of being a drug addict, the illegitimate son of a conglomerate chairman, or a playboy with lovers in every country.
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Eun-seong finally lowered his gaze to the table, where the script for his upcoming movie, Black Flame, lay waiting. He closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.
“Hyung, you have action practice at four. We should probably get going.”
Dong-hwan, his manager, had returned with coffee and was urging him to move. Eun-seong forced his heavy eyelids open and pushed himself to his feet.
“Hyung, here’s your coffee.”
“I’m good. You can have it.”
“Huh? Really? Thanks, Hyung!”
Delighted by the unexpected treat, Dong-hwan popped a straw into the cup.
Eun-seong walked out of his private office, swept away by his packed schedule before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer.
* * *
Once Lovers
Ten years ago, Eun-seong was a senior in the Department of Theater and Film, and Yeon-ju was a sophomore in the Department of Fashion Design. He was twenty-five, freshly discharged from the military; she was twenty-three, recently returned from a leave of absence. They were at the very height of their youth.
After hitting it off at a joint blind date between their departments, they fell for each other, hard and fast.
They wondered if their love burned so fiercely just because it was their first, but even that didn’t seem to explain the sheer depth of their connection.
It felt impossible that everyone experienced love this way. They believed they were special, that they alone shared this profound bond. From the moment they met, they were consumed by an overwhelming certainty of fate—an uncontrollable, blinding love.
It was one in the morning, under a gentle drizzle, when the light flickered on in her small studio apartment. Her classmates had just thrown her a birthday party.
Having changed out of her damp dress, Yeon-ju stepped out of the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. Her light makeup was gone, and her bare face possessed a pure, delicate beauty, like a fragrant white lily.
When Eun-seong emerged from his own shower, she turned to look at him. Warm steam drifted from the open bathroom door, filling the small room with the sweet scent of her body wash.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Yeon-ju shook her head, then let out a soft chuckle. “The guys made my birthday drinks so strong my head is still spinning. I’m definitely getting them back for that.”
“Yeah, let’s. They’re dead meat.”
The sound of rain pattering against the wooden window frame was romantic. The steady, rhythmic beat made the alcohol-warmed room feel even cozier.
With the pitter-patter of the rain as their soundtrack, they gazed at each other. Eun-seong walked over and knelt before her, meeting her eyes.
“Happy birthday.”
“Again? It’s already past midnight.”
“The night is still young.”
It was his first time celebrating his girlfriend Go Yeon-ju’s birthday.
Wanting to make it unforgettable, Eun-seong opened his bag and pulled out a small gift. He offered an embarrassed smile, having missed the right moment to give it to her earlier.
“I wanted to give you this sooner, but I couldn’t find the right time.”
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
Yeon-ju admired the neat wrapping before carefully tearing it open. Inside the slender box lay a delicate necklace with a small heart pendant.
Her eyes widened. The rose gold chain, which complemented her skin tone beautifully, had a simple, elegant design perfect for every day.
“A necklace?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s so beautiful…”
Seeing the genuine happiness radiating from her bright smile, Eun-seong finally let out a breath of relief. As she lifted the chain to examine the pendant, he reached out.
“Let me put it on for you.”
Yeon-ju handed him the necklace and gathered her damp hair with one hand. A subtle, pleasant floral scent wafted from her half-dry locks.
The cool touch of the metal on the warm skin of her neck felt strangely intimate, making her swallow.
As he focused on the clasp, all her senses zeroed in on the space behind her. His warm breath ghosted across her damp neck, sending a shiver down her spine and making her alcohol-flushed heart pound.
Turning to the mirror, Yeon-ju smiled. The tiny pendant rested in the hollow between her collarbones. Despite its size, it had a striking presence that drew her gaze.
“Whoever picked this has great taste.”
“It only looks good because its owner is perfect.”
Watching her from behind, Eun-seong stepped closer and pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone. The contrast of his warm lips against the cool metal made Yeon-ju squeeze her eyes shut for a moment.
The alternating sensations of hot and cold sent a sweet tremor through her. His warm breath was like steam, seeping into her skin.
The night of young, blind love had begun. The steady patter of the rain outside mingled with their deepening breaths, making the moment feel like a beautiful, hazy dream.
Yielding to his gentle pressure, Yeon-ju’s knees gave way, and she sank onto the bed. He stripped away everything but the necklace he had just given her, leaving their clothes in a trail on the floor.
The alcohol, the quiet of the dawn that made them feel like the only two people in the world, and a love so intense it was almost suffocating—all of it bound them together.
He moved with a desperate, feverish intensity, as if his life depended on driving her mad with desire. Soft gasps, indistinguishable between sweet torment and pure ecstasy, echoed through the room.
“I love you.”
It was the dawn of ordinary lovers, burning without restraint.
I love you. I love you, Yeon-ju.
A love so deep that giving their all still felt like too little flowed between them, fierce and seemingly endless.
It was a moment in the rain when neither of them harbored a single doubt that they would be together forever.