The Cheek Kiss Scene
It took only a quick browse online to see just how many fans still adored Kim Hoyun, the character I'd played in Goodbye, My Summer.
They made it obvious at the fan meeting, too.
When we'd done a segment recreating famous lines, the requests for Kim Hoyun had outnumbered everything else by a landslide. And more than anything, Kim Hoyun and Jung Hanna's story had never been given a real ending—it closed on an open note. If the two of them showed up as a couple, even just briefly in a cameo, I figured the fans would love it.
"……Sigh."
Team Leader Woo turned to the staff and let out a groan.
"See? Didn't I tell you? Talking to this kid feels like getting exorcised."
I couldn't understand why she was talking as if I were some kind of demon. Apparently I wasn't the only one lost—though the other employees just nodded along quietly to her words.
"Actor-nim, you've been worn thin lately as it is… maybe it's better to pass on this one?"
Jinbae couldn't quite bring himself to scold me, and after agonizing for a long while, that single sentence was all he managed.
Tch. They've all soured on it.
With the whole office opposing me like this, I couldn't very well dig my heels in and insist on doing it. Honestly, I hadn't even been that drawn to the idea anyway. And I didn't particularly enjoy looking like a pushover.
"Alright. Then I won't do it."
The moment the words left my mouth, a collective sigh of relief burst out around the room. Team Leader Woo sprang to her feet, declaring she'd call the production side right this instant.
They were really that worked up about it, huh.
Truthfully, the whole thing was so far in the past that no real emotion remained. Well—I was still angry that the orphanage had nearly been dragged through the mud because of the vlog, sure. And I'd confirmed through An-gae long ago that the person who'd leaked the video was someone from the production team.
But all's well that ends well, wasn't it? I wasn't on bad terms with any of the staff except a few of the top managers, after all.
It's a shame, though.
The few pages of the script the production had sent over were drenched in sweetness, as if they'd been dipped straight into a pot of romance syrup. I'd never performed that kind of scene before, and I was a little curious what it would feel like.
Let's stop here.
I'd already decided not to do it, so thinking any further was just a waste of energy.
That was what I told myself. I definitely did. And yet…
The call from Team Leader Woo came the very next day.
"Yeonjae? Would it be possible for you to come into the office right now?"
"Right now?"
On the surface, her voice sounded terribly apologetic, even troubled.
What is this? Something feels off.
Strangely enough, some other emotion seemed to be mixed in. Beneath the higher-than-usual pitch, I could vaguely pick up something like… delight.
Let me just answer first.
I was puzzled, but I had nothing else planned anyway, so I was about to say I'd head straight over—when she spoke first.
"Oh, right—I know you're busy. Yes, yes. Then roughly when would you have time?"
"…?"
What? I blinked, thrown off for a second.
"Team Leader?"
"Three hours from now? Got it. Yes, don't push yourself too hard."
"No, wait—why are you doing this?"
"Oh, nothing. Don't you worry about a thing. Just take care of your business first. The whole country knows how busy you are right now."
It was absurd. Team Leader Woo said her piece and hung up, leaving me staring blankly at the phone, wondering what kind of phone etiquette that was even supposed to be.
Only after the messages started pouring in, one after another a few minutes later, did I understand the situation.
She's thrilled beyond belief.
To think the person least suited to the letters 'lol' in all the world was sending messages like these. Even frozen on a screen, I could feel the uncontrollable cackling pouring off every line.
I gave a hollow little laugh, then headed to the office four hours later, exactly as Team Leader Woo had instructed. Making a tired face wasn't exactly a difficult feat.
"Hello."
"Oh, Yeonjae-ssi!"
The moment I stepped into the conference room, the chief manager who'd sat there like a criminal selling out his own country came rushing straight toward me.
"Thank you so much for coming out despite your schedule. Truly."
"Not at all. I'm sorry for making you wait."
"Oh, please! What are you even saying? We're the ones who showed up unannounced."
Not a trace remained of the sardonic tone they'd used with me during the video leak incident. The way their eyes darted about, quick-footed and desperate to curry my favor, wasn't exactly pleasant to watch.
Why do people keep being like this?
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind, but I tried not to dwell too deeply. I'd heard long ago that this was simply how the industry worked, and it wasn't something I could change.
"The reason we came today is… we feel we caused you a great deal of unintentional pain during season one. We weren't able to wrap things up properly back then, and it's been weighing on us ever since…"
The long-winded speech ultimately amounted to: We were truly in the wrong, and we'll do better this time, so please, just this once, appear for us.
When I gave no reaction, the other party's voice began to waver. I simply turned my eyes away and looked at Team Leader Woo. After confirming her slight nod, I opened my mouth.
"I see. Thank you for the apology."
"Then, well… would the cameo be…"
"I'm willing to appear. However, my schedule isn't something I control on my own, so I believe you'd need to discuss that with my agency."
As I finished, every gaze in the room swung toward Team Leader Woo. Her face, hardened far more rigidly than usual, bounced my words right back.
"We have existing commitments booked, so I'll confirm and get back to you tomorrow or the day after. We'll also need to discuss the terms… In the meantime, please go ahead and head out for today."
Her voice was seamless, airtight—and the other party could do nothing but fumble and retreat. Team Leader Woo saw them out with impeccable courtesy, her face still stern as stone.
But to my eyes, it was all too vivid.
Can anyone really be that happy?
Team Leader Woo was positively buzzing. Watching her bounce around like a child I'd never seen before, I barely managed to hold back another hollow laugh.
So this is what it takes to be a team leader in the entertainment industry.
It was fascinating, watching her savor the industry's two-facedness with her whole body. People really did come in all varieties.
"Hello."
It was the day of the Hello, My Summer Season 2 shoot, and I greeted everyone as I stepped out of the car.
But then—
"Yeonjae-ssi, you're here!"
"Oh my, it's been so long. You've been well?"
"Even more handsome than the last time we saw you!"
"I watched Twins yesterday. I'm such a huge fan."
The PD and the staff came swarming over in a rush. Some of the faces were familiar; others I'd never seen before. Flustered, I barely managed to get out my thanks to each of them.
Once I'd registered that people who, just a year ago, had looked at me the way you look at a cute little brother now gazed at me like a strange celebrity, a peculiar feeling settled over me.
Well… I suppose I'll have to get used to it.
It was complicated, but I knew it wasn't something to view purely negatively. In a way, it was only natural.
Focus on the shoot first.
If this feeling was still lingering after we wrapped, I could talk it through with Jinbae then. With that settled in my mind, I exchanged greetings with the lead actors of season 2 as well.
Since I was changing into an unfamiliar school uniform and getting styled, it wasn't long before another familiar face arrived too.
"Hey there, Yeonjae."
"Noona, you're here?"
"How do you get more handsome every single time I see you? You're getting blinding, you know that?"
Han Seyeong delivered the teasing line with the most grown-up face imaginable. A while ago I might have been at a loss for how to respond, but it wasn't hard anymore. I knew what the other person wanted to hear.
"You're prettier, Noona. No matter how hard I try, I'll never catch up to you."
"Tch. No fun at all. You used to be so adorably flustered."
Even grumbling like that, her face was brimming with laughter.
"Oh, right. What exactly did you pull off this time? Your cameo fee was way too high? I was floored."
I answered her question with a smile.
"We have a very capable Team Leader on our side."
"Ah-ha. Right, I think I heard about her. The famous one at Wooyeon. Well, thanks to her I'm getting paid handsomely too. Tell her I said thanks."
"Will do."
"Alright, I'll go change."
Having already shot with Han Seyeong many times, I felt even more at ease with her today than usual. When she came back changed into the same school uniform as mine, she looked absolutely striking. My hair had been given a slight wave; hers had extensions added. With both of us sporting hairstyles different from season one, we carried an air of maturity.
"We're starting soon! We'll set focus on Yeonjae-ssi and Seyeong-ssi first—your conversation carries on, and we'll cut once at the café. Everyone, double-check your blocking!"
The set was a park lush with green trees. All we had to do was sit on a bench, trade a stretch of saccharine dialogue with Jung Hanna, and then step into the café right in front of us.
The café was where season 2's male lead worked his part-time job. When we walked in, the camera would naturally shift over to him, and that would be the end of the take.
"Wow, the weather is gorgeous today."
"It really is."
Above us hung a sky so blue it lifted your spirits just to look at it. Unlike the clamor of staff hauling equipment around, we simply gazed up at it in silence.
We were savoring the view at our leisure when Han Seyeong tilted her head toward me.
"Something's weird, though?"
"Hm?"
"Why are you so relaxed? Aren't you nervous?"
Am I supposed to be nervous?
The question mark must have been written all over my face, because Han Seyeong's brow creased faintly.
"This isn't your first skinship shoot, is it?"
"Nope."
"And that's your entire reaction? Really?"
Han Seyeong muttered in disbelief, as though her pride had somehow been wounded. When I just smiled without a word, she glanced around, then leaned in and whispered.
"Do you have someone you're seeing?"
"No. I've never dated anyone."
"Then have you at least done skinship?"
I shook my head and answered lightly.
"I guess I'll be doing it soon. With you."
"……You. You seriously need to watch yourself."
"Huh?"
"Wow… what is with you, you just—wham, straight for the heart. What if I weren't the one here? That's a one-way ticket to being misunderstood."
What on earth is she talking about?
When I clearly didn't follow, Han Seyeong let out a deflated laugh.
"Never mind. Oh, right—you were just… born with it, weren't you? Anyway, I can't believe you're not nervous. When I shot my first kiss scene, I brushed my teeth all day and lived on candy."
"…? Ours is just a light kiss on the cheek, though."
Does breathing on someone's cheek even count for anything? Never done it before, so I wouldn't know.
Han Seyeong flapped her hand as if to tell me to stop worrying about it.
"Right, right. Anyway—our Yeonjae, no deliberate NGs out there. Got it?"
"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll do my best to nail it in one take."
"……Sure. Work hard. Really, really hard."
Before I could puzzle over what she'd meant by some things just never change, the PD's voice called out that we were going in.
"Rolling! And—one, two—"
I closed my eyes for a moment and called Kim Hoyun to mind. My first girlfriend in all my life. The air still awkward between us. A feeling that tingled down to the fingertips. The corners of my mouth, tugging upward beyond my control.
"Action!"
I opened my eyes and, after so long, let my feet carry me forward.