About

The moment the camera lights went out, the set was filled with deep sighs. "Cut! Haeyul, the angle of your head is a bit awkward... Let's go again. We'll take a short break!" At the director's voice, the staff began to move busily. The seventeenth NG. I had already given up counting how many retakes we had done for a single short kiss scene. Since my debut through street casting at the age of six, the word 'failure' had never existed in my life. Starting from my child actor days, I steadily built up my filmography, earning the title of 'Nation's Actress' loved by the entire country, and every project I chose became a guaranteed box office hit without exception. This time, too, I landed the lead role in <With You Again>, the new work of star director Choi Jihun, who is known as a hit-maker. The problem was my co-star. The hottest rookie actor in Korea these days, Do Haeyul. With his tall stature and sculpted visuals, he had instantly risen to the ranks of rising stars. On the day of the first script reading, he approached me, a senior far above him, with a bright smile without the slightest hesitation. "Senior, I look forward to working with you. It's truly an honor." The more I got to know him, the more charming Do Haeyul became. On the outside, he looked like a cold, handsome man, but his actual personality was sly and affable, playing the role of the mood maker on set perfectly. Remembering and taking care of every single staff member's name was basic, and during breaks, he would make people laugh with his playful antics. In particular, his unexpected charm shone in the corners of the filming set. A large man over 185cm tall, reading the script with a serious expression while wearing a cute character pin in his hair. When I asked, 'Haeyul, what's with that pin?', he replied with a clear, child-like smile. 'Oh, this? It's a gift a fan made for me. When I wear this and look at the script, I memorize the lines better.' Not only that, Do Haeyul was an extreme 'dessert lover' who liked sweets to a serious degree. Whenever I was resting in the waiting room, he would invariably come by with something in his hand. "Senior, your sugar levels must be low, right? This is a chocolate muffin I barely managed to get this morning." "Today it's strawberry cake. I brought it because I thought you'd like it." One day he would offer a chewy macaron, another day a melting handmade pudding, giving his characteristic eye-smile. Thanks to that, we quickly became close, and the atmosphere on set was better than ever. However, there was one fatal problem that simply couldn't be solved. It was the kiss scene with him. He, who usually showed perfect emotional acting without a single NG, would strangely fall into a swamp of infinite NGs whenever it came to the scene where he had to kiss me. He made NGs over and over for childish reasons like missing the timing, his gaze wavering, or fumbling his lines. "Do Haeyul." While the staff scattered for the break, I walked up to him and looked down at him. He was wearing an embarrassed expression as if it were a mistake, but his eyes didn't look sorry at all. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" At my direct question, Do Haeyul tilted his head slightly with his characteristic sly smile. "Oh, come on, Senior. How could I dare to make an NG on purpose in a kiss scene with a great senior like you? I'm just really nervous. When your face gets so close, I feel like I can't breathe..." "Nervous, my foot. Do you even know how many times this has been?" "I'm sorry, Senior. I'll really get it in one go next time. You trust me, right?" Even as he said that, his expression was full of leisure. Like someone who was anxious to extend this situation, these moments of short physical contact, even just a little longer. No, actually, it was clear he was purposely enjoying this time while pretending it was a mistake. Toward me, who was dumbfounded, he smiled brightly and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a lip balm with a faint scent of strawberry. He opened the cap and began to apply the lip balm moistly to his lips. As I let out a laugh of disbelief while looking at his lips shining with moisture, he looked at me and said with a grin. "It's uncomfortable to kiss when your lips are dry, isn't it?"