I think it would be better if we did this part this way - Dongho thought about such things as he watched producer Park Hoon give instructions around the set. If the shoot kept getting delayed and the actors started complaining, he would go up to the producer and say such. The producer would become touched and would compliment him, but he would say it was nothing much and credit the producer instead, all the while with a slight smile on his face.

‘Man, so cool.’

He coughed awkwardly in order to dismiss the smile sneaking onto his face.

‘The girls will see me in a new light when they see that. What if they confess? A popular man has a hard life.’

What should he do if Yeseul decided to confess? Accept smoothly? Or pretend to reject her mercilessly before hugging her from behind. He heard that ‘bad boys’ were the trend these days, so he would act disinterested, and then hand her some ice cream with a ring in it. With a nonchalant face, too. Then, Yeseul would eat that ice cream and say ‘oh’ after discovering that ring which would cause her to look at him with adoration and embarrassment.

‘Perfect.’

It was a flawless plan. Just as he turned his head around with a satisfied smile on his face, he saw Joomin stamping her feet to chase away the cold. Her heart would definitely start racing if he handed her a blanket right now. There was also the possibility of her confessing, so he had to get ready for that. Joomin-noona was a really decent woman after all.

“But where the heck did that guy go?”

He crossed his arms and breathed out. He didn’t bring a coat since he heard that it was supposed to be ‘Spring weather’, but it was really cold at night.

“Dongho, take this. It’s cold, isn’t it?”

Joomin offered him a blanket. Dongho watched her do so in a daze before hurriedly accepting the blanket. He felt rather embarrassed because of the thoughts he had just moments ago.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. Noona, do you know where Maru is?”

“Maru? There he is.”

Dongho turned his head around to where Joomin was pointing. Maru and Okseon were standing in front of the school’s west entrance. Their business seemed to be over as Maru had turned around and was walking towards them. Just then, the lights turned back on again. The shoot would resume soon.

“But Okseon is a little no-no.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself.”

“You really are funny at times, Dongho. You talk to yourself a lot, too.”

“It’s none of your business whether I talk to myself or not.”

“You mad?”

“Noona, I’m not a man who gets mad over something like this!”

However, his voice had become a little louder. Joomin smiled before reaching out her palm. He didn’t know what she was trying to do so he stared at her hand before putting his hand on Joomin’s.

“Pfft, what are you doing?”

“A-ah! The blanket! You mean the blanket, right?”

“Yeah. Give me the blanket, I’ll put it back.”

“You should’ve just told me to give you the blanket.”

“Don’t most people understand that gesture? Rather than that, why did you suddenly give me your hand? You were like the puppy at my house.”

“I’m not a dog, you know?”

“Did I say something? You really are funny.”

Funny? Wasn’t ‘funny’ a softer way of saying ‘I like you’? So he was a popular man after all, huh. Dongho laughed to himself before shaking his head. That delusion just now went too far. He had recently thought that fantasizing by himself like this was quite foolish. He was now in his 3rd year of high school, so he was a pseudo-adult already. He wanted to act more maturely. A serious Seong Dongho. Hm, cool.

‘I might actually be a little scared if she’s the one who tells me she likes me though,’ Dongho thought as he looked at Okseon walking towards them.

He had no idea what she was thinking all the time. Han Maru liked childish pranks, but he was a decent guy, while Joomin-noona was a kind person. Giwoo, Yeseul, and Jichan were just lucky people. It was Okseon he didn’t know anything about.

Well, he never talked to her after all.

“Did you talk to her about something?” He asked Maru, who just returned, while hanging his arm over his shoulders.

“Nothing much. I was just on a phone call and Okseon was next to me, so I just told her that the shoot was delayed.”

“What did she say to that?”

“She said she understood, duh.”

“That’s it?”

“What else would she say?”

“Well, that’s actually probably it considering Okseon’s personality. She never says a word with us. Well, just like what Joomin-noona said, she seems perfectly capable of speech from the way she talks with senior Suyeon.”

Okseon walked up to him before walking past him. At that moment, Dongho spotted something strange. Okseon glanced their way, albeit for a brief instant, before walking past. She seemed somewhat hesitant and cautious.

‘Don’t tell me she’s….’

Dongho felt his heart race a little. Okseon, who was like a cold wind this whole time, walked past him like a feeble girl. What could that possibly mean? Wasn’t this the stereotypical pattern of a girl in love?

‘If I look at her closely, she’s quite cute too.’

The slightly tanned skin made her look cute. Was the reason she didn’t talk to them this whole time because of embarrassment? Now that he thought about it, she talked to Maru just now and even talked to Joomin a couple of times too. Just not him.

It felt like the pieces of the puzzle were all here. Dongho felt nervous. There were a lot of girls at his school who flattered him for being an actor, but none of them approached him with romantic interest. Was a warm breeze finally coming to his youth that felt like an ice age this whole time?

‘Don’t get excited. I might be misunderstanding.’

He liked fantasizing by himself, but he wasn’t stupid to the point that he couldn’t differentiate reality from fantasy. He had to make sure without getting excited. At that moment, Okseon looked their way again. Her eyes shaking; her lips sealed; her body shrunk back. Was Okseon always so cute?

“M-M-Maru.”

“What?”

“I think Okseon likes me.”

“...Ah, okay. Congrats, I guess.”

“You noticed it too, right? Look at her. She can’t look at me properly. I found it strange this whole time. Okseon talks to you from time to time, but she never talked to me even once. I finally know the reason now. I was such a fool, why didn’t I notice sooner?”

He felt like his feet were getting sweaty. She was looking at him nervously. Okseon was a really decent girl from up close. How nervous must she have been this whole time? She was someone who talked to the seniors with so much vitality. If she was hesitating that much, she must have been extremely nervous.

This wasn’t a delusion. This was reality.

‘There’s really someone who likes me.’

Thinking about it, Okseon was much better than Yeseul, who implicitly boasted from time to time. How feminine was that? She felt very mature. Joomin-noona was really good as a person, but dating was better between two people of the same age, no?

“...Probably not.”

Dongho toppled the tower of thoughts with a small laugh.

“What’s not?” Maru asked from the side.

“It’s about Okseon. It doesn’t make sense for her to fall in love out of nowhere.”

“You’re quite realistic when it comes to that.”

“I’ve always been a realistic person. I’m just a slight romanticist.”

“Like hell you are.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Why don’t you go talk to her, just in case?”

“Should I?”

“Weren’t you supposed to be a realistic person?”

“You never know.”

Dongho calmed down his breathing before approaching Okseon. Why was it that his heart was racing even though he knew that it shouldn’t be the case? If it turned out that she liked him….

‘At that time, it’s ring in ice cream.’

Dongho calmed down his face before standing in front of Okseon.

* * *

“Well done. We have to keep this up just until next week, so please hold on,” producer Park Hoon said.

Next week was filled with weekday shoots as well. Monday and Tuesday. Thankfully, Wednesday and Thursday were empty. This would allow Maru to focus on the acting club and the film shoot during those two days.

“Maru.”

Joomin approached him and tapped him on the shoulder before pointing at Dongho. Dongho was getting ready to go home with a depressed face.

“What happened to him?”

“It’s the pain of loss.”

Seeing Joomin’s confused expression, he said that it was just a joke.

“The shoot ended early today.”

“That’s true. We don’t have any remaining shoots either. Looks like everyone gets to go home together for once.”

Joomin stretched her arms out.

“I’ll only return to a normal schedule once the additional parts for episode 13 are shot.”

“Sounds like you’re busy.”

“I’m a college student after all. I have a mountain load of assignments.”

“The theater and film department should learn stuff like acting theory, right?”

“I don’t know. I’m not in it.”

“Didn’t you say that you helped out with the graduation piece of the seniors from theater and film during the first meeting?”

“Since I was working in this area, I got to know a lot of them. That’s how I helped them out. I actually major in advanced materials engineering.”

“You’re doing this work on top of your studies?”

“I guess it turned out like that. I might apply for leave soon though. No, I might even quit altogether. It’s curious. I never knew I’d become an actress. I somehow became the female lead of an indie movie through some connections and ended up joining an agency. The head manager in charge of me told me that I’d become successful, and honestly, I didn’t believe it, but it ended up coming true. It fits me and I’m having fun as well.”

“Good for you. But don’t you find it a little wasteful that you aren’t going to finish your studies?”

“I do. In my 1st year, I had nothing to do so I just went to college earnestly, but right now, I’m doing this drama on top of a few other things. I think that it would be a bit greedy of me to try to do both things at once. I do want to graduate, but I don’t want to be half-assed with both of them.”

“If it’s graduation, you can always do that later.”

“Right?”

Just then, Dongho, who was walking ahead, shouted at the two to come quickly.

“Ah, right. We’re going to eat out to celebrate the fact that we finished early today. You are coming, right?”

“Sorry, I have a prior engagement.”

“Really? Then I guess it’ll be just Dongho and me, huh.”

“I’ll definitely attend next time. Or, why don’t you ask them to come?”

Maru asked that as he looked at the three main characters walking to their respective cars. Giwoo was going to his agency’s van, while the other two were being picked up by their parents.

“Those people are busy. I asked them last time, but was refused.”

“Why don’t you take Okseon then?”

“Okseon? Would she?”

“Who knows?”

“Alright, I’ll try talking to her. It’d be bland to eat with just Dongho.”

After smiling, Joomin suddenly widened her eyes before greeting politely. Senior - that word made Maru turn around as well.

“Hi.”

Suyeon was standing there, waving her hand. Joomin told her goodbye before leaving.

“Did I interrupt you?”

“With what?”

“You trying to woo her.”

“Should I call Geunsoo-hyung and tell him to cancel this meeting?”

“No, no! You’re acting all stuck-up again. Sorry, sorry.”

“But didn’t you two make an appointment without me?”

Suyeon sighed.

“For me, it’d be much better if we just met by ourselves. But that guy isn’t someone who would do that. That’s why I used you as an excuse.”

“You’re using me again?”

“Let’s help each other out, yeah?”

“Why don’t you give up at this point? I don’t think Geunsoo-hyung has an ounce of interest in you.”

Suyeon shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter even if he doesn’t have any interest in me. It’s me who likes him.”

“Financially?”

“It’s pure love.”

“I thought you were fed up with men.”

“Don’t you know the saying that you should heal wounds gained from people with other people? And you know, it’s fun. I’ve known him for years, but I still haven’t closed the gap at all. He’s like a flower growing on the top of a cliff. It’ll be very fun to snap it.”

“I think I should cancel this appointment after all.”

“I’m just joking.”

She then said ‘also, it doesn’t hurt me to one-sidedly like him’. Maru stared at her.

“What?”

“I was wondering what would have happened if the man who was your first love was actually a decent man. You actually sound quite pure when it comes to that.”

“Well, like you said, if that man was a kind man, I might have become a faithful wife by now.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“...What the. It’s slightly unpleasant when you say it like that.”

“You got me. I was trying to make you feel displeased.”

“You really are the despicable type huh.”

“Not as much as you.”

“Well, I guess there isn’t someone like me either. I should be proud of it.”

He walked towards the parking lot behind the school with Suyeon. There was a van that was going towards the school gates at that time, and it stopped in front of Suyeon. The door opened and Giwoo came out.

“Senior. Thank you for your work today.”

“Oh my, my dear Giwoo. You’re good with your greetings. I really like you.”

“Haha, this is nothing.”

“Thank you for your work today too. I hear that it’s thanks to you that our viewing rates are going up.”

“Of course not. It’s all thanks to your beauty.”

“So you’re good with words too.”

“Are you going somewhere with Maru?”

“I have an appointment. Why? Want to join us?”

“Really?”

“No, I’m just joking. I don’t take anyone to places where I’m at ease.”

After pinching Giwoo’s cheeks once, Suyeon walked ahead. Maru waved at Giwoo.

“See you next time.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“Maru.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I see you separately some time? I want to become close to you.”

“It would be an honor. I’m willing to go anywhere if it’s the lead actor calling me out. Call me any time, I’ll leave my schedule empty.”

“You mean it, right?”

“Probably?”

Maru yawned before following Suyeon. He walked over to the car with the headlights on and got in the passenger seat.

“He’s like a snake.”

“Oh no, not as much as a certain someone.”

“I’m more of a doe.”

“You’re trying to be funny, right?”

“Was it funny?”

“Just a little.”

“I guess I succeeded then. Also, are you on good terms with Giwoo?”

“I’m not that close with a snake.”

“What was that earlier then?”

“I’m not denying it. I just found it a little strange that a thousand-year-old viper was calling someone a snake.”

“Am I that old? I don’t have any wrinkles, you know?”

“How long are we going to keep going with this conversation?”

“Until we meet Geunsoo-oppa?”

“Then let’s get going. I’m tired already.”

“Hey, hang out with me. I’m bored because I haven’t been meeting any men these days.”

Suyeon started driving with a small smile.