✏️How to Write a K-Drama: Chapter 28
The indirect kiss. 🤭
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There were no other messages.
Da Young turned her phone face down and turned over in bed for a few more minutes of sleep—but her mind was not at rest.
She wished she could go back to the night before, her belly full of spicy noodles and her mind at peace. She wished they could’ve stayed like that for a while longer.
It was slightly chillier than expected for the early morning shoot the next day, but Yul Hee was used to it. As an actress, she had to work in all sorts of weather, from frigid temperatures in nothing but a thin coat to sweltering hot weather in a godforsaken thin coat.
The shoot was by the beach as she and Jae Woon had to enjoy the sunrise together, meaning there was a breeze and the sun was not yet out. She shivered slightly, hugging her arms around herself while running her lines in her head so they could get an “okay” from the director in record time. She hadn’t eaten since the night before, so she planned to gorge on seafood during her afternoon off. They had a shoot later that evening, but she wasn’t in any of those scenes.
Da Young came up to her, the breeze ruffling her long, wavy hair. “Did you tell your dad you got here okay?”
“Yup,” Yul Hee chirped, knowing better than to ask Da Young if she did the same. From the look on Da Young’s face, Yul Hee knew something was bothering her about her parents and it was better not to rock the boat. Instead, the actress cheerfully added, “He asked if you’re enjoying Jeju Island so far.”
Da Young gave her a soft smile, her mind flashing back to the beach last night with Jae Woon. Her own face was slightly bloated, but her grin widened as she remembered she didn’t have to worry about that as she wasn’t going to be on camera. “It’s really nice,” she admitted quietly.
“You’re so cute!” Yul Hee suddenly squealed, latching onto Da Young for a hug to not only show her affections but also steal some of her friend’s body warmth. She was disappointed at the reminder that Da Young tended to run cold, so the hug had the opposite effect.
Thankfully, the shoot was fairly quick. Jae Woon was an experienced professional after all. Even when he was sulking back on the mainland, he would only do so when the cameras weren’t rolling. Yul Hee had to acknowledge he had great discipline, which was especially good for time-sensitive shoots like capturing sunrises.
After the shoot, she was quite shocked to see him pull out a motorcycle out of nowhere. It had been brought to the film location under arrangements made by Jo Suk, who had yet to land. Jae Woon was already dressed appropriately for the ride, so he slung his leg over and sat on it, looking so at ease that Yul Hee could tell he was an experienced rider.
She admired the bike actively, darting around it as she poked and exclaimed. Won Joo admired more silently, standing back with a light blush on his face and sparkles in his eyes. Jae Woon looks so cool! he kept thinking. Da Young had no expression on her face, as she didn’t particularly care about the bike, although she did hope it would boost his mood.
Jae Woon, catching her gaze, asked, “Do you want to hop on for a ride?”
“Are you in love with me?”
Jae Woon almost coughed to death on his own saliva while Yul Hee and Won Joo’s heads snapped to look at her.
“I’m sorry?” he managed to choke out. “How did you get that from ‘Do you want to hop on for a ride?’”
“I’d only go on your motorcycle if you were wildly in love with me.”
He gaped at her. “Why?”
“Because I don’t trust anybody to drive me on a motorcycle unless they loved me so much they would let no harm come to me out of the fear of losing me.”
He continued to gape. Won Joo, however, was already nodding in understanding since he and the writer were alike in romantic sentimentality despite having very different personalities. Jae Woon said, “So you don’t trust me.”
“Anybody can think they’re a good driver, but their priority is not going to be keeping me safe. It’s the mindset, you see.”
“I don’t think I see.”
“That’s fine.”
Yul Hee snorted. “I mean, I guess I kind of get it. It’s like a mother driving her child. She’s not going to let anything happen to her child, and that’ll show through her driving, but some hotshot idiot…I wouldn’t trust him, either.”
“I’m not a hotshot idiot, and I’m a very careful, considerate driver!” Jae Woon protested, but wanting to get out of there ASAP before this uncomfortable conversation continued, he added, “But whatever! Your loss.” He put on his helmet and quickly revved on out of there.
“Now that he’s gone, let’s go get seafood!” Yul Hee said cheerfully. Da Young and Won Joo grinned back. They were very excited for the food at Jeju Island.
Jae Woon opened the visor on his helmet so he could get some of the nice air. He needed it to cool down from Da Young’s unwarranted question. She has such a weird way of going about things! She could’ve just said no! he thought. He shook all thoughts away and tried to enjoy the scenery and the ride. He had been looking forward to this moment the most (although he suspected the others were going to eat together and he wondered what menu they chose).
After driving down a long stretch of road, Jae Woon stopped at another beach to take a look at it. The ride didn’t seem to be helping him as much as it usually did with emptying his thoughts, but the calmness of the ocean…It reminded him of Da Young, of their night under the stars eating instant noodles. He closed his eyes and remembered that peaceful feeling that had settled deep into his chest, like nothing could perturb him.
He suddenly lost all desire to continue the ride. It was too warm to sit on the beach in his outfit meant for wind protection. He decided to drive back home and change.
–
“I have to go work on more writing,” Da Young said as she stood up.
Yul Hee and Won Joo both gave her a look. She was acting as if she hadn’t already eaten a ton of seafood with them. Most people would have left by round three, but the trio was getting started on round five. Da Young primly wiped her mouth with her napkin as if they had enjoyed afternoon tea, then without another word, she left them.
In all honesty, she also wanted some time to herself to digest and enjoy peace and quiet. As much as she loved Yul Hee—and she did also enjoy Won Joo’s company—she needed that respite before diving back into her work.
After Da Young’s departure, Won Joo debated leaving, as well—especially since he didn’t want to be left alone with Yul Hee. He tried to think of an excuse to get out of there, but his co-star, as if she could read his thoughts, maintained a strong grip on his arm. She wasn’t going to eat by herself there. He sighed and poured themselves another drink.
“You’re not a very dedicated actress are you,” he heard himself muttering under his breath. His eyes widened in shock and he clapped his hand over his mouth as he gasped. He couldn’t believe he had just spoken those words aloud.
She snorted. “I’m good at what I do, so don’t you worry about it!” and began reciting all of her lines for the next scene they were going to shoot. He didn’t want anyone getting spoilers so he clapped his hand over her mouth until he could tell from the mumbling dying out that she was done.
He went back to grilling the clams. After a few seconds of silence she snorted again, but in a more giggly way. He eyed her warily. “Hey! It’s like an indirect kiss.”
He found himself almost scowling at her in confusion. He didn’t want to ask, but he was also dying to know and bothered by the ambiguity. “What are you talking about?”
She pointed at the hand he was using to grill the clams. “You put that over your lips. And then you put that over my lips!”
Right then, some of the crew members slid open the door to the restaurant to have their own yummy meal. They heard Yul Hee shout, “You smooched me!” They stared with no expressions on their faces, slid the door back close, and went somewhere else to eat. They were used to their weird cast by now and way too hungry to deal with this at the moment.
“Plenty of other seafood restaurants,” they sang as they wandered down the street.
–
Jae Woon parked his motorcycle outside the motel under a shoddy shelter that would keep it shaded and protected—unless it finally decided to fall apart and become the danger itself. He quickly changed and wondered if he should see if the writer was in. For some reason, he knew to go straight to the beach.
When he arrived, as he somehow had known deep inside, there she was, sitting almost at the same spot as the other day, watching the ocean, which was glimmering in different hues of blue, green, and gold. Her wavy hair almost seemed to mimic the tides, catching the soft lighting in the very same way.
He started walking towards her but stopped to admire the view a little longer. It looked as if she thought she was the only person in the world. He felt as if he was someone who had thought the same—until now. He had found the other inhabitant of this messy planet.
It was like the moment in a movie, a pause that was pregnant with anticipation.
It was also a strangely peaceful moment.
That was until the rain started.
Da Young started in surprise at the heavy drops, shielding herself and trying to stand up but plopping back down onto the sand because of how fast and sudden the rain was falling. Suddenly, someone grabbed her forearm, helping to pull her up. She registered Jae Woon’s face for the briefest of seconds before he pulled her along, and they were running together in the sand, which was quickly losing its softness to the relentless rain.
He didn’t guide her back to the motel but towards a little wooden shelter that offered a bit of shade on sunny days to beach visitors. They shook the droplets from their hair and smiled at each other before turning back to the rain to enjoy how it transformed the beach landscape, showing a side different from what they had seen before. But it was still somehow peaceful, the sound of the rain, the excited ripples in the water, the darkened sand.
Before they knew it, the rhythmic pounding of the water lulled them to sleep, their heads leaning on each other like those times many years ago when they had long shoots and busy schedules, too young to say no but seeking solace in the little moments they could next to each other, sharing their warmth and unspoken words.
The next day, Jae Woon told Jo Suk to sell his bike.
Next week on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
Da Young simply gave her a curt nod and left. Ha Na watched her, no smile on her face, then turned over her phone on the table to check for any messages. There was one from her assistant: Check your email! I found something very interesting.