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That was until a giant shadow stepped out from the doorway that led upstairs. Yul Hee’s father had his arms crossed, showing his bulging biceps and impressive build.
And from the look in his eyes, Won Joo could tell Yul Hee’s father had not forgotten about the hug at the airport.
If Won Joo were to be completely honest with himself, he had not forgotten about that hug at the airport, either. He never dwelled on the thought, but since then, he would notice when Yul Hee stood close to him, so close he could feel her warmth—and this was happening suspiciously often as of late.
At the set, Jae Woon and Yul Hee would arrive at the same time, but she would ignore her main acting partner and rush towards Won Joo once she caught sight of him. It always alarmed him because she would barrel out of nowhere with such forceful energy and excitement that his introverted self was immediately drained. Now he was more used to it, but he still didn’t feel it was good for his health.
That was partly why he wanted to take up boxing during his free time. Not only did his character have good boxing skills but also Won Joo felt the need to defend himself if anything ever arose with Yul Hee and her father again. Ironically, he would turn to her father to teach him to defend himself against the daughter.
“I am here to learn from you,” he said loudly, bowing to Mr. Han.
Without a word or even making any noise, the huge figure lunged forward and swiftly knocked Won Joo down onto his back with a loud thud.
–
On the set, Yul Hee paused and looked up. Something felt off for a second. She shrugged and went back to studying her script. She wasn’t one to care much about intuition or feelings. She was one to act on what she saw directly.
However, an icky, dark feeling did start to come over her, making her skin crawl. When Ha Na appeared next to her, Yul Hee realized why. She also wondered if she was being possessed by a deity and needed to retire from acting to pursue her destined path of shamanism. Then I could exorcise this ———, she thought while giving Ha Na the most saccharine smile ever.
Yul Hee returned to her script, as if to indicate to Ha Na that the actress was busy right now so leave her alone.
Ha Na, who had always been immensely in tune with her intuition and the vibes of others, ignored this. She said, “I was hoping to do a feature on Jae Woon’s successful career and life, but he’s very tight-lipped about his past. As a matter of fact, every time I try to bring it up, he immediately closes himself off.”
This was on par with what Yul Hee had heard from Won Joo. She wasn’t sure what Ha Na was getting at, but the conversation was leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
“I was hoping you might be able to get some info out of him for me?” Ha Na continued.
“Now why do you think I’d have more success than you?”
“Maybe because he considers me something of a reporter, and you know how celebrities can get about reporters at times. He might be more open to a colleague.”
“I doubt it. We’re not that close.”
“Hm…you’re right. I guess I should just let it go. He seems to absolutely despise anything to do with his past. I shouldn’t tap into that. Might be like opening a can of worms.”
Ha Na left to Yul Hee’s relief, but the actress found herself still feeling conflicted about the conversation.
Ha Na looked at her phone, where she still had the pictures of the three of them from their modeling days. Her eyes narrowed at how happy Jae Woon looked around Da Young. He never smiled like that around me…she noted with a sudden, strange conviction to prevent such a smile from ever crossing his face again.
At that point, Da Young arrived and headed over to her friend, who looked more perturbed than usual.
“What is it? Something happen?” Da Young asked. She looked around. “Is it because Won Joo isn’t on set?”
Yul Hee turned to her friend with a slight pout and said, “Worry less about Won Joo and more about your man, Jae Woon.”
“Is this you being jealous?” Da Young teased with a smile. “Have I been neglecting you lately?”
Yul Hee tilted her head as she studied her friend. “Why are you in such a good mood? You’re being very bright and cheery…Wait, who are you?”
Da Young drew her hand down her mouth, pretending to drag the corners of her lips down to a frown.
“See? You’re being playful, too!” Yul Hee exclaimed in a rather accusatory way. Da Young’s playfulness came out rarely—in moments when she felt most herself, safe, comfortable, and happy. Even Yul Hee, her closest friend, could only count on one hand how many times she saw this side of Da Young.
Da Young just smiled at Yul Hee, amused at how much her mood was weirding the actress out.
“You’re enjoying the newlywed life with Jae Woon, huh?” Yul Hee asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Enjoying that honeymoon phase.”
“It’s nice to be free from my parents,” Da Young replied. There wasn’t anything abrupt about the way she said those words, but they seemed abrupt anyway, immediately sobering Yul Hee, who could understand that despite never having had a need to flee her parents herself. She had known Da Young long enough to have witnessed many times the draining effect her parents had had on her since she was very young.
“I’m glad you have Jae Woon,” murmured Yul Hee, both chaste and sincere. That reminded her of what had happened with Ha Na. More alert now, she continued, “Speaking of Jae Woon, I told you before how he doesn’t like childhood tropes in dramas, right?”
Da Young nodded slowly, already not liking where this conversation was going.
“Well,” Yul Hee continued, “he really seems averse to anything reminding him of his past. I don’t think he can even remember much of it…and…” She paused, then went on, “Ha Na mentioned that he doesn’t want to be reminded of it…that he closes himself off and might even completely shut down at any reminders.”
Da Young’s face clouded over slightly. She grew quiet. She understood now why Yul Hee had looked so conflicted and unhappy. Her mind flashed back to that small bookcase in his secret room, the one that held their past memories together in the pages of their favorite graphic novels. Why does he have that, then? she wondered.
“What do you think?” Yul Hee asked tentatively.
“I think if he wants to bury the past, then so be it. I shouldn’t force him to confront it or anything. Plus…it’s not like I lied to him, but I did hide our past connection, so no point in bringing it up now and ruining whatever it is that we have now,” Da Young replied, half determined and half uncertain.
There was some silence as Yul Hee gathered her courage to touch upon something that had been on her mind for a while. “But is that okay with you? And is that fair to him?”
Da Young’s head was starting to hurt. This was all a bit much, and she was spiraling into overthinking mode, trying to take into consideration so many different things and possibilities, like Jae Woon’s emotions, her own needs, the future, and their relationship in the past and present.
“For once, I want to focus on the present,” she whispered.
Yul Hee gently laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder as a source of comfort, to remind her, I’m here for you. Anything you decide, I will support you. But she also knew her work wasn’t done.
“Past or present, your feelings for him haven’t changed anyway, right?” Yul Hee said softly.
Da Young replied, “No, they haven’t. I still find great comfort in his presence, and we get along well.”
Yul Hee shook her head slightly to herself, as if telling herself, I can’t watch this any longer. “You know that thing about first loves? How no one—especially a man for some reason—can ever forget their first love?”
Da Young looked at her friend, puzzled. “Yeah?”
Yul Hee now felt like screaming. For somebody so in tune with the emotions of others, enough to write such compelling stories, Da Young was certainly ignorant of her own.
Yul Hee was debating how to go about this. Finally, she placed both hands on Da Young’s shoulders and told her directly, “Jae Woon was your first love.”
Da Young looked back at her, absorbing those words. Her face was its usual stoic mask. First love? She had never considered that before—that her feelings toward Jae Woon might have been anything beyond comradeship. And yet…how she behaved and felt around him, when they were young and even now, were different from how she was around others. And he was unforgettable—beyond old childhood friendships that naturally fell apart. The whole “first love” thing was new to her, but it didn’t feel unfamiliar or particularly surprising.
Finally, she said in a low voice, “I like him. I do. I know that. And my feelings hadn’t changed since I was young, so you must be right. I liked him then, too.”
After some silence, Yul Hee asked, “So what are you going to do?”
“I can’t stay in his life as a constant reminder of his past.”
“So, what, you’re going to leave?” There was a slight panic in Yul Hee’s voice, and she briefly relaxed as Da Young shook her head, but what came next was harder to hear.
“I’m going to bury the past. In order to do that, I’ll have to bury my feelings.”
Next week on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
Jae Woon zoomed in on the footage. So that’s how her parents found out, he realized grimly.