✏️How to Write a K-Drama: Chapter Five
A plot twist
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Da Young finally let herself relax and slumped back into her chair. Things were in motion. That’s all that she needed to make this work. And this drama had to work.
Things moved fast with Eun Joo Ni is what Jae Woon realized. As soon as he had entered his agency, a contract was slapped down on the table in front of him by the CEO, President Ha.
“Congrats on being signed on for Ms. Eun Joo Ni’s new drama,” President Ha said. “Now, I don’t quite understand the fake-dating aspect of it, but I admire her work and her work ethic. We just have to make sure the press doesn’t get wind of it. We’ll call it research if you’re ever caught together.”
“Sure. But she got Han Yul Hee to agree? Already?” Jae Woon’s eyes skimmed the contract.
“Yup. She works fast, huh? I respect that! This will be good for you, Jae Woon. The news won’t go out until a little later, of course, as pre-production is barely underway. Gives you two time to get to know each other.”
“For the drama,” Jae Woon quickly added.
“Yes, of course. And as you can see, your first ‘date’ is tomorrow.”
Jae Woon looked down at the contract. There was an extra section there for the fake relationship, emphasizing that this arrangement was solely for research purposes. Under it were a few bullet points, such as:
“There will be no untoward advances by either party without explicit consent.
This is a transactional relationship not bound by traditional romantic expectations.
No sincere feelings will be expected or permitted during this experiment.
There will be thorough communication between both parties for the advancement of the drama.
Respect for each other’s privacy and private life is to be maintained by both parties.”
And so on, so forth. With each bullet point he read, Jae Woon felt himself loosen up gradually. His grip on the contract remained tight, however. His unease settled deep into the pit of his stomach.
Once done, he admitted, “She’s very thorough.”
“Yeah, I don’t think you should be made uncomfortable by any of this. Think of it as warm-up acting for the drama,” President Ha said. Jae Woon signed the contract, feeling slightly like he was signing over his life, and turned it over to the CEO.
“It’s good practice for you. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” asked President Ha.
Startled, Jae Woon looked up at him. It had been a while. His fingers curled up into his slacks.
The CEO gave him a questioning look, “It’s been a while since you did a rom-com.”
Jae Woon nodded. “Right, right. It has…”
–
“I’ll tie one shoe if you tie the other,” a young Jae Woon said, smiling up at Da Young as he knelt down by her right sneaker. She nodded and tied the left sneaker while he did the other. Once finished, they both looked at each other with a smile. He brushed away hair from her eyes.
“You’re all ready. Let’s go,” he said and took her hand. They headed toward the photo area for their shoot.
Da Young’s eyes popped open, the dream carrying the memory away with it as she came out of her slumber. She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It was the day of her “first date” with Jae Woon.
–
Jae Woon reread the text he had gotten in the morning as he stood outside his favorite cafe wearing a cap and sunglasses. It turned out the writer was a regular, as well, which explained their run-in the other day.
I got your number from your manager, she had written. Today, let’s try out an accidental meet-cute.
Maybe she had wanted them to run into each other again like last time. However, he had arrived late. He could already see her sitting inside by the window. He sighed, hanging his head back to take in the sky. This is such a bother, he thought. He sighed again, then pushed the door open. He needed some coffee first. He headed straight to the counter and ordered an Americano.
As he waited, he ignored Da Young and scrolled through his phone, but he couldn’t see anything on his screen. Instead, old images flashed across his mind’s eye. Magazines scattered on the marble floor. Two pairs of hands picking them up. A gentle, red-lipped smile.
“Americano.”
The call from the barista snapped him out of it. He grabbed the drink, murmuring a thanks, and sat down at a table a few seats from Da Young. He sipped the drink, trying to avoid the growing pressure from her presence. It felt like she was staring at him (she wasn’t). The anticipation positively radiated off her, filling up all the space in the cafe. He wondered if he should just approach her and ask for her number or something.
He blanched. He never hit on somebody before. He cleared his throat and glanced at the cafe workers, who thankfully appeared busy behind the counter. He took off his sunglasses and approached Da Young, who looked up at him quizzically with her owlish eyes. Her hair was let down in long, natural waves again, and she was dressed in pastel colors.
“Do you mind if I sit down here?” He gestured at the chair across from her. The uncomfortable thought suddenly crossed his mind that this really did feel like roleplaying.
“I’m actually waiting for someone.”
A plot twist.
He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He asked, “Oh, like a boyfriend?” He was starting to feel like quite the sleaze. He almost heard himself next saying something like, “Well if he’s late to see you, he’s not a very good boyfriend, is he? How about you give me a chance instead?” with some spasmodic winking.
She looked around the empty cafe. “There are plenty of seats for you.”
Jae Woon shot her his soft gaze and smile that often melted hearts. He said gently in a low voice, “But I’d like to sit with you.”
“Why?” she fired back so bluntly he was thrown off. Why indeed?
As he wondered what to say, he felt more than saw the presence of the petite barista as she came up next to him and asked Da Young, “Is this man bothering you, ma’am?”
“A little. Do you mind if I take this to go?” asked Da Young. The barista took her latte and headed back behind the counter. He saw her and the other barista throwing him suspicious looks as they worked. The barista hurried back with the latte, now in a takeout cup, which Da Young gratefully took and headed out.
“What the heck was that?” muttered Jae Woon as he slid into a chair. He hadn’t been this embarrassed and confused since one of his first roles. He had played a drummer who was so talented but apparently couldn’t stop hitting his own fingers or flinging the sticks at his bandmates. Even now, he would occasionally see the clips going around on social media, and he cringed every time (and secretly reported them as copyright violations).
He looked out the window and saw that the writer was still standing there, covering her head with one hand. It appeared to have started lightly drizzling. Seeing his chance, Jae Woon jumped up and grabbed an abandoned umbrella by the door. This was the classic scene in all K-dramas. Plus, the umbrella was bright yellow. Iconic.
He opened the door and stood right by her. “Here,” he said in that same gentle tone of voice. He opened the umbrella as she turned to look at him—and hit her full-on in the face as the umbrella popped open with surprising force.
Next time on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
“Have we met before?” The words slipped out before he knew it.
She looked up at him, still taking small sips from her straw like drinking coffee was serious work for her rather than a leisurely activity. She finally swallowed and responded with, “Are you trying to hit on me again?”
*AUTHOR’S NOTE*
A friendly reminder that my second story, Forget-Me-Not, will premiere this Wednesday! Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the first episode.