✏️How to Write a K-Drama: Chapter Nineteen
Dinner with drinks. 🍻
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“That’s my money,” he repeated.
“You should think more highly of yourself, then.”
Meanwhile, Madame Do was busy screaming at the server who had finally arrived with the water and insisted they did not have kimchi at a hotel cafe.
Da Young eyed Jae Woon as the two walked to a restaurant for a quick dinner. He seemed like his normal self again, despite the strange encounter with his mother, who was not what she had expected. Even during their modeling days, she had rarely encountered Madame Do—although she had heard rumors. Jae Woon seemed okay, but when she turned her attention to Jo Suk, who looked more haggard and worried, she couldn't help but feel maybe Jae Woon wasn’t okay, after all.
Her phone suddenly rang. Without thinking, she picked it up. Her concern for Jae Woon immediately flew out the window as a voice screamed, “ARE YOU ALIVE? IF YOU’RE A MURDERER AND YOU MURDERED MY FRIEND I WILL FIND YOU AND KILL YOU.”
“I’m okay Yul Hee! I’m fine! This is Da–” Da Young froze. “The very friend you would kill for, thank you very much.”
“YOU DIDN’T EVEN READ MY MESSAGES. I WAS GETTING VERY WORRIED.”
“Weren’t you at a shoot?”
“Yeah, I sent you some messages during a break only to wrap up the shoot and still see not a single response from you. I thought you were a goner.”
“It’s fine. It turned out to be Jae Woon’s mother.”
“What?” she said in a high-pitched sing-songy way that made Jo Suk snort. “That does sound dangerous. I’ll need all the deets.”
“I’m with Jae Woon right now. We’re going to grab dinner. Want to join?”
“How dare you torture an actress on her diet? Where should I meet you? Am I third-wheeling? Is Jae Woon not on a diet? What are we eating? I mean you. And Jae Woon. If he’s eating. That traitor,” and on and on Yul Hee went as usual. Jae Woon couldn’t hear everything but was starting to look as tired as Jo Suk.
Da Young texted her the location and they walked into one of those local barbecue places that looked like a sketchy basement with steel drums as seats around a circular metal table.
“Are you on a diet?” asked Da Young as she sat.
Jae Woon shook his head. “I’m actually trying to buff up a bit, so I can eat,” he murmured. Jo Suk sat next to him and started to hand out the silverware. After they made their order, he started grilling the meat dutifully. It was dim and relatively empty in the restaurant. The few people who were there were already drunk.
That reminded Da Young. “Auntie! Can we get some soju?”
“I don’t know about drinking, though,” Jae Woon murmured.
“You weak?”
He flinched. “I can drink. Doesn’t mean I should. My face will puff up!”
“And this meat won’t do the same?” She dangled a piece of samgyupsal in front of his face. Before she could pull it away, he bit it, not letting go of her chopsticks. She tried to pull back her chopsticks, but he wouldn’t let go, glaring at her.
Why is he being so immature, Jo Suk thought in exasperation.
“Uh…am I interrupting something? Should I go?”
They turned to see Yul Hee standing there in an oversized hoodie. Despite her question, she flounced over and sat down next to Da Young.
“That’s one thing couples do on a barbecue date, but you should also wrap one up properly for him,” said Yul Hee, popping a piece of meat into her mouth.
“Aren’t you on a diet?” asked Da Young, finally having gotten her chopsticks back. She started preparing a wrap for Jae Woon.
“Did you order soju?”
Right then, the server came with a few bottles, and Yul Hee’s eyes lit up. She filled up their cups while Da Young tried to feed Jae Woon the wrap like an airplane. He stared at her, not even attempting to try to catch the plane with his mouth. Finally, she handed over the wrap, and he plopped it in his mouth with a sigh—before almost coughing it back up. She had put in a mountain of garlic and a super spicy pepper.
His eyes were tearing up. He grabbed his cup and quickly tossed back the water to extinguish the fire—only it wasn’t water. Yul Hee had poured the soju into his large water cup instead of the tiny shot glass. The pain intensified. He ended up spitting the food into Jo Suk’s hands.
“Happy to serve,” Jo Suk said monotonously, then stood up to go to the bathroom to throw out the half-chewed food and wash his hands for ten minutes.
“You could’ve killed me,” gasped Jae Woon. His eyes finally dried up and he could breathe normally. He stared ahead.
They were drunk.
Why ask me if I’m weak when you so obviously are, he thought, thoroughly unimpressed.
Yul Hee, in fact, was not drunk. It would take about ten soju bottles to get her properly hammered. She, however, was happily buzzed and exaggerating the effects for the sake of her friend, who was indeed a lightweight. Plus, Da Young had a bad habit when she was drunk, and Yul Hee liked to act drunk herself to cover up for her friend—and it was just more fun that way.
“Jae Woon!” cooed Da Young. He glanced at her suspiciously as he chewed a wrap he made himself this time—void of any garlic or peppers. She giggled like a schoolgirl. Scary.
“What?” he mumbled, still chewing. Jo Suk wasn’t back yet.
“I like you!” she exclaimed. He almost spat out his food once again.
“Who doesn’t like you, Jae Woon?” slipped in Yul Hee smoothly. “Sure, why not? I like you, too, Jae Woon! Yay. Let’s make it a harem drama.”
He choked on his food now as he struggled to quickly swallow it. It was becoming very apparent to him that it was highly dangerous eating with these two—even being around them together was proving to be a shock to his system. Would he survive working with them on set for months?
“No, I really like you!” sang Da Young. By this point, Jo Suk had finally returned, and it was a strange scene he had stumbled upon. Even the delicious smell of barbecued meat was doing nothing to whet his appetite. He just wanted to go home.
“Okay, okay,” Jae Woon said, nodding as he took a sip of soju. Jo Suk plopped down on the seat next to him.
“Jo Suk!” exclaimed Da Young like an excited teen. “I like you, too!” She started shooting Jo Suk finger hearts.
Jae Woon slammed his shot glass down. This wouldn’t do. Where were his finger hearts?
“I think we found her drinking habit,” murmured Jae Woon to Jo Suk, who politely returned the finger hearts but stopped when Jae Woon glared at him.
“We like both of you,” sang Yul Hee. “Oh, hey, you, too, Won Joo!”
They all turned to look at the door where a shocked Won Joo stood. He had been trying to back out before they saw him.
“Do you live in this neighborhood?” Yul Hee slurred her words ever so slightly.
Da Young stumbled over to Won Joo and bowed. “Thank you for being in my drama.”
“Thank you for casting me,” Won Joo replied automatically, bowing back. She bowed again. They kept exchanging bows in a competition of politeness.
“No, really, thank you.” Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his torso and squeezed him, almost as if to stop him from bowing again. Then finally, she proclaimed the words he had never gotten to hear thus far:
“I like you!”
Next week on 🌟How to Write a K-Drama🌟
Won Joo turned tomato red. What did that mean? She wanted to be alone in the car with him? Was she taking him home? Was this a “have ramyun at my place” situation?