Part 13

Sung-hyun arrived at the set’s parking lot in no time. It had been just three hours since he had left this place.

He had just seen her, but her image still flickered before his eyes.

“Sigh.”

He sighed and turned off the ignition.

He had planned to just watch her shoot for a moment.

After meeting with Jo Myeong-hye, Sung-hyun’s feelings towards Seowoo became clearer.

He felt sorry for her, for what she must have endured under such a mother-in-law. His heart aches for her.

At first, he was just a little curious because he was close to his ideal type.

That’s why he wanted to get closer to Yoon Seowoo. His feelings, which kept getting in the way, were confusing, but now he understood.

Sung-hyun got out of the car and immediately started walking.

“…Huh?”

That’s when his gaze landed on a particular sight.

It was a very dark night, but he recognized the silhouette from afar, and his eyes narrowed.

“Seowoo…”

Just as he was about to wave, Seowoo hurried towards a car. Sung-hyun walked slowly, observing her intently.

Seowoo hopped into the passenger seat, and Sung-hyun’s gaze slowly shifted to the driver’s seat.

“…”

Sung-hyun’s mouth twisted coldly at the unexpected identity of the man. Through the windshield, he could see the two of them all too clearly. 

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

‘That’s why I’m looking for someone. I want to just sever this vexing bad relationship myself.’

The words he had heard from Myeong-hye earlier flashed through his mind.

Are they meeting again?

Just as Myeong-hye had investigated me, if she was also having Seowoo followed…

Myeong-hye must have known that Seowoo was seeing her son again. That’s why she made that proposal to me today.

Contemplating, he picked up his phone and made a call. The dial tone played. Seowoo checked the screen and then set the phone back down.

“Sigh.”

It was a rejection.

Maybe she felt awkward answering the call with Jiwook beside her.

Though her expression was still slightly sullen, it felt like their relationship had become considerably more harmonious than before.

Sung-hyun silently watched them for a moment, then got into his car and quickly left the area.

***

“You look tired.”

Jiwook reached out and lightly grasped her chin, examining her face.  After a full day of filming, Seowoo’s expression seemed more haggard than usual.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

Feeling embarrassed by his direct gaze while holding her chin, Seowoo grabbed his wrist and nodded, pulling his hand down.

She had rushed here too hastily. As soon as she received the call, she came straight here.

She didn’t have any other thoughts.

Simply because he said he was here, her body had moved on its own, without her realizing it.

As she came to her senses, she felt a bit of regret.

“But why are you here?”

“I told you. I came because I missed you.”

“……”

She still found it hard to adapt to his responses.

He had never once said he came because he “missed her.” 

The unfamiliar emotion was so strong it made her heartache.  Embarrassed, Seowoo looked down, fiddling with her hands resting on her lap. 

Then, Jiwook reached out and gently took her hands in his, causing her pupils to quiver from the sudden gesture.

“I was heading home, and I started thinking of you. So I came straight here.”

“What if I hadn’t been here?”

“Then I’d just go back.”

There were two locations for the set, so it was possible she might not have been at this one. Apart from the times he casually dropped by the shooting site to mingle with her, this was the first time he had come simply because he missed her.

“When do you finish?”

“Well, I’m not sure exactly… maybe around 2 or 3 AM.”

“Should I wait?”

“No. I don’t know when it will end.”

Seowoo shook her head vigorously, surprised by his offer. 

It was absurd to think that the busy Kwon Jiwook would wait until the end of her shoot. Just the thought of him waiting outside for the entire shoot was overwhelming.

Jiwook chuckled lightly as he watched her.

“When will you ever have some free time?”

He knew well that she was busy with the ongoing shooting.

But now that she seemed to be opening up a little, he couldn’t help but wish he could live in the same house with her. If only they could see each other every day and fall asleep together every night. He couldn’t help but feel greedy.

He felt confident that he could do everything right without any mistakes again.

Jiwook tilted his head and leaned in a little closer, and Seowoo rolled her eyes in panic.

“Why…!”

Just as she was about to ask, Jiwook leaned in and lightly kissed her.

“What if someone sees?”

“They’ll probably think we’re seeing each other again.”

“….”

“And that’s exactly what I intend.”

His voice was resolute. His eyes were more serious than ever. Facing him so close, she didn’t know how to respond.

Jiwook’s gaze, which had been intently looking into her eyes, slowly moved down to her red lips. 

Feeling an inexplicable anxiety, Seowoo placed her hand on his shoulder, but Jiwook quickly deepened the kiss.

“……!”

His tongue entered her mouth swiftly, disrupting her breathing.

She tried to push him away by the shoulders, but it was futile. He lightly gripped her hand and wrapped it around his neck, then caressed her pale cheek.

“Ah…”

A moan escaped her lips involuntarily as the wet sounds echoed in her ears, bringing heat to her face.

It felt as if her brain melted away with just one kiss. He sucked and bit her tongue gently, deepening the kiss and letting his saliva mix with hers.

“Mmm, mmm!”

They had kissed countless times yesterday.

Each time, his kisses were tantalizing.

Perhaps because they always kissed before s*x, it seemed like a habit ingrained in her body, always anticipating the next move. Startled by her own reactions, Seowoo hastily cleared her thoughts.

“……ha.”

As soon as he released her lips, Seowoo gasped for air. Jiwook’s smile deepened as he watched her breathing heavily with her eyes closed.

“I’m going crazy.”

His tight voice drifted across their bodies. Seowoo lifted her tightly closed eyelids.

Unlike her, who was gasping for air, he was completely composed.

“I don’t want to let you go, what should I do?”

Ah…

It was an embarrassingly sweet confession. She wasn’t sure if she ever felt this fluttery since they started seeing each other.

It was as if her heart started racing as if she were in a relationship for the first time.

“Time, it’s almost time.”

Seowoo said, looking down.

She didn’t even look at her watch; they didn’t have much time from the start. But the mere thought of someone passing by and seeing them was dizzying.

With a light touch, their lips met and then separated again.

Jiwook spoke with a look of reluctance.

“Call me when you get home.”

Seowoo nodded as if enchanted.

It had been a brief, sweet encounter.

***

“Did you get home okay yesterday?”

“Yes.”

At Sung-hyun’s question, Seowoo nodded and smiled. After all the shootings ended yesterday, and she got home, Seowoo had been deep in thought holding her phone.

‘Call me when you get home.’

It was because of his words. It was almost 4 AM, and as she was about to go to sleep, her phone vibrated briefly.

After a short vibration, Seowoo picked up her phone and checked her texts.

[Are you still shooting?]

She couldn’t believe he was still awake. As soon as she texted back that she was home, he called right away. A muffled voice came on the other end. His voice was heavy with concern.

“Weren’t you sleeping?”

• Not yet. I was waiting for you to get home so I could sleep.

“It’s already 4 am…”

She was surprised. 

What was he waiting for…….

As she hesitated, lips twitching, Jiwook spoke again.

• So, you made it home okay.

“Yes.”

• Good to hear you’re safe. You must be tired. Get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow.

“…”

• Sleep well. I’ll hang up.”

It was a short call but after it, Seowoo couldn’t sleep for a long while.

“Hey, Seowoo.”

“Yes?”

“What are you thinking about?”

Sung-hyun waved his hand in front of her eyes, and her pupils finally came back into focus. Seowoo looked up at him, smiling awkwardly.

“It’s nothing!”

“It’s too bad we’re almost done shooting.”

The shooting was nearing its end. The ratings were hitting new highs each week, sailing smoothly. 

It was an undeniably good situation. Thanks to the early start of the filming, they were soon facing the last shoot.

“Yeah. It’s happening so fast.”

Just as they were getting to know each other and feeling comfortable, it was already ending. Seowoo’s face also showed a trace of regret. Sung-hyun looked at her thoughtfully before carefully starting a conversation.

“There’s no filming tomorrow evening. Let’s go out for dinner together.”

He smiled, the corners of his mouth curling upward.