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Jang Hui-Soo is celebrity.
She debuted during her early teens as a child star. An agent discovered her acting in a theater and it seems that her beauty coupled with her talent; a vision was seen in her. A vision of a great actress that will soon be a hit among the mass. Given that her mother died during her childhood and her father forcing to work day and night with countless jobs that she could no longer remember anymore, she had to step up for her family.
Ever since, she has received various awards and became the main lead in various hit dramas and films. The name Jang Hui-Soo became a household name because everyone knew her. She achieved her goal of having a comfortable life with her father who seemed to be happy having his own café over in Jeju Island with a helper that became a part of their family that she calls as uncle. She should be happy now that her dream is fulfilled but recently, she has been feeling sad almost melancholic.
With the fame, money and success in the palm of her hands, came the scrutiny of the public with all her actions. Sure, everybody loves Jang Hui-Soo but it feels as though, she is stuck in a bubble or a glass cage that everyone can freely comment or see. Being a celebrity feels like an animal in a zoo cage for Hui-Soo. Even her supposed friends became strangers to her as she learned that they are the ones who shared private information to the media. Her trust completely broken and irredeemable to everyone outside her family.
Plus, the demands of every clients that wanted her to promote their products or the hectic schedule of every shows and movies, made her want to just run away and be alone. It almost as if she is a well of water that became dry after all these years. She is a nice person but now, it has been difficult to be nice especially if you as a person lacked the inspiration to continue doing well. She wanted to do nothing with everyone but given that she still needs to work as an actress, she must do it.
Everything changed when she met that person.
At 26 years old, Jang Hui-Soo was filming a drama wherein she stars as teenager with powers in a High School set up. After hours of filming a scene of her running in the field, she became tired and wanted to escape. So, she hid in a small janitor’s closet just to rest. It was just a few minutes but eventually, she know that someone would find her here but at least, she could rest.
Inside the closet, she curled up as she hugged her legs just to rest. She could hear everyone outside trying to find her. She could not help but smirk because she is just tired and wanted some rest and alone time for herself.
“Where is she?” A girl asked, probably her manager. “Try and find her because she needs to do another round of running for her scene. If you find her, I’ll reward you.”
Another voice was heard outside of the closet, “Alright, I’ll try to find her.”
“Try the closet”
Hui-Soo cursed as she finally realized that she will be seen by the staff and her temporary break will be ruined. She will have to go back and run like hell for her scene. A wish to be in Jeju Island with her father entered her mind.
It became sort of a shock when the door opened so abruptly. She saw a man probably one of the staffs looking at her. He had messy hair and wore a green sweater with blue wide jeans. At first, she just simply stared at him which he returned with an intense gaze as if thinking about something. She was sure that he would tell her manager about her being here.
Then out of nowhere, he screamed, “She’s not here!”. He gave her a smile and closed the door.
It was their first interaction that she could recall. She wondered why he lied and told no one of her exact location. He would have been rewarded well by her manager if he just told them about her. However, he did not. It troubled her mind of the reason why he lied for her.
Ever since that incident, she has been taking notice of him. Every day, she worked on set and he would see him bring coffee at everyone who ordered. It seems that he was the errand boy on set and whatever demand of the director or producer, he would try and help them. Studying him became a hobby whenever she has free time on set. It seems that everyone thinks that he is the nice and clumsy guy at work and some of them even teased him for being so clumsy.
There was an incident wherein he tripped on a wire in the set and almost dropped a box of props on his arms but with his fast reflexes, he was able to not fall on the ground. However, everybody even the director saw it and laughed at him. His only response was to apologize for his clumsiness and gave everyone a smile, as if telling everyone that he is alright. However, she noticed a small flash of sadness in his eyes when everyone finally moved on from his small incident. She continued looking at him as he sighed by himself on the edge of the set. The moment a coworker of them walked towards him, his smile was once there.
Another incident that caught her eyes was when the man made a mistake on set for bringing his coffee that is already warm instead of hot. The angry producer scolded him in front of everyone. In response, he just apologized and bowed at the man to pacify him. Hui-Soo could no longer contain the anger inside her as he watched the man call him stupid and slow for bringing his coffee that was supposed to be hot too late. In the end, the man that saved her just told the angry producer that he’ll go ahead and run towards the nearest coffee place to get his drink and it will come from his own pocket. He said this with a smile on his face.
Jang Hui-Soo realized that even though he was just a staff in the set, he is also an actor for fooling everyone that everything is alright with him, and he is the type of person who just laughs or smiles at every problem. In his own way, the man was the same as her, acting through their own true feelings.
Acting through the pain…
The man continued greeting everyone with a smile and tell them either ‘good morning’ or ‘good day’ every time he sees someone. There was even a moment of him greeting her a ‘good morning’ because he caught her staring at him which led him to look away and walk far from him. It might have looked rude, but her heartbeat was faster than normal, and she just wanted to run away from him.
There was one evening that it was pretty much raining and her eyes caught him wearing a big yellow jacket as he smiled and brought everyone an umbrella for the set, she could not help but smile as he looked silly in that yellow jacket. His walk was also cartoon like and one of the producers even commented that he looked like a penguin walking with those umbrellas. Everyone laughed and she did as well.
It was as if he heard her laugh as he stared at her and gave her a smile and a waive. Her heart began to beat faster than normal again so she walked away into her trailer. It was silly that every time he looks at her, she would run away from him; almost shy like which is totally out of character for her. Even now, she did not know his name.
Out of curiosity, she asked her manager what was his name.
“Ahh him?” Manager Mihyun pointed out towards the smiling man, “I heard his name is Kim Bong-Seok.”
“Kim Bong-Seok” Hui-Soo repeated his name, pleased that she finally has a name for the person that let her go last time, “What is his job?”
“He’s a part timer from what I know. Why? Do you want him to bring you coffee?”
After a few seconds of thinking, she decided that she wants to get to know him. Therefore, she nodded.
“I’ll talk to him for you. The same order as usual, right?” Her manager was about to leave but she stopped her.
“No need. I can go ahead and tell him.” She said, “Can you just bring him here?”. It was totally out of character for her to be the one to tell someone out of her staff to do something since she always let her manager do the talking with outsiders. This is probably the reason why her manager looked at her funny at first, but she eventually did and asked for Kim Bong-Seok to enter her personal tent.
Her heart began to beat faster than normal as she saw Kim Bong-Seok talking with her manager away from her tent. He nodded like a high school student which made her want to smile but instead, she pursed her lips. Finally, she saw him walking towards her tent. With a calm face and brave bravado, she turned her chair to face him.
“Hello!” Bong-Seok greeted her with a smile, “I was informed that you wanted to ask something for me.”
“I---I wanted some coffee” Hui-Soo replied, “Will you be able to help me?”
“Sure!” Bong-Seok smiled that made her almost dazed, “What do you like?”
“I want Barista Coffee. It’s my favorite.” she answered which made her manager look at her funny because it was her signature drink. It was questionable why she wanted to have an excuse to talk to him even if her manager could just easily tell the staff about her drink.
“Alright” Bong-Seok nodded, almost happy about this task.
“By the way, I do not know your name” Hui-Soo asked, “I don’t want to be rude.”. A lie, she knew his name already, but it would be weird if she suddenly knows his name without even having a formal introduction.
“Ahh my name?” Bong-Seok shyly asked, “My name is Kim Bong – Seok”.
“Bong-Seok” She smiled, “Nice to meet you.”
That was the start of their friendship. Every day during set, he would bring her a Barista Coffee with a smile on his face. She would always thank him for bringing her coffee. It was just a simple coffee and no one speculated something especially since everyone knew she likes to drink coffee while working. Then, out of nowhere, her Barista Coffee started to have attached post it with comments such as ‘You are doing a great job!’, ‘Amazing job as always, Hui-Soo!’, ‘Goddess Hui-Soo, fighting!’ and many more that made her heart skip a beat and energize her. She knew it was him adding notes for her since the café would never do something so sweet for a customer. Plus, she could see the grin in his face every he brings her coffee to her tent or trailer.
As a selfish person, Jang Hui-Soo wanted more than that.
So she asked the help of her manager to bring Kim Bong-Seok a coffee with a note just like what he does to her. In the note that she personally wrote, if she could have his number. It must have been daring and brave for her to do that but she really wanted to get to know him or at least know why he helped her before.
As of the moment, she silently sat on her big sofa in her penthouse apartment. In her hand is the same note that she used to get his number and on the back was his number. She released a sigh as she dialed up the number and finally called him.
“Hello?” A voice called out on the other line.
“He-Hello? Is this Kim Bong-Seok?” She asked.
“Yes. May I ask who is this?”
“Jang Hui-Soo” She answered.
“JANG HUI-SOO!?” Bong-Seok exclaimed as if he could not believe that it was her, “Hui-Soo, may I ask why you--- called me? Do you need something?”
Hui-Soo began to feel panic as she needs to think of something. It is truly weird for her to call him outside of work. It is a Friday night after all and she has no business to even call him.
“I---I just wanted to ask if you could buy me something. If that is possible.” She lied and it was a lame excuse. She has a personal manager why does she have to ask him like that.
“Sure!” Bong-Seok agreed, “What do you need?”.
Then the next question would be what item. Out of nowhere, she responded, “Coffee! Yeah. Coffee would be great. Can you bring it here in my apartment?”
“Your apartment?” Bong-Seok’s voice filled with disbelief.
“Yeah” Hui-Soo replied, “You don’t want to? I guess I could just ----”
“No! I want to bring you coffee” Hui-Soo smiled as she heard him say it, “Just text me your address and I’ll be there in a bit, alright.”
“Okay” Hui-Soo nodded. She could feel her heart beating really fast in her chest. “See you later?”
“Alright. See you, Hui-Soo”
It was set. In a few moments, Kim Bong-Seok will drop by to her home with her coffee in hand. She could finally talk to him in private and no longer care about the prying eyes of the public. Seeing that a celebrity like her would even meet a guy in the middle of the night, of course everyone will be curious. Her heart, still beating faster than normal, she could not help but squeal in nervousness as she laid down her head in her cream sofa.
“He should be here in a while.” She talks to herself, “Oh no, what must I do? I need to at least look presentable”. She looked at her pajama clothes and blushed that it is too much for him to see her in this type of clothing. In a while, she ran towards her room to change to at least casual clothing.
After a few minutes, she sat on her sofa with a casual clothing. The moment the doorbell rang, she zoomed into the hallway to check the stranger that rang it. A smile began to form on her face the moment she saw his face in the monitor screen. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants with a brown bag on his left hand and the coffee on his right hand.
Pushing a button to let him in, She calmed her heart as the door finally opened to let Bong-Seok enter her apartment. The moment he looked at her, he smiled as if he was truly happy to see her.
“Good evening! I have your coffee.” Bong-Seok greeted her. “I brought you something here as well.”
Hui-Soo smiled and gestured him to enter her apartment, “Hello! Thank you so much. Please come inside.”.
Later on, Bong-Seok is now in her apartment. He looked like a kid in a museum as he looked at her home. Hui-Soo liked paintings and there were indeed a lot of paintings in her home.
“You have a beautiful home, Hui-Soo” Bong-Seok commented.
“Thank you!” Hui-Soo replied, “Come seat with me here in the living room.”
After a while, Hui-Soo and Bong-Seok sat in the sofa alone. It was a bit awkward since no one was talking given that in a regular set up, this should not happen. She should not have disturbed him for as simple as coffee but she did. He is not even her manager.
“Here is your coffee” Bong-Seok smiled as he stood up and gave her the coffee drink with a pink note. She smiled the moment she read his hand writing, ‘Always feel free to reach out to me if you need something, Beautiful Jang Hui-Soo. Fighting!’.
She looked at Bong-Seok who is blushing at what he just wrote, “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you so much!”
Bong-Seok nodded, “I’ve also brought you something.”. He gestured the brown paper bag that he brought and he grabbed the item inside it, revealing a box of tea for her, “I love bringing you coffee but when it is late, I would like to recommend to drink tea instead. I am just thinking about… about your health. I’ve heard that it is bad to drink coffee during the night. Besides, drinking tea in the evening promotes healthy sleep so I wanted you to have them but if you ever need anything else, I promise that I’ll run as fast as I can to bring it to you”
Hui-Soo could not help but chuckle, “I believe you. You’re sweet by the way, Bong-Seok. Thank you so much for the tea.”.
Bong-Seok blushed “You are welcome.”
“Can I ask you something?” Hui-Soo asked.
He nodded intently, listening to her.
“Do you remember the time I hid myself in the closet before?”
Bong-Seok was lost in a deep though at first but eventually nodded as he recalled seeing her hiding from everyone during work.
“Can I ask why you lied to everyone for seeing me?” Hui-Soo finally asked the big question.
“I kind of understood why you left.” He finally explained, “I saw you hiding because I can see that you needed time for yourself. You’ve always been hardworking actress ever since you debuted which I followed ever since before and as an actress, it does mean that you are still human so therefore, I thought about how it must be tiring to always be on demand. I lied because I knew that you need time to recharge since it must have been tiring to be the goddess that we look in to every day.”
Hui-Soo felt her heart beat faster and could no longer decipher if it was palpitating because of the coffee she drank or the fact that his words seemed to penetrate her heart. It was frightening yet exhilarating experience. However, he did say something that intrigued her.
“You have been following me since my debut?”
It was Bong-Seok’s turn to blush as he nodded, “I did. I went to your first fan meeting back on your first year staring in a drama about teenagers. I could still remember the way you asked for my name.”
Bong-Seok recalled how he thought that the actress was indeed beautiful and he asked for her signature way back then. During that time, he was still quite chubby for being a highschool student at that time. He asked for her autograph during the fansign.
“Kim Bong-Seok, That’s it.” He replied.
Hui-Soo smiled, “Alright. Kim Bong-Seok.”. Then she did something that for the first time ever made his heart beat faster than normal. She called him tenderly and lovingly, “Bong-Seok ah”.
Ever since then, Kim Bong-Seok has been a fan of Jang Hui-Soo and promised to himself that he will do his best to be part of the film industry so he will be able to work with the beautiful goddess. If he was honest, he was just a fan but now that there are a lot of moments between the two of them, he began to notice her not just being a fan but as a woman. He is falling for her not because of her beauty alone but he could see a lovely person in her.
Meanwhile, Hui-Soo could not help but blush red at his honesty.
“Would you like a photo of us together since you’ve been a fan of me for quite a long time now?” Hui-Soo asked. If she was honest, she also wanted to have a picture with him.
“Really!” Bong-Seok asked filled with happiness, “That would be an honor! Thank you so much!.”
Hui-Soo nodded as she gestured him to sit beside her so they could take a selfie together. It must have been the coffee but her heart is beating really fast as she saw him stand up and sat beside her. She felt his elbow brush on hers and it made the back of her neck stand up.
Bong-Seok took his phone out and opened the camera for them to take a picture. After a while, they finally took several pictures. Both of them made heart poses and she swore, they look like a couple in the photos that they took.
The night ended with him finally leaving but he reminded her that if every she needs him, he will always run towards her no matter what. Hui-Soo chuckle at imagining him running the way he does towards her home.
Ever since that night, Bong-Seok came into her apartment whenever she asks him to come. At first it was just some food that she craved like food from convenience stores then they would watch a movie in the living room. As a celebrity, she could no longer go out on her own without the mass running after her for a picture. She made that as an excuse to see him. They ate whatever she liked. During the day at work, they gestured each other like it was normal. They did not talk but they were looking at each other but blush away if one would notice the other one looking. He always brought her coffee with notes and now, in return, she would bring him a piece of chocolate with a note that says ‘Bong-Seok, fighting!’ or even ‘The lovely Hui-Soo wishes you well’ and many other more. They were exchanging notes discreetly which no one noticed except for one person.
Manager Mihyun noticed this and finally questioned her about their relationship. She replied that they are just friends. She knew that her manager did not believe her for this, but it is what it is. They are friends who see each other at work and in the evening to eat in her apartment.
Nowadays, Hui-Soo wanted to thank Bong-Seok for grabbing whatever food she wanted so in return, she cooked for him which ended terribly because she somehow burned the fried chicken and made the japchae soggy. When Bong-Seok came, he ate everything which surprised her.
When she asked how was it, he replied “The taste is interesting but since you cooked for me, I will eat all of this. Jang Hui-Soo cooked for me and I will never turn this down.”
She blushed but appreciated his honesty because she was not a good cook however, seeing him eat everything that she cooked, made her heart melt.
There was also an instance that he cooked for her and for the first time since she was a kid, she enjoyed eating homecooked food. Her mother died when she was you but her father is a lousy cook so when Bong-Seok cooked for her, she ate it with no hesitation because it was so tasty.
“You are an amazing cook, Bong-Seok. Wow!” She smiled as she took a bite of the Donkatsu he made.
“I’m glad that you liked my cooking” Bong-Seok smiled as he sat on the other side of the table, happy to see her eat.
“I could eat this forever. Can you be my cook starting today?” She asked excited.
“Yes, I’ll be your cook forever if you want.”
They both blushed at realizing their conversation. It seems as though that they were in a relationship and she wanted him to cook for them forever as they lived their happy life her in this apartment.
“I mean.. If you want for me to cook for you, you may call me” Bong-Seok commented, blushing really hard. He took a bite of his food and almost choked which ended up with them laughing.
The shooting for the drama is 50% finished and it was the time for a love scene between Jang Hui-Soo and the main lead. However, the main lead is running late so the director wanted to test the camera angles and how the Hui-Soo could say her lines.
“You!” The director asked Bong-Seok who seemed to be watching at Hui-Soo on the side with a smile on his face, “Can you replace the actor for a moment?”
“Me?” Bong-Seok pointed at himself.
“Yeah. Just for a while, alright?”
Bong-Seok nodded and eventually, he was asked to change his clothes like the main lead. Hui-Soo looked at Bong-Seok in the regular student’s clothes like she was playing. He seemed perfect for the role as well as he looked handsome. She wondered what he looked like during his high school years.
“Stand over there” a producer asked Bong-Seok to stand on the side to face Hui-Soo is now blushing given that this is a scene that she must confess his love for the main lead which means she must say these bottled up feelings to Bong-Seok who is confused when he was handed a piece of paper with the lines.
The director asked them to stand closer while looking at the camera. Hui-Soo’s heart was beating so fast when she and Bong-Seok stood closer to one another. It was the most closest moment that they had ever since they started being friends.
“Bong-Seok can you grab her waist?” The director asked, looking at them in the screen.
“What?” Bong-Seok asked, almost in disbelief that this is happening.
“My waist.” Hui-Soo told him. She wanted to remain professional but how can she do that if her heart is beating faster because of him.
He nodded and eventually grabbed her waist. A whimper escaped her lips but thankfully, Bong-Seok was not able to hear it. She noticed that his hold on her waist is almost awkward so she corrected it and said, “Like this. Think of me as the main lead. You… you are in love with me and you wanted to kiss me but you know it is prohibited.”
“I—I do?”
Hui-Soo nodded, “Most of the lines will come from me but you must think like the main lead. Alright?”
“Alright.”
Soon after, the director asked them to play the scene. Bong-Seok’s line was the first and it was awkward which made her want to chuckle but given that they are at work. She must remain professional.
“Why do you keep doing this if you know what will happen if they found out about us.” Bong-Seok said while reading his lines.
Hui-Soo finally internalized the scene and used her pent up feelings for this man, “It’s not about the consequences of my feeling towards you anymore but I can no longer help it. I--- I want to be able to talk to you whenever I want to.”
It was the truth, she wanted to be able to talk to him and spend time to him during work.
“I want to hold your hand whenever I want to.”
Moments of her wishing that she could really hold his hand, came rushing into her mind.
“I want to be proud of our relationship to everyone that I know.”
She looked in to his eyes as she said her lines, wishing that he could read that she is also feeling the same way like the lead towards the male lead.
“I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want to. Is that so hard to ask? I needed you ever since we met. I--- I could no longer stop my feelings from blossoming because if I did, then you are already asking me to not be real with myself.”
She could see Bong-Seok’s eyes starting to look at her and wondered if he could finally see that what she was talking about is the same thing that she wanted to tell him.
“I am in love with you” Hui-Soo finally said, almost crying, “I love you like a fool that I am.”
“Then grab his shirt!” The director said which Hui-Soo eventually did. Grabbing it to make him closer to her as she knew what will happen next.
“Bong-Seok, please lean in for a kiss” The director asked.
Hui-Soo could feel her heart beating rapidly and saw Bong-Seok’s shock.
“I need to do what?” He whispered.
“Kiss me” Hui-Soo replied back, “You need to kiss me.”
“Oh—Right.” Bong-Seok nodded and like a man with a single mission, he leaned in very slowly as Hui-Soo finally closed her eyes, excited to finally be able to kiss the man she likes.
However, it never came. Inches prior their lips touch, the director said ‘Cut! Perfect!’.
Bong-Seok stopped from leaning in and Hui-Soo opened her eyes and finally looked at Bong-Seok.
She was the one who pushed away gently, saddened because the kiss that she wanted to do did not materialize. Looking around, every staff was looking at the both of them in the middle. She saw one staff crying as they eventually clapped at the practice scene.
“That was great, Hui-Soo!” One staff said, “Amazing actress as always.”
“Bong-Seok is so lucky”
“I felt her feelings even from here. It was so realistic!”
Eventually, the male lead came with a box of food for everyone. He seemed apologetic enough because he was late. The food that he brought made everyone forget about the performance earlier but Hui-Soo and Bong-Seok remained on their places, looking at one another.
“You did well” Hui-Soo shyly said.
“Thank you. You did so good, Hui-Soo” Bong-Seok said, his eyes seemed hiding an emotion she could not decipher, “I guess.. I better return these clothes for the lead to wear later for your scene.”
“Are you okay?” She asked.
Bong-Seok did not reply at first but he said, “A bit disappointed actually.”
Hui-Soo’s heart began to beat faster again at his response. She wanted to know if he felt the same as her, “Why?”.
“I guess---- It doesn’t matter.” Bong-Seok smiled at her, “I better get going. I don’t want to keep the director waiting. See you later?”
“Alright” Hui-Soo nodded but she felt saddened because Bong-Seok did not answer her question. She wanted to know why he felt disappointed. Later, she saw him run towards the dressing room to return the clothes he wore.
When the scene started with the real actor, Hui-Soo swore she saw Bong-Seok standing on the corner looking saddened and eventually left the area. She could not help but wonder the reason why.
So, she asked him to come and drop by to her apartment once more. He dropped by with some chips for the evening but she noticed that his smile is not the same as before. As they watched the film in her sofa with no lights except the TV. Both of them sat on both edges of the long couch. It seemed as though they were having a quiet fight which frustrated Hui-Soo. No one was talking as they watched the show so she decided to finally question him.
Hui-Soo picked the remote and paused the film. This made Bong-Seok look at her in confusion.
“What is it?” She asked.
“What is what?” Bong-Seok asked her, turning his head towards her direction.
“Are you angry at me? I could feel that there is something wrong.”
“I am not angry at you” he turned his gaze away from her, as if hiding something.
“Is it because of the scene earlier?” She asked him.
Bong-Seok nodded, “I’ve been thinking about it since this morning and I think that I could… I could no longer be your friend anymore, Hui-Soo.”.
Pain hit her like a truck; so sudden and terrible. “Why? Did I do something wrong?”
“It’s not you” Bong-Seok said, “I’m the problem. I’m… starting to be greedy.”
His answer confused her.
“I realized how I am a greedy person, Hui-Soo.” Bong-Seok added, “I can’t be your friend anymore because I wanted to become more than that. If we continued our friendship, it would feel as though I am using it as a way to be close to you. I realized that this morning when I could no longer deny my feelings towards you.”
She remained silent as he explained his side more.
“I thought at first that my feelings for you were because I admire you as a fan but the more, I get to be close to you, the more I realized that I am falling in love with you and as your friend, you deserve someone that doesn’t see you that way. I don’t want to use our friendship as a way to take advantage of you. If we continued being friends, I know to myself that I’ll become more selfish and want more than I should have.”
Bong-Seok did not dare to look at her in the eyes. He was ashamed of himself for falling so easily to her.
“Then be selfish”
He was shocked when she replied. He looked at her finally and saw her looking at him with the an intense gaze. Confused, he asked, “What? I do not understand.”
“Be selfish.” Hui-Soo said as she slowly moved her seat towards him. “I want you to be selfish and tell me what do you need.”
“What I need?”
Hui-Soo nodded, “What do you need, Bong-Seok?”
No one ever asked him that question ever since before. It was always him, doing things in order to satisfy everyone. Hui-Soo is the first person to ask him what he wants. As a simple man, he only wants one thing in this world.
“I need--- I need you.” He finally confessed, “I like you so much that I practically need you, Hui-Soo.”
Hui-Soo smiled, “I feel the same way. I--- I like you too.”
“You like me?”
She nodded, “Yes and I don’t mind if you take advantage of our friendship just to be close to me. I prefer it to be quite honest.”
Bong-Seok began to move towards her in her couch, “When did it start?”.
Hui-Soo replied, “The day you lied for me and ever since then I--- I have been noticing you.”
“Really?”
She nodded, “Don’t you wondered why I asked for your number and had you brought food here every evening?”.
“I—I thought you were just thirsty or hungry.”
Hui-Soo laughed, “I don’t eat dinner before but ever since I met you, I began to like eating dinner.”
“Really?” Bong-Seok was so close to her and the intimate moment that they had was the same as the previous one earlier where he had to substitute for the main actor.
“Yes” Hui-Soo said as she looked at Bong-Seok who is gazing at first to her eyes and saw him looking at her lips. Her heart began to beat faster than normal while her stomach feels as though thousands of butterflies are flying inside of it. “Do you want to… kiss me?”
Bong-Seok nodded.
“Alright.” Hui-Soo whispered as she finally closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Bong-Seok no longer hesitated to kiss her. He finally leaned in and during this time, no director nor staff longer said cut nor stopped him from doing something that he practically yearned and dreamed for ever since before. The moment his lips touched her soft ones, his mind began to only think about her lips alone. He kissed her with everything that he got. He almost wanted to celebrate the moment he felt her return his kiss.
As the glow of the TV illuminated them in the darkness of her apartment’s living room. Jang Hui-Soo and Kim Bong-Seok finally had their first kiss. A kiss that almost felt as if both of them are floating in mid-air due to happiness.
It has been 3 months since Bong-Seok and Hui-Soo started dating.
The drama is already finished, and it was the night that the director wanted to have a celebration with everyone. For Hui-Soo and Bong-Seok, they did their best to hide their relationship from everyone. Technically, only Manager Mihyun knew the truth alongside their parents. Since the drama stars Hui-Soo in a couple with the male lead, they knew that hiding their relationship is the best option for them. It was not a problem because Bong-Seok was the most understanding person that it was a part of Hui-Soo’s job. Meanwhile, Hui-Soo reassured him always that he is the man that she loves only and everything else is just for her job.
It was during a party that everybody celebrated the success of the drama. The mass loved the plot and it brought Hui-Soo some award nominations for being a good actress once more. It was time for her to say a speech for everyone since the male lead is already done with his a few seconds ago.
Hui-Soo smiled as she stood in front of the stage. Everyone cheered for her name as she did her best to find him among the crowd. She smiled as soon as she sees Kim Bong-Seok on the crowd. She saw him whisper the words, ‘fighting!’.
With the courage she got from his words, she started her speech, “I’d like to thank everyone here for a successful drama. We could not have done this without everyone’s help. All of us here deserve all the success we garnered. The late nights, the early mornings, and the continuous hours for us to share the world this wonderful story. The journey was hard and tiresome but everything is so worth it.”
Everyone clapped at her speech however, she wanted to make a few special mention.
“I’d like to give a special shoutout to the director and writer of this drama. Thank you for all the lessons you gave us for us to deliver our characters. Thank you as well to my fellow co-stars that became my friends as well in real life. Let’s hang out more” She laughed.
However, Jang Hui-Soo was not done yet.
“However, please give me a few seconds here more as I need to thank one last person here among the crowd.”
Everyone was whispering at who she was pertaining. However, Kim Bong-Seok knew the moment she looked at him in the eyes with a smile on her face that it was him.
“I’d like to thank you for being there for me. You encouraged me every day to be better. Even if I was tired, you supported me to make sure that I knew that I could do whatever scene that I need to finish on that day. You cheered me during those long nights. You gave me strength to continue the day in the early mornings and you inspired me to be a better actress. With every little action that you made, know that I will forever be thankful of your existence in my life.” She spoke. Everyone was silent as she looked at him almost teary eyed because she is pouring her feelings for him among the crowd. Even if she is hiding his name.
Kim Bong-Seok gave her a wink as he started to clap for her. The crowd follow suit in clapping but asked one another about the identity of the person she thanked. Only her manager and Bong-Seok knew it however, some saw the way she gazes at Bong-Seok however they remained silent to respect the privacy of the two.
On the day that she was supposed to attend a famous award show, Jang Hui-Soo asked Kim Bong-Seok if he could be there for her as part of her staff which her manager agreed. Bong-Seok happily replied that he will be there on the backstage for her since she is nominated for a Best Actress Award for her recent role.
However, it seems that luck was not on their side because the morning of the award show, Dispatch release an article that a popular actress is seem to be dating someone. Later on, Dispatch revealed a picture of Jang Hui-Soo and Kim Bong-Seok hugging outside of her apartment. They later on realized that it was one of those nights before that Bong-Seok slept on her apartment with her and in the morning, she hugged him to say goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
Her face was clearly seen in the pictures that Dispatch released. If you knew Kim Bong-Seok, you could also identify his face. When Bong-Seok looked at the article, thousands already gave their reply and feedback about it. Some showed support about the couple and some showed unsureness of her future career given the scandal.
“We could always say that I was just bringing you food as you ordered.” Bong-Seok said.
“Then that would mean that I would deny to the world that you are my boyfriend.” Hui-Soo countered. Stressed because this might affect her chances of winning the said award later.
“It doesn’t matter.” Bong-Seok assured her, “What matters is that your career is safe. I don’t mind if you deny me this time.”
Hui-Soo saw him put on a brave smile but deep down, she knew that he would be hurt if she denied their relationship. He was just being understanding as always. Soon after, she agreed that she will do it later but first, she needs to attend the award show. Her manager is already ready to inform the press about his identity tomorrow after the award show.
During the award show, Hui-Soo should be pretty nervous if she will win the said award however, all she could think about is Bong-Seok’s face. He was hurting already that she is being affected by their relationship. All she could think about is him.
“The winner of the best actress for this year is… JANG HUI-SOO!”
Shocked to hear her name, Jang Hui-Soo could not express her happiness as she was thinking about Bong-Seok and her career. As if she was on auto-pilot mode, she walked towards the stage and finally accepted her award.
Just like the speech her manager created, she started to thank her management team, then the director and writer of the drama and lastly, the costars that she was with during the drama. It was supposed to be the end of her speech but her gut feeling wanted her to do something.
Jang Hui-Soo wanted to do something for Kim Bong-Seok. So she took a deep breath and began to talk with her sincere heart.
Meanwhile, Bong-Seok sat on a chair with the rest of Hui-Soo’s staff. Beside him was Manager Mihyun who was watching her actress do her speech just like what they practiced. However, he soon felt her panic when Hui-Soo began to be silent.
“I also want to clear the dating rumors about me which was released this morning.” Hui-Soo spoke, “It is true. I have been in a loving relationship for months now. I just wanted to sincerely tell everyone that I am happy with the person I am with right now. He supports me in every possible way. He makes me happy with just his smile. The way he cooks can make me forget all the troubles I had during the day. He makes my heart flutter with just his look and if I am to be honest, every action he does even if it could be a clumsy one, made him so adorable in my eyes. I wanted to clear that one out because all of you here deserve to know the truth.”
Bong-Seok could not believe what he is hearing.
“I never met a person that has a heart that is so big that his entire personality can bring happiness towards anyone he interacts with. Because of him, I have been a good actress that was deemed to be deserving of this award. I want to be honest with all of you right now and for my fans, please support me with this next stage of my life. I wanted to let you know that this man is treating me well and he inspires me to be better for all of you. So please expect a more mature and happier, Jang Hui-Soo in the future.”
Everyone was silent as if letting her continue so she did.
“Lastly, I want to give a message to you. You know who you are. I just want you to know that I--- I adore you so much. I am happy that you are in my life and I pray that we will spend the upcoming days with our hands together. Please cook your Donkatsu again as we celebrate later. I love you”
Back in the dressing room, Manager Mihyun almost cried as her actress bravely admitted her love towards the crying man beside him. She smiled the moment she heard him whisper ‘I love you too, Hui-Soo’.
After Hui-Soo gave her speech. The entire crowd stood up and gave her a round of applause. It seems that everyone was so taken by her speech that they supported her relationship with him. Reporters started to make a clout of her speech and sooner than later, everyone was talking about the strength and courage of Jang Hui-Soo to openly admit her relationship to all.
Jang Hui-Soo and Kim Bong-Seok watched as the entire country and the rest of the world watched her speech with a supporting stand. It seems that everybody congratulated her for being in a loving relationship. Some even expressed jealousy of wanting to be in that kind of relationship. A few days later, Hui-Soo and Bong-Seok was shocked to see that someone among the staff released the video of their made up scene in the internet. It was the scene that Bong-Seok substituted the male lead and they were doing a love scene. Everybody was talking about the video now that everybody knew that Jang Hui-Soo is dating one of the staffs named Kim Bong-Seok.
Some people saw the chemistry between them for doing the scene. Even stated that they could see the love between the two when they were doing it. Fans also expressed that they found Bong-Seok’s face attractive and saw an opportunity of him being a model or idol which made Hui-Soo tease him for countless of hours. In the end, it seems that the sincere speech of Jang Hui-Soo during the award show was the key for them to pass through the scandal.
As they lay in the sofa, they watched the news about their relationship which is still the talk of the country. Jang Hui-Soo had her back on Kim Bong-Seok’s front. She soon felt him tenderly giving her kisses on the neck which made tickled her.
“Stop!” Hui-Soo laughed, “You’re tickling me.”
“I’m sorry” Bong-Seok chuckled, “Will not do it again.”
“Alright” she replied, “But maybe later before we go to bed, I would not mind it.”
Bong-Seok laughed as he hugged her body in the sofa and smelled the apple scent on her hair.
“I’m glad that they support our relationship.” Hui-Soo sighed.
“I know.” Bong-Seok agreed, “It seems that fate is on our side.”
“Of course fate will be on our side” Hui-Soo turned her head towards him to face him in the sofa. Now, they are face to face in the sofa, her heart beating really fast once more, “Fate will always side with a goddess, remember?”
Bong-Seok laughed, his eyes almost like crescent moons that she loves to see, “Apologies, you are right.”
“Of course, I am always right.” Hui-Soo said before yawning.
“Are you tired, already?”
Hui-Soo pouted, “I am.”
“Let’s go to bed?” Bong-Seok asked her.
They both blushed at his question, but Hui-Soo nodded, “Carry me to bed?”
“Alright, My lovely Goddess” Bong-Seok replied as he stood up and finally carried Hui-Soo bridal syle towards their room. Hui-Soo squealed as she continued to laugh as Bong-Seok began to kiss her on the neck.
“Stop! Stop! HAHA” Hui-Soo laughed as she grabbed on his shirt, “I order you to stop as your goddess!”
“You know I can’t stop until we finish this.” Bong-Seok said, suggestively.
“Ohhhh so sexy” Hui-Soo teased him as they finally closed the door. One could hear the laughter as they finally closed the room.
Everything was well in the lives of Jang Hui-Soo the celebrity and the normal producer staff named Kim Bong-Seok. She worked and received multiple awards after the incident. Meanwhile, Bong-Seok continued his work as part of the film crew since they loved his work on Hui-Soo’s drama. There was even several instances of them doing an interview together about their love story and one unforgettable experience of them being a cover of a magazine that talked about their relationship. Bong-Seok even had an opportunity to become a model however, he turned it down because he wants to focus on creating films. They both supported one another in their dreams.
In a world without superpowers, honesty and sincere actions became the key items for the couple to won the public opinion. In the end, Hui-Soo and Bong-Seok reached their happily ever after in this variant world.