Ch.29How is it? We’re just like we used to be, aren’t we?

“Su, Sujin?!”

I couldn’t believe she was here.

At that surprised and questioning call, Sujin smiled slightly.

“Am I not allowed to be here? I can come visit a filming set with my mom, you know.”

“Y-yeah, that’s true.”

I swallowed the rest of what I was going to say. Or rather, it got swallowed.

I was too surprised to speak properly.

“It’s been so long. We haven’t seen each other since we were kids, so it’s been almost 10 years?”

“I guess so?”

“You’re still handsome, even more than before.”

Sujin smiled broadly and lifted her skirt slightly.

“Am I pretty too? More than before?”

Kim Sujin, who was clearly losing her baby fat, was definitely pretty.

It was obvious she had strongly inherited her mother’s genes,

with a face both bright and intense that naturally drew attention.

Those deep eyes reflecting the red sunset looked like a vampire’s.

But why was she dressed like that?

“Yeah, prettier than before. But your clothes are really unique?”

“Oh, this? It’s… called menhera style, I’m… kind of famous.”

Come to think of it, was this when it started spreading?

‘It should be a bit later.’

I guess being in the entertainment industry meant she got this kind of information early.

But why was she wearing it? As soon as the question arose,

it vanished without a trace.

‘Ah.’

I realized the reason.

Kim Sujin was fourteen years old.

‘I see.’

It was the peak of her middle school syndrome phase.

+++++

Thump-thump.

Her heart was racing.

-Mom, is today Donghu’s final shoot?

-Yes, why? Curious? Want to go?

-Huh, really?!

An opportunity that came right after she casually asked the question last night.

-Yes! I want to go!

That evening, Kim Sujin immediately opened her closet.

She didn’t want to wear just anything.

Although they had already video called once, that was only through a screen.

This would be the first time seeing him in person.

Kim Sujin carefully selected the most special outfit she could find in her closet.

To make a proper first impression after all this time.

‘How many girls will there be in the future?’

It was true that Kim Donghu’s looks were unbelievably, impossibly handsome.

But the personality that came with it was also quite special.

Usually, handsome guys tend to be jerks.

But he showed no signs of that, instead possessing a strange kind of gentleness.

At first glance, he might seem to speak harshly, but there was a maddening sweetness beneath his words.

If others got a taste of that, would it even be possible not to fall for him?

‘I was the first one to know how handsome Kim Donghu is!’

And I was the first to hold his hand!

So she had prepared quite a few plans.

She even asked her mom to help them be alone together,

She turned on the heater, turned off the lights in the classroom, and waited for Kim Donghu.

But.

When Kim Donghu turned on the lights and they faced each other, all those thoughts disappeared.

She could only smile.

She was just so happy to see Kim Donghu after so long.

Thump-thump.

Her heart was beating like crazy.

“You know we’re having dinner together on Christmas, right?”

“Oh, of course!”

Sujin nodded vigorously at Kim Donghu’s words.

How could she not know? She had begged her mom to arrange it.

“That’s good, I’ll be alone then anyway.”

She knew this too.

‘Donghu’s mother is getting much better, so his father is going to America to prepare for their return.’

All this information had already reached Sujin through the connection between her mother Kim Yuryeon and Kim Donghu’s mother Lee Yuhyeon.

“What’s this? Are you nervous seeing me after so long? You were smiling fine earlier, why can’t you speak now?”

Kim Donghu approached playfully with a smile.

One step, two steps.

His impossibly handsome face came closer and closer.

“Come to think of it, you used to ask me to hold your hand back then, remember?”

“…”

Sujin’s face turned bright red, and she couldn’t say anything.

All the conversation topics she had thought about since last night were disappearing from her mind one by one.

The fact that she was born early in the year and entered school a year earlier,

that she should tease him to call her noona,

that she was going to an arts high school and they should attend school together,

She couldn’t say any of it.

Kim Donghu’s hand gently moved downward.

Their fingertips were about to touch, just 3cm away.

While all of Sujin’s nerves were focused there, Kim Donghu continued speaking.

“We used to hold hands a lot back then, such memories.”

Slowly.

His hand was now just 1cm away from touching hers.

It was the hand she had always held as a child.

The hand she had begged to hold while crying,

the hand she had interlocked fingers with, saying she wouldn’t let go.

‘Wow, boys’ hands are this big.’

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

Her heart was racing rapidly.

Whoooosh.

Something was spinning fiercely in her head.

Tap.

Their fingertips touched,

and immediately their hands intertwined.

Kim Donghu gently interlocked their fingers and smiled softly, saying it was just like before.

They used to be similar in size.

But now she could see her hand completely enveloped in Kim Donghu’s.

Less like interlocking fingers and more like being covered.

Slowly.

Their joined hands gradually rose between their faces.

“See? Just like old times.”

“Hee, hiccup!”

At Kim Donghu’s words.

Pop!

Sujin’s emotions, filled with embarrassment, burst.

+++++

After Kim Donghu’s break, filming resumed.

Around the third time of Lee J’s performance.

“Cut! Good work everyone!”

With Director Ji Jangmin’s words, all of today’s filming schedule came to an end.

“Good work!”

“Actor Kim Donghu! Thank you for your hard work!”

“It’s such a shame this is the final shoot!”

The end of the final shoot for Lee J’s role in “High Dream.”

Understanding the significance, all the staff members expressed their gratitude to Kim Donghu with one heart.

In the cold winter.

It was as if he reminded them why they should work hard outdoors on such a cold day.

“That was an amazing performance, really.”

“Listening to classical music while eating warm fish cakes in the cold winter, no one but us gets to experience this.”

“Right, you can’t buy this experience with money.”

How blessed they were to hear a master’s performance in such a place.

While everyone was sincerely celebrating Kim Donghu’s final shoot…

There were exactly three people who couldn’t celebrate wholeheartedly.

“Send me the edited version as soon as it’s ready, I’m sure there will be script revisions.”

“Writer, who do you think I am? I’ll edit it perfectly. The raw material is excellent to begin with.”

“That’s not wrong. I don’t know how many times in my life I’ve filmed with such happiness.”

Writer Lee Minha, PD Kim Youngmo, and Cinematographer Ji Jangmin were those three.

In terms of screen time, Lee J’s role was indeed finished, with no more appearances scheduled.

From now on, “High Dream” would be filled with the sweet romantic comedy of its members.

But when do things in life ever go as planned?

Perhaps they could already see the not-so-distant future.

Writer Lee Minha looked bitterly at her dust-covered script.

‘Kim Donghu.’

I’ll definitely make you the lead in my next work.

As Writer Lee Minha’s determination burned brightly,

today’s filming site came to a close.

+++++

Mid-December.

Christmas trees could be seen on the streets,

and bakeries were busy preparing Christmas party cakes.

As if forgetting such romance,

numerous staff members were sweating profusely in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

“Not there, over there! I said put it over there! How many times do I have to tell you?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Do it right! Don’t you know that if realism and historical accuracy fall apart in a war movie, it’s over? Do you want to ruin the film?!”

“No, sir!”

The staff members hurried around at the art director’s sharp criticism.

He wasn’t wrong at all.

“Endless Frontline”

The latter part of the Korean War.

The last battle right before the armistice.

The bloody struggle to capture one hill at the very moment the end of the war was being declared.

The groundwork for depicting this in film absolutely had to be of the highest standard.

Portraying history, especially regarding weapons, would invite a lot of criticism if the historical accuracy was sloppy.

And there was someone watching this preparation with satisfaction:

Director Kang Sanghun, with his long Guan Yu-like beard.

‘A good foundation is essential for a good film.’

How much effort had gone into securing this location?

‘All the actors are here too.’

Starting with Han Taegeon, arguably Korea’s top male actor,

along with supporting actors who added flavor to any film, like Go Changsik and Seo Myungwoo.

In his own mind, he had gathered nearly perfect actors in one place.

And finally,

Glance.

Director Kang’s gaze turned to a young man in the corner of the set.

‘Kim Donghu.’

A rookie who had perfectly embodied the student soldier during the script reading.

His acting was truly spine-chilling, making the title “rookie” seem inappropriate.

‘He really has unbelievable looks.’

The staff might not have noticed, but Director Kang could tell.

Why the other actors only greeted Kim Donghu warmly at first and then left him alone.

They were avoiding being in the same frame with him, just in case.

Anyone standing next to that face would surely look like a squid in comparison.

‘With looks like that, he wouldn’t need to try hard, but he’s working extremely hard.’

Despite all the noise around, he was still focused on the script.

It was truly admirable.

He had felt it during the script reading too—the boy must have studied the script without sleeping.

At such a young age, he was already showing behavior that other actors should learn from.

Meanwhile, Kim Donghu, who was being misunderstood like this, was currently…

‘Immersion.’

Click.

He had entered the world of the script.