Chapter 51: Ready, Action (3)

Unlike the lengthy preparation, the filming itself went smoothly.

I’d worried about messing up repeatedly with my mind going blank, but in reality, we just delivered our memorized lines and finished. We didn’t even need a single retake.

We were both desperate to escape this embarrassing situation as quickly as possible, which helped us recall our lines.

“I told you to hug, not stroke their back too,” Juho commented during filming.

“I just naturally got into character. You know, method acting and all that.”

“Oh sure, that must be it.”

Juho agreed with a mocking expression.

I considered jabbing him with my elbow once filming was done.

After finishing the difficult hugging scene and separating, So-yul quickly turned away from me.

She was clearly flustered, her movements swift as if not wanting to show me her face.

She probably wanted to hide her blushing cheeks.

I decided not to point out how her ear peeking through her hair had turned bright red.

Instead, I managed to say just one thing:

“Good work.”

“…Yeah.”

The answer from beyond her small back was incredibly delicate.

My memories after that are hazy.

Even after returning to the dorm, my heart kept pounding so hard I couldn’t focus on studying at all. Though I didn’t exactly go to bed early either.

The soft sensation, the warm feeling, the sweet scent and the ticklish atmosphere kept coming back… constantly stirring up my thoughts.

Every time I closed my eyes, the memories from earlier would resurface.

So-yul’s lingering scent on my pillow seemed to tease me.

Above all, imagining tomorrow’s kiss scene made my heart race endlessly.

At the end that night, I could barely sleep at all.

◎

“You look pretty tired,” Juho pointed out my complexion the next morning.

Though I always lacked sleep, it showed when I hadn’t slept at all. It was perfectly normal to assume someone hadn’t slept well when their eyes were bloodshot and lacking energy.

“What were you doing all night?”

Come to think of it, they weren’t normal.

“What do you mean ‘doing’? Are you crazy?”

“It’s a sign of good health, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean ‘isn’t it’? Good thing So-yul isn’t here yet, if you said something like that in front of her…”

“Something like what in front of me?”

“Ugh.”

Speak of the devil.

Turning around in surprise at the familiar voice, there stood So-yul. Though she seemed out of breath as if she’d just run here, she tilted her head in confusion. She was probably curious why her name had suddenly come up.

Of course, I could never tell her. Playing dumb was the only option.

“We were just saying we should head out as soon as you arrived.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“…Is that so?”

So-yul nodded slowly at my random excuse. Surprisingly, she showed no sign of questioning it further.

Usually she would have kept probing persistently. For So-yul to give up on her own was unimaginable normally.

Seems I wasn’t the only one who kept remembering the hug from yesterday.

Indeed, an awkward atmosphere had already settled between So-yul and me.

I was fidgeting restlessly, unable to settle my gaze. So-yul was so uncomfortable she couldn’t even meet my eyes.

No, even without thinking about yesterday’s events, it was natural for the atmosphere to feel strange.

After all, today… was when the bomb known as the kiss scene would be dropped.

Nothing unusual happened until the afternoon.

I, with zero acting experience, continued giving poor performances for two days straight. So-yul, who said she’d add acting skills to her piano playing, actually showed quite decent acting.

Though for completely opposite reasons, we were both not much different from yesterday. Fortunately, there wasn’t any obvious awkwardness. …At least from what I could see.

“We’ll film the final scene on the rooftop, so follow me,” Juho said, pointing at both of us as filming neared its end.

At those words, I saw So-yul’s body visibly tremble across from me.

It was understandable for So-yul to show such an intense reaction. To be honest, my heart sank too.

Because this movie’s final scene was none other than the kiss scene.

Trying to ignore such feelings and act casual instead, I spoke:

“Won’t the rooftop be locked? I don’t think we can film there.”

“I know. That’s why I got the key from the teacher. They lent it when I said we just wanted to film for a bit.”

“Really?”

Strange how a school that enforced so many rules would allow this.

Well, this school’s top priority was supporting talented students. Like how the sports students could freely order outside food. Maybe they were surprisingly lenient as long as it served their purpose.

Following Juho who walked ahead, we arrived at none other than the arts track building’s rooftop.

As soon as the rooftop door opened, a fresh summer breeze welcomed us. The strong wind that made our clothes flutter even gave me a sense of lightness.

As I stood still enjoying the refreshing air, So-yul walked briskly toward the inner part of the rooftop.

Her amber hair fluttered in the wind. When the red sunset shone on it, an incredibly beautiful color emerged.

“Ahh~ So refreshing!”

So-yul shouted with a bright smile spread across her face.

The way she stretched out her arms and legs to catch the wind with her whole body was like a puppy meeting its owner. It even felt like she was wagging an invisible tail. She was clearly in high spirits.

Then So-yul beckoned to me and:

“Come over here too. Even though it’s summer, it’s not stuffy… it’s, it’s refreshing.”

She excitedly called out but then got shy afterwards, making things even more awkward.

I couldn’t say anything either. Even So-yul who had been so excited suddenly started hesitating. Finally, the atmosphere turned just as uncomfortable as before.

Juho smoothly inserted himself between us as we stood there stiffly.

“What are you two doing? We need to film before sunset, so hurry and get in position.”

His voice urging us to prepare had an obvious hint of amusement.

I really should have elbowed him earlier.

The climax confirming the love built between us. An ending where two people who loved awkwardly and parted due to that awkwardness reconnect their hearts. An inevitable scene to burst all the built-up emotions at once.

Juho went on and on explaining this and that before the final filming, but I neither wanted nor needed to know.

No matter what he said, in the end our ‘preparation’ meant preparing to kiss each other.

That fact wouldn’t change.

Me standing firmly in the middle of the rooftop, and So-yul frozen with her head down, close enough for our arms to touch.

Trying to kill the endlessly rising tension and awkwardness, I forced myself to speak:

“Are you really okay with this?”

“…I said I’d do it, so.”

“I see.”

“What about you?”

“Well, I said I’d do it too, so.”

“…Yeah.”

There was no meaning in these forced words we exchanged. The pointless zen dialogue was becoming almost laughable.

“You’re both ready, right?” Juho asked with a snicker, seeming to sense the atmosphere between us.

Asking that while clearly seeing we weren’t mentally prepared. What awful taste. Really just a terrible personality.

If he hadn’t helped when we got caught by the head of student affairs, I would have quit long ago. No, I wouldn’t have even considered his request to appear in the film from the start.

Well, regretting it now was pointless anyway.

The chance to refuse had already passed when we received the script.

Of course, this applied to So-yul too.

It wasn’t for nothing that Juho had warned us to read through the script when he handed it over. A script filled with boundary-crossing skinship including hugging and kissing scenes. He had given us our own right to refuse.

Yet we accepted the script.

Thinking about it, that was quite meaningful in itself.

“Hey, the sun’s about to set. Are we really filming~?”

This time Juho wasn’t teasing. The surroundings were actually starting to get dark. The sun had set behind the mountain ridge visible outside. We needed to start filming before it got completely dark.

Having reached a similar conclusion, So-yul took a deep breath and briefly looked up at me.

Her face that she slightly showed was already bright red. Her narrowed eyes seemed to somehow express dissatisfaction. The trembling of her cheeks was surely a sign of nervousness.

Why did she accept despite being this embarrassed?

Not hiding the bitter smile that came from within, I quietly said:

“If you don’t want to but find it hard to refuse, just tell me privately. I’ll tell Juho we can’t do it. He’ll probably grumble about it, but well, what can he do if we say no?”

I’d feel a bit sorry toward Juho but that’s all. It’s not like he could force us to kiss. He’d have no choice but to follow us, whether by changing the script or whatever else.

I could endure the embarrassment since it was with So-yul, but So-yul was different. I had no intention of forcing her to do something she was uncomfortable with. If she really disliked it, it would be better to give up even now.

That was the intent behind my suggestion, but.

“…It’s okay,” So-yul returned this delicate answer.

“Really?”

I asked again just in case. It was an ultimatum to confirm whether she was truly okay with it or just pretending to be.

If the same answer came back this time, I planned to proceed with filming without delay.

As I quietly waited for So-yul’s response.

After a moment, So-yul slightly parted her pink-tinged lips and:

“Yeah.”

Then.

“…If, if it’s just a light one… it should be okay.”

What came back was an absurd response.

Are you misunderstanding something?

Even if our lips just barely touch… that’s clearly still a kiss.

“Rolling. Action!”

As if waiting for this timing, Juho called for the scene to start.

Following that came the camera sound effect we’d heard dozens of times since yesterday.

It meant the final filming had really begun.

“…”

“…”

Faced with this sudden situation, So-yul and I stared blankly at each other.

Me looking down at So-yul with lowered head. So-yul looking up at me with raised head. Our gazes were firmly fixed on each other.

Though sudden, it wasn’t unexpected.

Even asking about her true feelings just now was all to confirm if she was ready to film the kiss scene.

Soon So-yul clasped her hands over her chest.

Probably trying to calm her wildly beating heart that was loud enough for my ears to catch.

Her reddened cheeks looked visibly hot even from the outside.

Her pink lips still held a slight, delicate trembling.

That somehow had a strangely heart-stirring aspect to it.

Like movements preparing for a kiss.

Was she really just waiting for me to approach now?

If so, I had no reason to back away either.

Slowly, very gradually, I brought my face closer to So-yul’s.

When we got close enough to feel each other’s breath like that, So-yul gently closed her eyes.

As if indicating all preparations were complete.

As if asking me to keep closing the distance like this.

Her closing her eyes probably meant she was truly okay with it.

It should be fine to take it as meaning both her heart and body were ready.

Taking a deep breath, I brought my lips even closer.

So close my entire view was filled with So-yul.

Her sweet pleasant scent, smooth skin and cute nose, along with moist, soft-looking lips. So-yul’s face up close showed a different kind of charm.

All of this only served to make my head spin.

So-yul didn’t move at all. Rather, she seemed to be quietly waiting for me as if resolved for everything.

I too approached right in front of So-yul without delay.

Slowly but surely, gently so it wouldn’t feel sudden.

Gradually closing the distance like that.

Finally, just before our lips could meet…

“…Hic, hicc.”

So-yul sniffled as if about to cry and:

“E-even if you accepted it, k-kissing is too embarrassing…”

…?

“Wait, weren’t you the one who said you’d do it first?”

“What? I thought since you said okay to the script, it would be awkward if I refused…”

“Ah, no.”

What on earth was this suddenly about? I clearly only agreed because So-yul had accepted, but So-yul was saying the exact opposite.

As we were thrown into confusion by our claims colliding head-on…

In that moment, So-yul and I both turned our heads to the side simultaneously.

Our gazes naturally fell on Juho hiding behind the camera.

Receiving sharp looks from both of us, Juho awkwardly scratched their head and:

“…Busted?”

That’s how it ended up.

On the way back to the dorm after filming.

There were three people walking – me and So-yul, and far behind us, Juho with both arms full carrying the camera and various props.

Until now I’d helped carry things too, but I decided not to help at all while returning to the dorm today. Sinners must pay for their crimes.

Juho, having their scheme exposed at the last moment, quickly yielded. Finally it was decided to film the last kiss scene from far away, just pretending to kiss.

Though I’d stayed up worrying all night, we ended up not actually kissing. At this point, that was actually a relief.

Well, we did get right up to the moment before our lips touched…

No, this won’t do. Just remembering the moment before our lips would have met makes my heart pound so hard it hurts. At this rate I won’t be able to sleep tonight either. I shook my head trying to clear the scene from my mind.

“What are you doing?”

Someone was staring at me with a strange look as I did this suspicious action.

Of course it was So-yul.

“Are you headbanging? What is it?”

“Who knows. Let’s just say it’s headbanging.”

“Why are you suddenly headbanging?”

“Who knows. Maybe I have a hidden hobby of listening to rock music.”

“Do you like rock?”

“No.”

“What are you even saying, really.”

Finding this meaningless conversation so amusing, So-yul covered her mouth and giggled.

Though the kiss scene was canceled, we did actually hug. Yet her incredibly shy behavior from before had completely vanished without a trace.

Maybe just avoiding the kiss was enough to wash away her embarrassment? What an impossibly simple way of thinking.

Though we didn’t end up actually kissing, my mind was still complicated.

It was because So-yul’s words right before our lips would have met kept coming back to me.

‘Even if you accepted it, kissing is too embarrassing.’

Doesn’t this mean… that at least initially, So-yul went along because she heard I had accepted the script?

In other words, doesn’t this suggest that even So-yul wouldn’t have firmly refused if I agreed?

Moreover, yesterday too.

‘Because I don’t really mind it.’

So-yul had added these words when she hugged me while I was hesitating.

As if being embraced by me wasn’t something she particularly disliked.

Do fake girlfriends usually say things like this?

If not… then what exactly did this mean?

“Han So-yul.”

My lips moved unconsciously to call out to her.

So-yul turned to look at me, just blinking her large eyes repeatedly.

I tried to say something, but in the end:

“It’s nothing.”

“What?”

“I said it’s nothing.”

“Hmph. You’re such an idiot.”

So-yul snorted at my meaningless response, then started walking away leaving me behind.

Really now. For a moment, an unfunny hope had crossed my mind.

Maybe So-yul had developed some feelings for me too.

Maybe she was hiding her attraction just like me – that kind of hope.

Of course, it was a useless wish anyway.

Even if by some chance that were true, this was a school where dating was forbidden. At least while we were trapped here, our relationship couldn’t become real.

Our connection only worked because we could break it off at any time.

So I would just keep waiting for the right time.

Continuing to act until the OK signal came.

“…Yeah. Guess I am an idiot,” I muttered while hurrying to catch up to So-yul.

So-yul just tilted her head as if wondering why I suddenly said that.