Bo Young was brushing her hair when her doorbell rang. And she wasn't expecting anybody this evening. She tiptoed to reach the peephole and her face registered her surprise. She opened the door to find Hyung Sik on the other side. He stood looking uncomfortable.

"I have a couple of songs I thought we could use for tomorrow's filming. I, uh, couldn't text it to you. I didn't know if your number has changed or not.."

"I haven't changed it. I should've told you, so you didn't have to come all the way over."

"You aren't that far anyway." He stood aloof in his awkwardness.

"Come in then. I'll get my laptop and I can search for those songs."

He looked around while she went to her room. Her place hadn't changed much. Some of the decorations have changed, but it is still every bit as homey as he recalled.

She came back down and set the laptop on the coffee table. "Please sit down."

He took the seat across from her. 

"I have a few songs; you can check them out." He grabbed a notepad and started jotting down titles and handed them to Bo Young.

"Here. I, uh, I have to go." and he took off without a backward glance.

Bo Young didn't even get a chance to say anything; she sat confused at his behavior. Her hands holding onto the piece of paper with his hastily scribbled note.

.

They came back to the studio to do another side by side filming. Pd Lim liked how the last one turned out and wanted to use the same technique once more when they do this scene. He wanted to get cut scenes of Hyung Sik's character singing. It would be done acapella as he would be singing on the phone to Bo Young's character. 

"I'll just start singing, right, Pdnim? And you'll let me know if I need to switch songs?" he asked to clarify. 

"Yes. Did you and Bo Young get to rehearse?"

"Um, actually no, it was late by the time I showed her the choices."

"The songs were ok, Pdnim," Bo Young piped up. "I looked at the ones Hyung Sik showed me, I think they're ok."

"Alright, let's get started then. Places everybody."

Bo Young went on to lie down once again on the makeshift stoop, and looked back up to the projected night skies on the green screen. She's all swaddled up in blankets and a phone prop is on her hand.

Hyung Sik was on the other set next to hers, she couldn't see him, but could hear him in her ear bud, just as he could hear her with his.

He started humming a few tunes, well known ballads and then started singing the following lyrics instead:

Even when the world turned its back against me
You stayed by my side
The only things I gave you are scars
I don’t even have the right to hold onto you

My heart is crying, my heart is shouting
Because it wants to love one person
I made you cry and hurt you
But now I can’t forget you so I’m crying

You don’t know how to lie
So even when you brightly smiled
I knew your sad eyes

Bo Young's hand flew to in surprise. This was not the song on her list from yesterday. She knew the song, having heard of it before as an OST of another drama. She was frozen as she listened to him singing, in a hushed voice in her ears.

Pd yelled cut. Bo Young stood to excuse herself; she could not stay still. She went to the ladies room to hide. She looked flushed, her eyes bright. She could feel tears threaten to spill. How could these words touch her so? Why did he change songs?  She went on to splash water on her face, makeup be damned. She could not go back out there looking the way she did. 

Fortunately, her makeup artist had come looking for her. She exclaimed seeing Bo Young and rushed off to get her kits. 

"Aissh, Bo Young-ie, are you not feeling well? Your face feel warm," the girl said as she sat Bo Young down in the seating area and expertly reapplied her makeup.

"I'm feeling a little headachey. It's nothing. I just need a few minutes if you can let Pd Lee know please."

She had to compose herself and go back out there. I'm fine. It means nothing. It's just a song. Breathe, Bo Young, get a hold of yourself. She took a couple of deep breaths and ignored the way her heart hammered in her chest.

Hyung Sik and Pd were busy looking at the playback so she was able to walk back to the set unobtrusively. She grabbed a water bottle to drink.

Pd Lee finally turned around and saw her back. "Are you all right, Bo Young-ie?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I felt sick so quickly. I'm fine now," she said, avoiding his eyes for now.

"Well, the shot is fine, but I wanna try other songs if we can. Hyung Sik picked an old drama song. Let's try one that is more upbeat and less heartbreaking. You do have another song in mind, right?" He turned to Hyung Sik.

"Yes, of course."

They shot the scene again with Bo Young slightly better recovered, now that she can brace herself to expect any unexpected surprises. Hyung Sik chose this song. 

Her breath hitched hearing the chorus but she stayed calm. And their scene was completed without further ado. They took separate shots of her just staring at the skies. And she schooled her expression to that of how Mi Yeung would have reacted.

Pd Lee then took filmed Hyung Sik separately, singing the same song. She stood watching the monitor. She was able to put on the mask of complacency, showing her worth as an actress, to pretend to be unaffected when inside her heart felt bruised, confused and throbbingly full.

It's all acting; we are all just acting here. I put on a mask just like everybody else. Better not forget. But her eyes would stray to him inevitably.

He was keeping his distance as well, which made it easier, perhaps. She couldn't figure him out, his actions totally discordant with everything else. I used to be able to read him well too, she thought sadly, as she watched him seemingly unaffected while she...she couldn't begin to catch her breath.

[Flashback]

Their confession scene was taking forever because of NGs. It was freezing too and poor Hyung Sik had a cold. While the PD tried to get the lighting adjusted, they stood on standby. He started singing to her, his voice low enough that she hoped the bts camera and audio wouldn't catch.

She had asked for a song, as a distraction since she had so visibly teared up, causing him to worry. He instinctively pulled her closer, meaning to comfort her; quite obviously part of the bts since the PD yelled a second or two later to restart their acting.

She knew he was pulling her in for a hug, but her step faltered and he didn't get to complete the action. She saw he was worried about her, even though he was the one nursing a cold. She was actually moved by his words, the confession he gave about feeling his heart hurt. Such simple words but she read his face and it touched her deeply. For she knew he wasn't acting at all but is truly in love with her. He is so very easy to read, and she loved that about him, that he never hid anything from her. She never had to doubt how much he cared deeply for her as it is evident in his words and actions, in the expressions of his face.

 

She stood watching him complete his scene, and try as she might her mind continue to betray her, recalling the song he sang to her instead.

.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

If only I took a step faster,
If only I took a step slower
Then we could’ve avoided our painful encounter
There’s no use even if I push you out, now I can’t let you go
Even if you want to cry, cry in my arms
Because I will die without you

My heart is crying, my heart is shouting
Because it wants to love one person
I made you cry and hurt you
But now I can’t forget you so I’m crying
My love is crying

Even when the world turned its back against me
You stayed by my side
The only things I gave you are scars
I don’t even have the right to hold onto you

My heart is crying, my heart is shouting
Because it wants to love one person
I made you cry and hurt you
But now I can’t forget you so I’m crying

You don’t know how to lie
So even when you brightly smiled
I knew your sad eyes

Love is crying, love is calling out to you
Because I can’t let you go for a single moment
Because your smile is my life
Because only you can make me live
My heart is crying

---

Kim Bumsoo – I Love You English Translation

Without saying anything
I’m only looking at you again
Unfinished words fill up my heart
And wait for you
If I take a step toward you
I’m afraid the tears I kept deep inside will flow
If you feel the same way
I’ll go to you slowly
When I see you, tears keep coming
They endlessly fall
In the end, only my heart aches
When you get exhausted from the longing that you held in
Hold my hand
I love you
Sometimes, when the wind silently blows
I open my ears
In case the sound of you calling me
Comes along with the wind
When I see you, tears keep coming
They endlessly fall
In the end, only my heart aches
When you get exhausted from the longing that you held in
Hold my hand
I love you
When you’re enduring through a day
And it gets too hard
The person you are looking for is me
You know that
When I think of you, tears come
Then I laugh
In the end, my love is you
A love that I wanted so desperately
I want to stand next to you like this
And love you

[all credits to appropriate media owners]