"It's not that I'm weak. Everyone else was just really strong!"

"That guy's arms were skinnier than mine!"

"It's all about inner strength, Minkyung, trust me--"

"So you have no inner strength? You wanted me to starve without my meat?"

Filming the competition scene had proven to be harder than either actor had expected. It was the fourth take on the scene, as the producer kept deciding they weren't quite getting it just as he'd imagined; it was therefore reasonable in Hakyeon's mind that after having worked all day, his arms might not be in their best state in terms of strength.

Minyoung had been - as scripted - patting away her partner's sweat with a handkerchief as he carried her in his arms. When the extra who was playing the host decided to adlib an "Is she really that heavy?", however, the handkerchief soon made its way into Hakyeon's mouth.

"Don't even dare," she warned sharply, making sure to muffle any possible response.

After Minkyung's complaints that she couldn't go without meat now that she'd been so close to reaching the prize, Kang lead her toward a street stall and the pair ate meat off sticks as they walked together.

"Where are we going?"

"The one beside the street light!" Kang chirped.

She blinked up at what he was referring to before furrowing her brows. "Your place?"

"Yeah... it's stormy and late, so you'd better just sleep over," he joked with a nod up to the clear - albeit dark - sky above.

"ert..." she grumbled, taking the last bite of her meat before folding her arms. "The weather is fine. Anyway - thanks for today. I'll get going, then--"

"Wait--"

She glanced over at him with pursed lips.

"Alright, I was messing around about the storm and stuff... but it really is late. And I'm the reason you're here, so I feel like I'm responsible," he reasoned honestly before giving a soft sigh as they reached his apartment complex. "Can't you just stay? You can sleep on my bed and I'll sleep on the floor in my living room. I promise I won't open the door at all, so--"

Minkyung could sense his sincerity. It felt as though he were trying to make up for all the mistakes of his past; the mistakes he hadn't necessarily made, but rather suffered the blame of due to unfortunate coincidence. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel that this wasn't right. To accept his kindness now would suggest he was right to have felt apologetic to her all along. "I have work tomorrow, anyway. I have to get home."

"Oh, yeah. Where do you work?"

"Not far. I'm a teacher now, so..."

"Really? What subject?"

"Literature and history."

He chuckled, nodding. "I remember you used to always top the class - good on you. That's really great."

It wasn't her fault that she had achieved her career goals while he had been fired, yet somehow she still couldn't restrain a wince at his words. She was biting her tongue, trying to decide what best to say, before she realised the pair had walked straight past the apartment block. Her steps came to a sudden halt. "What are you doing?" 

He frowned as if it were obvious. "Taking you home."

"You're not expecting me to suggest you should stay at my place, are you?"

A laugh escaped his lips before he shook his head. "No, don't worry. I used to be working in the office until the early morning, so I've grown accustomed to the night buses... thanks, though."

She paused, taking a moment to register his words before she blinked with a slight tilt of her head. "I wasn't offering..."

Part 2 of the OST plays as the pair are shown catching a bus and continuing the walk back to Minkyung's house. Along the way a car drove through a large puddle, leaving her wet and shocked. Kang turned his head to glare at the car before offering his jacket, at which point a black cat purred from the street corner. Forcing herself not to think of superstitions, Minkyung chuckled it off awkwardly and took the jacket with a grateful nod. As the pair reached her house, she found herself feeling half obliged to ask if he'd like to come in for a coffee, though she bit her lip in uncertainty.

Thinking back to the events of the day, flashbacks appear of how Kang had nearly dropped Minkyung in the carrying competition, as well as how he had accidentally banged her head against another female while he was re-adjusting his hold.

Attempting to push those thoughts away - 'coincidences,' she reminds herself in her mind - she looked up at him with a slightly tentative smile. "This was fun..."

"Yeah..." he slowly agreed, noting the change of mood.

"We're friends," she added quickly, as if reassuring herself more than anything.

"Yeah, of course. We're friends."

After a series of unsure nods and airy chuckles, she finally managed to make her way inside her house. Kang remained still on the footpath, letting the events of the day register in his mind for a few moments before he turned to make his way back to the bus stop alone.

"Cut. We'll end here today! Well done everyone - see you tomorrow at six!"

"You worked hard!" the actors thanked in unison, bowing to the members of staff. Noting Minyoung was heading towards Soyul, a keen eye on the table of catered food she was standing beside, Hakyeon hurried to follow suit.

"Hey, I'm-- I'm sorry if that was weird for you," he apologised quietly, glancing back at the set where they had performed the competition.

She gave a short nod of her head in acknowledgement before filling with the rice goods.

"I should really... devote more time to going to the gym," he added with a meek smile, attempting to ease the mood. The last thing he wanted to do was have her think that he had struggled because of her. "I can't even walk up the stairs in this building sometimes. If elevators didn't exist, I think I'd cry-- either that, or you'd have to work with a really sweaty co-star..."

Perhaps it was the kick Soyul had presented her with after her previous mere nod, or perhaps it was because she secretly felt guilty for asking him to be a stranger, but she gave a muffled chuckle amid her eating. "The gym is good. Gym means I get to eat whatever I want so long as I burn it off." 

"Food over flowers. I like your priorities."

She furrowed her brows for a moment in incredulity. "I don't think that's how the saying goes..."

"I-- I just watched the drama, that's all - I don't... really know the history and all that..." he admitted sheepishly as she grinned. At least his lack of knowledge was amusing to someone, he figured.

The more she thought about it, the more she decided that the only way to get him to stop indirectly reminding her of her confessions - about school, and her feelings, and her disappointment - was to end the stranger act. It was an idea Soyul had presented to her earlier on in the day, though she had felt too nervous to act upon it; but nerves were easier to deal with than repressed memories being brought back to life. "Who would you have wanted to play? If you were in Boys Over Flowers, I mean."

He seemed genuinely surprised that she was initiating a conversation after so long, and a wide smile spread on his face as he spoke cheerfully. "Geum Jan Di, obviously."

"Oh--" she almost snorted, holding a thumb up in approval. "Of course. You're a perfect fit. Didn't even need to ask."

"You'd be Gu Jun Pyo, then, right? I can see you with a perm--" he squinted his eyes, wiggling his fingers around as he drew his imagined hairstyle in the air.

She waved her hand in dismissal. "No, no. If I'm Kim Hyunjoong sunbaenim's character, it means I'll be able to play the violin, right? I want to be good at instruments," she jutted her lower lip, her hand levitation over towards more food.

Just as she was beginning to think that maybe she did miss this, maybe just a little, Hakyeon gave a bright laugh. "That means you'd be in love with me, right?"

He realised what he had said a moment too late, and she stared at him, slightly slack-jawed to the point where he could almost see the unchewed kimbap in . "I- that's not--"

Though she did appear frozen for a split-second, she was quick to shake her head, covering with her other hand. "It means I only liked you because I was bored without my real lover... Kim Bap Joo," she forced a laugh at her own bad pun, though it wasn't long before she began trailing off in embarrassment. "You know-- because... Kim Hyun Joo was her name, and... kimbap... is my love..."

"Until Kim Bap Joo finds out you're cheating on her with Shin Ram Yeon," he clicked his tongue, playing along. "Don't think I haven't noticed. I see you sneaking your instant noodles into the break room."

"You're onto me..." she chuckled, rubbing a hand against her nape before she giving a nervous tug of her lips. "Don't tell my manager, though. This is a secret between you, me, and the gym."

"Alright. I'll keep your secret," he promised. He was silent for a moment, eyes scanning over the remaining food as he averted his gaze from her. "But in return, you'll have to keep mine."

"Your secret?"

"Yeah."

"No-- Don't tell me. You don't need to tell me."

He froze in his position before his fingers curled inward, and he rested his fist in his pocket in defeat. This wasn't the response he was expecting. It had been different in his mind, when he'd planned it, when he decided--

"Your character is kind of a creep, you know," Minyoung interrupted his thoughts, folding her arms as she sighed softly at the far-too-small food table. "When Minkyung said she was going home, he should have taken a hint and left her alone."

Hakyeon's brows furrowed. "He couldn't do that." She quirked a brow at him, provoking elaboration. "I don't think it matters what she thinks of him. He can't just leave."

"But that's selfish," she defended. "She's clearly struggling because of him. She's trying to be nice, but it's hard--"

"He's being nice to someone who doesn't want to accept it. That's even harder."

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, her thumbs fumbling with the hem of her shirt. "Then he should stop."

He remained wordless for a moment, studying her expression. "Stopping his heart would be more painful than continuing to like her. Who's being selfish?"

Minyoung averted her gaze to another staff member by the door, muttering a short, "The catering people... I swear they ate all the food while we were in the middle of filming," before hurrying away. She didn't want to think about what she had just heard. She wanted to complain, eat, get home and remember that she's a professional. Minkyung and Minyoung are different. We're different. Kang likes Minkyung. I am Minyoung. I am Ellin... I am Ellin...

"What do you think will happen?" Soyul seized her opportunity and slid beside Hakyeon. "Between your characters, of course."

"They'll end up together, eventually. They have to. They're the mains... you know?" he raised his brows and she couldn't help but feel he was asking for reassurance.

"That's true. This is just my opinion... but I think that Minkyung secretly likes Kang, too."

"You... do?"

"Yeah," she nodded encouragingly. "Just because she'd rather bury her feelings than face them head-on doesn't make them invalid. She's still a human. She still feels... she just won't admit it."

His gaze trailed over to the blonde female who was still busy huffing about the - most likely groundless - claims of food thievery. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think Kang must be one of the most stupid people on the planet."

The statement took Soyul by surprise. "What?" she repeated, crestfallen. "Why?"

"Don't get me wrong-- I think he's generally happy with where he is in life. He likes his job, even though it's not what he always wanted... he likes his co-workers..." he added quietly. "But there's one thing that still bugs him. He came so far, but along the way he made a really, really stupid decision."

She tilted her head as she reached for her drink. "What did he do?"

He gave a weak smile, finally meeting her eyes. "He had the chance to spend his schooling days with Minkyung, and he didn't."

Soyul almost choked on her water. "I guess you'll-- he'll have to make up for it now, right?" she suggested, wiping the back of her hand against .

"Company well due," he agreed, bearing a slightly brighter expression as he watched Minyoung soundlessly lose her argument in the distance. With brows pushed together she finally made her way over to her manager, giving the pair a lazy wave as she prepared to leave for the day. "All those years of Choi Minkyung, and he completely missed out."