Step by Step

Joonmyeon sighed, slouching down in his seat on the airport bench.

Three weeks had passed since he’d taken on the role. In those three weeks, spring had risen from the snow, peeking its head out after a long hibernation of cold weather. It was beginning to get warmer in Seoul.

As for Joonmyeon, he still hadn’t backed down from the film. It wouldn’t be fair to Jongdae if he suddenly decided to quit.

It was the first day of principle filming. The group had gathered at Incheon Airport. Chanyeol, being the telephone pole he was, held the boom mic since he wasn’t in the scene. Jongdae sat behind the monitor that was receiving the live feed from the camera in Minseok’s hands. Yixing stood next to Minseok, holding the clapboard in his hands, looking a little nervous, as if he’d mess his job up.

The wardrobe designer, Kris, was adjusting Luhan’s jacket and exchanging one hat after another, not satisfied with the look of any of them on the elder’s head. It was clear he was getting frustrated. Andi stood next to him, giving her input that he never bothered to listen to.

Joonmyeon ruffled his hair, blinking his eyes that were heavy with the makeup needed for him to go on camera. A hand smacked his away from his hair that had already been styled. He blinked, looking around to see Baekhyun, holding a bag in one hand while frowning.

“What was that for?” he demanded with a playful smile.

Baekhyun couldn’t help the smile that erupted over his own lips. “You shouldn’t mess with your hair, especially after Kris and Andi worked so hard on it.”

A snicker escaped Joonmyeon’s lips as he looked over at the bickering couple. Luhan was attempting to pacify the couple by taking advice on his costume from both of them, which wasn’t working at all. “You mean the two that are fighting like children over there?” Baekhyun let out a snort of laughter as well.

“I keep telling you that Luhan would look better with a fedora than a baseball cap! Baseball caps don’t even fit this outfit! You should agree!” Andi practically screamed.

Kris fired back, equally as loudly, “The only ing thing we agree on is that he looks awful in a sunhat, which we don’t ing have!”

“Hey!” exclaimed said boy, crossing his arms and looking cutely offended.

Jongdae shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked overwhelmed and stressed, for the first time since Joonmyeon had met him, unable to speak. Joonmyeon nearly felt bad for him. Out of all the talented students in his art college in Hongdae, he chose to work with the inexperienced kids that he called his friends.

Stepping up, Joonmyeon finally called out, “Guys, calm down!”

Jongdae sent his older friend a grateful look as the bickering couple grudgingly stopped their childish argument. Joonmyeon smiled back at the young director, giving him a nod, as if to reassure him that he’d have his back no matter what.

Clearing his throat, Jongdae stood, holding his megaphone. “Alright guys, finish those costumes up, because we only have an hour to shoot here. Luhan, when I cue you, you walk out with the crowd. When you reach the bench, stop and look around for someone. Then you…”

“See Joonmyeon and start yelling in Chinese, I got it!” Luhan chirped cheerily, a wide grin on his slim face.

Jongdae nodded proudly, perching himself back down in his personalized director’s chair. “Alright, and… Camera!” Kris, in a moment of panic, shoved a black fedora onto the shorter boy’s head before fleeing, Andi following him, but not before smiling smugly in victory.

“Speed!” Minseok called back as he started the camera.

“Marker!”

Practically popping in front of the camera, Yixing held out the clapboard with his elegant writing on it and announced, “Goodbye Summer, Scene One.”

“Background action!” The people around them – most of whom were tourists that were thrilled at the prospect of being in a film – began to move, attempting to avoid the camera, but stay in front of it. Joonmyeon looked around nervously. A few moments passed, then Jongdae called, “Joonmyeon, action!”

Joonmyeon sipped his coffee and checked his phone, following the exact same actions that he’d practiced, the actions that were written in the script. He sighed, putting his phone in his pocket, taking another long sip of his coffee.

“And… phone!”

In his pocket, the phone beeped. Joonmyeon pulled his phone out and checked it, reading the message that had popped up.

From: Yu Feng (3:48 PM)
We landed

After reading the message, he locked his phone again, looking around for Luhan, who would appear shortly.

“Luhan, action!”

Luhan emerged from back of the crowd of extras who Jongdae had charmed, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders and dragging his bright pink, floral suitcase along with him. He looked around as he walked, stopping when he reached the bench furthest away from Joonmyeon.

Then his eyes landed on Joonmyeon and his face lit up. He started yelling excitedly in rapid Chinese that Joonmyeon struggled to keep up with. He didn’t understand a thing that his friend was saying.

He just smiled and waved, as his character realized that his pen pal was the one yelling in Chinese. Standing, he picked up his bag and walked towards Luhan.

“Yu Feng?” he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

Luhan nodded, his hair bobbing up and down on his head. “Yes!” he replied, losing the accent he’d acquired over the years of living in Korea and returning to the broken accent he’d used when he’d first moved to the country. “You are Lee Jaehyun?”

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