"Mwoga monjeya?" (What's the matter?) I asked with an irritated tone. Ever since he entered the coffee shop a moment ago, he's been sighing over and over again. I could let it go before because it was already past the peak hours and there weren't any customers. We still had none at the moment but his sighs got louder by the minute and it was starting to get into my nerves.

"I'm done for," he answered, his face etched with desolation. "I don't think I'll ever become a famous actor," he lamented.

     I immediately felt bad for being mean to him. Seo Ji Hoon is, most of the time, annoying and playful, despite his financial situation and frustration over not being able to rise to the top in the show business industry. But not once did he complain in all seriousness about his failures. He would sometimes rant jokingly, but never in a way that would make me feel this worried.

     His eyes started to redden and the sight of it broke my heart.

     "Am I not good enough? Am I not as handsome as they are?" he asked. When I wouldn't answer, he slammed his forehead on the table and then regretted it as he winced in pain. I went closer to his table and stood opposite him. I also winced when I saw the small, red bump that formed when he lifted his head back up.

     "You didn't get the part again?" I asked as he tended his swollen forehead.

     He shook his head in response.

     "Well, you just gotta keep trying," I told him. But really, I don't want to make promises. There are, like, heaps of beautiful men out there that have a more established reputation in the industry. A lot of them aren't even making it to the limelight. What are the odds that he is going to make it big someday, given that his biggest acting experience is playing an extra in a soda commercial that did not even make it to a year in the market itself? Really, it's a far-fetched dream.

     "But I've tried and tried and now I have spent all of my savings already. What am I going to do next?"

     "Well, first, you should have listened to your fa-"

     "I asked what I'm going to do next, not what I should have done," he countered. Really, I should've watched my mouth.

     "Oops. Mian," I apologized with a facial expression that spelled 'I'm so stupid' in bold letters.

     "If you really are sorry, let me borrow your savings," he then said, stripping me off of any guilt I have felt in the past nanoseconds.

     I placed the cleaning rag on the table, lowered my head to his level, and smirked. "Jugulle?" (Wanna die?)

     "Cut!" the director shouted a few seconds after L and I stopped conversing.

     His make-up artists approached him for a quick retouch but mine just wiped my face with facial tissue to treat my oily face. The only product I could don is a lip balm that would keep my lips from being too dry. The color is too light that it almost looked like I wasn't wearing any lip product.

     "Gwaenchanha?" (You okay?) L asked, looking at me, but without turning his head in my direction.

     "Ne. Neoneunyo?" (Yes, you?) I must have sounded stupid for asking the same thing, considering that he only asked me if I was doing fine because it was my first time acting, but I couldn't think of anything else for a response.

     "Eo," he replied and then smiled.

     I have never felt so properly taken care of my entire life. Everyone is just so nice. Where are the mean people that the Korean dramas I have watched always portrayed?

     Another actor arrived at the set. He was sporting a heavily shaded glasses that made his face looked like perfection. After he was done greeting the directors and staff, he then walked toward L and I.

     "Makiya, annyeong! How is it so far? Jaemitji?" (Hello, Maki! ... It's fun, isn't it?) Sung Jae said after greeting L.

     "Ne, jaemisseoseoyo. Are you shooting your first scene?" I asked, even if I already knew the answer, just to keep the conservation going, to which he nodded with a grin.

     "Aren't you a little early?" L asked, his make-up artists already done.

     "On purpose. I have to get to know Maki better, you know," Sung Jae replied to L in a cheerful manner before walking away, not before giving me a wink.

     The only thing I was able to get from their conversation is the inclusion of my name, which means that there was a reason behind Sung Jae's playful wink.

     Damn. I should really hone my ability to speak in Korean. The accent is a piece of cake but memorizing lines that I don't even understand is no fun. I speak some lines in English, sure, but it would be more convincing if I spoke well in Korean so I could be able to do some ad-libs.

~~~~~

     The sky was already dark by the time we finished filming. Myungsoo and APink's Jung Eun Ji, a supporting character in the story, were filming the last scene for today. I was left alone in my designated seat when my manager went to get me an apple from our van.

I was busy playing Clash of Clans on my phone when I heard a chair being dragged toward my direction. I looked up and saw a grinning Sung Jae about to sit beside me.

     "So, is my English good?" he asked, out of nowhere, with an accent that sounded too adorable.

     "Yes, very good," I replied with a thumb up.

     "Eo! You play that also?" he asked, his index finger pointing to my phone I was holding on my left hand.

     I nodded. "Neodo?" (You too?)

     "Eo! Jamkkan man." (Yes! Wait a minute.) He fished his phone out of his pocket and then showed me his base. His is way better than mine. His Town Hall was already at Level 9 while mine was only at Level 6.

     "You're a losers," he teased.

     I snorted. "You're a loser," I corrected.

     "Oh, sorry," he apologized. "Aside from learning English, I think I'm going to have fun working with you."

     "Eo?" I understood nothing, except Yeongeo which means English and jaemi which means fun or interesting. But he certainly didn't say English is fun. "Mworago?"

     He just responded by jutting his tongue out as if teasing me.

     Okay, then. Let the battle of who-does-not-understand-the-other-more begin.

     So, I did the same. But, in turn, he just smirked.

     I was just about to ask him what he was trying to do when the director announced that the filming for the day was over. And it shall resume in ten hours.

     That's not even enough time to follow my itinerary for tomorrow before the filming. Does this mean I'm going to sleep for only three to four hours? Wow. It's college life all over again, just when I thought I had already escaped from all the sleepless nights.

     After everyone bid their farewells, I followed my manager to the van with an apple in hand. I was mindlessly trailing behind him, busy looking at my phone on the other hand, when a warm hand enclosed mine that held the half-eaten apple up. It turned out to be Sung Jae's. "This is an apple," he said, winked and then walked away.

That's one determined guy to learn English.

"Waegeurae?" (What's up?) Myungsoo then asked after a couple of seconds when he saw me just blankly staring at my apple.

     By then, everyone else were already packing their stuff in their vans and Sung Jae were nowhere to be seen. He must have entered his van already.

     "Waegeurae?" he asked again when I would not answer and was just staring at him.

     I tilted my head to the side as if to analyze something carefully. "Oppa. Yeongeoreul baeugo shipeohaeyo? Diseukaunteu julkke," (Oppa. Do you want to learn English? I'll give you a discount.) I told him excitedly. It's never wrong to have a back-up money-making business. "Uh, han shigan," (Uh, one hour,) I held up a finger, "Iman won." (20,000 won.)

     "I-iman won!?" he exclaimed. "Shireo." (Don't wanna.)

     "Ani wae?" (But why?) I asked. "Doni inneunde. Aju manhi," (You have a lot of money.) I stated matter-of-factly.

     "Obta," he replied and we started walking.

     "Seo Ji Hoon ani janha," (You're not Seo Ji Hoon.) I argued.

     "Obtanikka," (I said I don't have.) he insisted. "I speak English very good," he added to prove his point. He smiled and then playfully flicked my forehead.

     "Ow! Mwoya."

     "Naeil boja!" (See you tomorrow!) he sang and then walked away, waving his hand with his back facing me.

     The thought of seeing them again warmed my heart. I have gained a lot of friends already in just a few weeks and unexpectedly, it felt nice.

~~~~~

     "Baegopayo," I complained to Miss Jina over the phone. The fridge only had fruits in it and I was already starting to get sick of them.

     I have been staying in her officetel these past few days so they could watch me properly. I have been losing pound after pound and it was no surprise. They only let me eat apples and oranges and yams. They would add grapes once in a while. But undeniably, the result so far was promising. I noticed that my pimple marks started to lighten. But, who knows, it could be the skin treatment I was getting every now and then.

     "Himnaera," she cheered. "We'll have a conference soon. Which means, your surgery is just around the corner. But before that, we have to finish filming your pre-surgery scenes. And we only have two weeks left to do that-"

     "Which is why you should give me something to eat that will energize me, to get me through the week," I pointed out. "I'm not even that fat," I added.

     "Well, you're not anymore."

     "Well, ouch."

     "I'm so sorry, Maki," was all she could say.

     And then I heard her hang up.

     Oh, damn. I seriously am hungry. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

     I checked the time on my phone and it read one hour past midnight. I hurriedly got off the bed and quietly got out of my room. In the living room, I saw my manager all sprawled out on the couch, too comfortable in his slumber and even snoring a little. He didn't even bother to change his clothes.

     I tip-toed toward the door that would lead me to my freedom and a lot of food. I turned the knob slowly and as quiet as I could. When I successfully opened it without waking him up, I slid outside and gently closed the door, which responded with a faint beep that told me that it was securely locked. I could only hope that he didn't hear it.

     I soon realized how stupid I was for sneaking out in my sleeping clothes. They were not exactly pajamas. I was wearing an oversized shirt that I wasn't sure had no holes somewhere, a pair of cotton shorts that was shorter than half of my thigh, and a pair of red slippers that failed to protect my slightly blackened pinky toenails.

     It was late December. The wind was cold as soon as I stepped out of the building. It was freezing cold. I only had my phone with me. I was hungry and I had no money. Could I be any more stupid?

     I searched through my contact list if I had anyone to rescue me. But I was surprised when I saw a familiar name in the list that I did not know was there, along with the names of Miss Jina, some schoolmates, and my doctors of all sorts.

     So if I use an ID that I used in another phone, all the contacts from that phone would be transferred to my current phone. Huh. Cool. I did not know that.

     Nevertheless, I continued scrolling, but then, the display on the screen changed and I was now calling a contact. I could have just cancelled the call, but, good heavens, they hate me, the jerk was quick to answer.

     Anger, with a tinge of excitement, something I could not deny, boiled in me. I had no intent of talking to him but I just absentmindedly put my phone against my ear and listened. It must have been my curiosity.

     "Yeoboseyo?" the other line called.

     I did not answer. It could be because I did not know what to say. It could be because my teeth were chattering with cold. I could not decide between the two.

     "Yeoboseyo?" he asked again.

     Or it could be because hearing his voice again gave me all sorts of emotions I could not give a name. Or maybe I could but I just don't want to.

     "Yeoboseyo?" he said again, but this time it sounded as if he was just talking from behind.

     I wasn't sure what urged me to turn around, but I wasn't sure either if I regretted doing so.

     And then, there he was, dressed in a loose black shirt that showcased his collarbones and tattooed nape, his face slightly covered by the shadow of his baseball cap.

     When our eyes met, I immediately turned my back to him.

     GD can't see me now. No. No. Not until I am confident enough to face him.

     I walked as fast as I could back to the building. On my way in, I heard a shout. "Maki!" he called.

-----

If the character's line is italicized, it means that he/she said it in Korean. I'll try to make this as real as possible. Lol 😂

And oh, my! GD is baaack! ❤️