As promised, just like that Taehyung let go of her. Turning away as if she didn’t exist he waited for the ok from the photographer, which they immediately got.

“Good job,” Taehyung commented. “I heard you’re a newcomer. Nervous?”

Namjoo shyly glanced up at him. Were her cheeks red? Was it obvious what she was thinking?

She nodded.

“I’ll take you out for a meal sometime,” he promised then patted her arm. “It’ll get better after your first time. Good luck.” He glanced past her then said, “Jongin’s coming.”

Something sharp spiraled through Namjoo. Disappointment.

“I’ll see you around,” he promised then walked away.

Taehyung…

Oh god, he was so perfect.

Jongin intentionally bumped shoulders with her. “Don’t dream of it.”

Scoffing, Namjoo looked up at him, “Like hell you even know what I’m thinking.”

“Oh, I can see it all in your eyes,” he waved his fingers in front of his eyes, “this is not some high school where you can careen after some boy.”

Throwing her head back with a laugh, “Are you jealous? Putting on a show because,” she gestured toward the others, “they’re watching?”

“I’m warning you to not be obvious,” Jongin whispered. “If I can see what you’re doing up here, anybody can. Last thing I’ll have is news that you’re cheating on me.”

The sharp glare in her eyes told her he wasn’t lying. It pissed her off also because if not for him she’d get her chance with Taehyung. Damn Jongin. er.

Just like that he grabbed her hand and led her toward the crew members. “We have to get changed for the next shoot.”

She wanted to kick him but she couldn’t. She had to be the lovely girlfriend who only saw him in her eyes. All at once she wanted to strangle herself. What was up with this damn roleplay?

As they passed the crew members – some whose eyes followed then enviously, others who were too busy to have a glimpse of the celebrity couple – Namjoo’s eyes sought for Taehyung among the crowd. Handsome guy. The source of her racing heart.

Stylists met with them at the back, handed them clothes, and directed them into the changing room. Namjoo slipped into her modern woman dress, heels, and slipped out of the changing room intended to head up to the set, but the stylist caught her. Led to a setup at the back Namjoo sat in a stiff wooden chair, a vanity mirror in front of her. It was the fancy kind of mirror with lightbulbs decked on its sides, the kind of mirrors she always saw in movies about people shooting to fame or performing on stage. Makeup brushes, palettes, blush, foundation, and bb cream covered the top of the white table in front of her. It was a mess, an organized mess. She turned when Jongin took a seat nearby. The stylist made her turn forward.

“It’s nice to date on set, but lets get this done first,” the stylist, a young woman who must be in her early 30’s, said.

Date on set? No, Namjoo wanted to go seek out Taehyun. Get another glimpse of the eye candy. Fill herself up emotionally if not physically.

Since she’d stopped by the salon early morning there was no need for extra touchup, but Namjoo assumed the stylist wanted to add more makeup so that the lightning would capture more of her facial features. Her hair was even slightly touched up again into wavy curls. When Namjoo was let go Jongin was already waiting for her.

“How sweet of him,” the stylist complimented. “You two make a great pair.”

Namjoo’s reply was a quiet smile and then she turned to see Jongin extending his hand out. How gentlemanly of him she thought with much sarcasm. He always made a 360 degree turn when they were in front of others. Withholding a sigh, she took his hand and they walked together onto the set. This time the crew members turned with gaping eyes, elated smiles for the new couple recently formed was in front of their eyes. Lovely, handsome, and together.

She caught sight of Taehyung and felt her stomach turn into knots. She wanted to let go of Jongin’s hands to tell the other actor they had nothing going on. She couldn’t do it.

Before she knew it, they were in front of the green screen and Sooha was busily instructing his persons to resituate the reflectors. Namjoo glanced up noticing a net hoisted into midair right above their heads.

“Don’t.”

She turned to Jongin and aggressively asked, “What?”

“I said don’t look up,” he repeated. “They wouldn’t like it.”

Namjoo glanced toward the side in the direction of the director. “Why?”

“Because that’s not what the characters are representing, a fool looking up.”

Namjoo scowled at him. “Then what are we representing.”

“Are you an idiot? You didn’t go through the script?” he asked.

“I did.” She retaliated though truth was that she still had trouble understanding some things, like imagining someone who wasn’t real was real or pretend she was someone else and validate that person’s feelings. Her character loved two men. Namjoo didn’t understand that part. It was complex, hard to understand.

Most of all, she didn’t believe in that bull.

“Then what don’t you understand?” Jongin asked. Their conversation up front quiet and private while the others busily gave each other directions, chaos around them. “You’ve never been in love before? Nothing romantic?”

Namjoo gazed up at him. Then she wondered what had gone down between class A actress Son Naeun and actor Kim Jongin. Would he imagine he was with Naeun while filming with her? The only way he could see himself romanticizing her? They had gone as far planning for marriage. A lot must have happened between them. And Namjoo knew just what kinds of things could happen in passionate relationships.

They turned when Go Tak walked up to them. “Ok, so you’ll be shooting for the cover of the drama. I know this drama will be majorly centered less around comedy than it is about romantic complications, however; you two are the main. Passionate, happy, loyal, and determined to walk against all odds to be together. I want you two to look at each other with those feelings and we’ll be dropping cherry blossom petals to represent spring. Lets try to get it in one shot, so we don’t have to collect the petals again.”

He sounded determined, probably trusted them to do well with their couple dynamic, but Namjoo wasn’t ready. Oh man, did he forget this was her first time shooting something? And that she did not love Jongin that way.

Oh, were they not in love at all.

Flustered Namjoo looked away with a confused sentiment. She was all sorts of troubled in this moment. How to perfectly convey those emotions when she was not currently in love…

She absentmindedly tried glancing in the direction of Taehyung but Jongin jerked her toward him.

“Did you not hear him?” Jongin asked

Go Tak was now gone, back in his folding chair. The bustling around them settling down.

“I can’t,” Namjoo tightened her brows. “It’s impossible to do it in one shot.”

It was impossible. She couldn’t play with emotions like that just yet. She was no natural born actor like many others. She had never gone into theater, never been in a musical or play, and she didn’t sing. She was certainly no performer.

Jongin sighed as if he was tired arguing with her. “You’ll be acting soon, you’ve no choice.”

Namjoo subconsciously pursed her lips together. Sooha, camera in hand, called out for them to get ready.

“Just pay attention to me. I’ll lead you on,” Jongin said. “Look into my eyes.” She did. “I love you.”

An imaginary wind blew into her face, the air washing into her hair. Mind felt warped.

Holy…

Just what…

Happened…?

Jongin’s warm fingers slithered through hers, held her hand tight, those intense brown eyes of his shoved hands into her soul. Namjoo was shot out of the world the moment he sweetly smiled down at her. One by one the cherry blossoms began descending like little angels from heaven.

“Done!” Go Tak shouted.

“That was perfect!” Sooha complimented loudly.

As the rest of the petals fell Namjoo’s breath grew short. It flashed into her mind over and over. Jongin’s eyes, the feel of his warm flesh, I love you. The sweet smile.

Her heart raced.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jongin’s voice broke into her head.

Namjoo looked up, finally realized he wasn’t holding her hand anymore. Snapped awake she peered around. They were asking if she was finally ready for her solo shot. Without replying, Namjoo glanced around absentmindedly in search of Taehyung.

₪₪₪₪₪

Jongin went straight to work then straight home from work. Not like there were many things he could be doing under public scrutiny these days. Script reading went by in a flash and amazingly Namjoo did amateurish-well. He wondered who she had practiced with at the company, not that he minded because anyone else but him as her teacher was good enough.

Morning after the script reading he woke up to a text message from Chanyeol. The lanky manager was always up to date with news. Maybe he had no life or Hyunki made it his job to always be posted with news about Jongin. There was a link in the message which Jongin pressed on as he sat up in bed. It directed him to a website, the broadcasting station’s. Under the company website producing his drama popped up the posters promoting the show.

The editing had been done well under natural light. The photos weren’t overly photoshopped like many others he had seen before. Being this long in the industry Jongin would never underestimate anyone’s power to edit or publish so fast. First filming would start tomorrow, so he supposed the company had chosen this in a timely manner.

Jongin paused when he reached the final poster of him and Namjoo, the petals floating around them dreamily. He imagined it would soon be hung up all over the company for promotion. South Korea’s sweetest couple Hyunki had said.

He recalled saying, “I love you.” Namjoo had been so nervous he just didn’t know how to make her focus. She was just as he imagined under the camera. A nervous idiot. If she had a break down tomorrow acting, he didn’t know if he could help her. He had warned her before and he had told Hyunki not to do it. Then she’d gone right ahead and brought Namjoo into the company. Perhaps, Jongin wondered, he should ask Hyunki how much money she had promised Namjoo. There had to be something that wheeled Namjoo into this industry, into carrying the façade of being his girlfriend.

Setting his phone down he got out of bed, washed up, and made himself a bowl of cereal. He had his own copy of the first episode script, so that was what he focused on. Even if he hated it he would do what his job required. It was how he made a living.

₪₪₪₪₪

In bed the previous night Namjoo lay unsettled. She had had several practice runs with Do Hyuk the past few days acting, but she had never done it for real. What kind of experience would it be to pretend being someone for several minutes only to hear the director yell cut and then revert to herself? How did actors and actresses pull that off?

The same way Jongin said I love you and then went back to normal like it didn’t matter? Even Namjoo never tossed those words around wordlessly.

What kind of gamble would it be to become a celebrity?

Jongin was so good she nearly fell for it. She was a woman after all. And she had a heart and a soul. What a scary thought that she would have fallen for him if he actually meant those words. Jongin was a good catch but knowing him so far was a turnoff.

Bright early morning they all met up at the broadcasting company for the first script run. Taehyung was there among Jongin, Seo Yul, and other backdrop actors. Namjoo even met the producer of their drama and the director, Ha Soo. It was minimal work, but Namjoo fought hard to pay attention, recited her lines, laughed with the others during mistakes – not all hers. They continued, had a short break, and then filmed video shots for drama promotion. Obviously, she had to do hers alongside Jongin. Lines were rehearsed but Jongin did all the talking anyway.

Once they were done Jongin was first to leave. Manager Kwak was late so Namjoo waited for him by the front doors. She turned when she heard a voice.

“Do you need a ride?” It was Taehyung. A t-shirt with a Pepsi logo and slim jeans framed his nice body. It helped even more that he looked handsome.

“My manager will be here soon.” Namjoo couldn’t help grinning.

“I was going to offer you one if there was no one,” he seemed to smile as he spoke. Namjoo couldn’t help but scan his perfectly sculpted face. Again, so handsome. “You did a good job back there.”

Namjoo flushed. “I wasn’t that good. I could tell Jongin was judging me.”

“I’m sure he didn’t think it was that bad,” Taehyung assured. If only he knew. “I thought you did great, so there it is. It’s your first time, so I’m rooting for you.”

This time Namjoo blushed. “Thanks. I’m so nervous.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Taehyung patted her arm. “I’ll call you for a meal soon. Bye.”

“What?” Namjoo breathed as she watched him run off toward the car pulling up to the curb. Call her? Had she heard right?

₪₪₪₪₪

It was probably dooms day. His mother must’ve have gotten the time wrong because it wasn’t the end of the month family dinner yet. Jongin had woken up from where he’d fallen asleep on the couch watching a sitcom. The doorbell had rung and the person he least expected was standing on his doorstep.

His mother.

Lim Jangmi walked in like it was her own home forcing him to make way. “Mom?” he gasped following her. “What are you doing here?”

His almost 50 year-old-mother walked into his kitchen and began prowling around. Opening his fridge, going through his drawers. After having enough, she took a seat at his glossy kitchen table.

“I heard you’re starring in a drama,” she started.

“Filming starts tomorrow,” Jongin said still standing.

“Then you’ll be busy,” she stated. By now she knew the procedures of scheduled filming, how long he’d be away, that he would be hard to contact. Might even be impossible to see depending on how many scenes were in tow for him.

“I will.” He responded.

“I want to see her.”

Silence.

“What?” he asked for clearance. Maybe he had heard wrong.

She turned to look up at him, “Your girlfriend, Namjoo. Call her and lets have dinner.”

A smile with hesitation and disbelief crawled across his lips. “Now?”

“Now.” She firmly said.

“I think she’s busy. She had a schedule today,” he said though he wasn’t too sure.

“I can call your CEO and get her number. Would you rather I do it that way?” She was threatening. Jongin gulped. Going through Hyunki was even worse. Who knew what the women could say to each other. Most of all, he didn’t want Namjoo to meet his mother or vice versa. Ever.

“Ok, ok,” he complied. “I’ll go call her. My phone’s in my room.”

Escaping out of the kitchen he fled into the bedroom where he closed the door so his mother couldn’t hear his conversation. Telling his mother no was no resolute answer. A woman he barely saw each day anymore brought on the cause to be the filial son he should be.

The phone rang a few times. Anxiously biting his nail, he demanded, “Pick up! Pick up! Dammit, pick up!”

Namjoo finally picked up after what felt like an eternity. “What do you want? Don’t ever call me again.”

“Where are you?”

“Why?”

“Where are you?” he demanded with more emphasis on her whereabouts.

“Why?” Namjoo retaliated. Always so annoying she was.

“My mother is here, she wants to see you.”

Shocked silence. Then, “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” he questioned wondering what grand plans she had tonight. “If my mom wants to see you, she has to see you.”

“That’s your problem,” Namjoo snapped. “I’m going to dinner.”

“With who?” he was now curious and then kind of spitefully asked, “Your mother?”

Silence.

“At Taehyung’s.”

***A/N: the tile The First Spring is not as in spring, the season, but spring the verb "leap, jump, hop etc". Just noting so there's no confusion