When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath

But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight

But when was it that he’d finally fallen in love?

Yes, she’d captured his attention and his heart since the very first day they met. She was not only gorgeous, but sweet, poised and caring. Bo Gum liked her right away and felt that there was something about her that was different from any other person he’d ever met. His feelings had developed so quickly and so naturally, he hadn’t had time to realize when it was that he’d fallen in love.

He thought back on their time filming. Had it been when they'd gone horseback riding? Or maybe on their first script reading? Or on their first rehearsal?

No. He remembered now: it had been during the pit scene.

By the time they had to film said scene, they were already acquainted and were getting to know each other a little bit more every day. He definitely liked her, but he never thought his feelings would progress any further, or that he would ever think about doing anything about them.

The pit scene started out a little awkwardly, for it was one of their first scenes together, and they also had to stand close to each other in a small enclosure for a long period of time. Still, after a while, the awkwardness quickly faded. Bo Gum found himself loving every minute he got to spend with her, either acting or during their downtime. She was so lively and funny, he couldn't help but feel himself slowly falling under her spell. His heartbeat quickened each time she caught his gaze, but at the same time, he felt incredibly at ease. He tried his best to make her laugh, as well, for she had the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.
 
Bo Gum had known his feelings for her were different, though, when he realized that he wanted -no, needed- to take care of her. At one moment, rocks and dirt fell suddenly on their heads, and he found himself shielding her with his own arms and trying his best to protect her from any harm. That time he'd looked up, ready to scold whoever had made those rocks fall and put Yoo Jung in danger. It had all happened so fast, he hadn't really had any time to think about what he was doing. He just acted by instinct, and his instinct was to protect her.

“Gomawo, Bo Gum Oppa.” After the sudden dirt shower, Yoo Jung smiled at him, relieved and a little embarrassed. She looked down at her sleeves and at her hanbok. “Aigoo, look at me! I’m so dirty!” She pouted and tried to clean herself up a bit.

“Ani, Yoo Jung-ah!” He gave her his most reassuring smile. “Yeppeuda!”

Bo Gum realized what he had just said only a moment later. He saw Yoo Jung’s cheeks getting red and how she looked at him with a slightly confused expression.

“I mean, you look great for the scene!” He pushed her playfully and laughed out loud. “It’s okay if you’re dirty, it fits the scene perfectly!” Bo Gum added, attempting to hide the true meaning of his words. Yoo Jung looked a little taken aback at first, but seemed to catch the joke and laughed along with him.

“You’re funny, Oppa!” She shook her head, still laughing, and they resumed the rehearsal.

What was he thinking? Why had he been so transparent? His feelings had truly been on display; he’d not only been taking care of her and protecting her from any harm, but he also tried to cheer her up and wanted to make sure she knew how beautiful she looked. He was aware of how she was doing, wanted to be with her and talk to her, and it came naturally to him.

Before filming started, the director had asked him to treat Yoo Jung like a close male friend, in order to build the appropriate chemistry for the first episodes. Bo Gum tried, but failed miserably. She’d already captured his heart, and Bo Gum saw her for who she was and loved every single thing about her. Everything they’d done off screen, every conversation, every laugh, every hug, every joke… It was 100% them. It belonged to them and the wonderful friendship they were building. He wanted to carry on getting to know her and feeling whatever it was he was feeling inside, without fear or doubt. He wanted to love her.

So, that was it. That was the moment when he’d finally known, after witnessing how his heart made him act without him even realizing it: he was falling in love.