She scrambled to get ready, having found herself oversleeping this morning. She chided herself as she grabbed a woollen sweater to put over her top and black leggings. 

Aishh...! Of all the days! she cringed. She had come home late last night, took a bath and collapsed exhausted in bed. Fortunately she had remembered to put her alarm on; her phone's shrill ring roused her from her deep sleep. Otherwise, she would truly be scrambling like a madwoman getting ready. She spared a quick glance out the window to see if his car has pulled over, glad to see the still darkened streets empty. She went to brush her long hair into submission and applied a bit more powder to her flushed face. She dropped her make-up brush when the doorbell dinged loudly, startling her.

She dashed down the stairs to the front door and ended up gasping a little for air while flinging the door open. Dammit, as she felt a stitch pull at her side in her mad rush. Hyung Sik was startled to see her short of breath. 

"Are you all right?" his brows furrowed. She was slightly bent over, her hands pressing on the edge of her right lower ribcage.

"Yes, sorry. I ran too fast down the stairs. I'll be ok; it will pass in a second." She took a few tentative steps, but stopped to grimace. 

"Why were you running? I wasn't rushing; I could have waited."

"I woke up late and was trying to get ready quickly." Her breaths were still catching when she moves. 

Hyung Sik went to her and in one swift move, lifted her up and carried her to the sofa. 

"Hyung Sik!" She was startled beyond measure, her eyes rounded in surprise and she was rendered speechless. 

He walked the length of the living room and gently set her down on the sofa without saying anything.

"Rest. We have time to get to the studio," was all he said, moving to her small kitchen to bring her a cup of tea sitting on the counter. 

"This is cold. Shall I brew a fresh batch? I could use some tea myself. It's too cold outside," he said not waiting for her answer.

opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but no words came out. She ended up just nodding at him.

Her eyes followed his every move; seeing him there brewing her tea, just like the way he did before; he still remembered where the tea cups were, where the cans of tea leaves were stored; he moved around in her kitchen as naturally as he used to do.

Hyung Sik for his part was trying to compose himself by occupying his hands with things to do. He had acted impulsively seeing her in pain and before his rational brain caught up with his irrational heart, went ahead and just picked her up. 

He brought the tea tray over and set it on the table. "Are you feeling better?" giving her just a quick glance.

"Yes, thanks," she replied as she reached over to serve them both some tea. "Uhm, thank you for getting the tea." She handed him a cup, their hands touching briefly. Their eyes avoided each other now that they're in close proximity.

 They were quiet, only their faint sips were heard for awhile.

She broke the silence after a thought, "I didn't tell Pd we will rehearse today; did you? The set might not be put together yet for our scene if we get there early."

He nodded in realization. "I didn't either. Damn, I'm sorry. It completely escaped my mind yesterday."

"Well, we can go over the script here I guess. And just leave for the studio after."

He agreed. They end up sharing her script which she had left on the table last night.

They went through the motions; as they reached the scene of them crossing the threshold, she quipped, "At least I know you can lift me up fairly quickly and carry me." 

"Carrying you has never been a problem," he said.

"Hmm. That implies there's a 'but' in that statement." 

He chuckled, "Not at all. You're light as a feather. You might just have to move your arms up and over, than how you normally do."

Her face showed her confusion. "What do you mean up and over? My arms are on your shoulder, right?"

"Yes they do, but you tend to hang onto my shoulder when lifted, rather than over them." Seeing her confusion, he moved closer. "Here, like this." Once again he lifted her up quite effortlessly and Bo Young's arm was holding onto his shoulder. "Move your arm so it goes around my neck." His eyes met hers for several heartbeats. He broke eye contact and set her back down. 

She swallowed, her throat feeling suddenly dry, and reached over for her tea that has been long cold and forgotten.

After a beat, he said, "Pd hasn't said anything, but he will likely ask us to do the kiss the way Ms. Kim wrote.. Are you.." He stopped, clearing his throat nervously then started again, trying to gather his thoughts. "I meant, will it be ok with you?" 

She looked over to where he sat. "If you are asking for permission, then yes. I will trust you to keep it within appropriate boundaries."

He didn't answer but just flipped through the script book. He wondered how she could sound so calm and collected when he is all a mass of nerves. 

She stood and said, "we should get going. we might hit traffic on the way to the studio." 

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The studio was starting to get busy as more crew arrived to get the set together. They will shoot the inside of the plane tomorrow on another location, as the interior of the cabin is still needing work, even though the scene itself only lasts but few minutes. The staff stood on standby waiting to get the all ready signal. Pd Lee is seen talking with the set director.

Hyung Sik finished his makeup prep and walked in, looking around. He spotted Hae In with coffees in hand laughing and chatting with a group of people. He turned to make his way towards the group. He heard a familiar laughter trilling from them and saw Hae In handing a cup of coffee to Bo Young, who was sitting on one of the actor's chairs. His steps faltered, but he walked resolutely to join them. He felt annoyed at himself for being irrationally annoyed. He went to grab a bottle of water in passing.

"Hyung Sik-kah," Hae In greeted him warmly; he is playing his sergeant, Kwan Seok. Already an established actor in his own merit, Hae In is not lacking in charms and fan base. He took the second lead because he happened to have free time in between his own drama engagements to take on a short role. And truth be told, he wanted to work with Bo Young. They all want to work with her, big surprise, Hyung Sik muttured to himself.

Hyung Sik greeted everybody and they continued chatting about various things. "I was just telling everybody I went to a friends' paintball party a few weeks ago. Have you been?" he turned to Hyung Sik. "It's great; you can vent all your inner frustrations out." He laughed engagedly.

"I haven't tried that. Sounds a lot of fun."

"Oh yeah, you play your RPG shooting games and this is just like that." He went on to explain how his party went. "I got killed, man. It was embarrassing, taken down by my cousin's wife. I won't live it down." He laughed shaking his head. "I told Bo Young-ie she would likely do well, being so petite. She can hide and ambush the enemy team."

"Ani, I'm competitive but not very sporty. I will need to team up with someone to cover me when I do the ambush," she said, her eyes crinkling at the corner as she laughed, her hands reaching out to tap Hae In affably. 

"We should do this; the whole crew will have fun. And dont worry, I'm sure you won't lack any protectors, Bo Young-ie."

"No she won't," Hyung Sik piped up. "No one will likely shoot at her, enemy or not. I'd worry more she'll hurt herself running around those terrains."

"I'm not that fragile," was her response. The group continued their banter, while Hyung Sik just took sips of his water, dropping only a few words here and there. Her words still echoing in his ears.

They finally heard their roll call to start shooting.

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[Flashback]

 

"Are you ready?" he said, checking to make sure the straps of her life jacket are secured. She wore her white cap and sunglasses and her long sleeve rashguard to protect herself from the sun. 

Hyung Sik had on a similar cap and life jacket and his board shorts. On the shore, a jetski sat waiting for them. She was feeling too house-bound on their Bali vacation, because of her ankle. She could not do any of the walking tours nor water activities on the beach and was starting to feel left out. Hyung Sik had done a few water sports with Jisoo and decided to take her jet-skiing. He felt it was not an exhausting activity but she will certainly still enjoy. She would after all be just sitting behind him as he operated the watercraft. She was more than willing, when he broached his plans for a getaway.

He made all the rental arrangements, planned to go early in the morning when everything was relatively quiet, and made sure her ankle is well bandaged and secure. She didn't know but he called her physician to get everything cleared beforehand and let their managers know his plans. 

"C'mon," he said, holding her hand as they waded towards where the jetski is moored. 

"Shikkie, when my ankle is better, let's do this again; next time I want to drive it." She said happily.

He straddled the seat and helped her sit behind him. "Hold onto me, tight ok?" wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I won't fall off."

"I know. I just want you hanging onto me," he teased.

He revved up and with her shrill yelp of excitement, they took off towards the sea. 

It was a perfect day, sunny but not unbearable hot or humid yet. The warm breeze kissing their faces as they raced across the surface. Hyung Sik slowed down once he spotted a small island in the horizon; there were several rock outcroppings jutting around the island and he manuevered the jetski expertly until they were able to dock on a smooth expanse of the beach, not too far from the shore. He secured the watercraft and helped her down. 

"Where are we, Hyung Sikkie? This place is beautiful. Its not a big island, is it?"

"One of the guides recommended this spot as a perfect getaway. It's not generally open for everybody but part of their getaway package tour, erm, for lovers, who rent the jet ski," he said. 

"You planned all this?" she exclaimed, turning to him in delight.

"Well, I want you to enjoy this gift vacation too, not just be cooped up while everybody is out having fun." He turned and lifted her up, carrying her to the shore.

She laughed in delight. "I'm not that fragile. I can walk to the shore."

"I know you can. But I don't need an excuse to carry you, especially when I can here without worrying if others are watching."

"I like it when you carry me," she whispered in his ears, looping her arms more securely around his neck, not missing the pleased smile spreading on his face. He kissed her, tasting the salty spray of sea water on her lips.

He walked towards a small shaded alcove, sheltered by tall pine trees. There was a small water cooler already waiting for them and folded blankets on one of the flat boulder placed decoratively on the side.

He set her down and went to spread the blanket for them. Bo Young took the cooler and her exclamations were delightful. "They have prepared everything! There's snacks and sandwiches and desserts. Omo, even sparkling water and ... is this champagne?" she said holding up a small bottle the size of a regular soju bottle back home. "Oh, it is!" 

Hyung sik grinned at her. "I'm glad you like this."

"I do." She took off her cap and sunglasses and reached over to reward him with a kiss. 

After a minute, maybe two, he said, slightly out of breath, "I'll give you all the surprises you'll ever want."

She chuckled huskily and brought him down with her on the blanket.

.

"Omo, Hyung--I mean, Jung Hwa," Bo Young said, as Hyung Sik lifted her up. No matter how much she has already anticipated this move, she was still taken aback when he did so, almost calling his name out rather than his character's. 

"Cut!" Pd Lee said.

"Mianhe, I'm sorry. He surprised me." She laughed, embarrassed at herself. Her cheeks pinking at her NG. "You surprised me on purpose," she muttered under her breath at him.

"You were the one that taught me to make the scene realistic, you have to put a little of yourself in the character. So I wanted to get your surprise for real," he shrugged unapologectically. She frowned seeing a faint smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. Why is he being a tease again, she wondered.

"Let's do it again, Bo Young-ie, Hyung Sik-kie," they heard PD Lee over the speaker cone.

This time, she was able to say the correct name, her arms moving correctly in position. And she held onto his shoulders as he brought her down to sit on the chair.

Their chemistry cannot be denied, even now; there is a palpable static electricity around them, easily captured by the camera on film. Hyung Sik tilted her chin and bent down to kiss her, slowly at first, waiting, gauging her response. She kissed him back, nipping his lip back and she felt his chest rise in response. When he angled his lips to capture hers, she felt the tip of his tongue tracing a sensous path across the seam of her lips. And she parted them without much effort, anticipating his kisses. He didn't need much prompting and deepened the kiss, with a hunger that surprised him. She fit him so perfectly still, their mouths working synchronously, as their kisses still radiate passion and heat. He turned his head to cover most of her from the camera, lost as he is in their kisses, still very much aware of the eyes surrounding them. He felt her arms wound tighter around his neck, and he brought her trembling body closer to him.

They vaguely heard PD Lee yell "Cut."

She had clung to him, trying to get her bearings, and felt his arm still supporting her waist, before they both let each other go. Pd Lee gave a couple more instructions for the re-shoot which they vaguely heard. 

He was just as affected, she thought, because he was too quiet. The next few shoots, he is much more guarded as she is, since the cameras were placed much closer now, to get the different angles of their kiss. Hyung Sik was covering her too much and Pd Lee kept moving the cameras to capture her face on the screen too. She's feeling much more self-conscious to kiss him as deeply as before, and the multiple takes made things more difficult rather than easy as they became more aware of each other.

Her kisses are still as intoxicating as he remembered, and for once, he did not need to remind himself the cameras were there. On their first take he could not help himself, kissing her as passionately as he used to in the past, barely recalling the cameras present. But he didn't want anybody else to share their kiss and moved to shield her, even as he continued to kiss her as deeply as he had wanted for the longest time. When they broke off, he had rested his forehead on hers, and the camera captured unerringly the simmering passion between them, with their lips swollen, their breaths uneven, even as the scene slowly faded to black.

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