Did you get your own night sky star map?  He texted her one evening.

No, I didn't. I only thought of getting it for you after we had that scene.  [pause]  You really liked it?

Yes. I found a place to hang it in my room.

I'm glad. I didn't know what to get you.

You didn't have to get me anything. I just want you. 

Well, still. It's your birthday after all. Last time after our drama, I didn't even get you a card. We've broken up already.  I was out of the country.

I remember... I got drunk.  [pause]  My friends threw me a party. 

How was your party at your parents' ?

It was good. I wish you were there. The whole family showed up.

I'm glad it was fun. Your eomma is doing well? I hope she still likes me. 

Yes, she's doing fine. She asked about you.

She did? Her heart thudded at this... I..I hope she isn't mad at me.

No. She was upset that I was upset, but she took your side. She's always taken your side, if you remember.

I was too afraid to call her to explain... I-I'm sorry, Shikkie.

Me too...

[pause]

After a bit he texted, Go to bed, it's late. I'll see you tomorrow.   I wish I can see you now.  

I will. Good night, Shikkie. I wish you were here. 

.

.

"Let's wrap that scene and get started on the next." Pd Lee watched the playback of Bo Young's solos as Mi Yeung anxiously waited on Jung Hwa and his return. They completed the first part of their bed scene earlier; Mi Yeung brushing her hair, anxiously anticipating their night together after Jung Hwa's return. It was exactly how Pd Lee predicted: it was hot and heavy, full of even with them just staring at each other, the way she slowly met his eyes in the mirror, the slow turn she did to face him and his sure steps toward her. It spoke of a realization of their feelings for each other. And with his gentle caress of her lips, her face, and her one step closer to him ending with that fiery kiss of theirs, the camera had panned out to a slow fade showing only their darkened shapes in the background. The scene ended in a blurry shot of Jung Hwa lifting Mi Yeung off her feet, carrying her effortlessly in his arms, lips still locked together. It was thrilling and very romantic. 

After the break for lunch, the crew is busy prepping for the next scenes. Ms. Kim came by and was waiting on them. She had been busy with other projects and had been just dropping by briefly on the set. Today she wanted to catch Bo Young and Hyung Sik to talk about Kwan Seok's character development.

Bo Young is free but Hyung Sik had to do a few more shots, so he will need to step out in a little while. Ms. Kim greeted them warmly, asked how they're doing and commented how pleased she is with how the drama filming is going. She went over again about the requests of the producers to add more substance to Hae In's role if possible to cash in on his current popularity. She began to outline her thoughts, while the other two listened.

"I was thinking he had a past love that didn't work out, the girl maybe left him while he was in the army, so he had trouble committing again. He is happy for Jung Hwa but still feels envious of Mi Yeung and Jung Hwa's relationship. He could be falling for Ye Ri, the office girl, and seeing his friend married happily, he wanted to have the same thing too."

Both listened attentively, hearing how Ms. Kim will slowly add more interactions between Kwan Seok and Jung Hwa, outside of the military themed scenes, as well as with Mi Yeung, as he would likely seek a woman's perspective.

As Ms. Kim and Bo Young huddled, Hyung Sik excused himself and stepped out. Pd Lee waved at him to look over the video playback, showing him various shots, checking his input. Behind them, the crew continued to be busy prepping the set.

After they checked multiple shots, Pd changed his mind, thinking he has enough to work with and may not need to redo his scenes. He told Hyung Sik they might start filming the next scenes much sooner instead.

Hyung Sik headed back to where Bo Young and Ms. Kim were; the two still engaged in conversation. Bo Young was talking and though he could only see her profile, he could see she was in deep contemplation of the subject. He went to get himself coffee off to the side and listened in.

"...I don't think it suits Kwan Seok's personality. He's affectionate and sweet and playful. He wouldn't be one pining for a girl he lost and turn around wanting to marry another, would he, if he had been truly in love before?" Bo Young said thoughtfully.

"He might in loneliness be falling in love immediately with another," Ms Kim offered.

"I don't think the audience will see it that way. Perhaps if the girl had passed away and there is no longer a possibilty of reconciliation? I'm not saying that men aren't capable of staying in love when the woman in question is gone; it's just that I think if the object of his affection, the one he is claiming to be his one true love is still around, it would seem that him moving onto another woman negates the whole concept then of that first woman being his true love in the first place."

"I see what you're saying, Bo Young-ie. But if I bring another character for him to be his true love, it will go beyond what Hae In is able to commit to in the drama."

"Just maybe alter the story and have Kwan Seok mention this past love and how he becomes motivated to seek the girl out after seeing Mi Yeung and Jung Hwa together. Then just mix in a few scenes of flashback of their relationship and future screenshots of him going back to her. You don't have to show plenty of interaction, just the girl's face, just them together in the past, them leaving each other, and later maybe a foreground silhouette of her as she catches a glimpse of him walking, coming back to her."

"I like that idea Bo Young-ie!"

"It would show then that their love had stood the test, no matter what caused the rift between them. It would show that if he truly loved her, he would be willing to take that chance and seek her out again...and then find that she remained just as hopelssly in love with him even after all their years of separation..." 

Her voice had trailed off; she sat there worrying her fingernails, not realizing he was standing hearing everything, until Ms. Kim spoke. 

"Hyung Sik-kie, you agree? I think that's a good story line and it will give us a glimpse of Kwan Seok's character but not demand too much commitment from Hae In." She was writing down her thoughts based on Bo Young's ideas.

Bo Young was startled into standing up and finding him close by. She looked up to meet his eyes that seem to bore holes through her. She flushed, feeling as if her heart was ready to beat out of her chest and  going dry all of the sudden. Ms. Kim hardly noticed; she was too busy writing while ideas were fresh in her mind. 

He stood, coffee in hand all but forgotten, his face mirroring hers. They faced each other with only a few feet separating them, close enough that the room felt confining but the space still seemed too far to breach with all that has come between them. They stood staring at each other frozen, each trying to gauge the other's feelings, trying to read each other's eyes for the words neither could yet speak aloud.

He took a step... and was interrupted by the roll call from Pd Lee.

.

.

The set was dark, simulating their bedroom; the lighting providing discreet illumination. She noticed the set was much quieter and wondered where the rest of the production crew were. Pd Lee was talking again with Hyung Sik and on her arrival, moved to position himself in bed for their scene.

Bo Young stepped into the bed to join him, shedding her robe. She was wearing a tube top which bared her shoulders and upper neckline; it was modest as it covered everything else, and she paired it with some shorts.

"You should have put a tank top on," was his gruff reply, arranging the sheets around them.

"What for? When I pull the sheets around me it will cover the tube top; the tank top straps will show otherwise."

He was quiet at that. She spared him a glance, seeing his jaw muscles working, as if he was trying to avoid saying anything else.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly decent." Her voice sounded put out. "You're the one shirtless. Besides, there's hardly anybody around now; what happened to the crew?"

The set was visibly quiet, with just the barest number of staff needed to do the filming. 

"I asked Pd Lee for a closed set," was his quiet reply.

Before she could answer, Pd Lee told them to start rehearsing, to go through the motions of their scenes while the cameras will also start filming, so that they can capture bits and pieces of their "lovemaking" to be edited in later on.

Bo Young got nervous as she lay back in bed, positioning herself within his arms. It has been a long time ago that she had been in this same situation, being in his arms, in his bed, being with him like this. And she felt a shiver pass through her when she felt him trace her face gently with his fingertips; his caress is ever so gentle, flitting over the curve of her cheeks, her lips. As they lay there staring deeply at each other's eyes, creating this heady atmosphere around them easily, she could not help the deep sigh that escaped from her as his fingers threaded her hair, losing themselves in the tangled strands as he brings her ever so slowly closer for a kiss.

He felt her trepidation, in the slight shudder of her body next to him, her sighs as his lips slowly tasted hers. Her hands swept up his arms, grazing his shoulders, trailing its own heated path until her fingers twined themselves in his hair; both of them clasped each other tightly as their kisses turned more passionate and more heated, if that was even possible. When they finally let go, in dire need of air, she traced the shape of his brows, his lips, the curve of his elfin ears until he finally bent to nuzzle her neck and caught a lobe for a tender bite. She had asked him what he had been murmuring before. He lifted himself on his arms, caging her in between, as he placed himself above her. "I've said the same thing every single time" as he bent to kiss one eye, saying, "my heart," then the other eye, "my love," then finally her lips, "my Mi Yeung-ie" before claiming her for a searing kiss once more. She could not mistake his response, the way their bodies lay flushed against each other. And he...he tried to temper his passion, trying not to lose himself in the heat of the moment, reminding himself there are still cameras around. He was mindful of their covers, and he kept shielding her with his body, his arms, trying to keep her hidden; when it comes to her, he remains as selfish as ever, not wanting to share this intimate moment with anybody else even within the confines of their drama. As they lay panting, their foreheads together, he heard her whisper his name, and he could not help but trace the contour of her jaw with his lips, and watch at the way her lashes fluttered, her breaths hitching at his caress.

They vaguely heard "Cut!"

He sat up to clear his head, so immersed was he being with her, even in such simulated conditions. He glanced at her and saw she had pulled the cover to hide her flushed face as they both waited for Pd's instructions. 

Pd Lee wanted them to alter their position; the way Hyung Sik had laid on top of Bo Young was too suggestive and Hyung Sik flushed at this. Pd tried to alter the atmosphere of the scene to make it more romantic and sweet, not overtly steamy and . And when they reshot, they had Hyung Sik lie side by side with her instead, to keep the romantic atmosphere primary and cut the physical tension both seem to exude. It was turning into a stressful shooting for both; each take and each kiss began to take a toll as they both tried to keep their emotions in check, as they become more and more conscious of each other. And this finally coming across being somewhat of a tempered passion Pd Lee was aiming for.

They finally reached the pivotal scene of her confession and by this time Bo Young was feeling the weight of their situation keenly. Memories of them kept intruding and wrecking havoc on her self control. Tears began to pool in her eyes unbidden. 

"I love you," she murmured at the crook of his neck, this time her voice catching in . Her heart had never felt so heavy, so bruised while she uttered these familiar words. He had move from her embrace to see her face and he saw tears misting in her eyes, the raw emotions she's so hard pressed to hold onto. 

"I love you more..." he whispered as his eyes shone just as bright with the threat of tears. He brought her back tightly into his arms, hiding his face in her hair. He felt the sob of her unshed tears in the slight quiver of her body against his.

When they finished, Bo Young was quick to leave, running off to get dressed and to compose herself. Pd decided to wrap up, not entirely clueless at the heavy atmosphere that suddenly came upon the set. He had plenty of scenes to splice and edit to achieve the look and direction of the scene he wanted. And he let everybody be done for the day.
.

.

She got home, face still reddened, not bothering to reapply her makeup before leaving the studio. She dropped her bag and went to grab a bottle of soju, and drank it directly from the bottle in front of the refrigerator. She had hid in the studio bathroom trying to slow down her heart, trying to calm herself, rushing off to make sure no one could see her when she finally left. She thought she was strong enough, going through the motions everyday of the filming, keeping her own emotions apart as she had managed all along. As they kept shooting and re-shooting today, memories of their past kept crashing through her mind, distrupting her calm; she could not help but feel their own past intimacy now being put on display, making it appear trivial, just a parody. There was no escaping that in the here and now, they have been merely acting after all. And this.. this just broke her. Her tears started to fall again, as this reality made itself so evident that she no longer have him in her life, that everything is now all a pretense, a mockery of what they had. And she needed to face that whatever it was they shared a long time ago, was all very much a long, long time ago...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She quickly wiped her face, aghast someone would come this late, annoyed at being bothered when all she wanted was to be alone, to nurse her misery and her broken heart.

She flung the door ready to vent her frustrations.

And faced Hyung Sik standing outside instead.

.

.

She had left the set so swiftly right after the filming, he barely had time to say anything. He got dressed quickly and stood waiting for her in the studio, missing her by mere minutes, as she had rushed off intentionally avoiding the staff who were still hanging about in the area. When he found out she had slipped away and out the side entrance, he immediately got into his own car in a rush to follow her home. 

She had flung the door open on his arrival, looking as if she were ready to do battle, stopping short upon finding him there instead.
He saw that her lids were reddened and her face still bore the tracks of her tears. He had caught her unawares; her eyes had widened upon seeing him. She was caught speechless, unconsciously taking steps back as he followed her inside.
They stood looking at each other for what seemed like forever. 

Finally he heard her say, “I can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much...” followed by fresh flow of her tears.

His face lost its sharpness; he ran his hands through his hair, tousling it more, showing the agitation he's also feeling.
“I’m hurting too. I don’t want to do this anymore either.”
And his words broke the dam she had so carefully constructed, and whatever tenuous hold she had over her feelings had come undone. The heart she had so carefully put together over the years was easily torn asunder, seemingly splintering into tiny pieces the way they cut into her chest right now.  
“Why are you here? Why punish me if this is over for us?” She cried, her arms wound around herself as if she needed to brace herself for whatever onslaught is yet to befall her.

Hyung Sik stepped towards her, his hands grasping her shoulders, willing her to face him.
“Do you mean what you said to Ms. Kim?” He prompted. “Will I find you still hopelessly in love with me despite everything that’s passed? Do you still love me as much as I’ve always loved you...?”
She looked up, disbelief and hope showing on her face upon hearing his words.
“I’ve never once stopped, Shikkie. I may have lost your love when I left, but I broke my own heart in the process." 

"You never lost it, Bo Young-ie, not when you've always had it all this time," and with this, he wiped her tears gently away. "I don't want to do this anymore, not without you."  

She saw the tears that pooled in his eyes, the same vulnerability mirroring hers. Last time, she was the one that left, the one that walked away from him. Now, it was only fitting that she took a step again, this time back to him, into his waiting arms.

He held her like there's no more tomorrow to come, savoring this time together when they finally found their way back to each other's hearts. Those years being away from each other no longer matter, for now they are here and they are finally together. And they held each other so tightly fearing the other would disappear if they loosened their hold.

He finally let her go, to cup her face gently. "I love you, My Bo Young-ie," he murmured with each gentle kiss on her eyes, her cheeks.

She reached out to wipe the traces of his tears away, letting her fingers caress his cheeks, his lips; her hands clasping his neck to bring him down closer.

 "I love you more."

And the kiss they shared put every other kiss they've ever had to shame...

.

.

.

to be continued....

****** thanks Icemaiden21 for this lovely edit ******