[Author’s Note: So… 섹시/comfy is the same brand I made up for my other story. Thought I’d just transplant the brand here, along with its designer/photographer duo, because I feel that those two words embody my feelings for this couple.]

—August 2020—

The speculation about their relationship and Soop’s and Glorious’s swift and ruthless response was a watershed moment in the Korean entertainment industry. Several prominent celebrities stood up to discuss the responsibility of fans to respect idols’ and actors’ private space. Lee Deok-hwa was particularly protective of Ji-hyun and Chang-wook. He used his influence amongst the older generation to start a public campaign to better protect the private lives of celebrities.

Additionally, Kim Jae-uk took the unusual step to address it specifically in an interview with GQ Korea.

“It is appalling how the public sometimes chooses to treat celebrities. Ji-hyun-ssi is a hubae who works incredibly hard. She has never done anything else and these malicious people who have been posting rumours… It shows a lack of humanity. Ji Chang-wook, I don’t know him personally, but they are friends and for people to jump to such vicious and false conclusions… I wouldn’t say anything but it is happening more and more. Certain people are crossing a line.”

The emphatic response from Korean celebrities, particularly the older ones, was enough to force the anti-fans into the shadows. Besides, the lawsuits had scared many people into realising that there were consequences to their actions. 

—

Chang-wook knew that things had calmed down when he was invited to an event at the end of the month that Ji-hyun was attending. While they did not appear in any of the official photographs together, they did mingle and exchange friendly greetings. Fans who were present reported that there was clearly a good friendship but that there was nothing romantic between the two actors. 

“Can we be friends?” he asked her over message late that night.

“I thought we were?” she replied. “I’m sorry with the way everything played out.”

“Don’t apologise. You did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong.”

She didn’t reply and he tried the next morning to engage her in some form of communication.

“How is…” he deleted it and started again.

“Can you help me pick…” that too was deleted.

“How are you doing? Are you eating well?”

“I am. Stay healthy, oppa.”

He took out his frustration by going for a long bike ride. When he arrived at an overlook in Bukhansan National Park, he got off his bike and walked over to the log that had been cut down for people to use as a bench. Instead of sitting on it he lay down and fell asleep. 

Chang-wook found it strange how vivid his dream was. In it a car pulled up and Ji-hyun got out. She came over to him and crouched next to his face. She didn’t say anything but he dreamt that he felt her finger lightly trace his face, his nose, his jaw, and, finally, his lips. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. She stared at him in silence. When he reached out to touch her she pulled away, got up, and drove off. He closed his eyes again. Of course she would leave like that, he thought when he woke up a few hours later. 

He snapped a picture of the view and posted it on instagram. 

“I had a nap and a dream.”

—

The day after Chang-wook’s dream, Ji-hyun stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her makeup covered the bags under her eyes and the bright pink top gave her face more colour than she would have otherwise had. Her schedule was packed and she hadn’t been sleeping well. Today she was about to join Jung So-min eonnie on her radio show. It was her first live interview since the scandal with Chang-wook and Soop CEO was sitting in the control booth carefully monitoring the real-time response from listeners. Since the incident, the company had protected their maknae with a fierceness that soon became the benchmark for companies dealing with aggressive privacy invasion. The program, however, had permission to address the scandal head-on.

“Ji-hyun-ssi,” So-min said, adjusting herself in her chair. “You recently had some privacy invasion. Do you want to address it?”

“It is difficult to know what to say. I feel somewhat responsible because I need to accept that I am no longer Student-Actor Nam Ji-hyun. I have taken my freedom for granted. It never occurred to me that having a coffee with a friend and sunbae like Chang-wook-ssi would be problematic. I am apologetic to my fans for causing this scandal.”

“That is very understanding of you.”

“I am philosophical about it. I realise that things can be misinterpreted. I have been so lucky that I am friends with my costars. My oppa sunbaes have all provided me with excellent advice about my work and it is a shame when that gets misinterpreted.”

“Thank you for addressing that. I am sure that your fans are glad for you addressing it so honestly. Now. Let’s talk about more exciting things. You have new work coming up.”

“Yes! I am doing a new drama. I’m filming my first science fiction drama. It is new because there have been many dramas where the male lead is a robot but fewer where the female lead is a robot. Now Ha-na is not a full robot. She is half-robot, half-human. She is in an accident and wakes up with half of her body a robot. I have been reading some very interesting books to help prepare for the role.”

“You are working with Park Bo-gum this time. He couldn’t be here because of a schedule conflict.”

“Yes. Park Bo-gum-ssi asked to send his greetings. It has been interesting working with him. He is very considerate and we have worked well together. I think we have similar approaches which makes acting with him easy.”

They continued to talk about her new drama and other odd pieces of news until the show ended. So-min smiled at the end. 

“How are you feeling? The real-time response was very good, I think.”

“Yes. Thank you eonnie.”

“Of course. Do you have time for a coffee? I’m desperate for cake and coffee!” 

Once they had curled up in the dressing room with their drinks and cake, So-min cut to the chase.

“Tell me the truth about Ji Chang-wook.”

“Eonnie!”

“Ji-hyun…” So-min pursed her lips together and gave her a very serious but gentle look.

“Oh… I just… I don’t know. I don’t know what to think.”

“Then you aren’t together?”

“No. Just… friends.”

“Seriously?”

“Friends who are… some… I think there is some.”

“You like him! Since when? “Suspicious Partner”? What has been going on?”

“Since then. We never discussed it. Not before he went to the military, I mean. When he came back, we had a misunderstanding and it hasn’t been resolved. We spoke about it before the movie but it just got…”

“But you like him?”

“I’m attracted to him.”

“Isn’t that all that matters?” So-min giggled. “He is very handsome.”

“Eonnie!”

“Be honest with me.”

“I want to live my life quietly. And whatever I feel about him… it would be hard to live a quiet life with someone like him.”

“Do you really want a quiet life?” So-min countered.

“What do you mean?”

“Would you be happy with someone normal? Or someone serious?”

“No! But that doesn’t…”

“Why would you look for something new when you already have something that works for you?”

“But… his fans… you…”

“That sounds like an excuse. And why not? When you love someone you make compromises. You might not have fangirls screaming your name but you are staring in Kim Eun-sook’s current drama. And you told me before the broadcast that you are doing three shorts with Lee Hyun-seung… he hasn’t directed in ten years! Don’t tell me that you aren’t as big a name as Ji Chang-wook. Just in a different circle.”

“Eonnie, you are also in Lee Hyun-seung’s shorts! We are playing sisters!”

“Ok, fine. But don’t sell yourself short.”

“Thank you. I guess… I am still not used to all of this attention.”

“From what you’ve said you are about to get a whole lot more… and Ji Chang-wook is going to at the heart of it… I just want you to be honest with yourself.”

Ji-hyun blushed. It wasn’t her fault that people wanted her and Chang-wook to work together… but perhaps she should take some responsibility for never saying no when she was asked if she wanted to work with him again.

—

Chang-wook almost refused to believe what he was reading. It was a contract to do a CF for a clothing brand 섹시/comfy. There was nothing new about brands wanting to work with him and Glorious had a very strict policy about deciding which companies he chose. 섹시/comfy was very new though. They had only launched in the last year. Their big coup had been dressing Ji-hyun at the Seoul premiere for “The Northern Night”—a black jumpsuit with full organza skirt—and she was now rumoured to be the face of their first official campaign. 

“You want me to consider this?” Chang-wook asked.

“I thought you’d be jumping for joy at the possibility of working with Nam Ji-hyun…”

“I am but… all the press? The scandal? I thought you wanted me to avoid her…”

“I’ve… they asked before if you would participate. But I turned them down.”

“So why are you considering it this time?”

“Because… last time it would have been a mess but this time… I think…”

“Are you playing matchmaker?” Chang-wook chuckled. 

“No. It is not good business for me if you have a girlfriend.”

“How supportive.”

“Chang-wook… you know very well…”

“So what is it? What are you pimping me out for?”

“The designer. Her father is actually someone quite important,” his boss at least had the grace to blush.

“Which you just found out.”

“I…”

Chang-wook laughed. It was funny how the industry worked. It was such a good business decision that his boss was willing to risk Chang-wook becoming romantically entangled, once again, with Nam Ji-hyun. Meanwhile, the wheels were turning in Chang-wook’s head as he planned how he was going to take this opportunity to show Ji-hyun that they could be in the public spotlight together without causing a career breaking scandal. Because she was worth it—worth protecting and worth fighting for. And he had decided that the best way to do was being at her side.

—

Chang-wook and Chi-gu were late to the photoshoot. Ji-hyun was already in hair and makeup. Stylist-noona had fanned her hair out around her face in gentle Farrah Fawcett waves that unexpectedly looked stunning and carefree on Ji-hyun’s soft, oval face. She was still wearing a too-large button-down shirt when he arrived. The sort of thing she might have stolen from her boyfriend’s wardrobe. She waved at him and went into another room to change with an assistant pushing a rack of clothes behind her. They were shooting for next season’s Spring/Summer campaign and Ji-hyun would be wearing clothes that put her figure on display rather than covering it with layers and layers of knits. This only provoked his imagination and it wasn’t helped by the fact she was the only woman he had been thinking about for the last three years. Chang-wook settled into the makeup chair his heart beating a little bit harder than it had been a few moments before.

“So… Wook-i… You aren’t… please don’t break my heart,” his noona begged as she carefully ran her fingers through his hair to create the perfect little waves. “Don’t… I won’t be able to take it… I want you two smiling together. I want to have you in my salon together like we were…”

“Noona… I’m working on it,” Chang-wook promised. “I just need to convince her that we can have a normal life…”

“Aish. Seriously. Both of you. You both say you want a normal life. But here you are causing havoc by doing a CF photoshoot together. Then she is off to be in one of our country’s greatest film director’s return! And you. Who knows what your plans are.”

“I am working hard to show my fans… I need them on side when she and I…”

He trailed off when he saw Ji-hyun step out of the dressing room. She was wearing a short cotton dress with cut-outs at the waist emphasising her body’s natural curves. Chi-gu turned to watch her cross to the photoshoot’s set.

“Pretty sophisticated for Ji-hyun,” Chi-gu said.

“Not strong enough,” Chang-wook breathed.

“Whatever. Just… just remember that you two are trying to avoid any messy rumours.”

“Oh, Chi-gu… please let them have a messy rumour!” the stylist laughed.

The photographer called him over and Chang-wook missed whatever Chi-gu had to say in response to the wish, which Chang-wook harboured himself, for a dating rumour with Ji-hyun.

“Right, well, as the brand name suggests, this is 섹시/comfy. So just feel comfy! The clothes will do the rest,” the photographer said. 

“What do you think?” Ji-hyun asked him when they had positioned themselves in front of the set’s white background. “I don’t really know… But I think the best model for… is, well, it is “Suspicious Partner”. The promo for that.”

“I like that, Ji-hyun. After all, I’m not a saint…” he rested his arm on her shoulder pressing it down making her dip towards him. He grinned at the camera. He was back on set with his girl and this time there were no guns in sight.

“Are you really going to be like this?” she sighed. Then she laughed towards the camera, her professional facade slipping into place. Yes, he thought, she’ll be seduced by our chemistry, our familiarity with each other.

They worked through the first hour of shooting and outfit changes. Some of the time they were shooting together, others separately and it allowed him to watch her work. She was more relaxed than he had seen her in, what?, over a year. And when they were shooting together she didn’t shy away from the little touches he snuck in. She also allowed her hand to linger on his arm or knee when they were placed in a more intimate seated position. 

“LAST SCENE!” the PD shouted. Chang-wook went to change into a burgundy suit with neon orange pinstripes. He was handed a pair of contrasting neon green trainers which made him raise his eyebrows. 

“What is Ji-hyun-ssi…” he began to ask but when he looked up she was watching him in the mirror already dressed. 

The dress was made of a single piece of undyed cotton that had been hand-painted with various neon colours in large, free-style brushstrokes. The dress wrapped around her before trailing on the floor in a long train. Because it was a single piece of fabric it finished mid-thigh leaving most of her legs exposed. 

“You are barefoot,” Chang-wook managed. He didn’t think he could say anything else without exposing himself to the world. The words “beautiful," “y," “stunning," “goddess” all came to mind but were equally inadequate. 

“They want me to be your muse,” she pouted. “You are all tailored and I have a piece of material being held up but five safety pins.”

Chang-wook smiled. He laughed. He doubled over with laughter. She was so adorable and y and all he wanted to do was kiss away her frown. And then maybe find those safety pins so that he could… He reached for a bottle of water and drained in one go. Only Ji-hyun could make him like this at the most inappropriate time possible.

“I knew you would find that funny,” she groaned. “Come on.”

The concept for the final series of photographs was simple. She was the Muse and he was the Tailor. While Chang-wook stood straight and modelled for the camera, Ji-hyun was to do whatever she wanted. 

“I just want you to… be whatever you want,” the photographer said. Just as she was stepping onto the set, the designer grabbed Ji-hyun and whispered a few things in her ear which Chang-wook couldn’t hear. The two women looked serious and Ji-hyun threw him an inquisitive look before nodding in agreement.

In the beginning, she did several classic poses. Because of the height difference and her lack of shoes, Ji-hyun was often standing on her toes to get the right look. It caused her to tip into him so that Chang-wook had to steady her with a hand on her arm or around her waist. Then Lee Juck’s “What is Love?” featuring Tiger JK began to play. It seemed to be a cue for Ji-hyun. She reached up and squashed Chang-wook’s cheeks. She fake strangled him. He responded by grabbing at her which she evaded. She ran to the PD and took a small bucket of paint from him and threw it at Chang-wook. He hadn’t been expecting it. Suddenly there was chaos. She chased him with paint and confetti. He grabbed some paint and threw it at her, catching her back and legs which were then splattered with hot pink paint. She spun around almost slipping on the floor. He grabbed her and picked her up. 

“Oppa!”

“Ok… ok… Piggyback.”

Ji-hyun got up and he carried her on a journey around the set. They explored the makeup and props tables. They visited the catering area. He tried to leave the studio but was stopped by Chi-gu who looked like he was about to have a heart attack at the thought of Chang-wook piggy-backing Ji-hyun out onto the street. The whole time the photographer followed them snapping pictures. Finally, the playlist finished and Chang-wook gently set Ji-hyun back on the ground.

He was panting a bit from carrying her for the last twenty minutes, and she was on the verge of hyperventilating from laughing so much at their last stop where they’d surprised an intern who was trying on one Chang-wook’s suits. They clung to each other in a vain attempt to stay standing. Chang-wook would never be able to describe the exhilaration of getting to act with Ji-hyun when they both ended up laughing and happy. She wasn’t crying. He wasn’t “dead”. He put his arm around her and impulsively pulled her into a hug.

“Jiji…” he started to tell her how happy he was but the photographer interrupted him.

“You’ll want to take a look at these before you leave.”

The photographs told an incredible story. Chang-wook understood immediately how the campaign would be portraying them. A partnership. One where they looked glossy and beautiful but in reality were just a couple covered in paint and confetti having fun. 

His favourite picture was of Ji-hyun in her final look as she threw the paint at him. Her face was focused but as the paint flew towards him but she broke into a bright and heady smile when the paint-splattered across his suit front. The most intimate was the final frame where she tried to remove the paint on his face. The photographer had come in close for those photographs as she used part of her “dress” to wipe at his eyes and mouth. 

“That looks perfect. We’ve got a lot to use,” the designer smiled. 

Chang-wook went around thanking the staff for their hard work. It had been a long day but one that ended with smiles all around. When he went to change, Chi-gu grabbed pulled him to the side.

“I know you want to stay and chat with Ji-hyun but we need to go… If you want to protect what you are trying to rebuild we need to go now.”

“I need to shower,” Chang-wook said. “Or at least get rid of all of this paint.”

“Do it quickly.”

When he got to the van Chang-wook regretted not insisting on speaking to Ji-hyun before he left. He was convinced that he could win her back if they just had more time to talk. He flicked through his notifications and was surprised to see that she had updated her private instagram. It was a picture of her with paint in her hair, her make up smudged, her lips pursed together, and a frown on her face. She had captioned the post: “working hard. dirty pretty”. After a moment’s hesitation, he liked the picture.