Shin Hyunbeen always speaks her mind.

At first, she was happy just with the fact that she was on boarded on a Shin-Lee project but when she heard that she’d be playing a possible love-line with the actor Yoo Yeonseok, she was thrilled. She really respected him as an actor due to the wide range of characters he played and how well they’re all loved. As an actress, that was her goal too – to be loved for her craft. As much as she felt honoured to play as his love interest, Hyunbeen didn’t want to think too highly of it since all she cared about was Jang Gyeoul.

Working with Yeonseok was nothing like what Hyunbeen expected. She was excited to know that he digs as much deeper into his character as she does and she found herself having long conversations with him about Winter Garden (a term he introduced to her as their fan-given name) and also about themselves sometimes. Apart from the goofy and bright personality he presented on the sets, she could see that Yeonseok was also meticulous and hardworking. She learnt a lot from his experienced self and she knew he was always ready to help her.

By the end of season one filming, Hyunbeen and Yeonseok built a comfortable friendship, but she could feel a change in the dynamics of it. Their emotional kiss scene played a huge role in that because the amount of vulnerability and tenderness they had to put in front of each other was bound to let on some affection on a personal level. Was it normal or not, Hyunbeen never questioned. It is what it is, she said to herself.

Hyunbeen never expected Yeonseok to call her after the shooting because she knew he was really packed up with things to do, but when he did call, which was more than once a week, she found herself waiting for the next one. And when he asked her to meet outside for lunch, she swears they were just rats and not butterflies in her stomach.

Hyunbeen knew way before that Yeonseok was a sweet soul. Also that he had a reputation for being too friendly and sometimes flirty with his co-stars so she was prepared not to fall for his pretty smiles and sugary talks. All her friends warned her to be careful of his deadly charms and as much as she tried heeding to them, her heart never did.

For Hyunbeen, it wasn’t love at first sight like Gyeoul. It happened as time went by and it happened very naturally – like it was meant to happen. She often read in her books, life gives you what you need when the time is right, and this was it for her. The more she liked him, the more she felt that she was meant to like him. What was there not to like about him? He was good looking, passionate about his work and hobbies and had the ability to hold long conversations with her. At the same time, was also down to earth and knew he had to be grateful for whatever he had. He was also funny without trying and made her laugh very easily – like that time when he accidentally followed one of her fan accounts on Instagram and she laughed for a good ten minutes at his dumbness and made sure to for another ten minutes.

When season 2 started, meeting him again as Ahn Jeongwon felt good. She missed Jeongwon as much as she missed Yeonseok and all the cheesy skinship scenes made her fingers curl up with cringe. It really felt like he was her boyfriend and Hyunbeen entertained the thought of making this real, though for a very short while before dismissing the idea saying it wasn’t the right time.

Hyunbeen knew better, than to act on her teenage crush kind of feelings. She was always careful not to show how she felt. To her, her career needed to be the first priority now, after the breakthrough role that was Jang Gyeoul. Moreover, she didn’t want to make things awkward between them as they needed to film another season as well. She decided she’d only chrish the time they spent together to the fullest without hoping for more. That was obviously enough. For now.

For now turned out to be only for a good two days because after that, he had given her a love bite and it made Hyunbeen go crazy with excitement. She felt there could be more than just friendly affection hidden behind that not-so-innocent kiss. But with Yeonseok, you never know.

So that night, she crossed the line for the first time and sent him the final message.

Good night, Yoo Yeonseok.

And just like she expected, nothing changed and she wondered if it was because he didn’t understand her intent behind her actions or if he just chose to ignore it.

Hyunbeen wanted to talk about her feelings with someone and shared her thoughts with her abusive husband Kim Junhan. Junhan was more than excited to have found his dear wife’s little secret and offered to play cupid but Hyunbeen asked him politely to shut the f up and not to dare say a word. But he eventually did his bit of teasing when Yeonseok came fetching for her to rehearse their anniversary celebration and she quickly pulled him away before Junhan uttered anything about her feelings. She decided never to say anything to Junhan. Ever.

So now here she was, sitting on the swing, swaying slowly, sipping wine and smiling with him.

“This is nice,” said Hyunbeen, smiling against her glass.

“What is?” Yeonseon asked.

“This wine, the swing,” she said with a gentle smile playing on her lips. “And you.”

The wine was getting to her.

“The night looks perfect too,” she said and hugged herself slightly.

“Are you feeling cold, Been-ah?” he asked worried, moving closer. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she could feel his warmth. This was it. This was why she liked him. He always took care of her, be it alone or among a crowd, be it a large or a tiny action.

Shin PD once said in an interview that she needed someone beside her to take care of her. She never really understood why that was necessary until Yeonseok did it. Hyunbeen was the type to forget the whole world when she was working on her character. She would do anything if that was what the character needed. But at every step, Yeonseok was worried about her and made sure she was comfortable. He took care of her in a way that was natural to him and she felt it was the warmest gesture anyone had ever offered to her. Gradually she came to be accustomed to his warmth and she hoped his behaviour was more than just his nature. She didn’t know if it was the wine or his warmth but she definitely knew she wasn’t in her right mind. In this moment, she only thought about him and hoped he liked her, because she really did.

Hyunbeen thought that she could never find another man like him, who had just the right temperament for her liking. He was not perfect but everything about him felt perfect, like he was tailored for her, and she’d never ever want to lose an opportunity to make him hers. Hyunbeen was 100% true to herself and she’d be more than 100% true to the one she loved.

Shin Hyunbeen always speaks her mind. So she went ahead and told him.

“Yeonseok oppa, I think I like you.”