Your first leading role in a drama and you were opposite someone you were sure hated your guts. Whenever you approached Kyungsoo, he’d take off shortly after. He never struck up a conversation between shots and barely looked you in the eyes.

But when the cameras started rolling, he was an entirely different man. Full of sunshine and confident smiles that left butterflies in your stomach. As the storyline progressed and your characters got closer, his touches were soft and you could swear he meant what the words he recited.

Then the director would shout cut and the light in his eyes would disappear. True to the warnings you’d gotten when you received your script, you were falling for him with no way to stop it. Knowing that you’d never get the happy ending your characters were heading towards left you miserable and slowly dreading getting up for work each day.

You’d finally come to your first kissing scene. It was supposed to be tentative and curious, but passionate. Yeah, right.

Nonetheless, you felt like you owed it to the director and staff to make the best of it. After all, it was their hard work that helped the show get this far. The second you stepped foot on the set, you went looking for Mr. Elusive. He lingered near the buffet table, staring down a basket of glazed donuts with a cup of coffee in hand.

You took a deep breath and went in for the kill.

“Hey!” you spoke with an enthusiastic wave. You had to appear as friendly as possible.

Kyungsoo jumped with a little gasp and scrambled to keep his cup from free-falling out of his hand. “H-hey, _____.” His eyes darted around, likely looking for an exit. But you weren’t having that.

You hooked your arm through his. “Today’s the big day. Don’t you think we should run through the scene a few times?”

His eyes lingered on your lips as if he was only able to understand your nonsense by lip-reading. When he finally spoke, you had to lean closer to hear. “Should we? We’re doing fine without the excessive rehearsing.”

“Yeah, but this is an important scene! We have to be comfortable with each other for it to work.” You stepped in front of him and in a breath. “I know you’re not fond of me, but please, for the sake of those who’ve worked so hard on this show, can you do this?”

He paused and gave you a sharp look. “Who said that?”

It was so intense you nearly lost your nerve. “Well, Director Ahn said it was important—”

He shook his head. “Not that. The other part.”

You replayed your words mentally, then answered, “Oh! You’re not fond of me.”

“Who said that?” He looked around at the people rushing around you two.

“No one. It’s kinda obvious.” You looked away, grabbing a lock of your hair. “But that’s okay. I’m used to it by now.”

His frown deepened. Right as he opened his mouth, a voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

“Places, everyone!”

You let go of his arm and shrugged. “Let’s do our best, okay?” You made it through the busy crowd to your designated place on stage, looking over the lines one last time. It was supposed to be just a peck, but you both were encouraged to improvise. It just had to be believable. You were convinced you could do that until he took his place on the couch next to you.

That sparkle was back. Even though you wished it were genuine, you knew better. You couldn’t let this ruin the show, your career. Thinking of how hard it was to even land this role, you took a deep breath and summoned confidence and determination. Kyungsoo may have been the most handsome guy you’d ever shared a scene with, but he wouldn’t be the last. You’d face rejection a lot as an actress and his wouldn’t bother you another moment.

Just do it. Get it over with.

But it turned out that mindset wasn’t good enough. Take after take of the scene produced dumpster fire results. The director stopped you each time, complaining that the kiss lacked passion—you were just smashing your lips together. You tried to get Kyungsoo to loosen up with lame jokes and silly faces, but it seemed to annoy him. Soon enough, even the director was ready to give up.

“CUT!” The director stood from his chair and threw his hat down at his feet. “You two take a fifteen and get it together.” He turned to his assistant. “Tell the editing department to get ready to splice the takes together. This has to be done tonight.” He stormed away.

Your shoulders drooped, unable to look at the flock of disappointed eyes on you two. The couch shifted, and you looked up in time to see Kyungsoo disappear through an exit door. Where was he going? As far as you knew, he wasn’t a smoker, so…?

You followed him to the door as quietly as possible. When you poked your head out, you were yanked outside, and the door slammed shut behind you. “Hey!”

Kyungsoo held you steady, then let go, leaning back against the building. “What are you doing out here?” He didn’t take his eyes off the evening sky above. “Shouldn’t you be in makeup?”

“Just checking on you.” You pulled on the sleeves of your sweater and kept your eyes on his shoes. “I know it’s hard, but we have to get through this. The sooner we do, the sooner you can go on to your next show, right?”

He scoffed. “Is that what you think? That I’m looking forward to kissing someone else? That working with you is a chore?”

His words were bitter and laced with tangible regret. “I—I guess. I mean, that’s how it feels on my end.”

He bowed his head. “I apologize, ____. That wasn’t my intention. I actually enjoy working with you.”

“You don’t act like it. And what intention do you have?” You crossed your arms.

He peeked at you, and his cheeks darkened. “I’ve been sabotaging our chemistry. I figured if we weren’t close, the first kiss would be difficult for you. That it’d take a lot of kissing to get it right.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

He looked you in the eyes and said, “Because I wanted to spend as much time as possible kissing you. I saw your performance in your last drama and I loved it. Somehow, you’ve outdone yourself in this one. You’re a natural, you convey emotion with authenticity. It’s inspiring. And the more I get to know you, the more I let this role become part of who I am, the more I’m convinced I won’t want to let you go when it’s over. So, I have to make every kiss last long enough to be engraved in my heart.” He rubbed the spot over his heart with a wry smile.

Your arms dropped to your side as you stared at him, your cheeks slowly heating up until your face felt hot. For a while, neither of you said a word as his words sunk in. Unable to contain your joy, you launched yourself into his arms and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. “You’re free to ask for one any time, Kyungsoo.”