Playful Kiss Studio, 2010

“I hate the smells.”

Hyun Joong plopped himself on the chair after declared, for hundredth times, that he hated the set. But unlike the other times he said that, a usual retort was never came from the girl besides him.

“Uh, Oh Ha Ni! What’s with daydreaming in the middle of night?”

He scooted closer and then nudged Yoon Ji softly in an effort to wake her up from her trance situation. He had stopped calling him So Min when he learned that it was not her real name. He called her Yoon Ji for couple of weeks but the crews got a little bit confused because not everyone knew about the ‘stage name’. At the end he called her simply Ha Ni, or Oh Ha Ni when he tried to get her attention.

She was shaking her head in disbelief when he did that for the first time. But after a while, she gave up and let him did what he wanted with her. Tae Sun once teased them and told him in front of her that he just wanted to have a special nick name for her.

Not a common name that everyone called her with.

He was a little bit speechless at the moment, because he had to admit that the giant boy maybe was correct, but since he was a 4D leader anyway, he came out with some nonsense remark that anyone was speechless with.

“Uh, Oppa.”

Yoon Ji blinked when she suddenly met a pair of worried eyes. She shook her head to bring her sense back and then she smiled.

“I am okay Oppa, just feeling a little bit overwhelmed.”

But the man stayed in his close peripheral to her face. His eyes changed from worry to suspicious. Yoon Ji smiled wider now as she tried to ensure him that everything was fine.

Hyun Joong, with his experiences as leader to his dongsaengs for over than five years, didn’t bulge. His right hand moved to her forehead and touched it.

“You’re sick, aren’t you?”

Yoon Ji blinked again and then shook her head to release his hand off her forehead.

“Anni…”

Hyun Joong put both of his hands on her shoulders to keep her still while his eyes searching for hers.

“Don’t lie to me, Yoon Ji.”

She stopped shaking her head when she heard him calling her real name again.  

Their eyes met for a battle of stares until they heard someone mouthed behind them.

“Oops, sorry.”

They sprang out  but he kept his close distance with her and his right arm found her left then linked them.

“We’re practice.”

He told the crew who accidentally intercepted their stares.

“Of course.” The woman awkwardly answered. “Please continue, Hyun Joong sshi, So Min sshi. I’ll let them know you’re still practicing.”

Yoon Ji bowed to the poor woman.

“Thank you, Unnie.”

The woman bowed to them and hurriedly got out from the dressing room.

“You scared her, Oppa.”

Hyun Joong sighed but not letting go her hand.

“I didn’t mean that. But she intercepted our discussion. Knowing you, if I didn’t do that, you’ll be running out there with her to avoid me.”

Their eyes met again, and this time Yoon Ji surrendered.

“I am not avoiding you, Oppa.”

“Then why?”

Hyun Joong pulled the girl to the couch and sat her down while he kneeled down in front of her.

“I am nervous.”

He raised his eyebrows to encourage her in continuing her explanation.

“This scene.” She trailed her sentence and then bowed her head to avoid his eyes. “I never have been kissed like this.”

He watched her cheeks turned their color into rosy bud when she showed him the script. Without understood why, he felt warm inside.

She, on the other hand, started to regret her statement. How could she say that to him? He would think that she was really a baby. She had been trying hard to give good impression to him, to narrow their age differences because she wanted to spend more time with him.

“I’ve never done that either.”

She raised her eyebrows in confusion.

“An open mouthed kiss.”

He smiled at her now. Feeling a little bit shy himself.

“But you have done it with…. your girlfriend?”

She watched him blinked his eyes because of her question, but then he closed his eyes and smiled. There was the affirmation that she was waiting, but why did she feel hurt when he (most probably) had a girlfriend?

“I have, well, several times, but I don’t anymore.”

He smiled at her and she was wondered if that was the way he told her that he was single.

“I haven’t…. “ She suddenly felt so ashamed with herself.“… at all.”

He startled. She hadn’t done one? Was that mean…

“You meant…” He watched her bowed her head deeper.”… oh My.”

“Yeah.” She laughed a little to hide her shame. “I never did that in the real world too.”

How stupid was her boyfriends? She had the loveliest mouth and that stupid guy never tried to taste them?

“I… we….uh…” She threw a glanced at him. “… we broke up before our relationship got deeper.”

They broke up…. They broke up? She’s single? And he would be her first Open Mouthed Kisser?

“Oppa?”

He blinked and saw worry reflected in her eyes.

“Uh…” He let his 4D characters took over for some seconds, spacing out, before turned his face back to her direction. He took her right hand in his left and smiled.

“Don’t worry, I got you.”

She was only staring at him in awe. Oh no, didn’t she know what her eyes could do to him?

“I… I meant… this is me… I….”

He stuttered because of the overwhelmed feeling that suddenly reappeared. But then, in merely seconds away, he found himself being enveloped by the warm arms of the only girl who invaded his senses like no other.

“Oppa…. Gumawo….”

He spread his arms toward her and pulled her closer into his chest.

“Let’s practice. We should do this in few takes. I’ll guide you.”

He heard she chuckled and suddenly his cheeks were warm. He’ll guide her? That’s sound corny.

“I know you do, Oppa. I trust you.”

She raised her head and laughed. It was clear that she tried to comfort both of them, but unfortunately she was failed this time because she was still very nervous.

In time such that one, he understood why it was easy for him –the  most awkward guy in the entire Korean show-biz- to open his world and let her inside.

Because she was one and only Kim Yoon Ji, the girl who would try to make other feel better even when she was not.

Everyone was looking at them in questions when both of them came out from the dressing room immersed in laughter. Then Hyun Joong approached the PD Ahjussi to tell him that they need another half an hour to practice their conversation because they wanted to finish the scene in few takes.

And they fulfilled the promised. The kiss scene went very smoothly. In act, it went too perfect that everyone started to whistle or chuckle when the first take was taken. Especially because it was look very natural, with his hands on the side of her face and brushed her cheeks softly.

But he didn’t care. When his lips touched hers, he let himself lost in the sensation on those kissable and luscious lips, and their lips naturally dancing around each other. If there was heaven, he surely found one.

Nor did she. When his lips captured her upper lip and worked on it to open , she welcomed the sensation with every feeling that she had, and their lips naturally moved in rhythm that only them could hear. If there was miracle, she surely encountered one.

And both admitted at heart that was when they fell in love with raindrops.