XII
Black Soda DrinkWe ended up back home with groceries since I told him I could cook some noodles for the two of us. I got a call from Gura right as we were about to sit down to eat.
“Xiao Yuan, I swear you’re going to be the star of this movie.”
“Hmm?” I put my chopsticks down and leaned back in my seat. Kris was intently slurping his noodles.
“I just got another call from a producer and they’re already really excited to read the script. They said the genre could be revived if we’re the ones to direct it.”
I crossed my arm over my stomach, losing my appetite. “That sounds like a lot of pressure. Are you sure they’re not just saying it to sound polite?”
“I’m serious. And if we can get a good male lead, I think we could honestly have a chance of making it big. People keep using idols these days but I think it’d be nice to have an open casting call.”
“Um.” I glanced at Kris who still had his face buried in his bowl. “Gura, can I show you a friend who I think would be really good for the role?”
“Sure, I guess, but are you even done the script?”
“I am. Only doing some last minute touches and I’ll send it to you tomorrow or the day after. I’m going to change to a video call, okay?”
Out of habit, I began fixing my hair as I turned my phone to face me. Kris was curiously looking up now, still with noodles in his mouth. I angled the camera so we were both in the screen.
His brows were furrowed and I shot him a look. “Smile,” I said.
He his lips and gave a small smile, right when Gura’s face appeared on the screen.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “We’re eating right now and this is really sudden but my friend is looking into acting and I thought this would be a good opportunity for him. Of course, he’d audition and stuff, but what do you think?”
I could tell she was stunned. I’ve seen that look on her before when she first met her boyfriend a year ago. Did I look like that, too, whenever I saw Kris?
“Tell him to stand up. How tall is he? Is he Korean? What’s his age? Does he model?”
I gave her all the information she needed as well as some points to give him a boost—not that he needed it. She was already asking him to read a part of my script.
I handed the papers over and filmed with my phone.
He cleared his throat, obviously flustered by the turn of events today and I felt a little bad. There wasn’t any time for him to prepare and it was like I was showing off a new pet to a friend. My uncertainty about this got worse as he began to read.
“’I love you. With all my heart, I love you.’”
I stopped listening after that one line. Blood was rushing to my face and all I could hear was my own heartbeat.
It was so awkward for him. He sounded like he was reading, not living the character, not even acting. His words were mumbled though he was trying to keep with the lengthy monologue. I knew he had it in him to act but he was so emotionless right now, it was weird.
Maybe it was because of my script.
When I turned the phone back to me, Gura gave me a questioning look and said, “Uh, I’ll call you back later. Tell Kris he wasn’t bad.”
“Okay,” I said, knowing she was surprised but not in a good way. “Bye.”
I put the phone down and picked up my chopsticks reluctantly. I wasn’t hungry anymore.
“Was the script really that awkward?” I asked quietly.
Kris chuckled and reached over to pat my head. “No, I’m just not good at acting.”
I gulped down my worry and flipped to the middle of the papers. “Here, read this line and tell me if it’s awkward.”
His eyes scanned the page and his raised eyebrows told me he either thought it was funny or weird, neither of which the scene was.
“It’s not…conventional. I don’t think I would ever talk to a girl like that.” He shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean other guys won’t.”
I bit my lip, trying to think of a way to take out all the uncomfortable scenes. People were depending on me. It was the script that convinced people to start working on the movie.
Kris stood up and dropped his bowls into the sink, rinsing them with water. Then he went to the freezer and pulled out a box. The next moment, he was holding a popsicle out to me.
“Hmm?” I looked up at him in question but accepted the treat.
“Let’s try the scene,” he said and brought his chair over to my side. “We’re at a park and I’m the angel that just bought you ice cream—a popsicle in this case. Now, what’s the line again?”
I handed him the script and he read it over a few times, his lips before turning to me. “’You and Lee both like your sweets, don’t you? Like mother, like son. We don’t have ice cream up in heaven but I wish we did.’”
It was hard to remember the next line even though I wrote it. I took a small to stall for time. “’W-why?’”
“’Because you make it look very sweet.” He leaned in and I almost thought he was going to kiss my cheek. When I envisioned this scene, I imagined it to be very cute and light-hearted. My heart didn’t feel light at this moment.
I felt his breath by my ear and my finger gripped the popsicle stick so hard, it hurt. His hand came up, brushing my hair out of the way, and he whispered, “’I think I could eat you up like ice cream.’”
I had never shivered so hard in my life. It was like my whole body had been electrocuted. My scalp was tingly, and I wanted to curl into a ball and hide. I didn’t know what to do.
Kris pulled back with a smirk as he watched me sit there like a statue. He sprawled back against his seat with that cocky grin, knowing that he did well. Too well.
“I-I’m going to go fix up this script. Leave the dishes. I’ll do them later.” And I ran to the bedroom, locking the door behind me before finally taking a deep breath.
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I won't be putting this story on hiatus, but I don't know if I will be writing anymore Kris fics after the ones that are already finished. It all depends on the outcome, but I hope nobody is too disheartened :) We need to stay strong for Kris because he's staying strong for us!
But right now, I have a huge favour to ask of you guys. I want to bring my dance team (Ottawa Hallyu Dance Team) to Toronto for a competition but I need help! There's a day left before voting ends and we're currently ~20 behind the leading team who have a tumblr famous exo stan in their group helping them garner votes. It only takes two clicks by clicking here and then voting but every little bit counts! Thank you so much and I hope everybody is having a great week!
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