Chapter 2 - Director Pyo Likes High Speed Romance

The shooting schedule ended for the day.  The crew packed up, and people trickled home in their cars and minivans.  As the sun began to set on another busy day, Director Pyo pretended to detain Yong Hwa and Shin Hye on a conversation regarding a scene they were shooting the next day.  They only relaxed when security had confirmed that everyone on the list had left except for them.

The cold food from Yong Hwa’s fridge had been left on the plastic table under the rotunda, and the three unpacked the goodies with glee.

“Let me do the honours,” said Yong Hwa, placing the bowls in front of him and reaching for the thermos containing the bibim guksu.

Director Pyo grinned at the bottles of white wine.  “Now this is a good selection, Yong Hwa.  You have good taste.”

Shin Hye looked at the bottles of chilled wine, and then stared at Yong Hwa.

The star blushed, knowing full well that Shin Hye was watching him.  “It’s not so.  My manager must have picked those out for you.”

“Phew!”  Shin Hye ran a hand across her brow.  “I was beginning to think that I didn’t know you at all.”

“Have a drink too, Shin Hye,” said the elder, watching her as she poured out two glasses of wine.  “You’ve earned it after today.”

She smiled and shook her head.  “No thanks.  It will make me feel tired tomorrow.”

Director Pyo narrowed his eyes.  “Drink!  I order you as your temporary father!”

“Why do I have to do this?” she asked, reluctantly taking out a third glass from the box.

“In small amounts it warms the blood, it’s good for the heart, and it helps release your creative side.”

Yong Hwa smirked.  He knew she’d probably only take a sip of it before pushing it away.  Shin Hye liked to remain focused.

“Okay!”  The director emptied his wine glass, and then ped his typewriter from its bag.

Yong Hwa tossed out a small, frayed notebook that looked like it had been eaten by a dog.  When he flipped it open, Shin Hye could see lots of photos, bars of music, lyrics and other ideas nestled between the pages.

The actress took the obligatory sip of her wine, pulled out her phone, and hooked it up to her computer tablet.  The two men watched in amazement as she then hooked the internet modem and mp3 player up as if she was doing a techno-demonstration.

“Your noodles will get warm,” remarked the director, as she checked her emails and then transferred them to the tablet.  “Right.  You see that storyboard over there?”  He indicated the whiteboard with the square pieces of paper on it.  “Consider it fair game.  Why don’t we start by just shooting some random ideas in the air?  Tell me your thoughts.”

Shin Hye took the first bite of her noodles, and gave Yong Hwa a wide-eyed look.

He could cook.

“Shin Hye?” prompted the elder.

“Ah.”  She gave herself a mental shake.  “Sorry, Director.  Ideas.  Yes.  Here is what I think.  There are many controversial topics brought into this script that I don’t think are highlighted enough.  Body image, bulimia, alcoholism, abuse of power, independence, rebellion and conformity; these are the things that I would like to focus on.”

“I disagree,” said Yong Hwa, leaning back in his chair.  “I want to keep the angst of this show low key.  It is the mellow spirit of this drama that our fans admire.  Changing it now would be dangerous.”

Director Pyo polished off another glass.  His nose was already turning red from the alcohol.  “Tell me what you two think about this: Romance always plays the most important part of a drama.  You two have such great chemistry on and off screen...maybe I should be using it more.”

Yong Hwa shot Shin Hye a look, while she stared intently at her soup.

“Are you two really not interested in each other?” asked the director, watching them avoid each other’s eyes.

Yong Hwa gave an odd smile.

“No,” he finally said.  “We’re just friends, Director.”

Feeling sorry for having asked, Director Pyo looked up at the clear night sky and changed the subject.  “Listen to this idea for a romantic script change, and tell me what you think...”

Handsome Ki-Young is nervous when he joins the group for his first performance rehearsal for the musical.  He doesn’t expect a warm welcome, and the students don’t give him one.  He knows that they are afraid he’ll betray them at the last moment; that his stage fright will kick in, and that he’ll let down all the people who believe in him.  However, this time, he is determined to start again and work hard.  It is his dream to be up on the stage and he knows full well that this is his last chance.

He leans on his crutch (his leg is still in a cast), and he forces himself to give them a brave smile.  He will prove them all wrong.  He will earn their trust and admiration once again.

“Oh!  Hyung!”

A skinny-looking boy with scruffy hair and enormous glasses comes skipping up to him.  He recognises him as Joon Hee, the drummer from the band The Stupid.

“Ki-Young Hyung!” he says with a wide smile that shows all his top teeth.  “Are you going to practice with us starting today?”

Ki-Young can’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm.  “Yeah.  That’s how it’s been decided.”

“This is just great!”  Joon Hee jumps up and down and then looks around at the other students.  Has he picked up on the negative vibe?

“Isn’t she pretty?”  The drummer points one skinny finger at Hee Joo.  “She’s my Natasha!”

Ki-Young’s eyes widen.  Did he just point at Hee Joo?

Hee Joo looks just as shaken by the news as he is.  “Who said I was yours?” she shoots at Joon Hee.

Joon Hee doesn’t hear her.  “She gets shy very easily, but isn’t she cu-te?”

Ki-Young thinks that anyone who calls Hee Joo ‘shy’ and ‘cu-te’ must be missing a few marbles in the cerebral hemisphere, so he smiles and tries to humour the maniac.  He’s not even surprised when he gets warned that the kid shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

And then he sees her.

A girl with wavy auburn hair comes rushing in to practice like a hurricane.  She puts down a very heavy-looking musical instrument in the corner of the room and scuffles over to them.  There are rain droplets resting on her clothes like jewels, and she brushes them off as she approaches the group.

Dimples.  A button nose.  A face like a doll.

Now she’s cute.

They start rehearsal without Lee Shin (the button-nosed girl mumbles an excuse for him), and Ki-Young can’t help but glance her way every now and then.  She’s not a talented performer, but the way she flops around endears her to him more.

When he has the chance, Ki-Young slaps himself.  He can’t afford distractions.  This musical is his last chance and he doesn’t want to blow it.

Director of the musical, Professor Kim Suk Hyun, wanders in and looks around at the rehearsal with stern eyes.  He immediately spots that Lee Shin is missing and gets angry.  In front of all the students, he pulls out his phone and rips into the lead guitarist...on his voicemail.

Ki-Young notices the girl looking out of the window at the rain, and he hobbles over to her.

He can’t help it.

“Does the rain bother you?” he asks.

She turns to look at him with sad eyes.  “I left him alone to get over her.  He thinks the world has ended just because he got dumped by a girl.  Is that normal?”

“Ah...I don’t know,” he says, confused.  “I guess it...depends on the girl?”

She thinks about this for a while and then comes back down to earth.  She smiles.  “I’m sorry.  You must think I’m crazy.”

Ki-Young grins at her.  She’s really adorable.  “I’m Ki-Young.”

“I know.  I’m Kyu Won.”  She shakes his hand like a businessman, and they both chuckle over the unusual gesture.  “Professor Kim has me battling it out for the lead role.”

He’s shocked.  “What?  With Hee Joo?”  She has no chance.  Hee Joo is very talented.

She sighs and looks around at the rest of the group.  “They don’t want me here either.”

Ki-Young runs a hand through his cropped hair.

He has never fallen for a girl this fast.

Kyu Won is scouring the grassy fields for Lee Shin’s missing necklace.  It’s his last request to her under their slave contract and she’s determined to see it through.

She hopes that it will make him a little happier.

“Lost something?” asks an older boy with a crutch under his left arm.  It’s Ki-Young.

Too embarrassed to tell him the truth, Kyu Won blushes and says, “I’m looking for a necklace that a friend lost.”

“I’ll help,” he says cheerfully.  Kyu Won is about to protest when he holds up a hand.  “Two sets of eyes are better than one.”

He finds something shiny in less than a minute.

“Kyu Won!  I think I see something.”

He has to call her over because he can’t bend down.

She kneels down in her long skirt and picks it up.  “Wow!  You found it!”  Her face falls as she holds it up to her eyes.  “It’s a girl’s necklace.”

He frowns.  “Not the right one?”

“No...It’s the right one.  Thank you for your help.”  She runs off before her best friend, Cha Bo Woon, can stop her.  She wants to see Lee Shin.

She runs through the rain, trying to get him on his phone, and then races around the streets, aimlessly looking for a sign of him.

She finds him.

He’s sitting under the shelter of a brightly lit music shop.  His face is red from crying over his deceased father.  His hair is wet from the rain.

Not wanting to make him angry, Kyu Won creeps up to him and holds her umbrella over him.  She will follow him home with it if she has to.  It hurts her to see him cry.

He looks up at her with his dark eyes, and she thinks he’s going to yell at her, or tell her to go away.

Instead, he grasps her wrist.

She freezes.

Lee Shin pulls himself to his feet, stares at her with black defeated eyes and reaches forward to hug her.  His body trembles against her as he weeps, and she finds that she’s crying too.

She wants to tell him that it’ll be all right; that he’ll be fine, but the words die on her lips.

Staring directly at her is Professor Jung Yoon Soo; the beautiful ballerina that Lee Shin is in love with.

The woman is watching the pair with mixed emotions, and staring pointedly at something in Kyu Won’s hand.

Kyu Won realises that she is still holding the necklace; Professor Jung’s necklace; a symbol of Lee Shin’s love.  The gold thread is dangling from the very fingers that are curled around Lee Shin's shoulder.

Is it heartache that she sees in Professor Jung’s eyes?