Today, Hwa-rin’s resolve was firm. From the moment she arrived at the filming location, during rehearsals with Director Shin Dong-chun, and even right before filming began. Of course, she wavered a little when Kang Woo-jin stood right in front of her.
But today, her resolve was different from usual.
A hidden card or crisis known only to Hwa-rin. Her determination to overcome it was fierce.
‘It’s nothing, be as calm as Woo-jin! Hwa-rin, you’re just Lee Bo-min right now!’
However, Hwa-rin’s firm resolve.
– Swish.
The moment her face met Kang Woo-jin’s across the cherry blossom petals, it crumbled endlessly. Just like that. It had been built up over several days, but it vaporized like smoke in a single moment.
As if that kind of resolve had never existed in the first place.
Kang Woo-jin’s face was so close that she could hear his breathing. Had she ever seen him this close? His eyes are so pretty. Woo-jin’s eyes, gazing at Hwa-rin, were deep and full of affection. It was a gaze that conveyed his feelings even without words.
He cherishes me, protects me, watches over me, likes me.
A tremendous amount of affection was poured onto Hwa-rin in an instant. She knew it was acting. Hwa-rin was clearly aware of it. Yet, she was drawn in. Into those deep, sweet eyes.
‘Yesterday was the first cut, and today is the first time the emotions are really kicking in. How is this level of intensity even possible? Please, someone save me.’
The Han In-ho from the script was right in front of her. Hwa-rin began to flounder. In the face of Woo-jin’s intense affection, or rather, his acting. It was just a static situation where they were exchanging glances, but the emotions conveyed were overwhelming. It enveloped Hwa-rin’s entire body.
It might be sweet to others, but to Hwa-rin, it was like an attack.
Around this point, Hwa-rin, who was barely maintaining her ‘Lee Bo-min’ persona, felt it.
‘……I’m screwed.’
She was going to ruin everything. It seemed like she wouldn’t be able to achieve her ‘successful fan’ status properly. That quickly became a reality.
– Swish.
Just as Hwa-rin’s mind was becoming hazy, Han In-ho, who was right in front of her, moved through the cherry blossom petals piled on her hand. Lee Bo-min, or rather Hwa-rin, couldn’t react at all.
‘It’s coming, it’s coming.’
Even though she knew very well what was about to happen, her heart felt like it was going to explode. Soon, she felt the touch of Han In-ho’s lips. In that instant, Hwa-rin felt like her entire body had stopped working. Her brain was reset like a blank canvas.
Was it thanks to that?
“Hiccup!”
Hwa-rin hiccuped. It was a loud sound, not a small one. At this, Hwa-rin squeezed her eyes shut. In the end, she was ruining the scene and making a fool of herself. Even in the midst of that, she didn’t pull away from the lips that were touching Kang Woo-jin’s.
‘……’
It was an emotion close to addiction. Think about it, a lip collision with the object of your fanatical devotion. Who could have a normal thought process? That’s why Hwa-rin’s hiccups wouldn’t stop.
“Hiccup!”
Here, Kang Woo-jin, who was kissing her, fell into confusion.
‘This—is this an ad-lib? Or not? Ah, I’m confused.’
The soft touch of her lips, the strawberry scent, whatever, Kang Woo-jin’s mind was filled with thoughts thanks to Hwa-rin’s hiccups. He couldn’t tell if it was real or not. Should he stop? He didn’t know. But he had to come to his senses. He instinctively felt that he couldn’t just stand there dumbfounded.
‘Ah—damn it, I don’t know. For now, I’ll just act as I’m supposed to.’
Okay, he’s decided, so he’ll go straight ahead for now.
Around this time.
“W-wait, a sudden hiccup? Director. That… it looks like Hwa-rin-ssi had an NG [No Good, a filming term for a take that needs to be redone]?”
The staff watching the two in the filming zone were surprised. It was because Hwa-rin’s change was strange as soon as their lips touched.
“But why did she suddenly hiccup at that timing?”
“Was she nervous?”
“…Hwa-rin-nim was generally calm today.”
“It feels like she was just too surprised. Director, should we go ask her?”
It looked like an NG to anyone. It wasn’t a hiccup that was in the script in the first place. But for some reason.
“……No. Let’s just keep going without cutting.”
“Huh??”
Director Shin Dong-chun, who was staring intently at Woo-jin and Hwa-rin on the monitor, didn’t seem to have any intention of calling an NG. He stroked his square jaw.
“There’s a possibility she did it on purpose.”
“Are you saying it’s an ad-lib? That?”
“Well, as evidence, Woo-jin-ssi is continuing the emotion. There’s no way that acting genius wouldn’t notice Hwa-rin-ssi’s mistake in front of him. If it’s not a mistake—look, it becomes that ‘Lee Bo-min’ was so shocked by her friend’s shocking behavior that she was stunned.”
In other words, Director Shin Dong-chun guessed that Hwa-rin’s hiccup was intentional. The shot being captured was better than expected. At the root of it was the existence of Kang Woo-jin. It was a shot that was encouraging Woo-jin’s misunderstanding. A thick fog of misunderstanding covered the filming set.
“……Wow—if that was calculated, it’s a perfect fit for the current situation.”
“Lee Bo-min is so surprised by Han In-ho’s kiss that she hiccups. The shot is interesting too.”
Hwa-rin’s mistake is unintentionally recreated as a method by Woo-jin.
Around that time.
– Swish.
Kang Woo-jin slowly pulled his lips away from hers. At the same time, Hwa-rin lamented inwardly.
‘First, I need to apologize.’
She had to confess her shortcomings to Kang Woo-jin and the production team. But Hwa-rin, who made eye contact with Woo-jin in front of her.
“……!”
Her eyes widened slightly. The reason was simple. The man in front of her wasn’t Kang Woo-jin. A flushed face, eyes that seemed to be a jumble of thoughts and worries, eyelids that were blinking rapidly with a mix of embarrassment, and detailed hand movements that were trembling slightly, not knowing what to do.
He was still Han In-ho himself.
Why? Why? I made a mistake, but why is Woo-jin continuing to act? Moreover, the intensity of his emotions is even more intense. At this moment, Han In-ho seemed to realize her mistake and uttered a short word.
“Ah.”
It was exactly the expression in the script. It was then that Hwa-rin realized.
‘He’s saying… to keep going. It’s okay, it’s a signal to go on.’
Kang Woo-jin had embraced her. It was a clear misunderstanding, but thanks to it, Hwa-rin calmed down. Her hiccups had stopped as well. Okay, let’s go all the way. Hwa-rin, or rather, Lee Bo-min, looked at Han In-ho, whom she considered a friend, and covered her mouth with one hand.
Then, another hiccup.
“Hiccup!”
This wasn’t real, it was acting. And then, the lines that were set.
“……You crazy bastard.”
From here, things that had been hidden in Lee Bo-min’s heart began to flow out. The emotions she had tried so hard to hide, turn away from, and avoid. They exploded because of Han In-ho.
She couldn’t hold back.
In the end, Lee Bo-min.
“Damn it!”
She flung her arms wide and rushed at Han In-ho. It was a speed that could be described as pouncing. She had to jump because of the height difference, but Lee Bo-min.
– Thud!
She wrapped her arms around Han In-ho’s neck, going over his shoulder, and Han In-ho, whose eyes were gradually widening, naturally accepted her, who was rushing at him like a beast.
The camera, a close-up of Han In-ho and Lee Bo-min, side by side.
The two were in a trance. It was a kiss scene that was completely different from the light lip touch that had been tickling and exchanging subtle emotions just a moment ago. The two faces alternated from side to side, and their overlapping bodies became more and more intimate. The intensity was thick.
It was a perfect fit for the word ‘intense’.
Director Shin Dong-chun and the staff watching this kept their mouths shut, but inside they were having an over-the-top reaction.
‘Good! That’s perfect, that’s the kind of intensity we need! Wow—the shot is crazy.’
‘Wow… that’s really intense?’
‘Isn’t it rare to do that much even in a mini rom-com? The viewers are going to be shocked?!’
Among the staff, the burly Kim Dae-young opened his mouth slightly. He wondered if what he was seeing was real.
‘Crazy… Damn, I’m so jealous.’
The intense shot that would be the core was perfect. After about 10 seconds. Director Shin Dong-chun, who had captured a satisfactory shot.
“Cut!!!”
He jumped up from his seat and shouted into the megaphone.
“Oooookay!! Okay!!”
Director Shin Dong-chun, who was giving a thumbs up, and the staff, who were clapping as if they were moved. It was then that Woo-jin and Hwa-rin, who had been attached, slowly separated. Hwa-rin cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. Cough.”
Kang Woo-jin was looking at the air with a somewhat cynical expression. However, it wasn’t solemn.
‘……What was that just now? I don’t remember well.’
He was just confused as to whether this was reality or fantasy. The intense sensation from just now was still vivid on his lips.
At this moment.
“Woo-jin-ssi! Hwa-rin-ssi!!”
Director Shin Dong-chun, who was excited, came running.
“That was amazing! Ah! If this goes out, it’ll just devour everything! Wow—Hwa-rin-ssi, that hiccup was an ad-lib, right?”
Hwa-rin hesitated slightly. It was Kang Woo-jin who spoke instead of her.
‘So it was an ad-lib after all.’
He, who had regained his composure, murmured in a low voice.
“I think the scene has become much more lively.”
“I agree! Lee Bo-min’s feelings of being so surprised by Han In-ho’s sudden actions were captured perfectly.”
Here, Hwa-rin’s fan heart for Kang Woo-jin became dozens of times thicker.
‘Is he covering up my mistake with an ad-lib?……Woo-jin-nim is handling me, this cut. It feels like I’m completely riding on his coattails.’
In terms of boldness, acting, and so on.
‘Woo-jin-nim must have felt that I made a mistake, right? No, he definitely felt it. But because the atmosphere seemed to fit the situation, he digested my hiccup, accepted it, and continued acting without any problems.’
Hwa-rin felt genuinely impressed.
‘His quick wit, his sense, his understanding of his co-star. Everything is at its peak. Amazing, Woo-jin-nim is awesome as always.’
Along with her fan heart, her misunderstanding grew huge. Then, Director Shin Dong-chun, who was looking at Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin with a pleased expression, opened his mouth.
“You guys just nailed it, but honestly, I’d like to see a version without the hiccup too? Let’s go one more time as the original script.”
Hwa-rin nodded her head right away. Her fighting spirit was high.
“Yes, Director.”
Woo-jin, with an indifferent face, also answered.
“…Understood.”
But inside, his mouth was wide open.
‘Again??! We’re doing this again?! For real?’
Of course, he was happy about it.
‘I’m completely welcoming it.’
After that.
Kang Woo-jin and Hwa-rin’s intense kiss scene continued. This time, it was as the script, as requested by Director Shin Dong-chun. Lee Bo-min, running with cherry blossom petals.
“Look at this.”
“So what.”
“Ah! I’m telling you to smell the scent, the scent!”
The kiss that followed. Of course, this time there was no hiccup from Hwa-rin, and it naturally led to an intense kiss. There was no problem with the two actors’ acting at all.
However.
“Cut! NG!! What’s wrong with the wind machine??!”
The cherry blossom petals that were supposed to scatter in the background had disappeared. One of the wind machines had stopped. Therefore.
“Let’s check it quickly! Woo-jin-ssi! Hwa-rin-ssi! I’m sorry, but it looks like we’ll have to go again!”
The third filming of the kiss scene was confirmed. But even after the wind machine was fixed.
“Cut, cut! NG! Why is the boom mic coming down? It’s showing on the monitor! Raise it, raise it!”
There was a staff mistake. In short.
“Again, again! Let’s go again!”
The fourth kiss scene. Of course, Kang Woo-jin pretended to accept it calmly, but he thought it would be okay to hug the staff member who made the mistake.
‘Thank you, sincerely.’
In the end.
“Cut!! OK!!”
This intense kiss scene finally got the final OK after five retakes. It was a truly unexpected result, and Woo-jin had to try hard to cool down his slightly dazed mood. He was about to grin if he wasn’t careful. The small-time citizen who was helpful with the malicious comments was a poison at times like this.
Anyway.
“Thank you for your hard work, Hwa-rin-nim.”
Kang Woo-jin gave a small greeting to Hwa-rin, who was getting her makeup touched up by the staff. Hwa-rin also responded calmly.
“Yes, you too, Woo-jin-ssi. And thank you.”
“Yes? What for?”
She whispered in a low voice.
“For covering for me.”
She was talking about her mistake, but Woo-jin had no idea what she was talking about. But asking back would look strange. It was right after an intense kiss scene. Here, it was right to coolly leave according to the concept.
“Ah, yes.”
Woo-jin, who answered solemnly, turned his body. From now on, it was Hwa-rin’s solo cut, and Kang Woo-jin was on standby. Soon, Woo-jin, who had returned to the chair in the shade, let out a small breath.
“Hoo-”
Then, he blankly recalled the events that had happened so far, which would go down in history. The sensation on his lips was still vivid. At this point, Choi Sung-gun intervened.
“Woo-jin, you’ve worked hard.”
No? Hard work? Rather, it was closer to a blessing. But Woo-jin, suppressing his excessive feelings, lowered his voice.
“No. Hwa-rin-nim worked harder than me.”
“Hehe, that’s so like you. If you’re this calm even after that intense kiss scene, Hwa-rin-ssi might be disappointed?”
“……”
“More than that, here. Read this to get used to it.”
Soon, Choi Sung-gun handed over a thin stack of paper.
“Revised lyrics. The start is in Japanese.”
It was about Kang Woo-jin’s YouTube channel.
22nd, Da Nang, Vietnam.
It was around 11 a.m. in Korea, but it was a little past 9 a.m. in Da Nang, Vietnam. The weather was unbearably hot. Even in the morning, the air was humid. Regardless, the roads of Da Nang were full of motorcycles.
The morning scenery is no different from Korea in any country.
Recently, a group of Korean filming crews arrived in Da Nang. They were currently making their way through a lush forest in Da Nang. It was a place that came out after crossing a long bridge.
There were about a dozen people.
They were all wearing safari hats to shield themselves from the sun, and the man with chubby cheeks at the very front shouted to everyone.
“How is it around here??!”
The chubby-cheeked man was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt, which was already soaked with sweat. He was the line PD [Line Producer], an important role in overseas location shoots.
The line PD’s duties are diverse.
As a local coordinator, he scouts filming locations in the scenario, communicates with local officials, and mobilizes local staff needed for filming. He handles everything involved in overseas location shoots.
It could be said that overseas location shoots depend on the line PD.
At his shout, a man with gray hair wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt among the dozen or so people scanned the surroundings. Looking at his face, it was the master director Kwon Ki-taek. His face was also covered in sweat.
However, his eyes, which were checking the location, were sharp.
“……Hmm.”
A scene of lush trees and grass, the sound of unknown animals from somewhere, a musty smell, bugs buzzing around the ears, an abandoned house in the distance, and a hot wind blowing through the trees.
In that moment, in Director Kwon Ki-taek’s mind.
‘As expected, it’s much better than a set.’
The world of ‘Island of the Missing’ unfolded like a panorama.
End