I stood across the desk from her, the light from the window catching the slight curve of her smile. She leaned back in her chair, a picture of relaxed confidence, and gave a casual wave of her hand.
"It was nothing."
I watched her for a moment. "It was nothing, but enough to have dinner alone and..."
She cut me off with a brief, wry grin. "Looks like Yena had a reporter following her."
I noticed her phone in her hand. "I checked with her, and she said to just release the article."
She flipped the phone over, still smiling. "Personally, I don't think it looks great for an actor to be dating the director... but I figured in Yena's case, it could actually work... so I let her have it her way."
She brought the phone into view, displaying a photo on the screen. It was of a woman, Manager Eun, sitting across a table from a man who looked exactly like me, raising a glass, and a second shot of them shaking hands.
"Manager Eun getting captured in a photo like this..." she paused, her expression becoming more focused. "It took some effort to wrangle this photo from the reporter, you know."
I didn't react to the photo, keeping my gaze steady. The focus needed to be elsewhere.
"What was your business with Yena?" I asked, my voice flat.
She raised an eyebrow, her smile fading slightly as she leaned forward, her eyes bright and intense. "But what I wanna know... is what's going on with you."
"...Enough to have dinner alone and hold hands for? With the great Manager Eun, of all people?"
I stared at her, an unspoken warning in my expression. My silence seemed to amuse her.
"Can't you take a joke?" she chuckled, throwing her head back. "Now I look like the weird one..." She settled down, giving a wide, cheerful smile.
I was unmoving, my gaze unwavering.
"If you go around plotting weird things behind my back, I'll kill you."
She brought her phone back up and tapped on the screen, showing the new article about Yena. The headline read: [Exclusive] Yena Ban Enjoy Late-night Date At Home With Debut Director.
"But hey, are Yena and this new director really dating?"
I held her gaze for a moment longer. "I'm not sure either. This could end up working as marketing for the movie."
Her expression softened a bit, becoming more thoughtful. "But if Yena and the director get all the attention, looks like Myeong might be the third wheel again. She might get a little upset."
My eyes slightly widened at the mention of Myeong.
"...Alright."
"You should cheer her up if that happens."
I simply nodded once. "Then I'll be going now."
As I turned to leave, she called out my name, the sound sharp and final.
"Yuhan."
I paused, my back still to her, waiting
I paused when she spoke my name, turning my head back just enough to look over my shoulder.
"Yuhan."
She was still smiling, a confident, slightly teasing expression. "Do you feel like you can breathe now?"
I saw a subtle twitch in her lips as she waited for my response.
"Yeah, Ilha."
She saw it—a fleeting smile, almost imperceptible, that crossed my face. Her eyes widened slightly, and she murmured, half to herself: "He's smiling..." Then, she snapped the purple thought bubble, silencing the observation.
"...Nothing brightens up a man like a woman."
I fully turned away from her, and continued my exit, the sound of my sneakers on the floor marking my departure.
Arriving on set in the morning, I repeated these words to myself.

Arriving on set in the morning, I repeated these words to myself.
"It doesn't concern me anymore."
The young director with glasses, Beomhui, stood nearby, holding a script.
"It's obviously an uncomfortable situation... but I was the one who set the boundaries first."
He looked anxious, glancing toward the actresses.
But filming began...
The camera rolled, indicated by the 'REC' in the corner of the frame. The action was intense, featuring the actress, Yena, looking down with a sharp, guarded gaze.
"Beomhui, do you..." [PAUSE] "...And for the third time..." [HESITATE] "...have a boyfriend?"
I delivered the line, but immediately, the director yelled:
"CUT! Let's try that again!"
The thought struck me: I was making the same mistake, over and over again.
The director pointed towards me. "Myeong, say that line without the pause."
My co-star, Yena, stood patiently as I reacted.
"Sure, yes. Sorry..." I bowed my head, feeling the frustration mount from my own inability to get it right.
The director, Beomhui, ran a hand through his hair, a look of exhaustion creeping into his face. He exchanged a glance with a crew member.
"...Let's take a break."
The director, Beomhui, sighed, his face hidden momentarily by his downward gaze. "...Let's take a break."
I gave a final, chastened response. "Sure, yes. Sorry..." I knew I was making the same mistake, over and over again, the pause in the dialogue mirroring a hesitation I couldn't shake off stage.
Yena, my co-star, came over to me, her usual confidence radiating as she patted my shoulder. "Okay, Director Woo! Got it!" She then spoke warmly to me.
But the atmosphere shifted.
Yena approached Beomhui, who was hunched over a laptop, and draped her arm affectionately around his shoulders, her head close to his. The crew members surrounding them seemed to find the interaction endearing.
The two of them have subtly become the center of the film set, which makes me uneasy.
I watched them, the scene suddenly familiar and uncomfortable.
Well, even without the romance rumors... I should have fully expected this to happen between those two.
I walked away from the immediate buzz of the crew, needing a moment to myself. I pulled a cigarette from its pack, then reached into my pocket for my lighter. It was a silver star-emblazoned model.
[CLINK]
The metal clicked open.
[WHOP!]
The flint sparked and the flame ignited.
I jumped into this with my own two feet, bracing myself.
I stared at the engraved message on the lighter, the small, clear inscription beneath the star: DEAR. M
I stood alone in the back alley of the set, the lingering smoke from the cigarette curling into the chilly air. I had managed to extinguish it quickly.
[PSHHH]
Yet I can't stop torturing myself over... my mistakes on set, my position as an actor, interpersonal relationships.
I raised my head, letting out a small, silent scoff. "...What am I doing here right now?"
Just when a strange emptiness was washing over me...
I heard a cheerful voice, loud enough to cut through the quiet despair.
"WOO! THANK YOU!!"
I looked up in surprise. ???
A crew member with a cup raised was cheering excitedly.
"Myeong! Thank you for the coffee!"
"Huh?" I was completely taken aback. I looked around, confusion etched on my face.
Suddenly, a voice spoke right beside me, familiar and deep.
"Lily sent a coffee truck."
I turned to see the silver-haired man, whom I knew as Yuhan, standing there holding a warm pink cup with a cheerful sticker that read: GO MYEONG SEONBAE! ROOTING FOR TWO WOMEN!
He presented me with a cup. "You should take one too."
He then added, his expression completely neutral, "It'd be nice for you to give Lily your thanks in front of the coffee truck after the shoot."
I followed Yuhan's suggestion. After the shoot wrapped, I walked over to the coffee truck that Hana had sent. A crowd of crew members was still gathered there, enjoying the warmth and the sugary lift.
I approached the young woman standing near the front—Hana. She wore a delighted smile that reached her eyes.
"Hana," I said, offering a small, grateful bow. "Thank you for the coffee truck. It was a big help."
Her face brightened further. "It's my pleasure, unnie!" she chirped. She then gestured toward the cup I was holding. "I got a picture of your cup too. It has a message from my friend on the bottom!"
I looked down at the pink cup in my hand. Beneath the supportive message, a small, handwritten note was clearly visible.
The note read: "Keep up the hard work! Fighting! Love, K"
I felt a strange warmth spread through me—a feeling that had nothing to do with the coffee.
"Who is K?" I asked, looking back up at Hana.
Hana giggled. "Oh, she's a friend of mine. We're both rooting for you! The coffee truck was actually her idea."
A woman's hand, long-fingered and delicate, reached past me and took a cup from the counter. I realized it was Lily, my co-star.
Lily smiled, but her eyes held a spark of knowing amusement as she took a sip. "Rooting for two women, huh? That's quite the statement."
"We're just very supportive fans!" Hana insisted, her cheeks flushed.
I looked at Lily, feeling a sudden need to establish a boundary, or perhaps just to stop the persistent unease that had been following me.
"Is that all?" Lily asked the barista, her tone casual, but her gaze sweeping over Hana and then settling on me.
"Yes, unnie," Hana replied obediently.
Lily just nodded, taking another slow, assessing sip of her drink.
I know she has a director now, but I still feel like she's watching me.
I clutched my cup, the warmth a comforting anchor. I glanced over my shoulder, but Yuhan was nowhere in sight.
🌙 The Car Ride
The shoot was finally over. I was sitting in the back of the car, scrolling through my phone, the pink coffee cup now empty in the console.
I found Lily's profile on a social media platform.
Lily... she's got everything.
She's gorgeous, she's an actress, and she's got the director now too.
I clicked on one of her recent posts—a glamorous, perfectly lit selfie. I stared at the photo, a hollow feeling growing in my chest.
I have nothing...
My self-pity was interrupted by a notification. [DING!]
A message popped up from an unknown sender. The profile picture was a silhouette of a woman.
[Message 1]: Did you get the coffee well?
[Message 2]: If you got the cup with the little message at the bottom, that was my friend's doing. Hana made me do it, lol.
I recognized the note—the 'Love, K' on the coffee cup. My heart gave a strange little jump.
[Message 3]: I was actually there, on set.
I quickly spun around, checking the street behind me, my mind racing through the faces I had seen. Who was "K"?
I clutched the phone tighter.
[Message 4]: But you looked too serious. I couldn't approach you.
I looked back down at the screen, a small smile finally breaking through my anxious facade.
"She's cute."
I typed a reply, feeling a sudden rush of lightness.
Thank you for the coffee. It was a great help.