June arrived at the set and was instantly overwhelmed by the number of people who flocked to him.
"Do you need water?" "You're more handsome up close." "Thank you so much for saving this drama." "Your skin is poreless." "Alright, break it up, people. Don't smother our savior. I still need to brief him about what needs to be done," Director Nana said, parting the people like the Red Sea. The others sighed in disappointment as they left Director Nana with the handsome idol. "Good day," Director Nana exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. June also smiled, bowing his head in respect. "Good day, director. Thank you for granting me this opportunity," June said. "Oh, I should be the one thanking you! You literally saved this production," she exclaimed. "I think it's too early to say that," June chuckled. "Just seeing your face is already a great blessing for the set," Nana said. "Right, Bubbles?" she nudged the guy beside her, who nervously nodded. "Bubbles?" June asked, unsure if he had heard his name right. "Umm, Bob Lee," the guy introduced himself. "Otherwise known as Bubbles," Nana chimed. "He's my assistant, and he will be the one communicating with you most of the time. We know you're very busy as an idol, so we'll try to work around your schedule." "Thank you," June said. Meanwhile, inside the make-up booth, a beautiful young woman was getting her make-up retouched. She clicked her tongue as she heard the commotion outside. It seemed like her new co-star has finally arrived.
"I still don't understand why we can't just use the original clips we've filmed," she told her make-up artist. "Well, we can't really wait for the past lead actor to recover from his Herpes sores, can't we?" the make-up artist chuckled. "But we had really good chemistry!" she exclaimed. "And he was really handsome, too. Besides, the footage we've filmed will all go to waste if that happens." "Have you seen your new leading man? He's even more handsome! I'm sure he's also your type, Arin," the make-up artist shyly said. "Watch him be a bad actor," Arin scoffed, already feeling prejudiced after she found out an idol would replace her past partner. "He was really good in that show, though," the make-up artist muttered. "How come you know him already?" Arin asked. "Don't you know him?" the make-up artist asked. "No," Arin sighed. "I heard his name. Chen Jun-hao? I've never heard of him before." "Well, of course, he's not using that name anymore." Arin sighed and leaned back against her seat. "Ah, whatever. Let's finish my make-up so we can continue filming. I have another audition later." "Well, you're a busy bee," the make-up artist chuckled. "Although, why did your make-up get ruined first thing in the morning? I thought you had it done in the salon already." "I did," Arin grumbled. "But I stumbled upon a stupid guy. I was slipping on ice, and I told him to move away, but he stayed there like an idiot! I bumped into him and ruined my make-up in the process. I even spilled my special lemon water because of him."
"Looks like someone had a bad day," her make-up artist chimed. "Tell me about it," Arin muttered. "Let's just hope we don't see him again." ***
"You?" Arin exclaimed as soon as she came face to face with her supposed leading man. Seeing him up close like this, Arin actually felt her heart flutter. However, she quickly swallowed those feelings and held her head up high. In her mind, the person who deserved the lead role was the original actor. Not this idol actor. It wasn't his fault he contracted the Herpes virus! Arin has been acting in web dramas since she turned 18, and this was actually her first project that will make it onto the big screen. Granted, it wasn't going to be aired in a huge station like other dramas. However, it has been the biggest opportunity for Arin yet. Everything went smoothly when she acted with her former actor, Kim Jongsuk, and she thought this show would become her big break. However, he happened to contract Herpes halfway through the filming and was inevitably kicked out of the drama. Now, she was stuck with an idol she didn't even know! Idols were known to get into dramas because of their good looks and company's support, so Arin was quite prejudiced against them. And to add to that, he was the same person who annoyed her this morning!
"The two of you will be acting alongside each other for the next few weeks," Director Nana said, standing between the two of them. June could feel the woman's cold stare, but he decided to ignore her.
"The filming had been delayed for a couple of days because of some unforeseen incidents, so we had to rush through some things. I have some faith in the two of you since you two are good actors," Nana said. "With that in mind, shall we start now?" she asked. June was started for a second, and he turned to Jay, who seemed as confused as him. "I think he's unprepared," Arin said, already foreseeing the situation. "Oh," Director Nana said, pursing her lips together. June sighed and took a step forward. "I can do it," he said. "Great!" Nana clapped, already excited to see the chemistry between the two. "Why don't you get dressed?" she asked, pushing June to the dressing room.
Jay quickly followed June inside, already panicking. "Gosh, do you know how to do this scene?" the manager ranted. "I can," June said. "I went over the first few pages last night. I don't have many lines in the first scenes, anyway. I'm a bad boy who speaks only when needed," he chuckled.
Jay sighed in relief. "I know I can count on you...but that girl—I didn't expect her to be your partner. I heard from the other crew members that she was the most upset when the original actor left. She thought they were the perfect match," Jay said, already filled with information even from their short stay on the set. "Well, that explains it," June sighed. "She already seems to hate my guts when I didn't even do anything wrong to her." "Maybe she's attracted to you," Jay remarked. June stopped putting on his school uniform costume and looked at Jay with raised eyebrows. "Do people act like that when they're attracted to someone?" June asked. "Oh," Jay chuckled, placing an arm around June's shoulder. "Innocent, Innocent June. Have you never had a relationship before?" "No time," June muttered, removing Jay's arm from his shoulder.
"Well, you'll finally have your very first relationship—it's fictional, but it's probably better than my real ones," Jay dejectedly said, recalling his past experiences. "I'm done," June said, loosening his tie to add to that 'bad boy' look. Jay stopped for a moment to look at June. "If I were a girl, I would have liked you—a hundred percent. I mean, it also wouldn't be hard to like you as a man." "Alright, that's it," June said, shaking his head and going out of the dressing room without waiting for Jay.
"There he is!" Director Nana exclaimed, making the others turn toward his way. June raked his hands through his hair, and the sun filtered through the curtains, making him glow. Arin pursed her lips as she gazed at him. Alright, maybe he was pretty attractive.
