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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Once Lovers
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3.
“What are you doing? If you're here to work, don't just stand there. Get to it. Come closer.”
Yeon-joo stared at Eun-seong, who had so nonchalantly told her to take his measurements, before finally moving.
She moved as if simply processing a command. She opened her string-tied bag, took out a measuring tape, and placed a notebook for recording the measurements on the table.
His indifferent attitude was so welcome that she was on the verge of tears.
Yeon-joo unwound the tape and wrapped it around his upper body. She quickly brought her hands together in front of him to take the measurement. It was impossible to avoid any contact, so a brief touch was inevitable.
She had just finished measuring his chest when the door opened and Hae-yeong rushed in.
“Oh, Eun-seong. I'm so sorry. An issue came up with one of our suppliers, and I had to deal with it.”
“It's fine. Anyone can take measurements.”
Anyone.
Yeon-joo mulled over Eun-seong's word as she silently continued taking his measurements.
Hae-yeong stood beside them, making small talk to keep Eun-seong in good spirits. Boosting an actor's ego was essential in this line of work, but with Eun-seong, there was no need to lie. Most of it was true, after all.
“Our job is usually to compensate for a model's insecurities, but you don't have any, Eun-seong. It makes it really hard to show off our skills.”
Hae-yeong said in a friendly tone.
“You're in even better shape. Your shoulders have gotten broader, too. Right? You've worked hard.”
She made a few more comments, but Eun-seong didn't reply. Having worked with him several times, Hae-yeong quickly sensed his bad mood and took the measuring tape from Yeon-joo.
Yeon-joo took a few steps back from Eun-seong. As Hae-yeong called out the measurements, she jotted them down in her notebook, trying her best not to look at him.
After all the measurements were taken, Hae-yeong pulled Yeon-joo to stand in front of Eun-seong.
“Eun-seong, this is the newest member of our team, Go Yeon-joo. She just started today. Yeon-joo, you've introduced yourself to our actor, Im Eun-seong, haven't you?”
Yeon-joo nodded as Hae-yeong asked with a smile. Eun-seong ignored the introduction and put on his shirt.
“We're done, right?”
“Yes, we're all done. Thank you for your time, Eun-seong. We'll make sure the outfits look fantastic when we bring them.”
Eun-seong finished buttoning his jacket and looked at Hae-yeong.
“Director Jin. 'Looking fantastic' is just a trick. Either do it right or don't do it at all. Let's not play games that just *look* the part. We're professionals here.”
“Of course. We'll do a great job. Have a good day, Eun-seong.”
Hae-yeong, who had been smiling brightly until Eun-seong was gone, slammed the measuring tape down the moment the door closed.
“Why is he so sensitive today? Getting on our case for being a few minutes late. As if they aren't sometimes late by hours.”
Yeon-joo picked up the measuring tape Hae-yeong had thrown down. She knew he wasn't being sensitive because Hae-yeong was a few minutes late, but she couldn't explain why.
As Yeon-joo silently packed her things, Hae-yeong, feeling bad for her outburst, added with an apologetic look.
“Im Eun-seong isn't usually like that, you know? He's probably cutting carbs to get in shape, and it's messing with him. See, this is why people need to eat carbs. I'm more certain than ever that personality comes from carbs.”
“That could be it.”
“But you know, Yeon-joo, you'll find a truckload of guys like him on set. So brace yourself. If you tell me you can't do it and try to give back that ten million won, I'll cry, you hear me?”
Yeon-joo just smiled silently as Hae-yeong spoke, raising her eyebrows. It still felt like a dream, and she was desperate to hurry home.
***
Eun-seong entered his private practice room and slammed the door shut. Only then did a ragged breath escape him, and he clenched his jaw.
“How dare she come here, of all places...”
When Go Yeon-joo had appeared before him just moments ago, he felt as if the ground had split open beneath him.
Thanks to his innate acting skills, he'd managed to hide his expression relatively quickly, but the fact that he'd been stunned for a few seconds was humiliating. If it weren't for his profession as an actor, he might not have been able to compose his shattered expression at all.
He couldn't put his feelings into words. It wasn't something anyone would have tipped him off about, so he'd been completely blindsided. Unlike him, Yeon-joo must have known everything before she came, which made his anger surge even higher.
He let out a hollow laugh in disbelief, then a hot breath of resentment. *Even if everyone else in the world were to cross my path, shouldn't you be the one to avoid me? How could you come looking for me on your own?*
An unidentifiable rage, somewhere between anger and betrayal, kept welling up inside him. After a series of sighs, Eun-seong collapsed onto the sofa.
Now was the time to catch his breath.
For the past ten years, he had fought to maintain his composure in all things to survive in this gossip-ridden, trouble-filled industry. He'd traveled the world; what hadn't he experienced? After becoming an overnight sensation, how could one even begin to list all the scandals that had erupted around him?
He hadn't been this flustered even when rumors spread that he was gay. Not when they called him a drug addict, or the illegitimate son of some corporate chairman, or when scandals broke about him having lovers in different countries. His emotions had never been this turbulent.
Eun-seong, who had been staring at the ceiling, lowered his gaze to the table. He looked down at the script for *Black Flame*, a film that was about to start shooting, then closed his eyes again and took a long breath.
“Hyeongnim. You have action practice from four, so I think we should leave now.”
Just then, his manager, Dong-hwan, returned with coffee and urged him that it was time to leave the office. Prying his eyelids open, Eun-seong stood up.
“Hyeongnim, here's your coffee.”
“I don't need it. You have it.”
“Huh? Me? Thank you!”
Dong-hwan, having unexpectedly acquired a coffee, stuck a straw in his mouth.
Eun-seong left his private office and, with no more time to think, moved on to his next schedule.
***
Once Lovers
Ten years ago, Eun-seong was a senior in the theater and film department, and Yeon-joo was a sophomore in fashion design. Eun-seong, having finished his military service, and Yeon-joo, who had taken a semester off, were twenty-five and twenty-three—in the vibrant prime of their youth.
The two met at a group blind date between departments and fell for each other instantly, with no time for second thoughts.
They wondered if it was because it was their first love that it burned so hot and uncontrollably, but that alone couldn't explain it.
They thought it impossible that everyone experienced a love like this. They were far too special; they had to believe they were the only ones who loved this way. From the moment they met, they were seized by the powerful conviction that it was destiny—an uncontrollable love that blinded them to everything else.
One in the morning, a light drizzle falling. The light in her small studio apartment flickered on.
It was after the end of a birthday party her classmates had thrown for her.
Yeon-joo, having changed out of her damp dress, emerged from the bathroom, rubbing her hair. With all traces of her light makeup removed, her face had a pure, refined beauty, like a fragrant lily.
When Eun-seong came out after his shower, Yeon-joo turned her head. Steam billowed out from the open bathroom door, and the scent of her body wash filled the small apartment.
“Are you okay?”
Yeon-joo shook her head at his question, then let out a small laugh.
“The birthday shots my friends made were brutal. I'm still dizzy. I'll get my revenge.”
“Yeah. Let's get revenge. They're all dead.”
The sound of raindrops splashing against the wooden window frame was romantic. The rhythm of the rain, not too fast and not too slow, made the tipsy atmosphere feel even cozier.
To the melody of the pattering rain, they gazed at each other. Eun-seong approached her where she sat in a chair, lowering himself to meet her eyes.
“Happy birthday.”
“Again? It's already past midnight.”
“But it's still nighttime.”
The first birthday of his lover, Go Yeon-joo.
Eun-seong, who had wanted to create a special memory for her no matter what, opened his bag and took out a small gift. He gave an awkward smile, having missed the right moment to give it to her earlier.
“I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I couldn't find the right time.”
“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
Yeon-joo looked at the neatly wrapped gift before carefully tearing it open. Inside the small, rectangular box was a necklace with a small heart pendant.
Her eyes widened at the unexpected gift. The rose gold necklace, a perfect match for her skin tone, had a simple design that was perfect for everyday wear.
“It's a necklace.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. It's so pretty...”
Seeing the genuine happiness in Yeon-joo's bright smile, Eun-seong finally let out a sigh of relief. As she held up the chain and examined the pendant closely, he held out his hand.
“Let me put it on for you.”
Yeon-joo handed him the necklace and roughly gathered her hair up with her hands. A faint, pleasant floral scent wafted from her still-damp hair.
The cold touch of the metal felt strange against the nape of her neck, which was still warm, and Yeon-joo swallowed hard.
While he focused on the clasp, all her senses were fixed on her back. His breath seemed to cling stickily to the damp nape of her neck, and her tipsy heart pounded through her entire body.
A moment later, Yeon-joo turned to look in the mirror and smiled warmly. The small pendant resting between her collarbones was especially captivating. For something so small, it had a powerful presence, enough to hold one's gaze completely.
“Whoever picked this out has great taste.”
“It only looks good because its owner is perfect.”
Eun-seong, who had been watching her from behind as if admiring a work of art, stepped closer and kissed her collarbone. The heat of his lips, a stark contrast to the cold metal, made Yeon-joo squeeze her eyes shut, then open them again.
The mix of cold and hot continued to bewilder the area around her neck. His quiet breaths seeped into her whole body like rising steam.
The night of a youth blinded by love had begun. The continuous sound of the falling rain mingled with their slowly roughening breaths, making it all feel like the edge of a dream.
Unable to resist his strength, Yeon-joo was pushed back to the bed, her knees buckling as she sank onto it. He took everything from her except the necklace he had just put on, and a pile of clothes formed at the foot of the bed.
The extra drinks, the quiet of the dawn that made it feel like they were the only two left in the world, a love that felt like it would boil over and kill them—it all began to bind them tightly together.
He moved roughly, as if his life depended on driving her to desperation. Cries that were impossible to distinguish as pain or ecstasy spread throughout the room and pierced her ears.
“I love you.”
The dawn of an ordinary couple, burning and escalating without warning—
I love you, I love you, Yeon-joo.
The love of a partner for whom giving their all was never enough flowed tenaciously, endlessly.
A time in the rain, when they never doubted for a second that they would be together forever, until the day they died.
