Page 41 of Flip the Script


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Chapter 17

THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, EVERYONE IN THEcast and crew congratulates me.

“Ooh,” says the assistant director. “A real-life on-set romance. I love it when real-life love blossoms during filming!”

Only Director Cha has a lukewarm response to our relationship news.

“I’m hoping this means I can expect better chemistry between you two!” he remarks. “It is a new year, after all. Let’s try our best!”

“You and Bryan look so great together,” comments a production assistant. “It truly was ‘fated destiny.’”

Everyone chuckles. Even Director Cha and I awkwardly laugh along.

There’s a palpable shift in the mood on set today. This past weekend’s episodes ofFated Destinypremiered at a solid second place in this week’s ratings, which is pretty good,considering the fact that we just premiered our tenth episode. Although it’s made my personal life a confusing mess, I’m glad the sacrifice was good forsomething.

Even the Brybabies generally reacted positively to our tower date, and apparently some of the people who previously hated me are now convinced that Bryan and I are “obviously meant to be.” Fan art and fan photo collages of us together are all over Instagram and Twitter.

I wonder how much of them shipping us has to do with our actual compatibility rather than just how good we look together. After all, Bryan’s fans may know a lot about Bryan, but they barely know anything about me. How do they know if Bryan and I are really meant to be? Or any celebrity couple, for that matter?

Thankfully, people on set get over the news of Bryan’s and my “relationship” pretty fast, since we’re on yet another tight schedule. Today, I’m supposed to shoot a few scenes with Minjee, which is a welcome distraction from everything. According to Director Cha, they’re “simple flashback scenes” meant to establish the fact that Sora and Danbi were enemies in their past lives.

But the moment I see Minjee in her hanbok, the scenes become more than just “simple” to me.

Everything from the long, scarlet skirt to the elegant flowers embroidered on her yellow blouse looks perfect on Minjee, and so do her rosy-pink-painted lips and thick, long lashes. With the help of extensions, Minjee’s hair is now luxuriousand long, styled into a braid that goes down to her waist. My eyes linger at the delicate, round ornamental hairpin sitting on top of her head like a small blooming flower.

She looks so stunning and so totally different than her usual self. I stare down at my feet so I don’t mindlessly gape at her as we wait for the crew to finish setting up the camera.

“God, it’s so freakin’ cold,” Minjee hisses, bringing my attention back to her face. “Couldn’t they tell us to stand on our marksafterthey finish setting up?”

I smile. Even though she may not look it, she’s still the same Minjee I know.

“I know, right? They’d probably do that if we were more famous,” I say. “Or if this show had a higher budget. I heard that for some shows, they get other people to stand in so the actors only have to come out when everything’s ready.”

“That’d be the absolutedream.”

In a way, complaining about things behind the scenes with Minjee makes it feel like we’re in school again, chatting backstage before we perform. It’s the type of instant comradery that I’ve never had with anyone else.

A mischievous grin flashes across Minjee’s face. “So, you’re supposed to slap me today, right?”

“Um, yeah?” I say, taken aback by the change of topic.

“Well, don’t hold back. Even if we’re just doing fake slapping. I want it to be as realistic as possible. I won’t even mind if you accidentally hit me. Let’s try to get this scene done in as few takes as we can, okay?”

“Well, wecouldpractice some slaps right now.”

I glance back at the camera crew to see if anyone’s watching. They’re all crouched over the camera, talking about how they can’t find a particular lens.

I turn back to Minjee with a playful grin of my own and add in English, “That is, unless you’re too chicken.”

Minjee scoffs. “Ever the American. Okay, I’m down. Let’s try practicing.”

Slapping someone on camera is always a tricky business because it requires a team effort between two actors. I feel a thrill at the challenge. Maybe this is my chance to follow through with my New Year’s resolution and actually allow myself to have fun with this show.

I stand at an arm’s length from her, positioning my feet wide enough that I have a stable stance. Minjee does the same, bracing herself.

“We should have a nonverbal cue,” she says. “How about I blink to tell you that I’m ready, and you swing then?”

“Sure.”

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