The dust was visible through the spotlight as they directed it to the center stage. There was an office made of pasteboards, plastic, and wood. The prop looked concrete in the camera. Meanwhile, Dong-sun sat at the corner as the makeup artist was fixing his appearance for the drama though there was nothing more to improve. Gan Mun Hee, the actress playing as Eun Ae was practicing her lines on the stage.
"Alright. Let's start in a few minutes. Go to your position," the director said while clapping his hands.
The crew moved to their designated area.
"Lights, camera, action!"
It was five in the afternoon. Alps Law firm has closed, but Eun Ae stayed in her office and fell asleep on her desk. Dong-sun arrived to fetch her and knocked at the door, but there was no response. He entered the room without a sound and examined her face. It was tranquil, like a Saint.
His fingers glided on her facial features—smooth skin, pointed nose, succulent and curvy lips. Its allure caught him as he leaned forward and moved his face closer to her.
"Hey! Stop this!"
The entire team freaked out at Mee Yoon's voice. The director turned to her in dismay, which was also her classmate in high school.
"What is wrong with you?" he said.
"Remove this scene. There is no kissing scene in my story. They can never do that because they never confess to each other. That didn't happen."
"Ms. Seo, are you having amnesia? This is the scene when Dong-sun planted a peck on her lips while she's sleeping."
"Oh..."
Mee Yoon paused for a second.
"If that's the case, remove it. It's unnecessary."
The director closed his eyes.
"I will only remove it if you allow me to add a kissing scene."
"Fine, then. Continue this part," she said and walked out.
When she was gone, the entire team heaved a sigh like they have pulled out a thorn in their chest.
"That woman needs a check-up," director Choi whispered.
Mee Yoon's strong disagreement about casting Dong-sun didn't stop the director to proceed to the filming. He offered her some benefits of taking him in and persuaded her in the end. But the real reason behind it was Dong-sun's provocative statement, "if you won't allow me to do this, I'll assume you have a huge crush on me. You can't forget that day, don't you?"
Dong-sun's contract as Daewon's assistant only lasted for a month. Since that day, he changed his phone number and buried Jin Ae's memory.
The shooting ended at six in the evening. Dong-sun stopped by Daewon's mansion to get something he lost. The mickey mouse headband Mee Yoon bought for him wasn't in his luggage. Daewon wasn't answering his calls, so he tried to enter the passcode of his mansion.
"He didn't change it?" he said.
Dong-sun went to his former room and found the headband under the bed.
"Got you."
The mansion was filthy like no one has ever cleaned it after he left. There were cobwebs in Daewon's office and dust inhabited the books.
"This is not good."
Dong-sun grabbed the broom and began cleaning the entire place. He mopped the floor and wiped the windows. He even water the plants outside and talked to them. A few of the plants in the garden died.
"Do you miss me? Me too. I'm sorry, your owner is messed up."
It was seven in the evening when he finished the clean-up drive and slumped to the sofa. He roamed his eyes around the spacious living room and looked at the chandelier above his head.
"It never ceases to amaze me. But it's lonesome to stay in this mansion alone talking to the bugs. I wonder if he threw the garbage."
Dong-sun walked to the kitchen and found the trash bag. He held it and was about to drag it out when he found something odd.
"What is this?"
It was a realistic silicon facemask.
"Geez. I got goosebumps. I can almost feel its breathing."
It has a face of a fine young man.
"What is this for? I mean why would he use this?"
Dong-sun shook his head, pulled the trash outside and placed it inside the garbage container. When he came back, there was a delivery man standing at the mansion.
"Excuse, how may I help you?" Dong-sun asked.
"Oh, are you Mr. Do Daewon?"
"No, but I'm his former employee."
"Do you know where he is? I can't reach him."
"Me neither. But I guess I can sign it."
"Alright. Thank you."
The delivery man went on his way. Dong-sun was curious about what Daewon bought, so he read the name of the item.
"Dragon age daggers. Wow, this is so cool. He keeps on surprising me. What would he use this for?"
He placed the box outside and returned to his new apartment in Gangnam.
***
Daewon drank a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut Aÿ Champagne while watching the television. He was staying in SN guest house in Itaewon. His friend owns the place, and they customized the black and red interior design especially for him. Dong-sun appeared on the television when the media revealed the cast of Captivated. They also showed some sneak peek behind the scenes.
He tightened his grip on the wine glass when the camera caught Mee Yoon.
"So this is how you play," he said with greeted teeth and smashed the wineglass on the wall. Its broken pieces bounced and cut his cheek.
Daewon stood up wearing a bathrobe. He picked the dart arrows scattered on the table and gazed straight at the dartboard. Dong-sun's was at the center, while black balloons surrounded it.
"Dong-sun. It won't be long..." he murmured.
He struck the arrow into the balloon above Dong-sun's face. When it popped, red fluids crawled down and soaked the paper. Dong-sun's printed face was covered in what seemed like blood.