The stunning autumn foliage offered crisp weather around the area of Deoksugung Palace Stonewall Walkway where Dong-sun was currently doing the seventh episode of Captivated. It was as if time has thrown him into the exact location where he and Eun Ae used to walk after school.
“Are you going out with Tae Hee?” he asked.
“No. He is hitting on me,” Eun Ae replied.
“Do you like him?”
“Not yet.”
He stopped walking.
“Not yet? What does that mean?”
Eun Ae glanced at him.
“He is my type, but I am waiting for someone else.”
It puzzled Dong-sun.
“Someone else? Who?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Why? I’m your best friend. I must know so that I can scan him.”
She shook her head.
“There’s no need. He is too dense to notice.”
She smiled and grabbed his hand as they ran under the falling leaves, with the wind dashing through their hair.
“Cut!”
The director tapped Dong-sun’s shoulder and told him to take a break. He walked across the street and went to the food truck. They printed his face on the tarpaulin posted on top of the truck. There was also a standee beside it. Mee Yoon stood at the food truck, eating some waffles.
“Why are you here?” Dong-sun asked.
“I’m monitoring them if they are doing what I wanted as the creator of the comic.”
“You have nothing else to do? It looks like you are devouring everything.”
Mee Yoon glared at him.
“It’s none of your business, Mr. Park Saeroyi. We aren’t close, so don’t drop your honorifics.”
Ms. Gan Mun Hee approached them and grabbed a cup of coffee. She also handed Dong-sun some churros. Her cute dimples showed when she smiled at him, and her jet black wavy hair swung free behind her back. Mun hee stood between the two.
“Hello, Ms. Seo,” she greeted Mee Yoon.
“Hi.”
“Is my acting okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine.”
“This is our debut drama. I hope the people will love it. There’s also more pressure since the comic is popular.”
Dong-sun held her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We did great. I’m sure they will support us.”
Mee Yoon narrowed her eyes while staring at Dong-sun’s hand on her shoulder.
“Thanks. You’ve been cheering me up since we started. It’s amazing working with you.”
Dong-sun picked a piece of churros, dipped it in the chocolate syrup, and put it inside her mouth. Mee Yoon looked away and swallowed the whole waffle in her mouth.
“It’s so good. I heard Mr. Do Daewon brought this food truck for you.”
Dong-sun’s brows crossed.
“Really? That’s odd.”
“I thought you two were close.”
“I had worked with him, but we weren’t that close.”
In a few minutes, director Choi called their names and oriented them for the next scene. Mee Yoon wiped her mouth with a tissue. She pulled out a lipstick from her purse and fixed herself.
Everybody was busy with their tasks. The actors were preparing their lines, and the makeup artists were on the lookout. No one noticed the speeding car towards the food truck. Only Mee Yoon saw it coming, but she froze on the spot. Her eyes widened as she dropped her lipstick to the ground.
Dong-sun switched his attention from Mee Yoon to the car.
“Shit.”
He rushed towards her, but he was too late. Mee Yoon closed her eyes and was ready to get hit when someone hugged her and pushed her away.
Mee Yoon groaned and checked the scratches on her hands. She was trembling. Dong-sun came and examined her body.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Mee Yoon gazed at the person who saved her. He was lying on the ground with blood dripping from his head. Her heart pumped as a bomb exploded in her chest.
“Daewon… Daewon!”
***
Daewon lay on the bed at the hospital. They wrapped his head in a bandage. Mee Yoon sat beside him while looking at his peaceful face.
“He has a subdural hematoma on the right side of the brain. His bleeding is not too bad. He has a skull fracture. But I don’t think he needs surgery right now. We’ll keep him in the ICU and monitor him for the next three days. He is asleep, but he is conscious. Don’t worry,” the doctor said.
Mee Yoon wiped the tears on her cheeks.
“Hey. How could you do this to me? You should have left me to die instead of doing this foolishness,” she said.
Dong-sun entered the room with a basket of fruits.
“The police arrested the driver. He said the breaks broke. Fortunately, Daewon wasn’t badly hurt,” he said.
“He is still hurt because of me,” she said in a low tone.
“It was not your fault. It’s an accident and I would have done the same thing as he did.”
“Aren’t you going to continue the shoot? Go. I’m fine.”
Dong-sun sighed and obeyed her.
Mee Yoon held Daewon’s hand.
“If you do this again, I’m going to kill you with my bare hands. Do you understand?”
A line formed on Daewon’s lips.
“You are supposed to thank me,” he said.
“Hey! You’re awake. You better not sleep for too long or I’ll smash your head.”
“Is that what I’ll get after sacrificing myself?”
“It’s not a sacrifice. You are just insane. I’ll call the doctor.”
He held her hand to stop her.
“Can’t you stay? I don’t need a doctor. I only need you,” he said.
She looked at his pale face for seconds.
“Fine. I’m doing this since you are not in a good condition. I owe you that pain in your head.”
“This is no big deal. My head has gone crazy six years ago.”
She struck his shoulder.
“Aw.”
“Will you stop messing around? This isn’t a joke.”
“Okay, chill. I’m hungry.”
Mee Yoon got an apple and peeled it with a knife. Daewon stared at her like the first time he fell in love six years ago. And suddenly, he saw the entire universe.