RBCT Chapter 47 doesn't have any kissing scenes, but it contains something sweeter than a kiss.
Chapter 47 doesn't have any kissing scenes, but it contains something sweeter than a kiss.
Thursday, 7:00 AM.
When Su Yu pushed open the company door, Cai Xiubin was already curled up in a chair by the window like a little penguin waiting to be fed. Today she was wearing a black turtleneck sweater, the neckline pulled up extremely high, as if she wanted to bury her whole face in it.
Su Yu raised an eyebrow and put down her backpack: "What are you looking at? Stiff neck?"
"Mind your own business." Cai Xiubin glared at him, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused. "It's getting cold today, I'm cold."
"The heating's on high, your face's all red." Su Yu walked up to her, looking down at her. "Cai Xiubin, are you wearing a turtleneck to block the wind, or to hide the 'souvenir' I left behind last night?"
Cai Xiubin's face instantly turned red, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Su Yu! Can't you shut up in public?!"
"It's just the two of us here." Su Yu bent down, leaned close to her ear, and said in a low, chuckled voice, "Besides, the location of that mark... is actually quite pretty."
"You pervert!" She grabbed the script beside her and was about to throw it at him.
Su Yu laughed and dodged, taking a thermal box from her backpack: "Alright, stop fooling around. Have breakfast, seaweed rice rolls. Today we're filming a scene inside a car, no need to climb walls, jump off buildings, or get beaten up. You can relax a bit."
Cai Xiubin took the insulated box, opened it, and saw that the seaweed rice rolls were cut even more neatly than yesterday, each piece exactly the same size. She picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, asking indistinctly, "Su Yu, today we're filming scene thirty-four. The one in the car."
"I know."
"You wrote it. There are no lines."
"Um."
"Three pages, not a single line. How am I supposed to act?" Cai Xiubin said, biting her chopsticks with a worried expression. "Just sit there doing nothing?"
Su Yu leaned against the table, looking at her: "Didn't you act in that scene before? You acted very well in the car scene in the first eight episodes."
"That's a coincidence, it's just that the director edited it well."
"It's not a coincidence. You brought Ahn Go-eun to life. It's hardest to act when he's not speaking, but you did it. Today's performance was even harder because you not only had to act when he wasn't speaking, but you also had to act when Ahn Go-eun was thinking about Kim Do-ki."
Cai Xiubin stopped chewing and stared at him: "Are you teaching me acting?"
"I'm telling you what An Gaoen is thinking." Su Yu's eyes turned serious. "Jin Daoqi is sitting next to her, and she doesn't dare to look at him. She's afraid that if she does, she won't be able to help but ask, 'Why did you help me?' She knows the answer, but she wants to hear him say it himself. But Jin Daoqi won't say it. So she endures it. Endures not looking, endures not asking."
Cai Xiubin didn't speak, lowered her head, and unconsciously drew circles on her knee with her fingers: "Su Yu, what was An Gaoen thinking when he was holding back?"
"I was thinking, 'If he turns around and looks at me, I'll ask him.'"
Has Kim Dodge turned back?
"No. Kim Dodge never looks back. He only looks ahead."
Cai Xiubin looked up, a hint of disappointment in her eyes: "So An Gaoen waited his whole life and still didn't get it?"
Su Yu looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "An Gaoen didn't wait a lifetime. She waited until the eighth episode and then stopped. She went to find Jin Daoqi on her own initiative."
Cai Xiubin paused for a moment, then laughed: "Then she's braver than me."
"You're very brave too." Su Yu looked at her meaningfully. "Didn't you take the initiative last night?"
Cai Xiubin's face flushed bright red instantly. She grabbed a piece of seaweed rice roll and shoved it into Su Yu's mouth: "Su Yu, shut up! Eat your food!"
10:00 AM, on set.
The scene in the car was filmed in a quiet alley. Kim Do-ki was in the driver's seat, and Ahn Go-eun was in the passenger seat. The window was rolled down halfway, and the wind was blowing in from outside. The script said—"The wind blew in, messing up her hair. She didn't care."
The director yelled "Action!" Yoon Shi-yoon remained expressionless, his hands on the steering wheel, his profile cold and aloof. Chae Soo-bin stared ahead, the wind ruffling her bangs, a few strands sticking to the corner of her mouth, but she ignored them.
The carriage was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine. After a long while, she slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Yoon Shi-yoon's profile. That glance was brief, filled with a cautious probing and suppressed longing; it lasted less than half a second before she quickly turned back, continuing to look ahead.
"Cut!" the director yelled. "That's a wrap. One take. Soo-bin, that look was fantastic!"
Cai Xiubin got out of the car, breathed a sigh of relief, and walked up to Su Yu: "How was it?"
"It's alright." Su Yu handed her a bottle of water.
"It's alright?" Cai Xiubin pouted in dissatisfaction. "Even the director praised me."
"You turned your head too quickly." Su Yu unscrewed the bottle cap and handed it to her. "An Gaoen wanted to see him, but he was afraid of being discovered. You should have slowed down a bit, slowed down until the audience thought you weren't going to turn your head, and then suddenly turned around. That 'stealing a glance' feeling is more appropriate."
She thought for a moment and nodded: "Then I'll do one more."
"No need. This take is fine. I'm just saying you could have acted even better." Su Yu looked at her. "You're the female lead, so of course I have high expectations for you."
"So, do you have high expectations for Yoon Shi-yoon?"
"He's the male lead. And male leads have high standards."
"Are you demanding of yourself?"
Su Yu was taken aback for a moment: "Why are you asking this?"
Cai Xiubin took a step forward, and under the guise of fixing her hair, she lowered her voice and leaned closer to him: "Because... I don't want to just be your leading lady."
People were moving props nearby, making a clanging sound. No one heard what she said. Su Yu looked into her eyes, which were so close to his own; the light within them was astonishing.
He didn't reply, but just gave her a deep look. Cai Xiubin bit her lip nervously, then turned and left.
Noon, in the lounge.
Su Yu sat in a folding chair, holding a script, but her mind was elsewhere. Cai Xiubin pushed open the door and came in, carrying two cups of coffee. One was black coffee, and the other was a latte with double the sugar and milk.
She placed the black coffee in front of Su Yu, then sat down next to him with her latte, curling her legs up in the chair.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
Did you hear what I just said?
"I heard you."
"Then why aren't you replying? Are you pretending to be deaf and dumb?"
Su Yu put down the script, turned around to face her, and said, "How am I supposed to answer you? You said, 'I don't want to just be your leading lady.' Then let me ask you, what else do you want to be? Producer? Director? Or investor?"
Cai Xiubin lowered her head, tracing circles on the side of the cup with her finger, her voice barely audible: "I still want to be... I still want to be the first person you see when you wake up in the morning."
The lounge was quiet, with only the hum of the heating pipes.
Su Yu looked at the top of her fluffy hair and suddenly reached out to ruffle it: "You already are."
She suddenly looked up at him. Her eyes were bright, like two newly lit lamps, brimming with tears.
"You woke up next to me this morning," Su Yu said gently. "You were here last night too. And the night before last as well. You said you didn't want to just be my leading lady, but you've already exceeded that limit. Leading ladies only exist in dramas; you're in my life."
Cai Xiubin's eyes instantly reddened: "Su Yu, can you please not be so blunt? You're making me... making me want to cry."
"Isn't a straight shot good? You throw it to me, and I catch it. No need to run, no need to dodge." Su Yu reached out and gently wiped away a tear that had welled up in her eye with her fingertip. "Don't cry, or your makeup will be ruined and you'll have to fix it, which is a hassle."
She burst into laughter through her tears, sniffling, "Su Yu, you're such an insensitive jerk."
"I'm a bastard, but I'm your bastard." Su Yu looked at her. "Remember, I've also put this tear on my tab. Pay it back slowly."
In the afternoon, during a break from filming.
Su Yu sat in the corner watching the monitor playback. His phone vibrated; it was a message from Shirley.
[Su Yu, Christmas is over. How did you spend yesterday?]
Su Yu stared at the line of text, his finger pausing on the screen for a moment.
On set. Filming.
[With Chae Soo-bin?]
【Um. 】
Shirley was silent for a moment. Half a minute later, she replied: 【Su Yu.】
【Um. 】
Do you like her?
Su Yu stared at the screen. This time, he didn't hesitate, nor did he make any excuses.
【Yes. 】
The "typing..." message flashed for a long time. Finally, it only sent three words: "OK."
Su Yu didn't reply, and put her phone back in her pocket. She looked up at the sky; it was a clear blue, without a cloud.
That evening, Su Yu returned to the semi-basement.
The black rubber band was still under the pillow. He picked it up and wrapped it around his finger; it was the "evidence" she had left behind last night.
My phone lit up. Cai Xiubin had sent me a message.
"Are you home yet?"
"arrive."
"Su Yu".
"Um."
When you said "you are" today, I wanted to kiss you.
Su Yu looked at the screen, and couldn't help but smile.
"Then why don't you kiss me?"
"Because there were people around. People were moving props back and forth, and Yoon Shi-yoon was watching over things."
"Then kiss me now. Kiss me through the screen."
She sent a "kiss" emoji. Su Yu looked at the emoji and could almost hear her soft, sweet voice.
"received."
"Is it sweet?"
"Sweet. Sweeter than seaweed rice rolls, sweeter than a latte."
She sent a smiley face. Then she sent another message: "Goodnight, Su Yu. See you in my dreams."
Su Yu replied with two words: "Good night."
He slipped the rubber band around his wrist and closed his eyes. Someone was playing music outside the window, a slow, leisurely tune. The ticking continued. But tonight, the sound didn't feel like noise; it felt more like a heartbeat.
Boom, boom, boom.
It was the sound of her kissing him through the screen, and it was also the sound of his heartbeat.