Chapter 26
I FALL INTO A NICE, COMFORTABLE ROUTINE FOR the rest of the month. Our shooting days are busier than ever, but everything goes relatively smoothly. And whenever we have some time off, I hang out with Minjee. We don’t have much free time, but when we do, we try to explore as much of Seoul as we can.
In the early morning hours of February first, before we even arrive on set for the day, we get the script for the final episode.
As of yesterday, we were halfway into finishing episode nineteen.
Usually, we have more time to read the scripts, but to minimize any leaks, Director Cha and the producers waited until the day before we’re supposed to shoot it to send it over.
Minjee, Bryan, and I promised each other to not even peek at the script before we can all read it together.
I’m dying to know who Hyun ends up with, Sora or Danbi.
But I somehow manage to resist opening up the PDF of the script until the three of us are sitting at a table in a small but cute café in Ikseon-dong.
“I reserved the café before they open to the public so we’d have some privacy,” Bryan explains.
Ikseon-dong is known for its cute cafés and shops, but the one we’re at is especially adorable, with bright flowers and plants filling up the space like it’s spring and not the dead of winter.
The warm light and soft music create a cozy atmosphere, one that’s promptly interrupted when Bryan slams down his script on a table and exclaims, “Finally, the moment of truth!”
Minjee and I both jump.
“Jesus,” Minjee says. “Do you always have to be so dramatic?”
She shares a look with me, and we giggle.
“Yes,” Bryan replies, matter of fact. But he smiles, too.
I take both Minjee’s and Bryan’s orders and go up to the register.
“I just want to say that I’m such a big fan of the show,” the barista says as she inputs our order on her tablet. “Do you mind giving us your autographs? We’d love to frame it and hang it in the shop somewhere.”
I’ve seen lots of celebrities’ autographs on restaurant walls around Seoul before, but this is the first time a worker ever asked me for one. The thought of my autograph becoming a permanent fixture of a building makes my hands shake just a tiny bit. I’m flattered for sure, but also nervous.
“We’d love to!” I say.
When I return to the table with the barista’s pen and paper, Minjee grins at the excited look on my face.
“You’re so adorable,” she says.
“It’s cool now, but wait till you can’t go anywhere without people shoving papers in your face,” Bryan remarks. “Not that I don’t appreciate the love. But sometimes I just want peace, you know?”
After we all sign the paper, I take it back to the barista, who bows profusely. “Thank you so much!”
“No problem!”
We wait for the barista to drop off our drinks and leave the room before we open our scripts. Minjee and I start reading at the first page, but Bryan flips to the end.
“Wow!” he says. “I would have never guessed! I can’t believe they did that!”
“Shh, don’t spoil the ending!” Minjee exclaims.
Bryan smirks, and then we start going over the script, quietly but still passionately reading our parts like we’re acting them out. The show’s definitely not ending the way I thought it would, but things still get pretty intense. My skin buzzes with adrenaline. My heart races as I flip the page.
“I never thought it’d come to this,” Bryan says in character. “I really, really wish I didn’t have to do this.”
“You have to, Hyun,” I plead. “It’s our only way out of this.”
Holy crap , I think. Bryan was right. I can’t believe what I’m reading....
“I’m so sorry, Sora,” replies Bryan. “I’m so sorry.”
There’s more of the script, but the three of us sit there in silence for a moment before moving on to the next page.
“Oh my God! They killed you off!” Minjee says to me, growing more heated by the second. “This is ridiculous.”
Bryan sits back and takes a sip of his matcha latte. “Definitely an interesting choice on their part.”
I’m frozen, still staring at the script. Even though I knew only one of our characters could end up with Hyun, I wasn’t expecting Sora to die .
“It’s okay, guys,” I say, even though I’m still trying to process things. “Go ahead and read the rest.”
Minjee and Bryan shoot me apologetic looks before continuing on with the rest of the script. Character deaths are rarely personal, but I can’t help but feel more than a little bitter. After all, Sora was there first, before the higher-ups decided to tack on a love triangle at the very last minute.
I sip on my rose latte while listening to Bryan and Minjee read.
But then the unthinkable happens.
“No!” Bryan yells out as Hyun. “Not you too!”
I burst out laughing.
“Wait,” I say. “Is this real?”
Minjee reads her last monologue and then groans. “Wow, they really did kill both of us off.”
Minjee and I cover our faces with our hands as Bryan finishes the last page on his own.
“Well,” he says when he’s done. “I know they were trying to make things unpredictable, but... this ending is a train wreck.”
“The writer really just went, ‘Let’s kill all the girls!’” Minjee throws up her hands in the air. “Is it too late to quit this show?”
“Unfortunately,” I say.
Bryan stands up from his seat. “I would like to apologize on behalf of all men.”
“Sit back down,” Minjee replies at the same time I say, “Okay, we cannot let this air. There’s got to be someone we can talk to before we shoot this episode.”
“Maybe Director Cha?” Bryan suggests. “Or Mr. Kim?”
“They’re probably the ones who okayed this script in the first place,” Minjee points out.
“True.”
I think back to when Minjee first started on this show, when the two of us came up with a bunch of alternative endings. We were just fooling around, but all those fantasy endings where Sora ends up with Danbi sound way better than the real one.
“If they want the ending to be a real surprise, I wish they’d just make things queer or something,” I say out loud. “It’d be such a huge step forward in terms of representation, too!”
“Yeah,” Bryan agrees. “I’d happily sacrifice Hyun for that ending.”
All of a sudden, Minjee gets up from her seat, her face dark with concern. “This is too depressing. I’m gonna go for a walk. Want to come, Hana?”
I glance at Bryan, who shrugs and says, “You two go ahead. I have a commercial shoot before my call time today anyway.”
“See you, Bryan,” I say.
“See ya.”
I catch up with Minjee outside the café. The narrow mazelike alleyways of Ikseon-dong are crowded with people as usual, and we walk by the quaint little shops, marveling at the traditional hanok buildings and the cute storefront displays.
I’m worried about Minjee—I’m worried about all of us, honestly—but I don’t say anything. If she’s not ready to talk about what’s going on, I won’t push.
“Come look at these mochi rice cakes!” Minjee exclaims.
We stop at a brightly lit display of mochi rice cakes. The mochi come in all sorts of different flavors, ranging from the standard red bean to cactus and citron. They’re really colorful, too. Some are in bright rainbow hues while others are different shades of pastels.
“Let’s get a few!” Minjee says. “My treat. I need something sweet to cheer me up after this morning.”
Minjee’s vague choice of words doesn’t escape me. It’s probably wise. The shop is crowded, and the last thing we want is someone overhearing us talking about the disastrous last script.
“Okay, thanks!”
We end up picking a bunch of different-flavored mochi, from strawberry to dried persimmons to cookies and cream. At another shop, I buy us some hot tea, and we spend some more time happily snacking as we wander through the alleyways.
Neither of us says anything until we reach a particularly deserted corner.
“What are we going to do about the ending?” Minjee finally asks.
“I have no idea.” My mouth still tastes sweet from the mochi, so I sip on my warm barley tea to cleanse my palate.
Minjee sighs. “I’ll have to ask my parents about what to do. Hopefully they’ll have some advice for us.”
It’s only then that I’m reminded that, unlike my parents, who would have no relevant experience or advice to help in this situation, Minjee’s folks are veterans in the industry. Minjee almost never mentions her folks, so it’s very easy to forget.
“Yeah, hopefully we can figure something out.”
“But honestly, even if the show ends up sucking, I don’t really regret being involved in it, you know?” Minjee says, approaching me. “Because if it weren’t for this weird little show, we would have never become a thing.”
I look into her eyes. Fated Destiny was supposed to be my big break as an actress, the show that would greatly advance my career so I’d no longer get cast as supporting characters. So although I can never just call it a “weird little show” like Minjee can, I do agree with her on one thing.
“Yeah,” I say. “I don’t regret us at all.”
Minjee leans in for a quick kiss but then suddenly jerks away, staring in shock at someone behind me.
I turn to see a middle-aged man holding a DSLR camera. He’s in a hoodie and wearing sunglasses, so I have no idea who he is, but what he was doing is pretty clear. Our eyes meet, and he breaks into a run.
“Hey!” Minjee shouts. “Come back here!”
Sirens go off in my head as I run after him with Minjee.
Darting this way and that to avoid crashing into people, we chase after the photographer.
But no matter how fast I run, he’s faster.
My lungs scream with the effort to keep up, and I run and run, but we still lose the man when he turns a corner.
“Crap!” Minjee shouts. She covers her face with her hands. “Oh my God. Hana, I’m so sorry. I never should have...”
She breaks down, gasping for breath and falling down to her knees. I nudge her to the side so she’s not in anyone’s way and wrap my arms around her.
“It’s okay,” I say, even though my world feels like it’s crashing down around me. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”
I hold her tight and really hope I’m right.