Chapter Ten #2
‘Perhaps I should take her back to the room and put her in bed.’ Timira is racking her brains about the possible protocols to follow with a sleepwalker, but coming up with nothing, she decides it’s safest to just put her back to sleep.
‘Yes, yes, of course.’ Haneul looks worried.
Just then, Mr Choi and Stephanie catch up to them.
‘Oh, fancy finding all of you here!’ Stephanie is quick to quip in a tone dripping with sarcasm.
Timira twists her arm a little and Haneul quickly releases his grasp over her wrist.
‘Oh, hi, Ms Jung, Bujangnim! Where are you guys heading back from?’
Mr Choi informs her they are coming back from the shoot location. They are shooting the following morning and had popped over for a quick dekko at the set being installed.
‘But why are you out? Is anything the matter? Why is Hanee looking like she’s seen a ghost?’
Stephanie is thankful to Mr Choi for asking all the questions she wants to ask.
‘Oh, I stepped out to look for Hanee who’d gone missing and wasn’t answering my calls. Thank God Daepyonim was out on a call and came across her.’ Timira lies effortlessly as Haneul silently scowls at Mr Choi.
‘Missing? Again? What’s wrong with the girl? After what happened earlier …’
Timira cuts in. ‘She was sleepwalking. She didn’t do it on purpose, Mr Choi.’
Mr Choi’s tone softens almost immediately. ‘Oh, poor girl. Let me escort you ladies back to your room.’
Timira agrees readily. She looks at Haneul, locks eyes, and with a brief nod and deep sigh, she walks away.
‘Guess I’ll head in, too,’ Haneul says to no one in particular even though Stephanie is the only person around. He starts to walk away, and as he does, Stephanie’s parting words reach his ears and further trouble his already troubled heart.
‘No more sneaking around once Mina is here, I’m sure. She wouldn’t like it if she saw you holding another woman’s hand.’
Stephanie’s voice, loud and clear in the quiet night, reaches even Timira’s ears. She laughs deviously, stiffening Timira slightly but mostly just annoying her.
Back in the room, Hanee has been tucked in and Mr Choi has bade them goodnight. Once the door is shut, Timira turns towards Hanee and speaks. Her voice is low and deep.
‘You better not have been faking this, Honey. If you are, then get up right away and explain yourself. Dangjang !’
Hanee is up in an instant and holding her ears. ‘Seonbae, I’m so sorry. But I had to do something or you and Daepyonim would’ve been discovered!’
‘I know, darling,’ Timira wraps her arms around Hanee. ‘Thank you, uri Honey-ya!’
Hanee’s heart beats wildly as she inhales Timira’s jasmine, tuberose and fabric-softener fragrance.
Guess I’ll have to settle for this. If not her knight in shining armour, I’ll be her wingman. The best ever! Goose to her Maverick!
Putting her arms around Timira’s slim waist, she hugs her right back. Warmly, in a tight embrace.
* * *
‘Pull it down a little further!’
‘Push a little harder!’
‘Work it like you mean it. You know you can!’
‘The messier, the better!’
‘Tissue, more tissue, please!’
‘Shall we rub some more oil?’
‘C’mon, you’ve gotta make everyone in this room sweat!’
Cameras have been rolling since 6 a.m. A mock football game is in progress on a makeshift pitch to get action shots of Rodrigo.
Jeju weather is temperamental, ‘much like women’, Mr Choi has chuckled, much to Timira’s annoyance.
The forecast predicts rains for the following two days.
The painstakingly constructed set would get completely ruined if it were to rain, so all shots have to be canned today while the sun is shining bright.
Everybody is walking a tightrope. Timira has avoided eye contact with Haneul all morning.
Much to his chagrin, she has been poring over the script with laser focus and looking fixedly at Rodrigo who is starting to look bored and tired as the shoot progresses.
‘Rodrigo is starting to tire. Look at his expressions! We can’t use any of the footage we’ve shot in the last twenty minutes!’ one of the producers remarks.
The director nods in agreement, his brows furrowed together.
‘Why don’t we take five? Let me try and fix this.’
The producer, a young Caucasian recruit of the ad agency in charge of the film, walks up to Mr Choi and whispers in his ear. The latter, frowning and looking helpless, darts across the set to find Timira.
What does he want with her?
Haneul’s eyes follow Timira as she walks up to the sound console and whispers into the ears of the MC.
She then gestures to the caterers to get something across to Rodrigo and has the production team play footage of all his best goals.
On the other side of the room, Haneul looks at Rodrigo’s neck relax and bob to the beat of Nicky Jam’s ‘ Hasta El Amanecer ’ as he takes a swig from a can of Black Bull and a faint smile appears on his face.
The shoot resumes soon after and good takes keep getting canned one after another.
‘Daebak! Timira-ssi seems to have her finger right on Rodrigo-ssi’s pulse!’
‘I know, right? Such a huge advantage to have her on our team. Daheniguna !’
‘You think they might still have unresolved feelings? She seems to know him very deeply!’
‘Unresolved feelings? Like what? What are you suggesting?’
‘You were there, didn’t you see? He left everything to tie her laces! TO TIE HER SHOELACES! Which guy would do that unless there’s something going on between them?’
‘But then what about all that drama between her, Daepyonim and Mina-ssi?’
‘Must have been some kind of misunderstanding. Which man would leave Mina-ssi? Brains, beauty, bank balance—she’s got all three in abundance!’
‘Daepyonim won’t dare to leave her. His business will be ruined!’
‘Look, look, Rodrigo can’t take his eyes off of Timira-ssi!’
‘And they even worked together for a whole year!’
‘But wasn’t he dating a model when he was in India?’
‘He dates a lot of models, doesn’t mean a thing. This looks like the real deal, though!’
‘Timira-ssi is not even that pretty. What does he even see in her?’
‘Oh, please. You’re just jealous it is her and not you!’
‘Guys, guys, didn’t you hear in the news? He said, publicly, that he’s here for a woman. It’s obviously Timira-ssi. How cute! Sigh.’
‘I’m rooting for them. Such a sweet love story! He’s travelled across continents for love, and my namchin calls our Busan–Seoul affair a long-distance relationship!’
Haneul’s ears are burning from the idle chatter among his employees and he decides he can’t take it anymore.
Can they go back to gossiping about me and her instead of linking her with that jackass?
He steps outside and lights a cigarette. Almost immediately, he hears Mr Choi’s voice.
‘Daepyonim!’
‘Not right now, Bujangnim.’
‘We’re about to resume shooting.’
‘Give me a minute, please. I just really want to be alone.’
Mr Choi doesn’t understand why Haneul stormed out so abruptly and knows that people will notice.
But Haneul’s pleading eyes and quickened breathing tells him he shouldn’t fuss.
He’s about to retreat when he adds in a small voice, ‘This is a no-smoking area, Daepyonim’, and disappears inside the makeshift door to the set.
With a last drag of the cigarette, Haneul angrily stubs it out. Cracking his knuckles, he rolls his neck clockwise and then anticlockwise in a bid to calm himself down.
What is wrong with people? Do they not have anything better to discuss?
Why should they care about a separated couple?
And why is she still so invested in him?
Why is she mothering him? Seolma … does she really still have feelings for him?
Eh, no way! Even back in Bali, she seemed to be totally over him.
What do these ignorant fools even know? She danced with me, she kissed me, she likes me!
Haneul is pacing furiously. Though he is only a few steps away from the shoot location, he is hidden from all eyes inside aside from the one pair that have been diligently following him around all morning while avoiding eye contact, in spite of having to keep them peeled on all the work action.
Ah, why did he have to step out right at this moment?
Looking London, Talking Tokyo hona padega ab toh!
Aur yeh lafantar Rod—could’ve just asked the team for Black Bull and to blare his jock playlist right at the start.
Nahin, unnko diva banna hai, sab ko pareshan karna hai.
What is that rumble? Oh, it’s my stomach.
Mumma, kya bhayankar bhookh lagi hai. Can’t believe I’m having to skip meals for this moron, even after breaking up!
Haneul, oblivious to Timira’s focus on him, continues to pace, now running his hands through his hair.
NO, NO, NO! NOT THE HAIR! Haaye, uff. How am I supposed to focus now?
As if he has telepathically heard her, Haneul turns his gaze inside and immediately locks eyes with Timira who, taken aback by the abruptness, reels for a brief second. Her eyes light up under Haneul’s warm gaze and he spots faint dimples forming on the cheeks.
Oh, my heart! That smile … God, I hope I can be the reason behind that smile. I have to do what I must. First and foremost, I must come clean about Bali and about bringing her here. Geurae, brace yourself, Sky. Man up! Your job’s cut out. Two months. You have two months to win her over.
‘ Aja, aja . Fighting!’
Timira can’t hear his war cry, but Haneul keeps his gaze locked with hers as he punches the air with his fist in encouragement.
Timira smiles amusedly, her pearly whites now on full display, making Haneul smile broadly, too.
Look at that smile, would you? Gah, I could stare at that all my life and still never have enough … there I go again, counting my chickens …
Chiding himself, he hits his head lightly in reprimand, the smile on his face still as bright as a 100-watt bulb.
Oh, oh, why is she looking away? Nooooo! I’m here. Look at me! Ah, it’s a call.