The love story of Lee Seon-jae and Oh Hye-won of the top Korean drama series 'Secret Love Affair' continues...
This story is dedicated to my friend and visual collaborator Tess Angeles, whose edited pictures are almost as beautiful as her sweet natu...
As if on cue, Dieter and In-seo came together from the green room. Dieter - glancing at his programme notes - seemed not to notice that Hye-won and Seon-jae were standing in close proximity in the semi-darkness and moved past them to the stage area with a distracted nod. Inseo, though, was another matter, his lively eyes reading the situation - the couple's proximity, Seon-jae seeming to shelter Hye-won from prying eyes, her hand on the back of his neck, his arms enclosing her - though both now looking slightly shame-faced and moving apart. What he also took in was the almost manically happy expressions on their faces and though he didn't know what had happened since the duo had been on either sides of the green room looking thoroughly miserable, it was enough to know that something had. A steady look at both - the hint of an indulgent smile - then the outburst of clapping in response to Dieter's introduction summoned him away.
Hye-won hissed in Seon-jae's ear: 'ok, Lover Boy, we have 30 minutes, so let's get focussed.'
His expression showed that he wouldn't have cared if he had to play that very minute Lover Boy, that's a new one but he held back responding and just grinned, indicating that she should lead and he would obediently follow. With a bare shake of the head and a side-smile, Hye-won did just that.
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In-seo's performance of Chopin's Ballade no 1 in g minor was the perfect foil to the programmatic detail of the Sea Pictures and the audience were happy to lose themselves in its abstract intricacies and detail, rendered so tellingly in In-seo's signature sensitive style. When he re-entered the green room, he left a very satisfied audience, clapping their way to the bar. His first look took in Hye-won and Seon-jae seated a little away from everyone else, their heads bowed together over a score and his second took in Ciara. He gave a slight chin-raise in their direction, as though to say - these 2 - and her widened eye reply - I know - and they made no more reference to it than that.
It seemed only moments later that Dieter looked to the couple - where they still sat apart from the others - and indicated time. Hye-won looked to Seon-jae and, as clearly as if she had spoken aloud, he knew that she was saying - let's just play it like we did that first day - and he nodded his assent as they both moved to follow Dieter, quick glances acknowledging the thumbs up from In-seo and Ciara's encouraging smiles.
They paused in the exact spot where In-seo had stood, while Dieter moved forward. Hye-won looked at the semi-dark alcove where they had kissed - not a half-hour before - and she felt a lump form in her throat, as the immensity of what they had shared and what she had felt in those moments returned to her. Looking to Seon-jae, she saw from his expression that he was right back in that moment too and the memory was having just the same effect on him. Reaching towards him, she looked intensely into his eyes and touched his arm through the sleeve of his jacket. In the barest whisper, she mouthed -one - and his gaze was deep enough to last her a life-time -one. It was enough. The audience clapped and they stepped forward.
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