Wanna Be Your Star!

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"What do you mean you're moving away?"

He searched her eyes while his grip on her hand tightened. He wouldn't risk letting her slip away.

She lowered her head, tears sliding past her long, curled eyelashes.

"Remember when I told you that you couldn't fall in love with me?" She asked, taking a deep breath before she looked up to him again, a soft smile forming on her lips. "I can't stay with you any longer..." She closed her eyes for a moment, mentally preparing herself. "I'm sick."

His eyes widened, letting the tears he was holding back fall out one by one.

He blinked a couple of times, clearing his throat to make sure his voice would come out clear.

"Okay, so you're leaving. That doesn't mean that we can't keep in contact. After all, you'll be coming back, right? After you're all better?"

Her breath caught in her throat, her tears falling steadily now.

"I don't think I'll be coming back... Ever."

His blood ran cold, the world stopped in his eyes as he watched the frail, crying girl that he tried not to love.

"I'm sorry... I just need some...coffee- Shit."

"CUT!"

The two actors stepped away from each other, Hanbyeol smiling reassuringly at Seoyeon as she turned to apologize to the crew.

The director took off his cap, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ms. Seoyeon, this is the second to last episode, and we've spent half of the day on this scene!" He threw his cap on the ground dramatically, making Hanbyeol sigh. "Get your act together! Hanbyeol has his lines down to the point, and I don't know how many more tears we can squeeze from the poor boy."

"Mr. Hyunwoo It's okay, I've still got enough to do a couple more takes."

"What about the crew, huh? Do you think any of them have the strength to keep the microphone up anymore?"

"Oh..." Hanbyeol looked around and noticed their sweating faces and how most of them had collapsed onto chairs. Whenever he acted, he tended to push himself to always give his best, and he would forget the other people around him. Hanbyeol took a step back as if to apologize to everyone.

"You're right, I'm being unfair."

The air around the entire filming crew tensed even more than before. They had spent the entire day filming the farewell scene between the lead characters to finalize the episode. The drama that they were filming, My Time to Love You was due to air their last two episodes in 4 days. They had been working non-stop and were still scrambling to finish. The exhaustion begins to set in once someone brings it up, therefore making the topic a sort of taboo.

"You know, let's take a 15-minute break." The director swiped his cap up from the ground, dusting it off with his other hand. "And someone fetch Ms. Seoyeon her coffee!"

With those words, the entire room started to move at a sluggish pace.

Hanbyeol knew what he was supposed to do without anyone telling him. He'd started acting when he was 11 and every procedure for every case had been drilled into him after years and years of work. Although some things had changed, some had not. Like, fixing your makeup after every scene.

Hanbyeol walked over to his makeup artist and clothes designer, shaking his shoulder to wake him up.

"Jeongeun hyung. Makeup."

The older man woke with a start, nearly toppling over in his chair.

"What-again?!"Jeongeun brushed his black hair out of his face, looking up at Hanbyeol. "And what's with that impolite tone? Can't you ask?"

After a long moment of silence, he stood up exasperatedly to examine Hanbyeol's face. "Your makeup keeps getting ruined by those swoon-worthy tears of yours, so it's hard to keep it looking nice and clean if you have to do a crying scene 6 times in a row." Jeongeun tutted in disappointment.

"Good to know you're keeping track."

The makeup artist grabbed the actor by the chin, and turned the latter's head side to side. Hanbyeol normally hated people touching him if he wasn't acting, but Jeongeun had done it for a decade already so he didn't mind.

"Even with tear streaks you look beautiful. It's a wonder how you've never had a girlfriend." The man chuckled a little, turning around to grab his materials.

Hanbyeol rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to say something before Jeongeun sat him down into a chair, and popped open his makeup kit.

"Tell me the story about your loveless life again, it gives me inspiration to lather skin coloured paste on your body."

Hanbyeol sighed, ignoring the makeup artist's way with words and closed his eyes to allow Jeongeun complete freedom with his face.

"I don't know why you're always asking me to tell you. It's always the same, and you always end up laughing anyways."

He felt cold moist wipes on his face, wiping away tear stains and any ruined makeup.

"Oh no, I won't laugh this time, I promise."

"That's what you say every time." Hanbyeol muttered under his breath.

"Oh get on with it already, I'm getting bored."

Hanbyeol caved in if only to shut up Jeongeun. He leant back, thinking about how he should say it this time.

"I grew up acting in romantic dramas of all kinds. I met a lot of different actors who I became friends with, and who had all fallen in love. Of course, they had all gotten their hearts broken.

These stories that they write into dramas are all too good to be true, you never see it happening in real life, and it's better to not believe in it, than to hope for something that great and get broken down. That's why I don't have a love life."

Jeongeun laughed, betraying his promise from a minute ago.

He can't keep a promise to save his life. Hanbyeol thought bitterly.

"You shortened it even more this time, next time you might even just say five words." Jeongeun took a brush out and began swiping it over Hanbyeol's cheeks.

"Give me those five words so I can use them next time." The younger man said in a flat, hostile tone.

Hanbyeol felt a flick on his forehead, and he opened his eyes in frustration. "Yah!"

Jeongeun lifted up his hand and started to count off words. "I. Don't. Believe. In. Love."

The actor scoffed, giving a glare to the man standing over him. He crossed his arms before he closed his eyes again. Jeongeun got it spot on, but Hanbyeol didn't want to give him any reason to gloat. Jeongeun tended to take things to the extreme.

Before he felt the brush on his face again, Hanbyeol heard quiet, whispered words. "What kind of romance actor doesn't believe in love?"

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This is your author, for now just call me author because my name's a little lame hahaha. Thank you for reading the first chapter, tell me if anything's out of place or a bit weird. Be honest! Vote if you liked it and want more!