My lips still seemed to buzz with the feeling of his lips against mine. It was so different than the first time we kissed. It was less calculated, more spontaneous, and far more honest.
The details were a haze as the kiss itself was more intoxicating than the minimal alcohol I had drunk that night. So much so that it had occupied my mind all the way to work.
But unfortunately for me, there wasn't exactly time for that. Today's scene was before Iseul and Siwoo got together. Perhaps an eye-opening moment for Iseul but still not the moment.
"Today, we are filming the realization climax. Sieun, Iseul, and their other friend Jina, are wrapping gifts and playing with the children in a nearby village which is all part of their yearly tradition when Siwoo suddenly shows up and takes over. Then we'll film the other scene with all the games he has planned. I want to see slow and subtle realization, not dramatics. Actors, take your places! Jimin, get me a black coffee!" Jungkook ordered.
Ah, and he was back to usual? Maybe not usual? Work usual?
Hoseok still wasn't out from his trailer but this really wasn't the time to think about or dwell on it. I was here to work and play my part well and that wouldn't change, no matter what.
"You okay, superstar?" Yeseul asked.
I nodded, "Never better."
"Action!"
__________________________________
"Wow! Sieun unnie is back! And she brought two pretty friends this time!" A little girl exclaimed.
I bent down, "Hi there! I'm Sieun unnie's oldest friend. I'm Iseul."
"And I'm Jina. It's nice to meet you all!"
"Woah, three pretty noonas to play with," a little boy drooled.
"Hey, Suho. Don't act so big when you're still a little boy," Sieun scolded.
"Little boy? I'm a man, noona!" He exclaimed, grunting like 'a man.'
"Suho, don't be dumb!" The little girl huffed.
"Jiae, be nice to your brother," Sieun sighed.
"Okay! Why don't we all head inside and we can start wrapping up all the gifts. Come on, guys! We've all got super fun things planned for after!" I exclaimed hurriedly, to hopefully end the sibling squabble.
I took Jiae and another little girl's hand and ran inside with them with the others shortly following suit.
We went inside the main community hall to be met with over 150 toys specially handmade by Jina and her father's toy company.
All of the kids' jaws dropped to the floor, as if they had just entered a magical heaven for kids.
"You all have to thank Miss Jina for this! She works at a toy factory that makes all the toys for good kids like you!" Sieun said.
"Thank you Miss Jina!" The chorus rang out before they went crazy.
"Hey, wait a minute! You each get to wrap 10 toys, okay? Be nice, share, and have so much fun. So pick your 10 very carefully because they get to be someone else's gift," I explained.
"Will we all still get 10 toys?" Suho asked sadly.
"Of course, kiddo! You just might not get the ones you wrapped," I said, offering him a smile to cheer him up.
The kids instantly began to flock out, grabbing each of their 10 toys before completely barreling over Jina to ask her for help and how she makes toys.
I laughed, "Ji, you look a bit preoccupied. Why don't you help the kids while we get the adult presents wrapped and ready?"
"Sounds like a plan," she laughed before being swallowed by the mob of kids.
Eventually the sounds of raucous kids trying their hardest to wrap a bunch of gifts filled our ears. But it was nice because Sieun and I hadn't really spent a lot of time together in a while, and it was a good way to reconnect.
"So talk to me girl. It feels like it's been forever," she said, reading my mind.
"Oh you know..." I trailed off, trying to figure out what I could actually tell her. "Honestly nothing interesting. Oh, actually, I ran into Ha-min the other day."
"Ugh, that jerk! What does he want? Don't listen to him. He thinks he's better than he actually is. You lucked out when you left him," she ranted.
I chuckled, admiring her, "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but believe me, no part of me wants to listen to anything he has to say. I just told him to piss off and he eventually left."
"That's my girl," she smiled proudly.
"What about you? What's going on with you?" I asked.
"Nothing as interesting I fear. Although, Nam Sarang tried to message me the other day," she dropped.
I choked, "What?! She still has your number?"
"No! She did it on some obscure social media that I barely look at," she said quickly. "The nerve of that woman to try to come back into my life is appalling."
"It's been 10 years, maybe she's changed," I suggested lightly.
That lit a fire under Sieun, "Don't even get me started. She was my best friend, second to only you. The three of us were inseparable for years, don't you remember?"
"Of course. We were the trio to end all trios," I muttered.
"Yeah well some promise that was," she hissed. "Once she started dating Siwoo, it was downhill from there. She dragged our friendship through the mud only to break his heart. I mean no wonder I don't want my friends dating my brother. It's so messy. He didn't deserve that and nor did we."
"Yeah. You're right. Of course," I mumbled, focusing back on the coffee pot I was gift wrapping.
There was the rumble of a car engine heard from outside before it stopped completely. The kids had all stopped wrapping their gifts to go check what the commotion was, as did we.
Our gaze met before anyone else could say anything. Kim Siwoo, was here.
"Alright kids, enough gift wrapping! It's time to have fun with handsome-man Siwoo!"
_______________________________
"Cut!"
"Well done everyone! While we prepare the film crew, take a short break. We'll reconvene in ten minutes," Jimin announced.
Yeseul crashed into me, wrapping me in a big hug, "Ugh, I hate fighting with you."
I chuckled, "We're not fighting yet though."
"That's true. Hey, speaking of which, how's Mimi?"
"Mimi? You mean Misuk?!" I exclaimed.
"Duh," she said like it was obvious.
"She's good...why?" I questioned.
"Oh sweetie, use those beautiful brains up there please," Yeseul begged.
"Are you into her?"
"Obviously," she said.
"Ohmygod. She's going to freak out!" I exclaimed.
"Well don't tell her silly. I want us to figure it out naturally," she said.
"Oh. Fair enough," I nodded. Ah so exciting for Misuk. At least her love life was easygoing.
All of a sudden, one of the kids barreled towards me squealing with a big grin, jumping straight into my arms.
"Ahh! Noona help! He's chasing me!"
I scooped the boy up into my arms, balancing him on my hip as Hoseok menacingly approached us.
"Hand him over, Chae. He's the last one I need to tag," Hoseok heaved, clearly out of breath.
"No don't! Save me, noona!"
I glanced between the two before holding the little boy more securely.
"You're not getting him, no way. I'll guard him with my life," I declared.
Hoseok shook his head, "Well then I guess I can't spare either of you." And then he charged.
"Yeseul, help!" I shrieked, taking off with the kid in my arms. She instantly jumped to, standing in front of us, trying to block off Hoseok so we could get away. The other kids seemed to catch on that more people were involved in their game and began to crowd around to block Hoseok off as well.
"Hey! This feels like cheating!" He whined.
"The good guys always win," I triumphed, proudly bouncing the boy in my arms. He stuck his tongue out at Hoseok.
"Oh now you're gonna get it," he huffed, carefully beginning to wade through the sea of kids.
"Uh oh," I said, running out of places to run.
Once he had broken free, he gave chase again. I tried my hardest to maneuver around him, but eventually I got us stuck against a wall with no easy way of getting out.
"Noooo!" The boy cried out as Hoseok closed in.
Once my back hit the wall, he trapped us in by placing both hands on either side of my hand. There was a little gap in between his arm and the wall, so I slowly let the kid down.
"Run kiddo. You win!" I exclaimed, giving him the victory he so badly craved. But victory came at a cost. My sacrifice.
"Hmm...I think I got a better victory," he hummed lowly.
I choked, "H-Hoseok—everyone is watching."
He gave a small smirk, "Guess so. But concede your victory first."
I huffed, "Fine. You win."
"Good girl," he hummed before letting me go. And of course, everyone was in fact watching us. Some with cheekier expressions than others.
"Ahem...if we're all done playing, we have a scene to shoot," Jungkook huffed, an awkward expression on his face.
Jimin grimaced, "Let's finish off this scene well! And then we have pizza for everyone!"
All the kids shouted for joy before getting right back into place.
My style team quickly came over to fix my hair and retouch some of the makeup that had sweated off. And more importantly, they added a little more makeup to hide the bright red blush that refused to leave my cheeks.
"Places...and action!"
__________________________________
"Oh lovely, and now he's here," Sieun sighed.
"You must've summoned him," I joked.
"Clearly," she huffed. "Hey! What are you doing here? And why are you poaching our kids."
"Oh come on sis, they're kids. They want to play, not wrap toys. That's what Santa and parents on their birthdays do," Siwoo shrugged, picking up one of the kids and swinging him around.
"We are going to play! But we're doing what we've done every year!" Sieun argued.
"Traditions are meant to be broken. You know mom and dad don't care. So you can wrap gifts all you like, but I'm going to take these little ones to do some actually fun stuff. Who wants to come?"
It took a second, but eventually all the kids began to cheer for Siwoo.
"Mister Handsome-Man Siwoo is so dreamy~" Jiae hummed.
He scooped up Jiae in his arms, offering her a handsome and kind smile.
"So, you in or out?" He asked.
"Count me out. I guess I'll go finish all the gift wrapping," Sieun huffed, stomping back inside.
Jina looked between the two before sighing, "I ought to help her. But take Iseul with you. We don't need three hands here. And you definitely are going to need help handling the kids."
Jina waved at us before rushing in after Sieun.
Once they were gone, Siwoo cocked an eyebrow at me, that same teasing glimmer he always had, like he had just won a game.
"Well then, I guess this fulfills condition 47? Good with kids?" He grinned, skipping off with Jiae.
I folded my arms over my chest, outwardly groaning before frustratedly following after all of them.
I hung back at a distance, watching as Siwoo calmly and kindly explained the rules of kickball to all the kids. They all listened well and animatedly as he made every aspect of the game sound fun.
I clicked my tongue, "I guess he did fulfill condition 47. Tch, good for him."
"Okay, does everybody get it?" He asked.
"Yes, Mister Handsome-Man Siwoo!" The all exclaimed.
He beamed, "Good! Let's see, since there's seventeen of us, one team will have one extra person." He glanced up at me, his usual devious look taking over. "Okay, we'll have two team captains, me, and Miss Pretty-Lady Iseul. You have to call her that, by the way. No more noona. She likes that name more. And since I'm a gentleman, I'll let Miss Pretty-Lady Iseul have an extra teammate."
I narrowed my eyes at the nickname, partially amused at how brazenly and easily he could flirt in any and every circumstance.
The kids managed to split up pretty evenly with Jiae with her beloved Siwoo and Suho with me.
"Alright, Suho, Jiae, why don't you guys play rock-paper-scissors to see which team gets to kick first?" Siwoo suggested.
The two siblings approached each other with a vicious rivalry.
"They've got the same rivalry you and your sister have," I snickered.
"I don't think anyone can have the rivalry that me and Sieun have," he retorted.
"Aw man! No fair! She cheated!" Suho pouted.
"It's okay buddy. We get to go right after. We can make sure they don't score any points right now," I said, taking his hand and running to the out-field with him and the other kids.
The other kids unanimously decided to make Suho our pitcher which he was all too excited to do.
I was on second base.
"Hey what's our team name guys?" I called out.
"The Winners!" Suho exclaimed. The others cheered in agreement.
"Alrighty then, LETS WIN THIS WINNERS!" I yelled, getting my kids fired up.
"Hey no fair!" Jiae wailed.
"Hey, don't worry, Ji. What should our team name be?" Siwoo asked.
"Umm...the Dolphins!"
"Right you are. The Dolphins will claim victory!" Siwoo declared.
And so began the Great War.
All the kids had gone up to bat but my team was doing well with getting them out and keeping home base from being crossed. There was one more kicker and all the bases were loaded. Our biggest obstacle, Kim Siwoo.
All the kids cheered for him on the sidelines, as he cockily stretched.
"Go Mister Handsome-Man Siwoo!" Jiae squealed.
Suho tried to pitch him a curveball, but nothing could deter Siwoo. He kicked the ball pretty much to the edge of the out-field.
And so the kids on the bases sprinted towards the end.
1 point. 2 points.
"Hey Pretty-Lady. I guess victory is mine after all. I wonder...will I get a victory prize," he stopped on my bases while the kids fumbled over the ball.
3 points.
"Ha, in your dreams."
"Now that's no fun. I thought we were playing high stakes," he frowned.
I grinned, "We are." The sound of the ball hitting my palm wiped the smirk right off his face as he saw the one-handed catch. "But you're out."
I threw the ball up in the air, leaving it for him to catch as I went to console my team and encourage them for our kicking round.
"We just need four points guys and we win. And who are we?" I egged them on.
"The Winners!" They shouted.
"Come on Dolphins! We can win!" Siwoo chanted.
The kids continued to play, but by the end of our kicking round, we ended in a similar predicament that Siwoo had been in.
The bases loaded with only me left.
"Go Pretty-Lady Miss Iseul!" The kids squealed.
The only thing between me and victory was Kim Siwoo, menacingly guarding third base.
"Crush them! He's not even that handsome!" Suho exclaimed.
"You got it, kiddo!" I laughed.
The ball was pitched uncomfortably slow, but I still made quick work of it, shooting it, not as far as Siwoo, but far enough to buy my team some time.
The kids raced to home.
1 point. 2 points. 3 points.
Just as I landed on third base, the kids on his team had begun to bring the ball back. I was ready to leap to home, but something tightly held me back.
"Nuh uh. I don't think I can let you go," he hummed.
"Are you kidding me? This is cheating!" I huffed, trying to fight his grip.
"Let her go, cheater!" Suho yelled.
"Yeah! Hold her down!" Jiae shouted.
"I'm allowed some quality time with my girlfriend. Condition 13, plenty of physical touch time is needed," he teased.
"For the millionth time: I. Am. Not. Your. Girlfriend!" I grunted, trying and failing to break free.
"Come on now, what are you teaching the kids. One of those siblings wins over the other and it'll be an endless war of inferiority and superiority. Gotta teach kids that everyone is a winner," he argued.
"Oh, is that what you're trying to do now," I scoffed.
But it was too late. The kids had come back and touched the ball to third before I even had a chance.
"That's the game!" Siwoo announced.
The result left something to be desired, because the kids stood confusedly, staring at the opposite team.
"Who won though? We both got three points," Suho sulked.
"Yeah, no one won," Jiae frowned.
I scooped Suho into my arms, "It's called a tie. It's when both teams score the same amount of points. And you know what that means? That both teams win. So everyone is a winner. Everyone played so well that victory belongs to us all."
Siwoo did the same with Jiae, "Yep. The best part of a game like this is that we get to have good sportsmanship. That means that we wish the other team 'good game' and celebrate each other no matter the result. You both won because you both did well and so everyone should be treated fairly and nicely."
The other kids seemed to figure it out easily but the siblings were a little more hesitant to call a truce with each other.
"Look, me and Miss Pretty-Lady Iseul can do it," Siwoo said, setting Jiae down. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "Good game, Miss Pretty-Lady Iseul."
I relented with a smile, "Good game to you as well Mister Handsome-Man Siwoo. Let's play again soon."
"It's a date."
Jiae and Suho looked at each other hesitantly before wrapping each other in a big hug.
"Good game!" They both cheered.
"Kids! The presents are ready!" Sieun's voice rang out across the field. And just like that, all their attentions were lost as they raced back to the community center to pick up their 10 presents.
Siwoo and I were the only ones left on the field.
"You played nice today," he remarked.
I shrugged, "Maybe I did."
He grinned, "I think someone is starting to like me."
"Dream on," I huffed.
"I could do that...or..." he quickly wrapped his hands around my waist, squeezing tightly.
"Hey let me go!" I squealed, trying to wiggle away but instead he picked me up and spun me around. "Hey! Seriously! Put me down! No! Ahaha!"
_______________________________
"Cut! Excellent ad-lib Hoseok!" Jungkook complimented.
Hoseok set me down softly, offering me a cheeky grin, "Sorry if I scared you."
"That's one way to put it," I huffed, fearing for my life.
"Now then...I believe we have a game to finish from earlier," he winked.