In a moment of exhaustion from the prolonged wait, I turned around at the voice calling me. A man who approached with leisurely steps came into view. It was Jihun.
Feeling glad at the voice calling me after the long wait, I turned to him. However, as I approached him with a faint smile, I paused. Staring at him so blatantly felt like an intrusion to Jihun. It seemed disrespectful to him.
Of all places, in the same school uniform that Jun wore on the day we first met at this place. Just as Hyunyoung, a staff member of the directing team, mentioned earlier, Jihun looked so similar to Jun in terms of face, height, and body type that I momentarily mistook Jun for him, as if they were identical.
Ah, these two really look so alike…
Now, Jun’s earlier remark, spoken as if he were sulking, made more sense.
Jihun, seemingly unaware of my slight confusion, approached with a generous smile in his eyes. I unintentionally found myself looking closely at Jihun’s face.
Jihun’s eye creases were slightly higher than Jun’s, reminiscent of a cat. In that moment, Jun’s emphasized words about resembling a puppy echoed in my mind, and I almost burst into laughter unconsciously. The difference between resembling a cat and a dog could not be perceived at a glance, creating a momentary illusion.
Above all, despite the resemblance, Jihun was different from Jun. My heart, which started pounding like a dog’s tail-wagging every time I saw Jun’s smile, remained calm.
However, it seemed like Jihun sensed my brief confusion, not oblivious to the subtle turmoil in my heart.
“It seems like I resemble twenty-year-old Jun quite a bit.”
“…What?”
“Your ears turned a bit red.”
“Ah…”
As if revealing the emotions I had tried to conceal, my hand instinctively went to my earlobe.
“No, it’s not that… It’s a bit hot here.”
“Just from what I saw, it seemed correct. I was a bit surprised when I saw you, just now, your ears blushed as soon as you saw me.”
At this point, it would have been better not to make excuses at all. Jihun, without hesitation, had come closer, unsure whether to step back or not.
Feeling cornered, I decided to be honest. It seemed better to confess openly rather than provide room for further misunderstandings.
“In truth, I was surprised too. I was looking at you and thinking if you had walked towards me from a slightly farther distance, pretending to be the director, I might have believed it. You’re so alike.”
“Is it really to that extent?”
“Really. To that extent.”
“Well… Director might not like it, I suppose.”
Looking at the younger Jihun smiling, I felt too embarrassed to burst into laughter openly. If Jun had overheard, he would have genuinely disliked those words.
Jihun, too, probably didn’t know if he had quickly sensed the brief turmoil during the short audition. Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, a greater awkwardness remained in that space.
“Your house is quite beautiful.”
Jihun diverted his gaze from me to the surroundings. I followed his gaze as if compelled.
The scenery of the house touched by the hands of the art team came into view. Upon closer inspection, it felt simultaneously familiar and strange. The quaint early summer air that I had felt when Jun and I stayed together was enhanced by cute props, creating a warm atmosphere.
Even without the garden scenery, the living room, filled with greenery and sunlight, radiated its own charm. I felt somewhat relieved at that thought.
The unique air that surrounded Jun and me during that time seemed to linger only in our memories.
“It seems this artist is meeting you for the first time today.”
“Huh? Jihun, too, is meeting you for the first time today.”
“Oh, actually, I came with the art team the day before yesterday, after being selected. Before this house underwent these changes.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yes. I wanted to see the place first. It seemed like a good place to grasp emotions. And, above all, once the art team starts working on it, I thought the scenery and atmosphere of that time would change a lot.”
“Hmm… Yes, probably.”
“Of course, initially, it felt quite empty, but that’s why I briefly thought it might be challenging to fill it with the exciting emotions of the artist and director from that time.”
Jihun’s words created ripples in my heart like drops of water falling into clear water.
Really. It might have been like that. As empty as the landscape, we focused more on each other, sensitive to the rising temperature of the air. The memories of that day suddenly came to mind.
“It seems like a place where you might fall in love for the first time. If even I were to spend time here as if only two people were trapped, I might have easily fallen in love.”
Jihun’s leisurely gaze, as he explored the house, suddenly fell on me.
“That person next to me. Artist Ihahru.”
That was the moment.
“The person Jihun should love in the future is not Artist Ihahru but twenty-year-old Haru.”
My shoulders twitched at Jun’s voice, which seemed to dig into the gap in our conversation from behind. When I turned my head to where Jun’s voice came from, he was already approaching me.
“More precisely, it will be Minseo who plays the role.”
Jun, standing behind me with an attitude that seemed to wrap his arms around me, spoke. Looking up at Jun’s face with surprise, there was a polite smile, unlike his usual snappy tone.
What began to catch my attention simultaneously was Jihun’s reaction. When I turned my head back to face him, Jihun, seemingly unaffected, wore a kind smile.
“Director, of course. I just thought that if a lovely day in the script were to grow, it would probably resemble the current appearance of the artist, so to speak.”
“Well… I won’t say I don’t understand that sentiment. But somehow, it sounds like you’re saying that the loveliness of that day appeals to you more because it resembles this artist…”
“Yes, it does appeal to me, to this artist.”
“…So, it should have been better to bring up the fact that it’s a problem first.”
Somewhere, there seemed to be a problem. Watching Jihun with that in mind, Jun, as a director, seemed conscious of the boundaries allowed in his words and calmly chose his words. Of course, on the surface, he concealed it with a perfectly calm expression.
“Jihun will act opposite Minseo, not this artist. Since Jihun’s role is crucial in bringing out the script’s portrayal of a day from Minseo. You’re not acting with this artist. Right?”
Behind the gentle tone, there were thorns.
When Jun used the term ‘this artist,’ he subtly placed his hand on my shoulder. It felt like his touch was an expression of wanting to show that I was his precious person, even if he hadn’t explicitly stated it.
Fortunately, it seemed that Jihun accepted the advice filled with affection as a director.
“Yeah, that’s right. Minseo is the one who will play the opposite role in portraying twenty-year-old Haru. Oh, then I’ll be going now. The shoot is coming up, and even though I’m a rookie, no matter how carefully I read the script, I can’t relax. Well then, see you in a bit, Director. And you too, Artist Ihahru.”
Jihun greeted with a clear face, showing no signs of discomfort, and then entered another room on the first floor. As I watched his retreating figure, Jun’s whispered words fell above my head.
“Yoo Jihun. You’re subtly crossing the line.”
I turned around with a furrowed brow.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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