After hearing the director’s shout, Seo Jun whispered something briefly to So Yeon and smoothly got off the bed.

“Wow, really!”

Do Soon, who came running in a hurry while exclaiming, first wrapped So Yeon’s exposed upper body with a blanket. As she did so, Do Soon’s grinning face turned bright red.

“It was really thrilling!”

“What was?”

“The way you two were cuddling so realistically, I thought you were really doing something under the covers. Even my heart was pounding.”

Whatever Yeo Do Soon had imagined, it was more than that, so So Yeon felt embarrassed and asked, but it was better not to have heard.

Feeling awkward, So Yeon quickly changed the subject.

“Is, is that all you have to say?”

“Of course, the acting was great too.”

“Whose?”

So Yeon, now a bit more relaxed, looked at Do Soon with narrowed eyes. As if demanding, was it Tae Seo Jun or me? But of course, her fervent fan’s heart couldn’t lie.

“Well, our elder brother of course.”

“Then, what about me?”

“Heheh, I’m kidding. You were both incredibly cool and beautiful.”

“Really?”

“Have I only been deceived all my life? If you doubt my words, why don’t you go over there and check with elder brother yourself.”

As Do Soon’s eyes met with Tae Seo Jun, who was monitoring what had just been filmed a short distance away, she gave a slight eye greeting, and Seo Jun nodded lightly before turning back to discuss the recorded footage with Director Yoon.

“Director, Director Yoon!”

But suddenly Oh Min Jung appeared on the set and wedged herself between the two men.

“I was so curious about today’s filming that I came here first as soon as I arrived in Cadiz, but is it already over? Oh, is this it?”

Oh Min Jung’s filming starts tomorrow, but it seemed she had dropped by the set today out of curiosity about the scene. Director Yoon, sensing things might get noisy one way or another, quickly turned off the monitor that Min Jung’s gaze had fallen on.

“Well, there’s nothing special. Just watch the edited version later.”

“But I came all this way, it would be disappointing to leave without seeing anything. Come on, let me see it too.”

“No, no, I said you can see it later.”

Receiving a subtle head shake from Director Yoon as if asking for help, Seo Jun raised the corner of his mouth.

“Oh Min Jung, let’s go to the lodgings instead.”

“What? Did you just say that to me, Director Tae?”

“Who else would I be talking to?”

As Seo Jun began to stride ahead as he answered, Min Jung clung tightly to his arm with a grin as they left the set.

A while later, So Yeon also got in the car to return to her lodgings.

But she couldn’t shake the image of Tae Seo Jun and Oh Min Jung walking away together so intimately. Her eyes burned with heat and her chest ached as if wounded.

‘Well done. Do the same tomorrow.’

Even though they had been together all day, that was all he had whispered to her. Then again, when had he not played with people’s hearts? Tae Seo Jun’s lukewarm attitude had continued from the first day of filming until now.

“Huh! Is that all you have to say?”

The complaint that suddenly burst out was due to the heartache that had worsened since Oh Min Jung appeared.

There were two days left until the final filming.

So Yeon, who had squeezed her burning eyes shut out of frustration, could only hope and pray for that day to come quickly.

Not realizing that her burning heart was due to jealousy.

The on-location filming in Spain had already entered its sixth day.

Amidst the busy days that continued with relentless forced marches, So Yeon often felt choked up.

Afraid that the makeup the stylist had carefully applied would smear, she had looked up at the sky with teary eyes countless times.

Where was the person who said he wouldn’t give up even if she pushed him away? Seo Jun had been consistently indifferent throughout the Cadiz schedule. Only to her.

So So Yeon felt even more upset.

But hadn’t she brought this situation upon herself by pushing him away? So no matter how choked up and difficult it was, she had to calmly accept the cold reality.

However, even though it was a result she had brought upon herself, her distress grew like a snowball, separate from reason. Those emotions that she had been holding back burst like a collapsing levee on set today.

So Yeon’s tearful acting, coupled with Tae Seo Jun’s unchanged indifference, made even the noses of those watching on set tingle. Even Director Yoon, who usually wouldn’t bat an eyelid, couldn’t shake off the heaviness for a while.

Everyone praised Eom So Yeon’s ripened acting, but So Yeon herself only felt burdened by her increasingly heavy heart. Because she knew that once the local filming ended, she would even miss Tae Seo Jun’s cold back.

It was an evening when the pitch-black darkness and quiet stillness seemed to have come unusually early.

With the last day of filming ahead tomorrow, So Yeon was already lying in bed.

While Tae Seo Jun had to stay in Spain for about another month to continue filming, Eom So Yeon’s role would be finished tomorrow, and she would leave this place the morning after.

But she wasn’t returning to Korea either.

Three days ago, for extensive promotion of the drama, a broadcast station’s entertainment news program had previewed the production site of “Lord of the Sun”, which would be shown in living rooms this summer.

Along with that, Eom So Yeon’s work was also revealed to the world.

This was the result of the CN Entertainment CEO’s big picture, with the planning team’s Manager Ju moving quickly, calculating that it could attract more attention precisely because her name wasn’t well-known yet, and judging that the timing wasn’t bad before interest in the drama fully peaked.

But one shouldn’t underestimate people’s colored glasses.

Who is Eom So Yeon?

An unmarried mother at such a young age?

A rookie who landed a supporting role in that blockbuster drama right away? Is she pretty? Is she a good actor?

People around the world were harshly gossiping about her at this very moment. If she returned to Korea at a time like this, wouldn’t it be like pouring oil on a raging fire?

CEO Gu Won Hoo had asked Yeo Do Soon to stall for time abroad until public opinion calmed down, which would happen soon.

For that reason, Do Soon, who had conveyed the CEO’s wishes to So Yeon, saying they might as well rest while they were at it, was now lying on the bed carefully examining information about travel destinations in Spain and Europe.

“Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?”

When Do Soon, who had been pondering while looking at her laptop, asked, So Yeon thought for a moment before answering.

“Well. Wouldn’t it be the same for both of us?”

“Then I’ll decide on my own, so don’t complain later, okay?”

“That won’t happen. As long as you’re there, I’m happy anywhere.”

“I guess there’s some reward for raising a friend well!”

As Do Soon, who had grinned broadly, turned off her laptop and prepared to sleep, So Yeon carefully stepped out of the room.

With her throat feeling like it was covered in sand grains and her chest feeling tight, she headed to the hotel lobby on the first floor.

Despite the late hour, the cafe located in one corner of the lobby was still emitting bright light. Suddenly craving a warm cup of tea, So Yeon walked in that direction. However, those steps didn’t go far.

What entered So Yeon’s vision as she stood in the middle of the lobby was Tae Seo Jun sitting at a table inside the glass walls.

So Yeon, who had instinctively hidden her body behind a building pillar, had conflicting thoughts. Her heart pounded as she peeked out only her eyes to secretly observe him from a safe distance where she wouldn’t be discovered.

Should I go and at least say something?

‘My filming ends tomorrow, but when I return to Korea, I’ll have to face him again for work anyway. I know that if you like someone a lot, the hatred can be big too, but how long am I going to keep shrinking in front of him?’

So Yeon finally made up her mind. There was no one around at the moment, and even if someone saw, they would think it was a chance encounter.

But that wasn’t the case.

Tae Seo Jun wasn’t alone at the cafe table she thought was empty. He was with Oh Min Jung.

On this late evening, Tae Seo Jun and Oh Min Jung were sitting face to face in an intimate atmosphere. Exchanging friendly glances at each other. Their expressions were even adorned with bright smiles.

So, was it because of Oh Min Jung that you’ve been ignoring me these past few days? In Malaga you waited for me, and here you waited for Oh Min Jung to come? No, since when were they this close?

You should have just not said you couldn’t end it. How excited I was by those words. How warm and fluttery my heart felt. Seeing you approach sincerely, how much it hurt and how sorry I felt.

On the other hand, she also thought it was for the best.

She could feel a little less sorry for him since he was doing well without her.

Even as she tried to calm her heart like that, his fickle attitude was really hard to understand. It was utterly vexing. But what So Yeon found even more frustrating was that even in this disappointing moment, she missed Tae Seo Jun so desperately and longingly.

How could I not love him? Even if he treats me coldly, even if he’s not sincere to me, even if he’s being affectionate with another woman, I just can’t turn away from this man…

That’s who I am…

She really felt pathetic for always ending up back where she started no matter how much she struggled to escape this one-sided love. So Yeon could only turn back with a hollow laugh on her lips.

Returning to her room, So Yeon flopped onto the bed like a corpse, hugging her turbulent heart.

Even after keeping her eyes tightly shut for a long time, unable to fall asleep, her body had already become a ball of fire. It felt like sharp hooks were raking through her entire body. But So Yeon thought this mere fever was nothing.

She had to let go of something precious in order to protect something precious.

She had to cut off her flesh and scrape her bones to throw him away.

Finding it harder to endure the pain in her heart than her boiling body, So Yeon could only quietly exhale hot breaths all night long.

At last, night retreated and an unusually bright morning came.

While the drama production team’s schedule in Spain was just beginning, So Yeon was taking the last remaining filming step.

The weather had been sunny all week, but the sea, situated at the extension of abnormal climate, continued to have a sharp drop in temperature and even high waves on the surface. Because of that, the underwater filming that should have been finished long ago had been postponed until now.

But due to the extremely tight overseas location schedule, today was a day they could no longer back down from.

So, although there were risks involved, one medium-sized cruise ship and several extra-large boats loaded with cutting-edge video equipment were finally launched into the vast sea an hour ago, with every precaution taken for safety.

As seen in the cafe yesterday, Oh Min Jung followed closely behind Tae Seo Jun on the ship as well, and today too, he didn’t even glance at So Yeon while readily responding whenever Min Jung asked something.

Unable to ignore the two who seemed quite close, So Yeon bit the inside of her lip hard, just wishing for this painful time to pass quickly.

Now, only two actors were about to enter the sea.

“Ms. Eom So Yeon, if you’re ready, please go to your position for the shot!”

At the energetic voice of the filming staff, everyone’s attention turned to So Yeon, who had just been released from the makeup artist’s touch and started moving busily.

Seo Jun was also moving to his position as he would soon enter the water too.

It was at that moment when the two walked in opposite directions and crossed paths at one point. The ship rocked as it hit a wave. Accordingly, So Yeon’s shoulder, which staggered slightly, touched Seo Jun’s body and their eyes met.

“You know accidents can happen even when there shouldn’t be any if you’re nervous, right?”

“…”

Was this the concern of a senior actor for his junior?

Just because the man who had made her acutely feel what an extreme temperature difference was since coming to Cadiz said one thing to her, it didn’t mean the ice crystals that had formed on her heart during her time here would melt in an instant. That’s why So Yeon moved to where she needed to go without responding.

Finally, the woman in red stood at the bow of the ship.

The veil on her head fluttered long in the sea breeze, revealing her hidden face.

The transparency pooled in So Yeon’s large, round eyes was tears. As those teardrops burst and wet her pale cheeks, her body’s center of gravity tilted forward, and soon after, her body fell into the deep blue sea.

Splash!

The veil that came off as she fell flew far into the sea like a phoenix taking flight, but So Yeon slowly sank below the water with white spray.

Then in an instant, her whole body was swept away by the strong current.

At that moment, a man who had swum quickly from afar enveloped So Yeon’s small body with his large, graceful physique. Feeling protected, So Yeon also embraced Seo Jun as if entrusting everything to him.

The ensuing kiss between the two was as tender as that of loving partners.

Even in the moment of sharing their insufficient breath, So Yeon could not read Seo Jun’s heart worrying about her.

A few seconds ago when her concentration wavered as her body was pushed by the ocean current, she had narrowly avoided causing an NG thanks to Tae Seo Jun who appeared just in time. That sense of relief was so great that there was no room for other thoughts.

In that state, Seo Jun and So Yeon sank deeper into the sea until they became a dot.

Some time later.

“Haa, haa…”

So Yeon, who had surfaced, gasped for breath.

As soon as Seo Jun appeared, the waiting staff quickly boarded the two actors onto a small boat.

“Now it’s Oh Min Jung’s turn!”

Assistant Director Jo shouted as Seo Jun and So Yeon’s filming safely ended.

“Ah, cold! Ugh…”

Min Jung, who was reluctant even to briefly immerse her body in seawater, frowned and entered the water unwillingly. And within seconds, her seaweed-like hair popped up above the surface.

“Puah!”

As Oh Min Jung’s face, which had burst out the breath she had been holding for a moment, filled the screen, the busy movements of the cameras all stopped at once.

With this, the underwater filming was safely concluded.

“Good work everyone! Some people are struggling with seasickness, so let’s hurry back to land!”

The footage filmed up to today would be inserted not only at the beginning and end of the drama, but also several times in between, so a great deal of effort was put into it, and it turned out much better than the image they had in mind.

That was why Director Yoon’s voice was even more resounding than usual.