Chapter 10 – Falling

Until our last day in London, I did not open any of my social media accounts. I was busy anyway with the film. We were trying to catch up with the time because the film was set to release in the last week of January next year.

Despite feeling a bit down for the rest of our stay in London, I still tried my best to enjoy. It was one of my dream destinations, why would I sulk?

We returned to South Korea on the 17th. From the airport, I went directly to my apartment. To my surprise, I was welcomed by a small white envelope pasted on the door. I took it and looked for the sender, but there was nothing. I opened it after putting all my stuff down on my bedroom floor.

It was a letter. And I almost cried when I saw whom it was from.

Jjang,

First of all, I am sorry. I know you are upset with what I said on IG. It's only just…

Anyway, I am really sad seeing that you deleted all your pictures on your account. I know it's my fault, so let me make it up to you. Call me when you arrive in Seoul.

And I really hope to celebrate my birthday with you and the guys.

Brian

He signed the letter with his English name! I felt a lump in my throat and tears started to well up.

I was about to re-read the note when my phone rang. I almost jumped. I checked who the caller was and saw it was Jae.

I cleared my throat before answering the call. "Hello?"

He must have been shocked with my intro, because he asked, "Are you okay? You sound..."

"I'm just tired. I just arrived from London." I excused, afraid that they might just barge in again in my apartment.

"Right. I just called to make sure you arrived safely. I mean, someone asked me to."

I heard someone scolded, "Ya" in a hushed voice. It sounded Young Hyun.

My heart went beating fast again. I smiled. "Tell that someone that I'm fine and that I won't be breaking my promise."

Then Jae said to the background, "Ya' hear that?" And he laughed.

I asked him where we would be meeting on the 19th.

"Just around Mapo-gu. We don't want you getting lost again."

…

My rest days before we left to Thailand was dedicated to sleeping. Plenty of it. I had been working non-stop since I arrived in South Korea and I badly needed rest. I never logged in on any of my social media accounts and I was still not in speaking terms with Young Hyun. It was only Jae who was calling and texting me until the 19th of December.

The celebration was in the evening. Jae texted me detailed instructions on how to get to the restaurant (from my apartment to the venue) although it was only a few meters away from the building of CJ E&M. Like, duh?

I wrapped up a video conference with my producers in Manila before going to the restaurant. I also bought a cake on my way. Because of the meeting, I was ten minutes late. Ten minutes and Jae was already bombarding me with text messages asking if I would still come! As if I would let such a celebration pass. I was still a fan of them.

Outside the restaurant, I saw Jae waiting for me. When he saw me get off the taxi, he quickly ushered me in the room they reserved for us. (I took the taxi because I knew I was going to be late, okay?)

"Why are you late?" He said in an urgent tone.

"I told you I had an important meeting. By the way, what's the rush?"

"Brian is not here yet. He has to go somewhere and we went here first." He explained.

We entered the room and I was greeted by Sungjin, Wonpil and Dowoon. They looked surprised as if caught in the middle of plotting something evil. True enough, they were actually planning to prank Young Hyun.

Sungjin suggested that he and Jae should get into a fake heated argument in front of Young Hyun, with Sungjin talking in Busan dialect while Jae in the English language. They wanted Young Hyun to act as a translator between them.

But I laughed at his suggestion. "You know that what you suggested actually happened in real life, don't you?"

They looked confused.

"JB and Mark got into an argument during your trainee days, but they could not understand each other because of language barrier, so Brian had to mediate." I was grinning as I remembered that story. "Your idea had already been used, plus Jae is already good in Korean, it won't be convincing."

So they had to change their plan. They were still discussing when the food they ordered arrived. And they must be unfortunate with pulling up a surprise because after the food was served, Young Hyun arrived! It was hilarious. The door opened and the five of us in the room froze, staring at him.

Then, Dowoon went, "Eeeyyyy" and threw the table napkin in frustration.

I laughed at him and their failed plan, which was how I got Young Hyun's attention. I looked at him and caught him staring at me, smiling. He asked, "Wae?" (Why?)

I looked away when I felt my face turned warm and shook my head. "Nothing."

"Why do you have to arrive at the wrong time?" Jae complained like a kid.

Young Hyun entered the room and sat on the side of the table across me. He actually shoved Wonpil aside to take the seat. "Wae?" He asked again, looking at us. "What happened?"

I decided to answer him, but I could not look at him directly. "They were planning to surprise you, but you just spoiled the plan."

He laughed out loud, which was really an overreaction. We stared at him with serious faces. It was not even that funny, but the way he laughed was as if he just watched a comedy.

"Ya, ya." Sungjin finally stopped him from too much laughing.

He eventually stopped (thanks, God), but he was still smiling.

The surprise failed, so we just sang him a 'Happy Birthday' song in Korean and English. Then, he blew the candles on the cake I got him before we dug in our foods. That simple.

While eating, I decided to give them the things I brought them from Japan and London. I gave Wonpil and Dowoon a copy of Rurouni Kenshin manga with Takeru Satoh's autograph, and perfumes for Jae and Sungjin. Then, of course, a gift for the birthday boy.

"Can I open it now?" He asked holding the blue box.

I shrugged. "Go on."

But he stopped from opening the gift when my phone rang. I excused myself and went outside the room to answer the call.

It was Ms. Tina, another producer from Star Cinema, the company I was working at in Manila. The moment I answered the call, I was greeted by her excited high-pitched voice.

"Krizzaaaaaa!"

I had to distance my phone from my ear and wait for her to calm down.

"What's the hype?"

"Your script, The Pearl of the Orient has been given go-signal!"

My eyes went wide and I tried hard not to shout out of utter happiness. I covered my mouth with my palm. "Really?"

The moment the news sank in, I felt tears began to fall.

I heard the door from our room opened and I saw Young Hyun went out. He looked at me in alarm, probably because he saw me sobbing. But I smiled at him to let him know I was just too happy.

Because why would I not? The script was like my baby. I poured so much effort and time unto that. I started writing it in high school and it underwent so many revisions over time. It was turned down thrice because the production required enormous cost and talents. Plus, the company I was working at was not particularly into historical/war film.

"How...how did it happen? I mean, I was no longer hoping it will make it on screen the moment they sent me here."

It was actually the script I had to finish revising on the night of DAY6's concert in Manila.

"I happened to mention it to a friend from Artikulo Uno. Then a producer contacted Boss and offered collaboration! Imagine that. Finally, the higher-ups approved!"

Young Hyun leaned on the wall in front of me, so we were basically facing each other. He was observing me and I also kept half of my attention to him.

"So when will the filming start?"

I knew I looked like an idiot because I was grinning while tearing up.

Ms. Tina went quiet, which suddenly scared me. When she talked again, there was hesitation in her voice.

"Uhh...They plan to release the film in June next year in time for the celebration of the Independence Day."

My smile faded. "But I'll still be here in Seoul by then. How..." Then the ugly realization hit me. My tears became tears of heartbreak. "They can't give that to anyone! It's my story, my film."

"As I've heard, it will be taken in by Direk Jet."

My knees felt weak, so I sat down. Young Hyun rushed to me probably thinking I passed out though I was on the verge of it. Imagine flying high up, then suddenly go crashing down? It was what I felt.

"Ms. Tina, you know that I spent half of my life developing that story, right? So it's just fair that I direct it."

She knew. That was why she could not answer me.

We ended the call with her leaving me a promise to talk with the bosses about my earnest request to wait for my return.

It was really disappointing.

"She burst the bubble that she gave me herself," I told Young Hyun. "Funny, right?"

We were sitting next to each other on one side of the hallway.

He did not comment, so I continued blabbing.

"Why is that whenever something good happens to me, the cost is always my happiness? Like, can I just be happy?"

He just remained silent while I cried my heart out. I no longer care if anyone would see us in that situation. All I knew was I was hurting.

A moment later, Young Hyun took out a small rectangular box from his jacket's pocket and gave it to me. I just stared at it.

"What's that?" I asked him. I started to calm a bit.

"I don't know what I can do to make you feel better, but at least let me apologize again for my mistake the last time."

With what he said, I wanted to cry again.

"Here, take this as my peace offering."

I took the small box from him and opened it. Inside was a fountain pen with my name on it. I looked at him with teary eyes. It was only a pen, but I thought it was sweet of him. It was his birthday, but he gave me a gift.

"I was really scared when you deleted all your pictures, you know. I was like, 'I made her upset'. I wanted to apologize to you immediately, but you never replied to my messages."

"It's not your fault." I said, "It's just that I was so sensitive that time and probably just exhausted with the filming." And because I was hoping for something impossible, I wanted to add. "I wasn't able to check my social media accounts after that because I've been busy."

He nodded, but I didn't think he understood what I really wanted him to know. "But still, it was insensitive of me to make such a remark."

I didn't answer. A few moments of silence passed by between us until he suddenly said, "Ya, it's the second time I saw you cry."

He had never seen me cry because of him.

"Stop crying now. Your eyes will look puffy tomorrow." He reached for my face and wiped my tears with his thumbs.

I wanted to turn away because my racing heartbeat just made me ached more, but I could not. I could not, for Peter's sake…could not help, but keep falling for this man more.