The Next Morning After Setting Up a Meeting with Sujin

"You're already here?"
"Yeah, meeting on the first floor is quicker."

Sujin was waiting outside her house.
I had been planning to greet her parents since it had been a while.

‘Well, I can always do that another time.’

With that thought, I glanced at Sujin’s headband.

“Did you always wear a headband?”
“I mean, I hate sweating, so… it makes sense, right?”

Oddly, as she answered, she kept fidgeting with her bangs.
Now that I thought about it, I remembered hearing somewhere that girls paid a lot of attention to their bangs.

‘They even hold them down when they’re running, right?’

As that image popped into my mind, I headed straight for the nearby track field.
It was early morning, so it was deserted, and the track looked clear—perfect for a relaxed run.

“But are you really planning to keep doing this every day?”
“Huh? Doing what?”
“I mean, are we seriously going to practice like this together regularly?”

At Sujin’s question, I nodded confidently.

“Of course. Ideally, you should run steadily for at least six months, but hey, doing something is better than nothing.”

The secret to running well was simple and straightforward: just keep running consistently.

Of course, there were limits, but achieving a level of “decent running” was totally doable for most people.

‘Obviously, one week won’t cut it for that, though.’

Still, it was enough time to make running feel less awkward.

“First, we absolutely have to stretch, or you’ll get hurt.”
“Really? How do you do it?”
“Just follow my lead.”

Stretching wasn’t anything complicated.
It was pretty much the same warm-up exercises we used to do in elementary school.
A privilege of being a teenager, really.

“I remember half-assing these in school all the time. Kind of weird doing them now.”
“Well, except for a few weird moves, they’re not so bad.”

With that, the running began and went off without a hitch.
I mean, it’d be strange if there were any actual obstacles to running.

‘Three kilometers in 15 minutes? That’s pretty solid.’

According to military fitness standards, that was third grade.
It seemed my past as an actor had left me in decent shape.

“Huff… huff…”

When the first run ended, Sujin was gasping for air and frantically searching for water.

“Drink slowly, slowly.”

I had anticipated this, so I pulled a bottle of water from the bag I’d brought and handed it to her.

Gulp, gulp.

As Sujin drank, she unconsciously adjusted her headband, which seemed to be bothering her.

And then—

She pulled it off.

Wanting to feel more comfortable, she removed the headband, which caused her bangs to lift, revealing…

“Oh, a pimple.”

A zit on her forehead.

“Huh? Huh?! Huh?!?!?”

For some reason, Sujin looked genuinely shocked.

“Sujin, I heard pressing on pimples with things like headbands is bad for them…”

I offered some advice, but—

“Shut up! I hate you! I’m not talking to you anymore!”

I was officially hated.

“…?”

After those words, Sujin stormed off, her head down.
And so, our first running session ended after about 30 minutes.

Until our shoot, don’t even think about meeting me—at school, too!

She even issued a no-contact order.

‘Why?’

Was it really just because of the pimple?

 

Meanwhile, at the Rushman MC Studio

Yoo Jiseok, the host of Rushman, was known for thoroughly reviewing guest profiles before filming.

But, like most things in life, guests rarely had particularly remarkable backstories.

However—

“PD Yoojin, is this for real?”
“Pardon?”
“That child actor, Kim Donghu, who’s appearing today.”
“Oh, yes.”
“His career looks pretty impressive—almost unbelievable, actually.”
“Right? Doesn’t that make it all the more trustworthy?”

Kim Donghu was beyond unique, to the point where he didn’t even fit into the usual “special case” category.
While his agency often created concepts for him, this one was a double-edged sword that could cause serious problems if mishandled.

‘Well, the PD must’ve thought it through when casting him.’

Deciding not to question it further, Yoo Jiseok began preparing for filming.
Though he had concerns about having two children on set, he was also reassured.

‘They said they’re close, right?’

According to what he’d heard, they’d known each other since their time on The Laughing Doctor!
That made them childhood friends of nearly a decade.

But—

It was as if the universe had decided to crush Yoo Jiseok’s expectations.

"Hi, Sujin!"
"Don’t talk to me until filming starts."

Just as I was about to greet the two young actors who had arrived early, I overheard their conversation.

‘Wait, aren’t they supposed to be close?’

Childhood friends, they said.
They’ve even worked on the same show twice.

But the chill in their interaction was undeniable.

‘Did they have a fight?’

As I started to worry whether their spat would interfere with filming—

“…You’re better now? About the… uh, that… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I was thoughtless about the, uh, you know…”
“Don’t you dare even mention the p-pimple again! If you do, I’ll never speak to you again!”
“But it’s gone now, so—”
“Even so! Even so, you’re completely unforgivable! You ruined everything that day! You know that, right?”
“…Yeah, I know.”
“Anyway! That’s how it is! Don’t talk to me until filming ends! If you do, I swear I won’t ever see you again!”

I couldn’t help but crack a grin at the adorable exchange.

‘God, they’re so fresh and innocent it’s killing me.’

As a die-hard romantic and fan of We Got Married, this was like throwing a cat in front of a fish market for me.

‘Or was it the other way around? Whatever, doesn’t matter.’

One thing was clear: I was looking forward to today’s shoot even more now.

 

Is Being Oblivious a Sin?

The debate had raged on for ages.
Some people said you could train yourself to be more aware, but for others, no amount of effort seemed to help.
Sometimes, being oblivious was even an advantage, making people wonder if social awareness was just a mirage.

But for Kim Sujin, exactly one week ago, she came to a definitive conclusion:

“Being oblivious is absolutely a sin.”

The reason? Kim Donghu.

‘What an idiot! A complete moron!’

She had seen those cringe-worthy moments in manga where someone made fun of a blemish, then kissed it to make it better.

‘I know those are unrealistic! They’re just artistic license, okay? I know!’

But couldn’t he have done something even remotely similar?
How could he handle the situation so poorly?

‘What kind of guy blurts out that someone has a pimple?’

Granted, she didn’t have much experience talking to boys, so she wasn’t sure how others might react.
But she knew for a fact that Donghu’s response was the wrong one.

The embarrassment was so overwhelming she couldn’t even poke her head out from under the covers.
She hadn’t spoken to him since then, not even once, until the filming day arrived.

Yet, the moment she saw him right before filming started, she felt her anger begin to melt away.

Still, she couldn’t let him off that easily.

‘I’ll be cold to him now, but after filming, I’ll start a conversation. Then we can have lunch together. Perfect.’

It was a flawless plan, one that even she found intimidatingly clever.

“Now, let’s welcome today’s new faces joining us on Rushman! Kim Donghu and Kim Sujin!”

The filming of Rushman had officially begun.

‘Wow, this is amazing.’

For Sujin, it was a dream come true.
Her first variety show since The Laughing Doctor! only made it more exciting.

And—

‘He’s in awe too.’

Donghu, usually so composed while acting, stood there slack-jawed.
It was so unlike him that Sujin couldn’t help but giggle.

Seeing the perfect opportunity, Yoo Jiseok wasted no time speaking up.

"Ah, look at this! The two of you, just seeing each other makes you smile! That’s what happens when you’ve worked together for so long!"

His playful tone immediately drew the other members into the banter.

“Hyung, what are you talking about? Aren’t they meeting for the first time?”
“Ah, you’re clueless! I did my homework on this!”

This kind of exchange was a standard Rushman opening—members teasing each other to warm up the atmosphere.

But as the conversation continued, Sujin’s face grew visibly redder.

‘Wait… If this airs, then everyone will know Donghu and I are childhood friends?’

That would mean they could go anywhere together without raising eyebrows.
Even if a scandal broke out, it could be brushed off as, “They’ve been friends since The Laughing Doctor!”

‘Am I actually living in a dream right now?’

Determined to stay silent and keep her composure, Sujin held her lips tightly, managing her expression.
But there was no way she could hide her feelings from the nation’s MC, Yoo Jiseok.

‘Hmm, they’re teasing each other, but neither seems upset about it.’

Confirming that the two were enjoying themselves, Yoo Jiseok quickly shifted his attention to Donghu.

“So, having such a cute and pretty childhood friend must be nice, huh? Don’t you think so?”
“Ah, hyung, why’re you asking stuff like that? He’s a teenager, super sensitive age!”

Laughter filled the studio.

“Yes, it’s great. Sujin’s cute and pretty.”

Donghu answered like a true gentleman.

“Hyah?!”

Sujin’s startled squeak was the cherry on top.