Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 75: Theory and Practice of Kissing Scenes (5.6K long chapter)

On the rooftop of Imperial High School.

Originally, this scene only required a basic crew - director, cameraman, lighting, sound, and two actors.

But someone leaked the news, and the outside of the set was crowded with people.

The stagehands, makeup artists, interns from the wardrobe department, the assistant director from the next studio who came to "borrow something", and even the variety show PD from SBS TV station who came to visit the set...

Everyone tacitly maintained an expression of "I'm just here to work," but their eyes would occasionally glance towards the center of the rooftop—

Kang Jae-hoon and Krystal Jung were standing by the railing, listening to director Boo Seong-cheol's explanation of the scene.

“Wow, so many people?”

Kim Ji-won, who had just come up, took out sunglasses from her pocket and put them on, perfectly blending into the ranks of the "melon-eating crowd".

"The emotions of this scene need to develop layer by layer—"

Director Boo Sung-chul pointed at Krystal Jung:
"Bona was angry about the humiliation of being so high-profile as to say, 'You actually held my hand in front of the whole school.'"

Fu Shengzhe turned to Jiang Zaixun again:
"Canrong knew she was in a bad mood, so he was reluctant to explain at first, but then..."

He suddenly grinned:
“—I was also taken in.”

"Anyway, Bona retreats, Chanyoung approaches, and the tension between them needs to be maxed out."

Jiang Zaixun said "Oh" as if he understood.

Fu Shengzhe clapped his hands:

"Come, let's go through the play first."

"clear."

Following the director's order.

Zheng Xiujing leaned against the railing, crossed her arms, and raised her chin slightly - the standard "Lee Bo Na style" angry posture:
"Why are you being so high-profile today? It's so embarrassing!"

Jiang Zaixun quickly got into the mood, his tone was helpless, but with an irrefutable firmness:
"What else? Watch them spread rumors?"

Zheng Xiujing stamped her feet and glared at him: "Then you can't..."

"Why not?"

Jiang Zaixun suddenly approached.

According to the script, he should put his hand on the railing beside her ear, forming a semi-enclosed "wall-dong" posture.

But as soon as he raised his hand, Krystal shrank back like a frightened rabbit, and her back hit the railing with a "bang".

Fu Shengzhe frowned:
"Bona, why are you hiding?"

"I, I didn't hide..."

Krystal lowered her head to defend herself, but her voice became smaller and smaller.

Fu Shengzhe sighed:
"Again."

The second rehearsal.

Krystal Jung forced herself not to hide.

But the moment Jiang Zaixun's hand touched the railing, she subconsciously held her breath and her eyes widened.

Fu Shengzhe rubbed his temple and sighed:
"What about the chemistry you two had filming previously? Wasn't the back-to-back scenes and foot-rubbing scenes pretty good?"

Zheng Xiujing hesitated, her eyes drifting towards the rooftop entrance——

The staff inside and outside were "concentrating" on their work, but everyone's ears were perked up.

"director……"

She protested quietly, "There are too many people."

Rich Saint looks back——

The stagehand pretended to organize equipment, the makeup artist lowered her head to look through her bag, and the assistant director next door suddenly became very interested in the ceiling.

"All non-essential personnel out!"

The crowd sighed in disappointment, but no one moved.

The stagehand coughed lightly: "Director, the lighting team needs to adjust the lights here..."

The makeup artist raised her hand: "I have to touch up my makeup all the time!"

The assistant director in the next studio shook the folder in his hand and said, "I'm here to deliver the materials!"

Fu Shengzhe: "...you'd better be."

He was too lazy to chase anyone away and turned to Jiang Zaixun:

"continue."

The third rehearsal.

The prelude went smoothly——

Kang Jae-hoon placed his palm on the railing beside Krystal's ear, trapping her between his arms.

According to the script, he should have added a line of oath before the kiss.

However, when his eyes fell on Krystal's lips, his lines suddenly got stuck.

——The makeup artist specially applied a moist strawberry-colored lip gloss on her, which glowed attractively in the sunlight.

"..."

"..."

silence.

Since the filming of "The Heirs" began, Kang Jae-hoon has never forgotten a line.

——This is a fact recognized by the entire crew.

Whether it's a three-page monologue or a quarrel scene that requires an emotional outburst, he can always accurately grasp the rhythm and even help his co-actor adjust the performance details.

It can be said that Krystal's line delivery skills were taught by him.

But today-

"Yin Canrong, where are your lyrics?"

Director Boo Seong-cheol's voice brought Kang Jae-hoon back to reality.

Jiang Jae-hoon opened his mouth, but the oath lines he had memorized by heart seemed to be stuck in his throat and he couldn't spit them out.

Fu Shengzhe stared at his increasingly unnatural expression, and suddenly realized:
"You've never been kissed before, have you??"

"..."

Jiang Zaixun froze.

(If last night doesn't count... we didn't kiss.)
He held it in for a long time, and finally nodded honestly:

"Ah."

There was silence.

There were gasps from the crowd.

"Jiang Jae-hoon is actually a Cho-ding?!"

"Impossible? That face..."

"..."

Whispers swept across the set like the wind.

Krystal suddenly turned her head to look at him, her eyes widening even further.

(…He actually admitted it?)

(Wait—was last night…really our first kiss?)
Her face suddenly started burning.

"Where's Bona?"

Director Boo Seong-chul turned to Krystal Jung and asked, "Do you have any experience?"

Krystal: “!!!”

She shook her head wildly, her hair almost like an electric fan.

Fu Shengzhe sighed and waved for the stage manager:

"Go get my computer."

five minutes later.

The director's laptop was placed on a folding chair, and a collection of classic Korean drama kissing scenes was playing on the screen.

The bubble kiss in "Secret Garden", the staircase kiss in "Paris Lovers", the marshmallow kiss in "That Winter"...

Fu Shengzhe fast-forwarded to the key frame and pointed at the screen to explain:

"The most important thing about a kissing scene is the atmosphere, not the technique."

"When Bona ducked, Chanyoung grabbed the back of her head—"

He raised his hand demonstratively, lightly clasping it in the air: "—but be gentle. This is protection, not coercion."

"Just a touch of the lips will do, no need to actually stick out your tongue."

Krystal stared at the floor, wishing she could disappear right then and there.

Jiang Zaixun listened very carefully and even took out a small notebook to take notes:

"Director, do you have any angle requirements?"

"Tilting about 30 degrees, don't face it completely straight on, or your nose will hit it."

Fu Shengzhe suddenly thought of something and added, "By the way, remember to hold your breath."

"Holding your breath?"

"Otherwise the breathing sound will be absorbed."

Jiang Zaixun suddenly realized, and Zheng Xiujing buried her head even lower.

Actually.

Theoretical understanding and practical operation are two different things.

Otherwise, there would be no such wise sayings as "paper war is just talk".

Even though the director had fixed the movements of both actors, there were still many problems during the rehearsal.

Outside the venue, Kim Ji-won quietly took out her phone and sent a message in the "Heirs crew gossip group":
[Latest Battle Report: Fifth NG, Bona was hit on the back of the head]

The group instantly flooded the screen:

【Hahahahahaha】

[What kind of straight man is Jiang Zaixun? It’s so funny]

[So did they kiss or not? ]

【Jijijiji, I am the Jiji King】

Kim Ji-won secretly took a photo of Kang Jae-hoon looking bewildered and sent it over:

[Current progress: negative 100%]

……

After the tenth failure.

Fu Shengzhe completely lost his temper.

He pulled the two of them over and lowered his voice:

"You two, go to the dark room and calm down!"

"boom--"

Small dark room.

In fact, it is a storage room where the crew temporarily stores equipment.

The space was small and windowless, and the only source of light was a thin sliver of light coming in from under the door.

Krystal Jung and Kang Jae-hoon sat side by side on the prop box, neither of them spoke.

long silence.

Zheng Xiujing suddenly whispered:
"That...was this really your first kiss?"

"Ah."

"Oh……"

There was another moment of silence.

Jiang Zaixun suddenly turned to look at her: "What about you?"

"what?"

"Last night...was that your first kiss too?"

Krystal pinched the hem of her skirt and said "hmm" softly.

Jiang Jae-hoon suddenly laughed:
"Then we're even."

"Who wants to get even with you?"

She retorted subconsciously, but her voice was so soft that it had no deterrent effect.

"actually……"

Jiang Zaixun suddenly said: "I'm a little nervous."

"..."

Krystal glanced at him stealthily: "Why?"

"do not know."

He answered honestly: "Maybe... I'm afraid of messing it up."

(Afraid of messing up the kissing scene?)

(Or are you afraid of ruining your relationship with me?)
Krystal didn't ask.

In the darkness, the senses are infinitely magnified.

She could hear Jiang Jae-hoon's breathing, smell the light woody scent of shower gel on his body, and even feel the frequency of the prop box vibrating slightly when he spoke.

(How about...try again?)

(It was pitch black anyway, so no one could see.)
(Just as... a rehearsal?)

The moment this thought came to her mind, Krystal's body had already moved before her brain could react.

She suddenly reached out, held Jiang Jae-hoon's face, and kissed him directly.

"Well!"

Jiang Zaixun froze.

Her kissing technique was so random that it made both of their teeth ache.

But Jiang Zaixun couldn't bear to push her away.

(…So soft.)
(Softer than last night.)
He carefully held Krystal's waist, fearing that she would fall off the prop box.

Krystal's breathing became disordered and her heart beat so fast that it seemed like it was about to jump out of her chest.

(So ​​this is what kissing feels like...)
(His eyelashes are so long, they make my face itchy when they brush against my face...)
(Is he... laughing?)

Zheng Xiujing secretly opened one eye and found in the faint light that Jiang Zaixun was really smiling——

The corners of her mouth were raised, her eyes curved into crescents, and even the kiss became a little sweeter.

Krystal suddenly stepped back and covered her mouth: "What are you laughing at?!"

Jiang Jae-hoon touched the corner of his lips: "...I don't know."

Just very happy.

So happy that I couldn't help laughing.

Zheng Xiujing punched him in shame and anger: "Stop laughing!"

"Oh."

Jiang Jae-hoon's face immediately tightened, but his eyes were still shining.

Zheng Xiujing stared at him, and suddenly laughed. The two looked at each other in the dark, laughing like two fools.

Outside.

Director Fu Shengzhe listened for a long time while leaning against the door panel, then nodded with satisfaction:
"That's right."

He turned and chased away the eavesdropping staff:

"Disperse! Get ready to shoot!"

ten minutes later.

When the two reappeared on the rooftop, everyone noticed something was wrong——

Krystal's lips are much redder than before, and Kang Jae-hoon's ears are redder than before.

Director Fu Shengzhe raised his eyebrows:
"Ready to practice?"

They both nodded at the same time.

"Then—Action!"

After finishing her makeup, the clapperboard snapped shut.

"'The Heirs' Episode 8 Scene 36, TAKE 1!"

This time.

Jiang Zaixun held on to the railing with just the right amount of strength.

Krystal's retreat was natural and smooth.

No forehead banging, no stiffness, no forgetting words.

The moment Jiang Zaixun leaned over——

Tilt your head 30 degrees and lightly hold the back of her head with your right hand.

The moment their lips touched, Krystal subconsciously closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.

"..."

The onlookers collectively held their breath.

"TAKE 1, OK!"

Fu Shengzhe stared at the monitor and shouted "stop" with a smile on his face.

The set instantly boiled over——

"Wow!!!"

"Passed in one try?! Awesome!"

“This shot is amazing…”

The stagehands, makeup artists, the assistant director in the next studio, and even the lighting crew who were originally "focusing on their work" couldn't help but whisper about it.

Kim Ji-won slipped behind the monitor at some point, pretending to watch the playback, but actually raised her eyebrows wildly:
"Director Nim, will this work?"

Fu Shengzhe turned his head to look at Jin Zhiyuan and touched his chin:

“Emm… the mood is right, but the camera angle needs to be adjusted.”

He turned to the two actors and smiled brightly:

"Let's keep one and try again."

Krystal: “…Again?!”

Jiang Jae-hoon: “…”

(Director, are you a devil??)

After a moment, the script supervisor hit the board again:

"'The Heirs' Episode 8 Scene 36, TAKE 2!"

"Action!"

This time, Krystal was obviously much more relaxed.

She even raised her face and slightly closed her eyes when Jiang Zaixun approached.

(We've already kissed three times...)
(…It’s okay to do it again, right?)
Jiang Zaixun's breath was close at hand, warm and with a faint scent of mint candy.

(Did he just eat candy?)
(…Did you deliberately eat candy for the kissing scene!?)

In the monitor.

Their lips touched gently, more naturally and affectionately than last time.

Fu Shengzhe stared at the screen, and suddenly raised his hand to signal the camera to move closer -

The camera zooms in on Krystal's slightly trembling eyelashes and the moment when Kang Jae-hoon's Adam's apple rolls.

"Cut! Perfect!"

The last frame freezes at the moment when the two separate——

Krystal's slightly flushed cheeks and Kang Jae-hoon's restrained and gentle eyes.

The set instantly erupted in applause and cheers.

"Wow--"

"It's getting more natural each time!"

"How can this be acting? It's just genuine emotion, right?"

"..."

The staff members were talking in low voices, their eyes constantly glancing towards the center of the rooftop.

As usual, they would separate immediately after filming the ambiguous scene——

Krystal would lower her head to fix her hair, and Kang Jae-hoon would pretend to study the script, and the two of them tacitly avoided looking at each other.

But today—

Krystal was still leaning on the railing, and Kang Jae-hoon's hand was still clasped on the back of her head.

Their eyes met, the same light in theirs.

“…What are you looking at?”

In the end, it was Krystal who couldn't hold it anymore and turned her face away and muttered softly.

Jiang Zaixun scratched his head and smiled a little silly:
"nice."

Krystal Jung: “…”

(This Prabhu...)
(Are you suddenly so talkative?)
"Wow~"

Kim Ji-won appeared beside the two of them at some point, covering her eyes exaggeratedly:

"Did I come at the wrong time?"

The two separated immediately as if they had been electrocuted.

Kang Jae-hoon cleared his throat strategically and pretended to be interested in the lighting equipment in the distance.

Krystal Jung lowered her head and straightened her wrinkle-free school uniform.

Kim Ji-won crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes moving back and forth between the two of them, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"so--"

She deliberately dragged out her tone and tilted her head to look at Zheng Xiujing:
"I did ten NGs before, but after ten minutes in the dark room, my acting improved dramatically—"

"Excuse me, what were you doing in there?"

Zheng Xiujing raised her head suddenly, her eyes wide open:
"Nothing!"

Jiang Zaixun nodded in agreement:
"Well, nothing."

Jin Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow: "Really?"

"Really!" they said in unison.

"Were they kissing secretly?"

"!!!"

(How did she know?!)

(Isn’t the door closed?!)

Seeing their identical expressions of shock, Jin Zhiyuan finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing:

"I'm lying! I don't know anything. But... your reaction is suspicious, isn't it?"

Seeing their faces flushing simultaneously, Jin Zhiyuan decided to add fuel to the fire:

"So that's why we kissed just now"

"It's just for work."

Krystal Jung suddenly looked up: ".Work?"

Jiang Zaixun didn't notice her abnormality at all and was still reviewing it carefully:

"Kissing scenes are also part of the performance. The director just said..."

(So ​​the time in the dark room just now was just for filming?)

Zheng Xiujing pursed her lips, and the blush on her cheeks quickly faded, replaced by the familiar "Ice Princess" expression -

His chin was slightly raised, his eyes were cold, and the corners of his mouth were stretched into a straight line.

Seeing this, Jin Zhiyuan immediately nudged Jiang Zaixun with her elbow:
"Yeah, you"

But it was too late.

Krystal Jung has turned and walked towards the dressing room. Her back is as straight as a young poplar, and she takes every step with extra force.

"?"

Jiang Zaixun looked at Zheng Xiujing's back as she left, and suddenly felt a little confused——

Why is she suddenly unhappy?
(Did I say something wrong?)

……

In the dressing room.

Krystal stared at herself in the mirror.

The girl in the mirror is wearing the uniform of Imperial High School, her hair is carefully styled into Lee Bo-na's signature slightly curly style, and even her lip color is "Bo-na pink" specially formulated by the makeup artist.

But the frequency of the heartbeat, the temperature of the cheeks, the trembling of the fingertips——

These are clearly Krystal's own reactions.

(And what about him?)

(Is Kang Jae-hoon kissing Lee Bo-na... or me?)
(“Work needs”…)
This word is like a thorn gently piercing my heart.

Not deep.

But the presence is very strong.

She took a deep breath, picked up the makeup remover cotton pad, and wiped off the remaining lip gloss on her lips.

There were footsteps outside the door, followed by Jin Zhiyuan's deliberately lowered voice:
"Xiu-jung? Are you in there?"

Krystal didn't respond.

Click——

The door was pushed open a crack.

Kim Ji-won poked her head in and made sure she was the only one in the dressing room before she tiptoed in and locked the door behind her.

"Why are you suddenly so dull?"

"…Nothing, just a little tired."

"Stop it."

Kim Ji-won exposes her excuse:

"Because Teacher Jiang said 'it's just work'?"

Krystal Jung didn't say anything and agreed.

Jin Zhiyuan sighed and rubbed her head:
"Prabhu."

Zheng Xiujing frowned: "...Why are you scolding me all of a sudden?"

"Because he's right."

Jin Zhiyuan pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, looking at her with her chin in her hand:

"He's an actor. If actors don't treat kissing scenes as work, do they treat them as love affairs?"

Krystal pursed her lips and said nothing, but her mood was obviously even lower.

Jin Zhiyuan observed her expression and suddenly moved closer:
"but--"

"?"

"There was no camera watching you two when you were kissing in the dark room."

Krystal: “!!!”

"T-That was...I took the initiative!"

"So they really kissed?"

Krystal Jung: “…”

Jin Zhiyuan quickly held down her hand that was holding the powder:

"Did he push you away?"

"..."

"Does he dislike you?"

"..."

"Did he say afterwards, 'It was just a rehearsal'?"

Krystal was speechless.

(It seems... not?)

(He even smiled.)
(Laughing very silly.)
Jin Zhiyuan looked at her expression and nodded with satisfaction:
"So—"

She patted Zheng Xiujing's shoulder:

"Don't think too much. Teacher Jiang is just a little slow, but he's not stupid."

"..."

Zheng Xiujing stared down at her fingers and muttered softly:

"But he just said..."

"It doesn't matter what he says."

Jin Zhiyuan interrupted her, suddenly reached out and held her face, forcing her to look at the mirror:

"If he really just treated this as a job, do you think he would have failed ten times?"

Krystal was stunned when she looked at herself in the mirror.

(……yes.)
(He’s such a good actor.)
(Why only this scene...)
Seeing that she finally got the idea, Jin Zhiyuan nodded with satisfaction:

"So, stop imagining things."

“Some people—”

She stretched out her tone and deliberately imitated Jiang Zaixun's silly tone:

"——I'm just dumb in words, but I don't really think that way."

Zheng Xiujing looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly realized——

At some point, the expression of the "Ice Princess" had disappeared.

Instead, there is a corner of the mouth that cannot be suppressed.

Jin Zhiyuan looked at Zheng Xiujing's finally relaxed brows and sighed silently in her heart:
(This family will break up sooner or later without me.)
(End of this chapter)