As I have nothing to give you, I give you my heart (IU Verse Book#1)

Chapter 15

           Jieun looked across the set and spotted Jihyuk standing from a distance next to her chair. He was already looking at her as he gave her a rare smile of his, and that was all that it took for her to take a deep breath and tried acting out her scene again, this time with much more confidence. The director shouted cut and praised her for the scene as she finally beamed and felt a sense of relief rushing through her. 

          By the time they took a break, everyone was exhausted, especially Jieun since she worked harder and had more scenes than everyone else. She plopped down in her chair, breathless from the shoot, and felt her throat dried but was too tired to get up. Jihyuk who was next to her immediately went to grab a bottle of water from the cooler nearby for her.  On his way back to her, he stopped in his tracks as Kim Taehyun came towards Jieun's direction, holding a water bottle in his hand. Jihyuk remained standing where he stood as he watched the scene in front of him.

         Taehyun stopped and stood in front of Jieun, handing the bottle to her as he spoke, "Here."

          Jieun looked up, clearly surprised that Taehyun noticed that she needed it. She held out her hand and took the bottle, gulping it down, and gave him a thumbs-up as a thank you. Taehyun gave her a charming smile that every girl would swoon for and then held out a hand for her. "Come on Jieun nah, let's rehearse our next scene."

          Jieun accepted Taehyun's hand as he pulled her up and steady her. Jihyuk felt his feet move as he approached the two, his eyes looking so distant yet they were staring intently at them. He saw Jieun giving Taehyun a grateful smile. Taehyun turned his attention to Jihyuk and addressed him formally for the first time. 

          "Jihyuk ssi, you don't have to worry. I will take good care of her." Jihyuk nodded and averted Jieun's eyes. Taehyun tugged her gently and the two made their way back towards the set.

          Jihyuk was accustomed to seeing him with Jieun, because well, he was her love interest in the first part of the movie, so they were bound to shoot a lot of scenes together. He knew that he shouldn't feel this way; that Jieun was just being professional, but he couldn't help but feel like Taehyun had prioritized some of his personal feelings for the young woman whenever they were together. Jihyuk was a good observer and analyst, and the way Taehyun acts around Jieun made him confirm one thing; that he likes her romantically. This fact bothered Jihyuk more than he would like to admit.

          He had never been romantically involved with anyone, so he had never felt what it was like to have those feelings for someone. But he had learned from Sangin as the older male had taught him about it long ago, so he acquired some knowledge to sense if a person likes another person. He learned that it was through their body language; when they interact with someone they like, and how they speak, it's very different from how they interact or speak with anyone else. Their whole being radiates happiness whenever they're in close proximity with that person, and their voices become soft. He had noticed the difference between when Taehyun talked to Jieun and when he talked or interacted with everyone else, and that's how he knew that Taehyun had already possessed those feelings. Instead of feeling happy for him or Jieun, Jihyuk felt the same way he did whenever he got beaten up by his mother; or the kids back at the orphanage. It was as if someone had punched him in the gut. He does not understand why he felt this way, nor knows how to deal with it. 

          He diverted from his thoughts and gazed over at Jieun, who was now acting out a romantic scene with Taehyun. He watched as Jieun changed her expression on the spot; from a solemn expression to a lovey-dovey one; and if Jihyuk didn't know that she was just acting, he would have thought that she was really in love with the male in front of her.