bad chemistry

eighteen

Looking around, Jeno still feels a little awkward around the cameras and the lights. Though mostly his back will be shown throughout the shoot, the fact that he's standing in front a bunch of people still gives him a weird feeling in his stomach. The only time when he really feel and express his emotions would be the nervous feeling in his body. Minju realizes the other seems more stiff than usual as she gently talks to him with a soothing voice, "Think of us just training together...we're just together in this station, training as always."

Jeno seems to have get that thought implanted into his head as the mutters around the set seems to have simmered. Before the director calls action, Jeno and Minju go over a few moves together in order to get a nice shot of her practicing. Since their shoot will go on for a few days, he still needs to train with her so that Minju is well prepared for her solo parts. Minju smiles brightly to distract him from the director and casts, before Jeno places the boxing gloves onto her fists. Like as if electricity shot through their skin, Jeno feels a tingle in his stomach right when their fingers touch. Minju didn't really seem to mind since she is muttering to herself of her own lines and the postures she should have. But Jeno finds himself slowly getting frozen once more as he tightens the straps on the gloves so that it wouldn't fall off. His fingers seem to have crave for another tingle, and he holds her wrists without even thinking about it.

This sure brings Minju out of her trance, as she slowly stares up at the male with a surprised expression. Jeno isn't looking at her, as he continues to stare at his hands holding onto her wrists. Minju finds her cheeks burning once again, as the lighting team turns on the bright light to help lighten up the set so that the camera angles would make a nice aesthetic image. This makes Jeno's appearance seem flawless among the lights as she couldn't believe her own eyes. However right when the set lightens up, it helps bring Jeno out of his spaced out state. He lets go of the other's wrist, immediately losing the sense of warmth from his hands when he does. Minju as well, turns away from the other before she clears her throat gently so that they can get into their positions. As the director calls out action, Jeno's eyes meet Minju's, and for the first time, he feels his heart thumping against his chest. It kind of throws him of balance since he never has felt this way before, and Minju kicks his leg as they planned before starting the shoot.

He falls sideways onto the mat but Minju did not suspect a thing since they did as what is planned. After that, the director calls out a cut and requests that they do the scene again so that they could capture a farshot of Minju's kick. Jeno doesn't listen to any of this as his mind starts to get clouded with Minju's dark, glistening orbs being painted into his brain. His heart continues to beat hurriedly without stop for the first time. Everything is numb around him until he snaps out of as Minju keeps calling his name hurriedly. Jeno rubs his eyes as he starts to stand up once more, apologizing to everyone as he tries not to look at the other who is worried about his condition.

Before Minju could ask if he was okay, Jeno doesn't look at her at all, as he stares down at her shoulders instead to not focus on her. This confuses the actress as she has never dealt with this side of Jeno, an irresponsive and spaced out side of the latter. The shoot begins again, and Jeno focuses too hard on making sure his eyes doesn't meet Minju's in order to not feel that way once more. A few more shots is taken with no other words said from the two.

The director takes a break as everyone on set is now requesting one. It seems to be a good start for everyone else, but not for Minju. All in her current worries is the sudden change within Jeno's attitude as the male left the workout area immediately as the director had said cut. She wishes to have followed after to him ask what's wrong, but someone else stands in front of her with a cold, iced water bottle with also a small bouquet.

Everyone else on set stares quietly at the pair of friends with curious eyes. Minju looks away with annoyance as she immediately rejects Jungwoo, "I don't want it. What are you doing here?"

"Surprising my best friend with a good luck gift for her first day of shooting. Drink some water."

Before Minju could deny further, the director yells at her in excitement, "Thanks to Jungwoo, we all got lunch for today. Thanks Minju-sshi of having a great, caring friend who even takes care of us."

Jungwoo smiles back at the others and waves his hand as he shoves the two things into Minju's unwanting hands as she slowly takes off her gloves as they are aching to be free from the tight space. She glares angrily at him before muttering, "Follow me."

The station is closed off for the rest of the afternoon so that her scenes could be finished. Minju leads Jungwoo to one of the infirmaries so that she can finally release the anger that has been building up inside of her. Jungwoo, who did not seem to care whatsoever, tries to reason with her, "Please Minju. I am sorry."

"You know what happened between us, and yet you decide to help her."

"Minju, I know. But can't you think of the things I had to sacrifice?"

"Why did you even sacrifice it in the first place?"

Jungwoo has his hands up in agitation as he yells back with tears forming in his eyes, "It's because I like you. For all these damn years, I had a huge crush on you and you never seemed to care for me. The thing I had to sacrifice was our friendship because my feelings are at stake here. You don't seem to reciprocate at all, and before I could even confess, the company wants me to pretend I'm dating her so that I can help my image grow. I didn't want to deal any of her shit because of all the things she had done to you, but I had no choice. In order for our company to grow, they needed an advertisement, and they wanted me to do it."

Minju has her back turned at the end of his confession. She doesn't ever want to believe that confession. Something that she has denied to herself many times ever since Jungwoo has been her best friend since she entered the entertainment business. She looks at the other with disbelief as she starts to hold in her tears as she replies back with a broken voice, "You know..how much pain I've been in. You don't know how much suffering I have gone through ever since I created a name for myself. Do you know how many times I cried myself to sleep ever since she entered into my life? Yeah, you wanted to save the company but you wanted to save yourself. If you ever came out to the public of how you felt towards me, I know that you would have contemplated it because I'm not like Xiyeon. I would rather break down through the public's eyes because I'm not as popular as her. You say it's for the company but it's also for yourself."

Jungwoo can't believe what he's listening to after all he says he's done for her. He rests his back against the wall as she stares out the window as she feels a sharp pain rising in her chest as she feels herself being suffocated. She wants to escape the room but Jungwoo is blocking the exit way out of it. She bears with it as much as she can as he responds back with a petty attitude, "You think I'm doing this for myself? Fine, let's put it as that. But you need to get over the fact that Xiyeon is not who she is anymore. Yes I know her past, but she seems a little different than before. I want you and her to be good friends again, as I know that you are the bigger person right now. I want to help you benefit from anyone else in this whole goddamn building. Why can't you understand the things I do for you and how I feel for you?"

"Because you don't give her goddamn space."

A third party enters into the building and he grabs Minju's wrist as he drags her out of the room. Jungwoo intervenes as he glares angrily at the other male as he doesn't realize how hard Minju is trying to hold her pain away. He places his hand onto to the other's shoulder to stop him from dragging Minju away. "What do you think you're doing? Jeno? Your name right?"

Jeno rolls his eyes with annoyance as he glares right back at the model before he shoves Jungwoo's hand out of the way. He wraps Minju's arm around his shoulder so that she can place her weight onto him for support as Jungwoo finally realizes how Minju's condition is turning into. "I'm saving her. And if you come one inch closer to me or touch me, I will lock you down Jungwoo-sshi."