We’re NOT A Couple! — Chapter 6

HYUN ACTING ACADEMY

YAH! ISN'T HE HANDSOME?

JI SEONHO LOOKS GOOD IN HIS SUMMER UNIFORM, TOO.

I REALLY WANT TO CONFESS MY FEELINGS TO HIM SO BAD...

KWON NAEUN, 15 YEARS OLD

THE ULTIMATE FANGIRL IS AT IT AGAIN.

JUST GO AND CONFESS TO JI SEONHO, THEN.

I HEARD HE REJECTS EVERY SINGLE CONFESSION HE GETS.

I THINK HE'D ACCEPT MINE.

? YOU'RE SO FULL OF YOURSELF. WHY HAVEN'T YOU CONFESSED, THEN?

I'M TOO SHY, LOL.

WHATEVER.

JI SEONHO AND KWON NAEUN WENT TO DIFFERENT MIDDLE SCHOOLS, BUT ATTENDED THE SAME ACTING ACADEMY.

AND THEY WERE QUITE FAMOUS.

JI SEONHO, BECAUSE HE WAS INSANELY HANDSOME.

KWON NAEUN WAS ALSO INCREDIBLY PRETTY, BUT...

SHE WAS MORE FAMOUS FOR HER DESPERATE OBSESSION WITH SEONHO.

HEY, SHE'S STARING AT YOU AGAIN.

I'M SO JEALOUS. EVEN KWON NAEUN PAYS ATTENTION TO YOU.

UGH, SHUT UP.

AMIDST THEIR LACK OF ANY REAL CONNECTION—

ALL RIGHT, TODAY CLASS A AND CLASS B WILL BE DOING A JOINT ACTING SESSION.

IT WILL ALSO SERVE AS A CAMERA TEST.

THE NUMEROUS CAMERAS.

THE GRADING TEACHER.

AND AMIDST THE EXPECTANT GAZES OF THE STUDENTS,

THE PRESSURE OF GOING FIRST...

KWON NAEUN STOOD THERE.

OH NO, WHY DID I HAVE TO GO FIRST OF ALL PEOPLE!

HOW IS A GIRL LIKE HER SUPPOSED TO PLAY A SCHOOL BULLY...?

BEGINNING THE CAMERA TEST.

3

SHE REALLY DOESN'T SUIT THE ROLE OF A BULLY.

2

SCENE

TAKE

ROLL

DATE

CAN SHE REALLY PULL THIS OFF?

TAKE

1

DATE

HYUNJI, HAS ANYTHING BEEN BOTHERING YOU LATELY?

HUH? NO, NOTHING...

IF YOU'RE EVER HAVING A HARD TIME, YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL ME.

I-I'M FINE. REALLY, NOTHING'S WRONG.

REALLY? SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU ENJOY SCHOOL LIFE?

AHAHAHA!!

SO PRETTY! RIGHT?

RIGHT?!

UGH!

WHY? ARE YOU NOT HAVING FUN?

I-I AM! I'M HAPPY!

THEN WHY DID YOU GO TO THE COUNSELING ROOM?

I SAW THAT YOU HAD A RECORD FOR SCHOOL VIOLENCE COUNSELING.

U-UH...?

I'M IN THE COUNSELING CLUB. GUESS YOU DIDN'T KNOW?

UH...? THAT LINE WASN'T IN THE SCRIPT...

HYUN. JI.

AH! AAAAH!

STOP...!

OOMPH!! URGH!

IF YOU EVER NEED COUNSELING, MAKE SURE YOU COME TO ME.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING YOUR MOUTH TO ANYONE ELSE.

IF YOU BEHAVE, I'LL LET IT SLIDE THIS TIME.

OOMPH... URGH...

GOOD GIRL. SO OBEDIENT.

CUT!

JINSOL, I'M SO SORRY! DID I PRESS DOWN TOO HARD?

OH, NO, YOU WERE JUST FOLLOWING THE SCRIPT.

WOW... IS KWON NAEUN SECRETLY A BULLY IN REAL LIFE? HAHA, HER ACTING IS CRAZY.

...SHE'S GOOD.

I'M IN THE COUNSELING CLUB. GUESS YOU DIDN'T KNOW?

A SPUR-OF- THE-MOMENT AD-LIB.

GESTURES CALCULATED TO MAXIMIZE THE OTHER PERSON'S HUMILIATION.

UNFAZED BY THE CAMERA OR THE EYES OF OTHERS.

HER INTENSE FOCUS AND SHEER AUDACITY IN THAT MOMENT.

EVERYONE, CAN YOU SEE WHY I HAD NAEUN ACT FIRST?

IN TRUTH, THERE WAS ANOTHER REASON KWON NAEUN WAS FAMOUS AT OUR ACADEMY...

SHE WAS THE UNDISPUTED NUMBER ONE ACTING PROSPECT.

PUPPY DOG MODE INSTANTLY ACTIVATED.

SUNHO, PLEASE PRAISE ME...!

HER ACTING ON/OFF SWITCH IS NO JOKE, HAHA.

I SEE HER IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT.

HEY,

YOU DID A GOOD JOB UP THERE.

DID SUNHO JUST TALK TO ME??!!

THAT SMALL INTERACTION WAS ALL IT TOOK FOR THEM TO BECOME CLOSE.

JI SUNHO! JI SUNHO, JI SUNHO!

I'm going to get sick of my own name.

...USUALLY, NAEUN WAS THE ONE WHO ASKED SUNHO TO HANG OUT.

(WED) 4:34 PM

TAGGED YOU IN A CLOSE FRIENDS STORY.

ACTING STUDY GROUP, ASSEMBLE!! @min_**ro_ @sss_**yeon0 @jiw**oo @do**n.155 @sun_*o_

(MON) 3:21 PM TAGGED YOU IN A CLOSE FRIENDS STORY.

SNACK TIME

(SUN) 1:58 PM

TAGGED YOU IN A CLOSE FRIENDS STORY.

TAKEN BY JI SUNHO, MY PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER, HEHE.

REPLY TO NA_*UN

REPLY TO NA_*UN

AND WHENEVER SHE DID, SUNHO NEVER TURNED HER DOWN.

WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO?! ARE YOU DATING?

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? ME, WITH HER?

JUST IN CASE! IF YOU LIKE ME, YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE SAME ARTS HIGH SCHOOL AS ME, OKAY?

YEAH, RIGHT. I'M GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE JUST TO AVOID YOU.

NAEUN'S FEELINGS FOR HIM ONLY CONTINUED TO GROW.

AND JUST LIKE THAT, IT WAS THEIR HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE CEREMONY.

Y-YOU...!! YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL?!

THEY ENDED UP IN THE SAME SCHOOL, IN THE EXACT SAME CLASS.

UH...

TA-DA?

I WANTED TO SURPRISE YOU.

WHAT THE HECK, SERIOUSLY...

Ji Sunho! Date me!

YOU CAN'T JUST BLURT OUT A CONFESSION LIKE THAT!

IT WASN'T SUDDEN FOR ME AT ALL.

I HONESTLY HELD BACK FROM CONFESSING FOR TWO WHOLE YEARS.

OKAY...

HUH? I JUST MEANT FOR YOU TO GIVE ME SOME SNACKS.

I THOUGHT YOU MEANT YOU WANTED ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOU?!

HAHA! IDIOT.

LET GO!

NO!

I’M GOING TO HOLD YOUR HAND EVERY DAY NOW. ♡

FROM THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR TO GRADUATION, THEY SHARED THREE YEARS OF A REMARKABLY SWEET AND INNOCENT ROMANCE.

TO THE POINT WHERE EVERYONE IN SCHOOL KNEW ABOUT THEM.

I FEEL LIKE KWON NAEUN LIKES JI SUNHO WAY MORE THAN HE LIKES HER.

I HEARD THEY EVEN TALKED ABOUT GOING TO THE SAME COLLEGE.

WE'RE GETTING MARRIED TOO, RIGHT?

HAHA, YOU'RE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT MARRIAGE AT OUR AGE?

YEAH! I'LL EVEN WAIT FOR YOU WHEN YOU GO TO THE MILITARY.

YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO WAIT TWO YEARS FOR ME?

AS TIME WENT ON, NAEUN SOUGHT CERTAINTY, WHILE SUNHO FOCUSED ON REALITY.

NAEUN ALREADY KNEW DEEP DOWN.

THAT HER PASSION IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP BURNED FAR HOTTER THAN HIS.

AND THEN, I WAS SUDDENLY DUMPED!

IT FELT LIKE YOU NEVER TRULY LOVED ME!

NO. I ONLY EVER HAD EYES FOR YOU.

EVEN AFTER WE BROKE UP, RIGHT UNTIL NOW...!

ONLY HAD EYES FOR ME? HAH!

I HEARD A RUMOR THAT YOU STARTED SEEING ANOTHER GIRL RIGHT AFTER WE BROKE UP!

AFTER I BROKE UP WITH YOU...

IT MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE I MOVED ON EASILY AND POURED MYSELF INTO ACTING...

BUT HONESTLY, IT WAS SO HARD FOR ME.

IT WAS SO HARD BECAUSE I LIKED YOU SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU LIKED ME.

I REALLY RESENTED YOU, BUT A PART OF ME WAS ACTUALLY GLAD TO SEE YOU...

AND I HATE MYSELF FOR FEELING THAT WAY.

I DON'T BUY YOUR EXCUSES.

WAIT...

WORK IS JUST WORK, AND I HAVE NO INTENTION OF GETTING CLOSE TO YOU AGAIN.

Hey, hey, she's done. Watch this, I'm going to shoot my shot!

Ah, what's she saying? Haha.

SO WE DON'T MAKE EVERYONE ELSE UNCOMFORTABLE...

LET'S JUST ACT LIKE WE GET ALONG.

ACTING...

IT'S WHAT WE DO BEST, ISN'T IT?

I'M LEAVING.

I WONDER WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG.

WHY DID OUR RELATIONSHIP FALL APART LIKE THIS?

IT'S ALWAYS AFTER A BREAKUP THAT YOU START TO RETRACE THE STEPS OF THE RELATIONSHIP.

JERK...

HE PROBABLY WOULDN'T EVEN CARE IF I TOLD HIM ALL THIS.

WHEN WILL WE EVER BE ABLE TO CLEAR UP THIS FIVE-YEAR-OLD MISUNDERSTANDING?!

THIS IS THE STORY OF TRYING TO SALVAGE A CLUMSY FIRST LOVE.

I REALLY DO LOVE HER~~!!

HANG IN THERE, JI SUNHO!

AND... SOMEONE ELSE WHO WILL BE ACTING ALONGSIDE THEM.

WE WILL NOW BEGIN THE AUDITIONS FOR THE ROLE OF THE SUB MALE LEAD, CHA JUHYUK.

PLEASE COME INSIDE WHEN IT'S YOUR TURN.

WOW, IS THAT GUY AUDITIONING FOR THE SUB MALE LEAD TOO? CRAZY.

WHO? WHERE ARE THEY?

OVER THERE! IN THE CORNER!

YOU KNOW...

THAT ACTOR WHO HOOKS UP WITH EVERY WOMAN IN ALL OF HIS PROJECTS!