Chapter Fifty-Four: Illyria Lee

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NGs are quite common during television drama shoots.
Jin Na-jung didn’t find anything amiss; that last scene was meant to have that effect. In romantic light comedies like this, if the actors can’t keep a straight face, it means the scene worked well.
She couldn’t help but laugh behind the camera.
Kim Ji-won’s performance was excellent.
“No worries, let’s reset and do another take.”
Jin Na-jung raised her hand and called out, while the crew quickly readjusted their focus.
Kim Ji-won narrowed her eyes, studying Myung-yeon’s expression carefully. She seriously suspected he was doing it on purpose—just wanting to see her repeat that painfully awkward coquettish scene until she practically curled up on the floor.
Definitely up to no good, absolutely up to no good.
She’d need at least two more hours staring at the ceiling after going home to recover.
Myung-yeon lowered his head to straighten his clothes and said quietly, “Na, I swear I wasn’t doing it on purpose.”
“Please call me by my name.”
Kim Ji-won lowered her voice as well.
“Oppa” is a term from their dating days; it didn’t feel right now—too much like taking advantage.
“Let’s just shoot the scene. The way you acted coquettishly just now was really cute.” Myung-yeon retreated immediately, just teasing during a work break.
This was a classic case of the higher you raise the stakes, the higher the devil climbs.
Kim Ji-won realized she was powerless against this guy; her skin was just too thin. “I…”
“Ready? We’re starting.” Jin Na-jung spoke up.
“Na, ready to start.”
Myung-yeon blinked a few times and quickly slipped back into character as Go Dong-man. His eyes no longer showed admiration but a mix of surprise, shock, and impatience.
Why could he adjust so quickly?
Because all he had to do was imagine Kim Ji-soo acting coquettishly toward him in his mind.
Honestly, Choi Ae-ra’s character was very similar to Kim Ji-soo’s—straightforward, kind-hearted, and not good at flirting. Myung-yeon sometimes half-thought Lim Sang-chun had created the character with her in mind.
Hiss, and by that logic, Kim Ji-won’s personality might be a bit like Kim Ji-soo’s too…
Ptooey, ptooey, no more thinking about that, the more he did, the stranger it got.
“Ae-ra isn’t just pretending to be pretty… hm, hm.” Kim Ji-won steeled herself and repeated the coquettish scene. Even her professionalism couldn’t completely erase the embarrassment.
She almost wanted to crawl into Myung-yeon’s arms.

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Both the character’s and Kim Ji-won’s own psyche subconsciously sought comfort from Myung-yeon/Go Dong-man.
Myung-yeon was a professional actor, and he immediately gave his dear ex-girlfriend a... chokehold.
“Cough, cough.”
Kim Ji-won coughed twice before shaking off the strange emotion.
The ever-reliable Jin Na-jung appeared just in time: “Cut, very good.”
They only needed two takes for the coquettish scene, which was already excellent, especially since Myung-yeon captured the emotions perfectly. She couldn’t help but give him an extra close-up.
A good actor deserves to be recognized.
“Were you doing that on purpose?” Kim Ji-won moved her neck; she hadn’t even reacted before being choked.
Honestly, “The Third-Rate Road” gave the leads so many chances to get back at each other that it was often impossible to tell if the other was retaliating.
That’s what they call tangled emotions—impossible to cut and hard to untangle.
Neither Myung-yeon nor Kim Ji-won were newcomers; both had acted in several dramas, yet this complex situation was a first.
“Na, you misunderstood me.”
After replacing Kim Ji-won’s face with Kim Ji-soo’s in his mind, the chokehold was a purely instinctive move.
Kim Ji-won corrected him, “Don’t call me Na.”
The louder “Oppa” was called, the harder Myung-yeon would go.
That’s how younger guys are, apparently.
“Then what should I call you?”
“Kim Ji-won-ssi.”
“You told me not to call you so formally before.”
That was back when they weren’t dating, when Myung-yeon was polite with Kim Ji-won, and she told him not to be so formal since she had gotten him the audition for “Descendants of the Sun.”
Unexpectedly, the boomerang came back this way.
“I used to like you, you know.” Kim Ji-won played her trump card.
“I…”
Myung-yeon was suddenly at a loss for words.
Though her warm demeanor in public and coldness in private piqued his curiosity and stirred lingering feelings, actually thinking about getting back together required serious consideration.

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Myung-yeon didn’t want to go through the same process again.
After all, he was neither Seo Da-ryung nor Go Dong-man; reality and filming a drama were two different worlds.
Of course, if this sister wanted to talk about the script or something, he wouldn’t refuse—if they couldn’t be a couple, they could at least be friends.
Seeing his reaction, Kim Ji-won immediately got annoyed, flicked her hair, and walked off.
Her next scene was at a classmate’s wedding, so she wouldn’t have to see Myung-yeon’s face.
…
“Looks like I messed up.”
Myung-yeon muttered as he returned to his resting area.
He was a little unsure about what Kim Ji-won was trying to do. From the start of filming—no, from the script discussion—she had been all business.
Yet occasionally, she’d suddenly burst out in a way that left him guessing.
That unpredictability was quite alluring to someone like Myung-yeon.
“Xiao-yeon, take a look at the scene coming up.” As he was lost in thought, Ahn Jae-hong approached, script in hand.
This chubby guy was very friendly and a good actor. Myung-yeon had admired Ahn Jae-hong’s acting since watching “Reply 1988” and had even used one of his reaction images.
“Oh, okay.”
Myung-yeon pushed aside his thoughts about Kim Ji-won and focused on work.
Speaking of which, Ahn Jae-hong was quite lucky—he had two romantic partners in this drama, one played by Song Seung-yoon and the other by Byul Yi-jin, a petite beauty the same age as Kim Ji-won but who looked much younger.
Kim Ji-won: ?
So, you dislike me because I’m older?
Filming on set was always a noisy mess with many people gathered—crew and actors alike—but the leads obviously interacted the most.
Still, if Ahn Jae-hong as the second male lead had a secondary partner, Myung-yeon as the male lead wouldn’t be treated any less well.
His character also had an ex-girlfriend, but this one was the type willing to do anything to win him back.
A woman who had only met him twice before walked over and greeted him.
“Myung-yeon-ssi, hello, we’ve met before.”
“Hello, Lee Il-ya-ssi.”