Chapter 24

After completing the preliminary preparations for the Song Festival, Yoon Hyun had no time to worry about how the other MCs had decided on their songs. Instead, he dove back into the production of "Café Prince."

Before he knew it, a week had passed.

"Yoon Hyun-ssi, are you ready today?" On this morning, as soon as Yoon Hyun arrived at the set, Director Lee Yun-jeong teased him with a smile.

Yoon Hyun naturally knew why she was teasing him. Today, they would be filming the first kiss scene in the series.

"Yoon Hyun-ssi, good morning!" Yoon Eun-hye also arrived on set, smiling as she greeted Yoon Hyun. "Please take care of me today."

"Um... Eun-hye-ssi, today..." Yoon Hyun was so shy he couldn't even speak clearly.

"It's fine. Just pretend I'm a piece of wood when the time comes." Yoon Eun-hye, who had read the script and knew about the first kiss scene, suggested, "If it doesn't work, I can take the initiative?"

"Um... I'll do my best!" Yoon Hyun scratched his head, feeling a bit frustrated.

Yoon Eun-hye then laughed teasingly.

Today's shooting went relatively smoothly, especially since Yoon Hyun quickly got into his character, a conflicted, struggling, and narcissistic CEO. His performance was so perfect that even the director couldn't help but praise him during lunch.

However, the director had no idea that Yoon Hyun was genuinely conflicted and struggling. Looking at the shot list, today's kiss scene was a long, passionate French kiss...

Heaven help him, he had never kissed a girl in his entire life, which spanned over fifty years across two lifetimes!

Finally, they reached the last shot of the day.

"Last scene of the day, everyone, get ready, action!" the director commanded.

Yoon Eun-hye started wiping the table, pretending to clean.

Yoon Hyun awkwardly watched Yoon Eun-hye's back.

"CUT! What's wrong with you, Yoon Hyun?" Seeing Yoon Hyun's expression, Lee Yun-jeong immediately interrupted the shooting.

...

"CUT! Yoon Hyun, you're not a thief, why are you being so cautious?"

...

"CUT! Yoon Hyun, are you robbing a bank? Why are you rushing around?"

...

"CUT! Just hug! Got it? Just hug! Do you need to pat her shoulder and bow first?"

...

By the time they reached the 10th episode, Yoon Hyun's number of NGs (no good takes) for this scene had almost matched the total of all his previous NGs.

And the actual kiss scene hadn't even started yet...

"Yoon Hyun, what's wrong with you?" The director couldn't take Yoon Hyun's NGs anymore and called a halt to the production, giving Yoon Hyun 10 minutes to calm down and prepare. Yoon Eun-hye, feeling a bit sorry for Yoon Hyun, came over to talk to him.

"I don't know," Yoon Hyun said with an awkward smile, which looked more like a grimace.

"Just treat me like a man, and it'll be fine," Yoon Eun-hye said with a smile.

"That would be even worse..." Yoon Hyun said dejectedly, "This is my first kiss, after all..."

"What? Yoon Hyun, what did you say? Your first kiss?" Yoon Eun-hye looked at Yoon Hyun in disbelief.

"Yes..." Yoon Hyun nodded helplessly.

"Yoon Hyun-ssi, aren't you already 22 years old?" Yoon Eun-hye chose her words carefully.

"Um... That's why I'm struggling!" Yoon Hyun sighed.

Yoon Eun-hye was speechless.

The 10 minutes passed quickly.

Yoon Hyun's performance didn't seem to improve at all.

However, after the director's repeated corrections, Yoon Hyun finally managed to shoot the kiss scene without NGs.

"CUT! Yoon Hyun, have you never kissed a girl before? Just kiss her! Why are you so slow? We'll add the slow-motion in post-production!" If Director Lee Yun-jeong hadn't heard from Yoon Eun-hye that this was Yoon Hyun's first kiss, she might have cried.

As for whether Yoon Hyun's secret about his first kiss was still a secret... Well, considering that the entire crew had been NGing for so long without getting impatient and were instead watching with a playful interest, it was clear that the secret was out...

Poor Yoon Hyun...

After 53 NGs, Yoon Hyun finally kissed Yoon Eun-hye, who was almost unable to suppress her laughter.

"CUT! It needs to be passionate! This is a release of deep, pent-up emotions! This feeling transcends gender and social norms! You need to kiss with intensity and power!" Director Lee Yun-jeong's eloquence was now at a level that could rival a cult leader...

"Director... can you not be so dramatic?" Yoon Hyun, who had just lost his first kiss, felt a bit lost but slowly returned to his role as an actor.

"You won't perform well if I'm not dramatic. Look, everyone has been busy for two hours just for this one shot!" Lee Yun-jeong said.

Yoon Hyun scratched his head in embarrassment, then walked to the side and called over his manager, Kim Soo-yeon, who was enjoying the scene, asking her to buy some drinks and snacks for the crew.

After a two-minute break, they resumed shooting.

Yoon Hyun, now fully in his role, finally regained his sense of performance.

Finally, in the passionate embrace of Yoon Hyun and Yoon Eun-hye, or rather, Choi Han-je and Ko Eun-chan, the shot was completed.

"Yoon Hyun, you know," after the shooting was done, the pressure was off, and Yoon Eun-hye, who was apologizing to every crew member and offering them drinks and snacks, said with a smile, "Is my charm really that bad? The kiss scene was a success on the first try."

"Um... Eun-hye-ssi, it's not like that..." Yoon Hyun was a bit flustered.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter. We have another kiss scene to shoot in two days. For that one, even I won't be able to guide you!" Yoon Eun-hye found Yoon Hyun increasingly amusing.

"I'll do my best," Yoon Hyun, who was too embarrassed to know what to say, bowed deeply to Yoon Eun-hye as a junior.

After the shooting, Yoon Hyun didn't go home but returned to LOEN Entertainment.

Since the last time he had "drafted" Lee Ji-eun, Yoon Hyun, though he hadn't said anything, felt a bit guilty towards this hardworking young girl.

So, since then, Yoon Hyun would spend about an hour at the company every evening, bringing Lee Ji-eun some snacks and also supervising her practice. He also tried to guide and educate her in his own way. And tonight, he had an idea for the most effective and important training method for her.

"Ji-eun, come, let's go out," Yoon Hyun returned to the company and sent his manager, who had been following him, home. Since the last time she had stayed at his place before going to the Philippines, whenever Yoon Hyun had an early schedule the next morning, she would suggest staying at his place. However, since Yoon Hyun had no other commitments besides filming and "Infinite Challenge," Kim Soo-yeon had been going back to her own place.

"Oh, I'll get ready," Lee Ji-eun, for some reason, had no guard against Yoon Hyun and didn't even ask where they were going, just agreed.

This unconditional trust made Yoon Hyun feel a bit touched. "It's fine, no need to. You'll be sweating anyway, so it's a hassle to get ready. Just bring your clothes."

"Oh, okay," Lee Ji-eun obediently agreed.

"Today I'm taking you to the gym. From today on, you must go to the gym every day, especially for running. You need to run for at least an hour every day," Yoon Hyun said in the car, explaining his plan.

"Running? Oppa, can we do something else? I hate running the most," Lee Ji-eun's face immediately fell, looking pitiful.

"No. It's because you never exercise that your breathing is so unstable. Look at Park Ji-yeon, who practices dancing with you. For the same dance, you're already out of breath, but Park Ji-yeon can dance and sing along with Oppa. The power of a role model is infinite, and I understood that in my past life. Of course, whether she sings well or not is another matter, but that's not the point."

"Oh..." Lee Ji-eun, though reluctant, had to agree.

"Don't worry, Oppa will run with you," Yoon Hyun, seeing Lee Ji-eun's conflicted face, felt a bit soft-hearted.

And so, Yoon Hyun really did run with Lee Ji-eun for an hour at the gym.

By the time they finished, Lee Ji-eun was like a dehydrated squid, almost lying on the ground.

"Get up, Ji-eun." Seeing Lee Ji-eun in this state, Yoon Hyun felt a bit embarrassed.

"Oppa, let me rest a bit," Lee Ji-eun was still panting.

Yoon Hyun looked at the others around them, who were watching with a mix of amusement, and felt a bit embarrassed. He also looked at Lee Ji-eun, who was lying on the ground with no dignity, and worried she might catch a cold, so he squatted down and picked her up.

"Oppa! Put me down!" Lee Ji-eun struggled like a frightened deer.

"You still have some energy!" Yoon Hyun took the opportunity to put the struggling Lee Ji-eun down.

"Oppa, you're so mean," Lee Ji-eun complained.

"This is just the first day," Yoon Hyun said casually, and Lee Ji-eun's body suddenly trembled.

"Let's do this," Yoon Hyun, seeing Lee Ji-eun's reaction, felt he had gone too far, "You shouldn't stay in the company's dorm anymore."

"Where will I stay then?" Lee Ji-eun asked, her voice tinged with a hint of expectation.

"Starting today, you'll move in with me. We'll exercise together every morning," Yoon Hyun sighed. "It's better in the morning, and the air is fresher."

"Can I do that?" Lee Ji-eun's face lit up with excitement, but she still asked politely.

"Hey, little girl, what are you thinking?" Yoon Hyun playfully patted Lee Ji-eun's head. "I'm considering whether to take you as my student. It seems you're not interested."

"Hey, Oppa, oh no, Teacher, are you serious?" Lee Ji-eun immediately became excited.

"It seems you don't believe me, so I won't," Yoon Hyun said with a smile.

"Teacher, Teacher, Teacher!" Lee Ji-eun started to pout.

"Go take a shower, change your clothes, and then move some of your clothes to my place. I want to let you know, my morning exercise time is from 5 to 6 AM. If you can't get up, I have many ways to wake you up." Yoon Hyun warned, then added, "And, wear proper sleepwear."

"Oh," Lee Ji-eun, who was about to go take a shower, ran off like she was startled by Yoon Hyun's last words.

Despite being a bit scared by Yoon Hyun's last words, Lee Ji-eun still packed a large suitcase and came to Yoon Hyun's place.

"You need to clean this room first," Yoon Hyun entered the guest room, which had been occupied by Kim Soo-yeon for a long time, and found it was a mess. "Then put your clothes in that box and move them to the empty room. I'll buy a bed for you tomorrow. This room will be yours from now on. Don't make this place as messy as Kim Soo-yeon-ssi."

"Teacher... Can I sleep in that room instead..." Lee Ji-eun, unsure of the relationship between Yoon Hyun and Kim Soo-yeon, asked hesitantly.

"Hey, you're my student now, and your status in this house is much higher than Kim Soo-yeon's. Why would you give up your room for her?" Yoon Hyun organized the hierarchy in the house and said naturally, "And, don't call me Teacher. Call me Oppa, whether in public or in private. Otherwise, everyone will be your senior."

"Okay, Oppa," Lee Ji-eun, who felt a bit awkward calling Yoon Hyun Teacher, agreed.

"Clean this room. There might be some girls' clothes, so I won't help you," Yoon Hyun explained and left the room.

Perhaps because she was young, or the room was really messy, Lee Ji-eun's cleaning speed was indeed slow. By the time Yoon Hyun was almost falling asleep watching TV in the living room, Lee Ji-eun had finally moved the large suitcase into the empty room.

"Have you moved all your things?" Yoon Hyun, still maintaining his teacher-like demeanor, asked Lee Ji-eun, who had her hair tied up messily and was sweating profusely.

"Yes, they're all in the box," Lee Ji-eun nodded seriously.

"Then I'll inform the company to cancel or sublet your dorm room. Your trainee salary should be used to buy more nutritious food to build up your strength," Yoon Hyun said with a smile, "Look how much shorter you are than Park Ji-yeon!"

"Don't...," Lee Ji-eun shook her head, "Let the room stay there."

"Why?" Yoon Hyun was a bit confused.

"Just... let it stay there..." Lee Ji-eun's voice became softer and softer.

"You..." Yoon Hyun was momentarily speechless, then sighed deeply.

How could he not understand the girl's feelings? She was probably still afraid... He couldn't give her a sense of security... Since she insisted, he would let her keep a safe space in her heart.

"Rest early today. I'll come to wake you up tomorrow morning. Remember, don't lock the door," Yoon Hyun changed the subject.

"Okay, Oppa," Lee Ji-eun bowed to Yoon Hyun.

"Go to the bathroom in your room to shower and sleep. The towels under the sink are all new, so you can use them freely," Yoon Hyun said, then returned to his room.

Since he had taken this cute girl as his student, he had to take responsibility for her.

He would write a decent song for her. Yoon Hyun thought to himself.

But he really didn't have much inspiration, and he couldn't recall any songs from his memory that would suit her.

So, Yoon Hyun was in a dilemma.