Behind the Curtains: A Tale of Hidden Emotions

special chap

Yoko's POV

“Come closer, you’ll get cold.” Faye’s voice was soft but firm as she patted the seat beside her.

For weeks now, she’d been extra protective, hovering over me like a protective mother. I couldn’t blame her. I’d been in and out of the hospital, fighting off high fevers that refused to let up.

Normally, I wasn’t someone who got sick easily, but lately, my body just couldn’t keep up. Our hectic schedules had pushed me to my limit. From various events, award shows, photo shoots, and a list of projects that felt endless.

This routine had been our reality for months. I wasn’t complaining though; I love and enjoy doing my job. But sometimes, I worried about the toll it took on the people around me, especially Faye. She had her own responsibilities, yet she always made time to care for me. She didn’t have to, but she did—checking in, making sure I ate, reminding me to rest.

Like now.

“Ready?” Our director’s voice broke the moment, pulling us back to work.

We both nodded, exchanging a quick look before focusing on the task at hand. Today, we were filming our reaction video for the finale of our series. We’d seen this episode countless times already, but the roller coaster of emotion I felt during the first time never change. Even now, I felt the same mix of emotions as I had the first time—happiness and sadness all at once. My reaction wasn’t as transparent as the first time I watched it, but the feelings were still there, quietly lingering as the scene played out.

We began the video with a warm greeting and a brief introduction before diving right into it.

"Neung! Neung! Please, Neung!" The intensity of the first scene immediately hit me, and I could feel the weight of every moment unfold. Faye's performance was breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but marvel at her talent. She was born to be an actress—there was no doubt about it.

"This scene took us four hours to make," she remarked casually, pulling my attention toward her.

Four hours. Such a long time to cry.

It’s amusing to think about how she spent hours crying and running up and down the staircase, tirelessly perfecting every ounce of emotion and drama for her scenes. Meanwhile, I was comfortably dozing off in a hospital bed.

If there’s one thing I truly enjoyed about filming this series—besides the love scenes, of course—it was the scenes where I had to sleep. No acting required. I’d always end up falling asleep for real, effortlessly slipping into dreamland while everyone else worked tirelessly around me.

Some might call it lazy.....

I call it method acting.

"I didn’t wear makeup then because the mascara kept smudging," she added, her giggles contagious enough to make me laugh along. "All of these scenes, I was actually barefaced."

"But still, you’re very beautiful," I said with a playful smirk, watching as her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink at the compliment.

We continued watching, fully immersed in the story, when I noticed a subtle change in P’Faye’s demeanor. Her expression grew somber, her gaze distant as she mentioned how much she hated the hospital atmosphere.

That’s when it hit me.

The scene was more than just acting to her—it was a trigger. It brought back the weight of her trauma, the heartbreak of losing someone she loved. She was reliving the pain of her grandfather’s passing, and no matter how much time had passed, the wound was still there, quietly aching in the depths of her heart.