The Scandal | VSOO

thirty-two | day 1

Third Person POV

Seven a.m., that was the call time for the script reading.

Jisoo wanted to make a good impression. She didn't want to be late. But she also couldn't resist being just a little fashionably late.

She needed to make an entrance.

7:04am

That's what the clock read when Jisoo pushed open the door.

The script reading room was quieter than expected.

Not silent, papers shuffled, chairs scraped lightly against the floor, staff whispered in corners, but beneath it all sat a tension that hadn't been there for anyone else.

Jisoo noticed it the second she stepped in.

She walked in with confidence. The night before, she had kept Irene awake, unable to decide what to wear. Every outfit had a flaw. Every choice needed reassurance. As a result, Irene and Jisoo was running on barely three hours of sleep.

The moment she walked in, he noticed her.

Their eyes lock instantly.

Jisoo caught the subtle movement of Taehyung's adam's apple.

He was already seated at the long table, his script neatly aligned in front of him, fingers resting lightly on the pages as if he hadn't moved them in minutes. He looked composed, calm in the way he always did, but there was a stillness about him that felt... deliberate.

Like he was holding something in.

For a moment, Taehyung just sat there, looking at her, not breaking eye contact.

It had been a while, since the incident at the salon.

Long enough that seeing him like this, so close, so real, felt different.

"Jisoo-ssi."

Someone called her name, breaking the moment. She bowed politely, greeting the staff, the director, the other actors.

Professional. Smooth.

Normal.

Until her eyes drifted back to him.

Their gazes met.

This time, Jisoo finally acknowledged him with a small nod. Polite. Neutral.

He returned it.

And just like that, they became coworkers again.

"Kim Jisoo-ssi, we'll begin the script reading soon. Please take your seat." One of the staff members notified Jisoo.

There was an empty seat beside Taehyung, and another directly across from him.

If she chose the seat across, it would be obvious she was avoiding him.

She refused to look affected. Not in front of him. Not in front of everyone.

With quiet confidence, she walked to the seat beside him, avoiding further eye contact. They had already exchanged enough for one day.

"Alright, everyone," the director began, breaking the tension. "We'll start filming the script reading. This will be released as a teaser once the drama airs."

"Each cast member will stand, introduce themselves, and share what they're looking forward to."

"And... 3, 2, 1, action!"

Jisoo hated to admit it, she was nervous.

Not because she was beside her ex boyfriend, or the fact that she's going to be working with him.