The Beauty of What Could Have Been

Chapter 10 - Moving Forward

The early morning flight from Gimpo International Airport in Seoul to Jeju International Airport was uneventful as around half of the passengers slept throughout the one-hour flight. The rest were wrestling with remnants of sleep, having had to wake up in the wee hours to be at the airport in time for check-in. Son Ye Jin also slept throughout the flight, beside Hyun Bin who was busy going through a couple of folders containing VAST Entertainment-related paperwork. Morning sickness had not visited her that morning and she was quite happy about it. From the airport a chartered van took them and their managers to a hotel in the outskirts of Hallasan National Park.

By mid-morning the party arrived at the parking lot in the national park, an hour earlier than the filming call as Hyun Bin wanted to personally inspect all the equipment that would be used by Son Ye Jin for the "crash landing" scene of Episode 1. The pristine, cool early morning breeze welcomed them as everybody got off the van.

The sun shone majestically as they traversed a dirt walkway that led to the set. The age-old trees lining the walkway provided ample shade while they trekked for a few minutes until they reached a small clearing with a large tree in one corner. The area was definitely a nature's paradise, and Son Ye Jin immediately felt invigorated. A brook flowed by a few meters from the set. The crane was parked near the tree, painfully out of place, standing out as an abomination among the thick foliage. Behind the crane was a tent where they saw the cast of Company 5 in their full military uniforms having coffee. A second tent was set up beyond the first one, serving as the dressing room.

As they got closer they saw a burly crew member who was definitely more than twice the weight of Son Ye Jin being loaded onto the harnesses which were attached to steel cables that fell from the crane arm. Director Lee and the Production team's safety manager stood near the crane, supervising the test.

As soon as Director Lee saw them he walked over and welcomed them. Hyun Bin then walked with Director Lee to observe the test while Son Ye Jin went to the dressing room to be fitted with the scene's costume: a pink jumper suit with the Seri's Choice logo on the back.

The test was a success. Shortly after Son Ye Jin was helped by the crew to attach the cables to hooks that were connected to a thick belt that was built into her jumper suit. The tension of the steel cables were controlled by a couple of crew members behind the tree. As soon as everything was in place, Hyun Bin walked over and proceeded to meticulously inspect every inch of the suit, the hooks, the locking mechanisms, and the steel cables.

"Are you comfortable? Is there anything too tight for you?" "Ani, I'm comfortable", she assured him, not quite sure if her reassurance made him more at ease. Finally satisfied, he muttered "Everything is secure" and gave Director Lee a thumbs up. "Son Ye JIn-ssi, I will be standing right below you. I will catch you should anything fail", he said. For extra measure Director Lee asked a crew member to put a black 6-inch thick foam mat on the ground directly below her.

As the rehearsal was about to start, Hyun Bin emerged from the dressing room clad in full North Korean military uniform. Seeing her waiting by the tree as the crew prepared the set, he gently pulled her to the back of the tent and with no one else looking embraced her. "Omo.... what's this for?" she asked. "Be careful babe" he whispered. "I'll be okay Binnie. Don't worry", giving him a quick smack on the cheek. "By the way, you look yummy!" she said with a cute smirk. It was the first time she saw him in the costume. "Is there any chance you could bring that uniform home?" He could only smile at her but was convinced that it might in fact be a good idea.

The rehearsals started. Son Ye Jin's belt was hooked to the cables and she was pulled up 20 feet a couple of times. She was initially a bit panicky as she was hoisted the first time, but quickly got the hang of it and grew to enjoy the moment. An adventure junky with extensive experience in various leisure sporting activities in her travels, she wasn't afraid of heights and even had a high risk tolerance for such endeavours.