Despite Yeo Ri's intention to take the next few days off, there were still certain obligations that she could not afford to reschedule.
Yeo Ri's morning began with a trip to the company, where she attended a meeting with the staff in regards to her upcoming schedule. Since she was going to be filming two movies at once and having to make space for other publicity things as well as accounting her breaks, her schedule needed some rearrangements.
After her new schedule was drafted, she moved on to her next appointment—a table reading for her second project.
She arrived at the venue with enough time to spare, and after greeting the attendees, she received her copy of the full script and sat down at her designated seat.
Yeo Ri skimmed through the script with interest. The project had been highly confidential, thus it was only now that she was able to see the full script. Before this, she only held a copy of the scenes she was in.
She made it through one-third of the script when a familiar face popped into her peripherals and greeted her, "It's been a while, Yeo Ri-ah!"
The idol, Won, grinned widely at the younger girl, waving his hand in greeting as he took the seat next to her.
The two had moved past the formalities after they became acquainted over the 'net. While it had disappointed the idol that she didn't contact him through his private phone number, she had reached out to him through his group's official social media account. They had started out with talking through the direct messages, but recently transferred over to a popular messaging app. That being said, their interactions were often short and somewhat shallow due to their respective busy schedules.
"Hello, Won-oppa," Yeo Ri responded with a more subtle smile compared to the idol.
Won's grin widened, feeling highly spirited after hearing Yeo Ri call him 'Oppa' directly. They had only conversed through text and it was the first time he felt the full force of their familiarity with each other.
"How have you been? Filming is going to start soon, are you excited?"
"I've been doing fine. How about you, Won-oppa? You said your group just started preparing for a comeback, right?"
"Well, it's fine as long as I sing and dance well. They're still picking songs so I don't think I'll be busy until a while later," he chattered.
"You guys are getting along well," a young man remarked as he took a seat on the opposite side of the table. There was a laidback smile on his face as he acknowledged his co-stars.
"Oh, hey, Jung Ho! Been a while." Seeing the familiar face, Won greeted back enthusiastically. He turned to Yeo Ri to introduce the man to her, "This is Park Jung Ho. You might know him since he's a super senior in this industry; he started out as a child actor and it's been thirteen years since he debuted. This is our second time working together, so I'm quite familiar with him. Yeo Ri-ah, say hi!"
"It's nice to meet you," Yeo Ri bowed politely in her seat. She recognised the man almost instantly. As Won had said, Park Jung Ho was a renowned child actor with an illustrious career. His talents stood out since an early age, and he had won his first award at the young age of six. Being in front of a veteran who was around the same age as her, Yeo Ri sincerely bowed her head in respect.
"Hello, I'm Park Jung Ho. Let's get along well." He smiled kindly at the girl. Despite having seen countless beauties up close, he could not help but notice how pretty the girl sitting across him was. It was no wonder that Won, who was known as someone who didn't like getting close to girls due to his own feminine looks, was sticking close to her so eagerly. He had to admit—seeing the two together painted a very pretty picture.
"Did you guys read the script yet? I can't wait to start filming," the idol remarked.
"Yeah," Park Jun Ho agreed. "It's a fun story, and the ending... I hope they don't change it. It's so good."
"Really? Isn't it sad, though? I mean, all things considered... what do you think, Yeo Ri-ah?"
"Hm..." Yeo Ri hummed in thought. "It suits the tone of the story. Kind of serious but kind of funny but also kind of sad," Yeo Ri expressed her input. She scrunched her nose as if she found it difficult to explain her thoughts.
"That's true," Won sighed, "I feel like I won't enjoy filming the second part compared to the first part since the mood takes a serious plunge..."
The story of [Runaway Kids] was separated into two parts. The first part was about the light-hearted and mischievous shenanigans of three good kids who decided to run away from home on somewhat of a whim. The second part took a darker turn as the kids finally get in touch with the brutal reality of being a runaway, and they find themselves in a precarious situation involving criminal activities. Finally, the plot draws to a close as the boys successfully save the girl, but at the cost of their friendship, future, and innocence.
"It'll be challenging, but I promise you that it'll be rewarding in the end," Park Jung Ho laughed. He knew from experience that it was always easier to act in a more serious setting than to act like you were having fun with friends on cue. It wasn't easy to make it look believable when everyone else who were supposed to be your good friends on camera were literal strangers, even if there was a script and backstory prepared.
Won seemed to understand the meaning behind his coworker's laugh. As if an idea had suddenly came to him, he exclaimed, "Ah! Since the three of us are supposed to be friends in the movie, should we go out together and get to know each other?"
"Go out together?" Park Jung Ho tilted his head as if he was considering the idea.
"Yeah! How about tomorrow? Are you guys free?"
Tomorrow? "Ah..." Yeo Ri let out a small sound.
"Is tomorrow no good?" Won's brows scrunched as he looked at the younger girl worriedly. He wished she wouldn't decline since it was hard for him to find an excuse to meet up with her.
"I'm sorry, I already have plans," Yeo Ri frowned apologetically. An invitation to her birthday party danced on the tip of her tongue as she saw Won's crestfallen face, but she hesitated. She didn't think they were close enough for her to invite him to her home, even if he looked like a harmless pretty boy. Yeo Ri herself knew very well how deceiving looks could be. On top of that, she was sure that Gun would be very displeased if she invited some boy he didn't know to their home.
In the end, Yeo Ri kept mum.
"It's okay, I understand," Won smiled reassuringly at the girl's apologetic look. "Maybe we can arrange something next week? Let me know when you guys have free time?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Mm."
Their conversation was cut short at the arrival of the director and his team. The three teens exchanged glances and smiles as they composed themselves, ending their conversation as their attention was pulled towards the adults.
The full main cast was in attendance, and after a brief and relaxed introduction, they began the table-reading.
The first line of the script belonged to Yeo Ri. Her voice adopted a more conspiring tone as she read her lines: "'Are you all ready?'"
"'Ready,'" Park Jung Ho instantaneously replied as he got into his element.
Won sighed, and recited his lines with a bored tone, edged with annoyance, "'Let's just go.'"
"'Geez, why'd you have to bring this guy with you—'" Yeo Ri said complainingly as she huffed.
"—'coz he's pretty smart. C'mon, we're wasting daylight. Let's go, let's go~!'"
The three main casts, Yeo Ri, Won, and Jung Ho, easily got into their respective roles. The bubbly but spoiled Eun Young, the cool and reticent Ji Soo, and the goofy and friendly Taek. The three actors juggled their lines back and forth with ease, causing the director to break out into a satisfied smile.
Several hours later, the meeting finally ended, and Yeo Ri's second table-read ended with success. All that was left was filming the scenes at the sets.
But before that—
—Yeo Ri's long awaited birthday party took precedent.