It didn't take Joon-won long to reach the classroom door. Various noises came from the other side, suggesting that some students still weren't taking the exam as seriously as they should. He opened the door slowly and looked around to see students in different groups, wasting away valuable time. Some were diligently reading their scripts, while others, like the infamous chatty group, seemed to be socializing more than studying.
Scanning the room, he tried to find Jung-hwa but couldn't spot her. He quickly closed the door, whipped out his phone, and sent her a text message. Her reply came almost instantly, asking him to come to the usual practice room. Sending a quick "ok," he walked to the room and knocked on the door when he arrived.
"Come in," Jung-hwa's voice called from the other side. Opening the door, he saw her sitting on a chair, eating her lunch.
"Don't bother greeting; just finish your meal," he said, pointing to her food. She nodded and resumed eating. Joon-won had a few important life rules he held dearly. One was to respect meal times, a habit rooted in his past when food was scarce. He believed in having a nice, quiet meal, undisturbed.
Taking out his script, he glanced through it again until Jung-hwa finished her lunch. Placing the script on his lap, he saw her gulping down a bottle of water. Setting the bottle aside, she looked at him.
"Well, now that I'm done, what part do you want to practice?" she asked.
"Before we practice your role, let's work on yours. We didn't get to practice yesterday," she suggested with a grin, eager to see him in action.
"My role isn't that big. It's okay if we don't practice it. We only have this afternoon and evening for you to practice. You need more time," he insisted, shaking his head. He wanted her to improve and felt his own practice could wait.
"No, no. Let's practice your role first. It's small, so it won't take much time. Plus, I want to see how you do it," she persisted.
Joon-won shrugged, giving in. "Alright, if that's what you want. Just don't complain later that you didn't have enough time."
"It's fine."
"Alright then, look over these parts. My dialogues aren't even a full page, so it should be quick," he said, handing her his script. His role had more inner monologues than dialogues, which were narrated in the drama.
After 15 minutes, Jung-hwa looked up and nodded. Joon-won stood up to act. His first scene involved him noticing the hero and heroine on a date. This part was solo, so Jung-hwa observed as Joon-won's expression changed from shock to jealousy and finally to anger.
"Wait, what are they doing together? Happily talking, holding hands, it's like they are on a date. Why him? He's nothing. Just because he's famous?" His expression transformed from shock to jealousy, and then to anger. Jung-hwa raised her eyebrows, impressed by the transformation.
'It really looks like Joon-won is angry and jealous. There's even a hint of craziness in his eyes. How does he do that?' she thought.
"Should I go and break them apart? Should I beat that guy up? No, not here and not like this. This is a betrayal. She gave me hope and then snatched it away. Ah! I can do that instead," his eyes grew crazier but then calmed by the end. The next part was a monologue on his character's thoughts.
The heroine had shown some kindness to him, which his character misinterpreted, leading to messed-up thoughts and misunderstandings. His expressions darkened after seeing them together, as he hatched a plan to expose them. The school had strict policies against dating, resulting in expulsion if caught.
To gather evidence, he took a picture of the couple and walked away. The next part of his role was towards the end, where he reported them to the vice-principal in charge of discipline.
"Alright, now it's your turn," he said, cueing Jung-hwa, who had to act as the vice-principal. She stood before him with a serious expression.
"What is it that you need? I don't have much time, so tell me and get lost," she said sternly, embodying the vice-principal's demon-like persona.
Joon-won put on an extremely fearful expression, gulping and stuttering, "I-I caught two students on a date. It looked like they are a couple." He immediately shut his mouth, waiting for the vice-principal's reaction.
"Why should I believe you?" Jung-hwa asked, trying to look as menacing as possible.
Quickly, he took out his phone and showed a picture of the hero and heroine holding hands. The vice-principal nodded and dismissed him. In the general assembly a few days later, the vice-principal announced the expulsion to set an example.
Joon-won's character was hardly seen again in the drama, his actions leaving a significant impact but his presence almost forgotten, which he found frustrating.