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2ndhand-heart · 1 year

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Chapter 2

Walking Cliche

The night had been long and the supposedly 30 min drive back home was quickly turning into a character building exercise. All this sitting around while trying to make a way out of this traffic jam that was the aftermath of the awarding event wasn't exactly helping his restlessness.

If anything, sitting in this van with his Best Actor trophy occupying a whole seat right next to him still felt surreal. And a little bizarre. Not to mention awkward when he had himself a manager who was throwing him sidelong glances from the smaller seat next to the door, because his trophy was sitting on his designated seat in the van. The young manager was certainly not looking very happy with his boss's decision making skills lately.

But SangWon had no choice but perch on that tiny space as penance. Because his boss was still sulky about his failure to inform him in advance that a certain someone was present at the awards show tonight.

"What does my schedule look like for tomorrow?" InGuk asked blandly while holding up an ipad to his face.

The young manger knew exactly what his boss was doing, putting up a chrome wall to make his petulance, erm – indifference all the more obvious.

So the manager unlocked his own iPad to double check InGuk's calendar of activities to ensure that this time, he would not miss any important detail.

" Seo-sajangnim, it looks like you can go for a walk," responded promptly as he shifted in his folding seat.

In Guk straightened up almost instantaneously, then put the iPad down next to his trophy, looking very pleased.

" Jinja?"

"Ne."

Then with the same haste, In Guk picked up the iPad and held it up to his face again, with one arm folded to his stomach so his other elbow could sit on it as he held the device up.

"Why would I go for a walk," he asked, his tone lost between petulance and a scoff as he was suddenly retracting his initial excitement.

If this were his first day, SangWon would be flipping tables and pulling his hair at his boss's constantly changing mood tonight. But aside from the fact that it was partially his fault, he was more than willing to appease him since he was already familiar with InGuk's coping mechanisms in any given situation.

"Don't you need to blow off steam? So you know…you won't fire me," Manager SangWon retorted sheepishly.

That was all it took for InGuk's disgruntlement to melt away. He wasn't really mad at his manager at all, was he? He was just…just…well, he didn't have a word for it.

So InGuk leaned back on his seat again to ruminate in his thoughts while pretending to be looking at something important on his ipad. He could really use a long walk along a quiet bridge right now to decompress all of these strange but familiar feelings that were bubbling up in his chest. They just wouldn't go away even now, long after he had left the stage.

When he got home, the first thing he did was put his trophy on his bedside table. He gave it a proud smile before he turned around and walked over to his closet to change into his go to combination of a dark colored jacket over a long sleeved shirt, a pair of training pants and his favorite pair of running shoes. It was past midnight but he couldn't take any chances, so he completed the look with a black cap and covered his face with a black face mask. Then he went about his much needed long stroll.

In the last two years, he had spent more than half of his provisional free time walking along the quiet streets of Seoul in the afterhours. Sometimes he did it to clear his head after a long day at work, other times he did it just to spend a little time alone. Sometimes, he would walk about a mile when he needed to make important decisions. But more often than not, it was to walk off some of what he believed were just residual emotions from the character he portrayed a couple of years back in his comeback drama after a long hiatus from the small screen.

Tonight, he had set for a long walk again, but this time it was for all of those reasons combined.

Because he could still feel the same micro currents that coursed through the tips of his fingers from the moment he left the table to when he climbed up the carpeted treads leading up to the stage to claim his award. He could still feel the havoc that his heartbeats created as he took every nervous step, knowing where each one was leading. How he could very clearly see his destination on his way up, and how it was beaming and breathtakingly arresting, and just every bit the same beautiful face as he remembered.

For a moment then he was convinced that everything went quiet – the micro currents in his fingertips, the havoc in his chest, and his nervous steps – all hushed when their eyes met on stage. His footfalls chasing the beats of his heart were amplified when she smiled back at him. And when she broke eye contact, the noise resumed and became even more clamorous.

Upon reaching the microphone stand, Bo Young handed him the trophy with a graceful haste, and he accepted it with a courteous bow. The micro currents in his fingertips suddenly ignited a full-on spark as they fortuitously touched the back of her hands, and Bo Young's eyes rounded in a startled gaze as she looked up at him. Perhaps she felt the microvolt from the tips of his cold fingers. But she was grateful that like the old times, his broad shoulders effectively kept her reaction out of the audience's scrutinizing gaze.

With a knowing look, they understood what needed to be done to repair the situation. Both disguised the nervous tension in their own signature smiles. His was dimpled and toothy, with eyes like daggers that could cut through the coldest hearts. While hers was wide and charming, with eyes that could reflect one's soul in their gleam.

They were experts at this, at putting on an act like none of these things affected them. But even though they were both worried that the other might be a little distressed, they still trusted each other enough to get through this crucial moment with their impeccable synergy that had endured even after all the years that had passed.

They were more concerned about how the world would perceive this rare interaction. One wrong move and dating rumors would surface again. And a glance short of a split second could stir up a barrage of break up allegations.

So Bo Young let go of the trophy, then held out her right hand to congratulate her former leading man. In Guk took her hand with a conscious effort not to linger in holding it. Then like a river that flowed in two separate streams, they broke apart, with Inguk turning to face the audience directly and Bo Young taking a few steps back to allow him to bask in the spotlight that was rightfully his in this pivotal moment in his life.

He honestly did not prepare a speech tonight, and so he stumbled on his words as he tried to express his gratitude to as many people as he could remember. After which he dedicated the award to his family, most especially his eomma who had been his biggest fan and the strongest foothold of his support system that kept him together through the course of his colorful and challenging career.

Bo Young stayed in his shadow, simultaneously choking up and chuckling on his rather emotional speech. Her natural tendency to want to sum up his blabbers just had to stay under for now. Because his proudest moment deserved only his purest form which was honest and spontaneous, albeit expressed in incoherent ramblings as his hands and his whole body moved in uncoordinated gesturing and motioning of the very words he was trying to articulate.

Every now and then InGuk would glance at his left as he tried to get through his acceptance speech. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of her before he was finished, but he could only turn his head this much to avoid speculations. He had to keep in mind that this world was a scary place where beautiful things would always get ruined by slur and spite. And he didn't want that. Otherwise, everything they went through together and apart would be a waste.

The entire acceptance speech felt like a blur and InGuk was back in his seat at the table in no time. He thought it was the last time he would be in the same space as Bo Young that night, but as it seemed, the universe had a different plan.

When the show concluded, reporters from different media outlets awaited outside the hall to have a quick interview with the celebrities on their way out.

In Guk happened by a familiar reporter who didn't miss the opportunity to congratulate him for winning the best actor award.

" Kamsahamnida. I really feel honored and grateful," he bowed politely.

But there was a sudden shift in the reporter's expression as she glanced over InGuk's shoulder. She clearly saw someone behind him who caught her interest.

Curious, In Guk turned slightly to his left to see who it was, and lo and behold, it was no less than the nation's sister-in-law, Park Bo Young, making her way out of the double doors.

The reporter wasted no time and called her attention by aiming the camera and the portable light to her direction.

The surprise on her face was subtle enough for the reporter not to notice, but InGuk's eyes were trained to see the nuances she made with just her gaze. He knew right away that she would dodge this ambush interview if she could if it weren't for the live camera that was rolling in front of them.

So InGuk strategically positioned himself by turning his back on the camera to block its view of Bo Young. He then gave her a reassuring smile and after a quick exchange of nonverbal agreement through lingering eye contact and subtle nods, she willingly rose to the occasion by moving closer. He then faced the camera again, this time with a smiling Bo Young next to him.

"It's been a while since the two of you were on the same stage together," the reporter started with the obvious. "How did it feel to meet again on stage after a long time?"

Both In Guk and Bo Young shared a look then started giggling. Probably because they both knew exactly what was going to happen next. And just like they anticipated, with his open palms In Guk gestured to Bo Young to go first, just like in the hundreds of other interviews they sat through together a couple of years ago.

"It felt amazing because I presented the award to him," Bo Young answered with a well rehearsed cheerfulness. "And it's his first best actor award so I know it's really special. I'm grateful to meet him on stage again at such an important milestone. I must say the award was very well deserved," she added as she glanced at In Guk with a proud smile.

Unable to suppress the flattered look on his face, InGuk resorted to show his gratitude playfully with a bow.

" Kamsahamnida ," he said sheepishly after. "I agree. It really did feel amazing to meet like this again after a long time. Like Bo Young-ssi said, it is my first best Actor award. And having someone whom I have worked alongside in one of my best loved dramas present this very special award made it even more special. I felt like I was being handed my heart and soul that I poured into my works. I feel so honored."

"That's really beautiful. Any chance that your fans will see the two of you in another project? Doom at Your Service was a hit. I'm a big fan of the show, too," the reporter asked enthusiastically.

In Guk anticipated this question but he still felt quite nervous the moment it was asked. Would it be okay to express his sincere wish to work with her again?

That short pause and how he gulped upon hearing the question did not escape Bo Young's eyes. She had to think on her feet before In Guk could open his mouth and blabber something that could spark the hopes of fans especially those who had always rooted for them to date in real life.

"We'll be glad if it happens," she interjected with a charming smile and glanced at InGuk, hoping she was able to get the point across.

"That's right. I'll be happy to work with her again if and when the opportunity presents itself," In Guk agreed with a nod while looking at Bo Young to make sure he had her approval. The wide smile she sustained while he answered gave him relief.

The reporter knew there was nothing juicy she could squeeze out from these two pros, so she ended the ambush interview by congratulating In Guk a second time and thanking him and Bo Young before she proceeded to the next actor she saw behind them.

Bo Young was already on the move when In Guk turned, deterring his intention to start a small talk. Had he known that she would be there, he would've been more prepared to go after her and perhaps they could catch up. Instead, he watched her make her way out of the venue without looking back at him.

__________________________________________________

The drive back to her house wasn't nearly as stressful as when she was traveling to the venue. But it was exhausting nonetheless, with all these lingering thoughts about their bittersweet meeting long after they parted ways. But once she got home, the disarray in her head had died down in the silence of being alone again.

A quick shower helped, and some ice cream, too. Who knew she would turn into a person who turned to desserts to distress? He had some hand in it, didn't he? His endless love for choco pie had influenced her to love sweets.

His influence in her life wasn't limited to just how she coped with stress. In fact, its extent had reached as far as making her more active on social media. Heck, he was even able to convince her to create an Instagram account.

Scrolling through social media had been her guilty pleasure since she signed up a couple of years ago. Somehow she found comfort in reading how much fans were missing her whenever she disappeared from the limelight. But there were also times when her heart was broken by some nasty comments from equally nasty anti fans who didn't favor her as a suitable partner for their oppa .

She had been through it many times before — the craze of a new drama after a long hiatus, the hype that fans gave to her onscreen love affair, and the most ridiculous of them all — the amount of dating rumors that came with it during shoot and long after the drama had ended.

But she never had any qualms with any of those things. She knew what she was getting herself into when she decided to try her luck in this type of job. And that was how she honed a very useful skill in nipping rumors in the bud by not condoning any type of promotions that required romantic posturing. The Great Wall of Park Bo Young did not become her legendary trademark for nothing.

She didn't know that there would come a time when that supposed wall would crumble. What was even more astonishing was that its eventual collapse wasn't caused by a sudden impact or intense force, but rather by playfulness and gentle spontaneity. And before she knew it, the person who exhibited those things had already melted her emotional barricade.

But that was some years ago, when she made the mistake of trusting her foolish heart. Funny how she had fortified her walls with her heedfulness for so long, and the one time she unbarred her fences, she ended up getting burned.

Seeing him again tonight seemed to have affected her more than she cared to admit. Truth be told, she felt so happy for him because at last, his hard work had paid off. She felt proud of him because he deserved the award that she presented to him earlier tonight, and she was glad that she was able to congratulate him in person for his biggest achievement.

But at the back of it all, she was hurting because presenting that award to him was the closest thing to being part of this moment in his life. Because they made that choice two years ago. Because what they had didn't qualify as something worth risking everything for. And now more than ever, she truly felt that perhaps, she made the right decision.

"It doesn't matter what we lost. Everything we gave up led to this. And it's worth it," she convinced herself as she sat on the couch while scrolling through some old photos in her cloud gallery.

She was looking at their random photos together at the shooting site, some candid photos of him that she took, and some of his selfies that he took himself on her phone that week they spent in Jejudo.

" Aissh, this goofball. He really deserves that best actor award for being such a great comedian," she chuckled.

She kept scrolling and scrolling hoping the pang of regrets would let up if she reached the end of her gallery. She didn't realize how much of their moments together were captured by such a small device. Did they really have those happy moments together?

Perhaps they did and it created a tie between them that was just impossible to disentangle. The way they communicated without words just by looking into each other's eyes was enough proof that that bond between them had persisted despite not seeing each other for so long.

And for a moment, it made her happy. Because at least something between them survived without breaking.

But then she recalled how he didn't even try to talk to her after the reporter left them alone and moved on to the next celebrity. She thought he would at least ask how she had been, or say hi officially. Because they didn't really get the chance to even say hi to each other like normal people do. She scoffed at the realization that even now, they still had that tendency to skip so many things just like they did in the past. Thank goodness for her assistants who were both waiting for her at the corner and came to her rescue by helping her leave the venue immediately.

Now, she wasn't done scrolling through her gallery yet, because she had about a thousand pictures to scroll past, but she kept going back and forth to look at some of them closely. She was nearing the end of her camera roll when suddenly, her phone vibrated in her hand and a notification popped up on the screen and said:

✉️ 1 new message from In Guk Oppa

#doom at your service #seo in guk #park bo young #bboing #bboingcouple #fanfic #tvn doom at your service #myul mang #kdrama doom at your service #tak dong kyung

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2ndhand-heart · 1 year

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Chapter 1

Two Years, Eight Months and A Day

Camera shutters and indistinct chatters were all he could hear as he fixed the cuff of his left sleeve on his way out of the dressing room. It took him right back to that moment nearly three years ago, when he was munching on some boiled chicken breast as what his diet required back then, while his staff patiently waited for him to finish eating so he could finally get fully dressed, instead of wearing a pair of sweatpants as bottoms for his tuxedo ensemble.

And just like then, he felt like only one of his lungs was functional as he walked down this hall with bated breath.

No matter how many times he had done this before, whether as a presenter or as a nominee, he still had the same tendency to get all wired up and edgy when attending an awards show like this. It's probably something he would never get used to until he was old and grey.

So he continued walking ahead of his staff members who were trailing behind him with their StoryJ camera. They were told by the event organizers to maintain an ample distance to make sure that they would not be captured should the event photographers need to snap some candid shots of him making his way to the main auditorium.

And as expected, he was intercepted just as he was making a turn at the bottom of the stairwell that led to the mezzanine floor, which served as the touch up area for tonight's presenters.

So he halted promptly and stood to the side as instructed, while another actor was still being photographed in front of the backdrop, and another one was still in line before it was his turn.

Like a defense mechanism to his impending jitters, his eyes started to wander around the venue as he stood by. He unwittingly looked up at the light fixtures that were hanging from the acoustic panels on the ceiling and followed the wavy wooden trail all the way to the top of the mezzanine floor.

But perhaps, the universe had a sense of humor. Only instead of making him laugh, he was the punchline.

Because out of all the things his gaze could land on, it had to be the smile of that one person whose eyes had given him countless micro heart attacks in the past just by staring up at him.

Now how was that for placating his nerves?

He had no idea that she was going to be here. But given the place where she was currently seated while getting her hair and makeup done, he figured that she must be one of tonight's award presenters.

Now, she wasn't exactly in a suitable location to be able to look up at him like he was accustomed to. If anything, her elevated stance afforded him the convenience of being able to look up at her instead, without her noticing. But how come it affected him just the same?

Probably because it had been a while since he last saw her smiling like that. And with that thought in mind, he began to calculate the days in his head from when he actually last saw her.

It's been two years, eight months, and a day.

Yet with minimal makeup, hair that was still bunched up in a bun while she tucked a stray strand behind her ear, and her signature eye smile, she was beaming brighter than all the light fixtures that were hanging from the acoustic panels on the ceiling combined. He could only see half of her beautiful face, but she looked so happy from where he stood.

So before he could get himself to look away, he allowed himself to stare just for another second. To once again behold the smile that he was once allowed to see almost on a daily basis for more than six months some years ago. The eye smile that once induced a compulsion in him to keep making silly jokes. The smile that would probably lose its radiance if he got caught staring.

Just then he was called to stand in front of the backdrop to get his photo taken. He bowed politely before he started to wave his left hand as he posed for countless cameras, notwithstanding the flashes of lights that barely blinded him with every click, gracing every lense with his ever captivating squint and dimpled grin.

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The last time she walked up this podium, she also came from backstage rather than the carpeted treads from the front. The only difference was that this time, she sauntered alone into the stage instead of her hand clutching onto the sleeve of someone's arm.

Her entrance was graceful but nothing grand. She was her usual poised and polished public figure self, yet the audience's response to her presence was nothing short of uproarious.

But it wasn't all that surprising considering the span of time that had passed since she last appeared in public like this. She was notorious for her long hiatus after working on a project, but her comeback was always highly anticipated. Not to mention that other than the event organizers, no one else knew that she would be attending as presenter tonight. Hence the warm welcome from her colleagues from the industry who made up a vast majority of the crowd.

So she scanned the audience with her darling smile that effectively concealed the fact that at this very moment, she was a bundle of nerves. Not because of her task as a presenter, no it was never that. This was always so easy for her to pull off like the pro she was, and the confidence of the committee in her proficiency despite her last minute delegation was the ultimate proof.

So, what was she covertly being so restless for?

It's just really cold when my shoulders are exposed like this, she thought to herself.

But then her gaze inevitably fell on the very table she was hoping to avoid. And there he was, looking up at her with that solitary speck underneath his left eye amplifying the noise in her ear that only she could hear.

But where was the divot in the corner of his lips that was supposed to show up even at the moments that he least intended it to?

She knew then that that smile was outright spurious. So she furtively took a deep breath and subtly averted her gaze to the next table.

When the peals of approval had finally died down, she made a quick formal introduction of herself as the presenter of the best actor category.

"And the nominees are," she smiled as she glanced at the audience then back to the card in her hand.

The humongous LCD screen on the other side of the stage started playing clips from each of the nominees' dramas to showcase the scenes that got them nominated for the award.

She slightly turned her head to her right to watch the clips together with the audience without completely turning her back on them. This was all a part of her well rehearsed stage decorum that had kept her presenting reputation up with the leagues.

When the last clip popped up on the screen showing a familiar scene that nearly cost her one of her lungs from laughing too hard when she first watched it, she couldn't help but let out a chuckle while covering her mouth with her hand that was holding the card with the list of nominees. Funny how it was the only scene with a comical element out of all the clips that were shown, only proving how comedic timing was just as difficult to pull off as any other emotionally heavy scenes.

She remembered how she swore off watching that show before it even aired then watching every new episode as soon as it came out.

But what else could she do? It was the closest thing to seeing him back then.

After all the clips had finished playing, she turned back to the audience and resumed her presenter self.

"And the best actor is," she hyped the audience with her adorable smile as she peeled off the sticker from the card in her hand to reveal the winner's name. Her breath hitched in her throat upon seeing what was written on the card. So in the most impassive manner that she could manage, she announced, "Seo In Guk as Nam Han Joon for Minamdang."

#doom at your service #seo in guk #park bo young #tvn doom at your service #bboing #bboingcouple #seopark #kdrama doom at your service #myul mang #fanfic #tak dong kyung

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