Leave the Hero's Ex-Girlfriend Alone! - Chapter 12
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Leave the hero’s ex-girlfriend alone!
EP12
The actress arrived, and filming resumed.
The lights came on one by one, and the staff scrambled to readjust the set.
The lighting crew slowly shifted the reflectors to adjust the angle of the light, while the cinematographer sat before the monitor, checking the framing, and nodded to himself.
“Is the lighting okay? Could you lower that reflector a little on that side?”
Someone shouted from one corner of the studio.
Warm-toned light settled softly over that guy’s hair.
He sat in his chair, straightened his posture, and composed his expression.
The cinematographer standing beside the camera raised a hand and spoke.
“Mr. Alpha, eyes here, please.”
Click.
With the sound of the shutter, another shot was captured on screen.
“Yes, that’s good!”
At the director’s call, the studio found its rhythm again.
At the center of it all was the actress, who had appeared with a smile as bright as sunlight.
“The mood’s really good today. Is it because I’m shooting with Alpha?”
Her single remark brightened the whole set.
The staff laughed as if amused, and someone teasingly said, “You two look like a couple.”
I stood silently at the side and, without quite meaning to, furrowed my brows.
…What do they mean, a couple?
The two of them sat across a coffee cup, smiling side by side.
The actress’s crinkled-eye smile was natural enough to be pleasant to watch, and Alpha, seated beside her, looked so at ease that he blended right into the scene.
“Pretend you’re sipping coffee and touch each other naturally, okay? You know what I mean, right? Think of yourselves as a real couple.”
The moment I heard that, I gripped the clipboard in my hand tightly.
“At this rate, they’ll actually end up dating.”
I didn’t even realize I’d muttered it, and I just glared at the monitor as if I could kill it.
Just then, the scene where the actress straightened that guy’s shirt sleeve was shown in close-up on screen.
There’s a stylist right there, so what on earth is she doing?
I had been grumbling all this time without even knowing what exactly I was so unhappy about.
“Cut! Good. Now let’s get a little closer. Let’s try it with your shoulders touching.”
“Sure~ Director.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than she pressed right up against Alpha’s side.
I turned my head away from the monitor, pretending not to care, but my eyes kept drifting back in that direction.
The two of them, shoulders pressed together, smiled and acted as naturally as lovers.
Wow, they’re really cooperative.
I scoffed inwardly and folded my arms.
The Halo staff had clearly said Alpha was uncooperative.
That’s exactly why I ended up saddled with this troublesome project!
“This time, try turning your head slightly and making eye contact once more.”
Following the director’s instruction, she lightly gripped Alpha’s forearm and started talking to him.
I was too far away to tell exactly what they were saying, but she seemed to be having a great time.
I shot up from my seat and grabbed my clipboard, as if I had some other reason to be moving.
If I stayed here any longer, something I’d been struggling so hard to hold back would surely give way.
“Handler, could you please check the order of the next storyboard for me?”
Someone called out to me.
I nodded and quickly left my spot.
* * *
By the time I finished organizing the storyboards and returned to my seat, filming had paused for a moment.
‘Is it break time?’
I thought it was perfect timing.
My head was already a mess, so I really needed a rest.
Just then, the clicking of high heels echoed across the floor as someone approached.
“Handler.”
When I looked up at the voice calling my name, a woman was standing there.
She was the co-star from today’s commercial shoot.
She smiled gently and sat down across from me.
“I hear you’ve had a rough time with this campaign.”
It was a surprisingly courteous opening, one I hadn’t expected.
I gave a slight nod and answered her.
“Well, I didn’t really do anything special.”
“It couldn’t have been easy, though. If I were in your shoes as the Handler, I honestly don’t think I could have managed it.”
I studied her face slowly.
I had a good sense of what she was trying to say.
The corners of her mouth lifted, just slightly.
“Working on the same set as your ex. Even if it’s over, don’t you usually want to avoid that kind of thing?”
She seemed to sympathize on the surface, but her intent was tucked away so subtly it was almost invisible.
As if I were someone who still clung to the past.
I thought for a moment, then smiled lightly.
“Avoid him? Why would I? I don’t have any reason to.”
The actress’s eyes shifted, only a fraction.
I snapped the clipboard shut and went on.
I usually steer clear of this kind of sparring, but I’d decided to make an exception today.
“That guy still likes me, you know.”
For a moment, her expression stiffened.
She was clearly trying to keep up a gracious smile, but the angle of her mouth had frozen awkwardly.
She couldn’t find the words for a moment, then forced out a laugh.
“Oh… I see. So you two were… like that.”
“Yeah. It’s complicated right now, but he does like me. That part’s true.”
Love and hate are still love.
I tried to end the conversation by moving elsewhere.
I lowered my head lightly, as if it were nothing much, and turned away.
By my count, that had landed a solid blow.
But then-
“Yeah, he does. Still.”
The voice behind me stopped me in my tracks.
…Since when have you been standing there?
My heart dropped straight through the floor.
Don’t tell me… he heard all of that just now?
“Isn’t it cute, how sure of himself he is?”
That guy whipped his head around and asked her something.
Confusion flickered across her face.
I froze, like a kid caught in a lie, or even more flustered than that.
My heart was pounding for no good reason.
I must be out of my mind. Seriously. Why did I say something like that?
I’m done for. Completely done for!
That guy’s obviously fighting not to laugh, I can see it all over his face!
A moment ago, I thought I’d won.
And now my own trick is about to trip me up.
* * *
“Stop it… seriously. Enough.”
He sidled up and stood right beside me.
He’d been trailing behind me all this time, and now he spoke in a voice brimming with mischief.
“Why? I do like you, you know.”
I bit down hard on my lip.
Don’t say things like that. Please!
My face was already burning hot, and there was no way out.
“It’s just… that’s how it felt in the moment. In the mood, that’s all.”
“In the mood?”
“Why are you picking a fight like this?!”
He’d given up on holding back his laughter, too lazy to bother, and now he laughed openly.
If I let this slide, he’ll be teasing me about it forever…
I glanced around to see if anyone was watching us.
Everyone seemed busy chatting in small clusters during the break, and a few were scrambling to prepare for the next scene.
“Come with me for a second.”
I nudged his arm and pointed at the door to the Waiting Room.
I pushed open the door with a sign reading “Alpha’s Waiting Room” and went inside.
I waited until he’d come in, and the moment the door closed, I turned around and said,
“Seriously, can’t you just stop?”
He leaned back against the closed door, looking at me from above with an unhurried, easy expression.
He seems to be enjoying this situation even now.
I crossed my arms and glared at the guy.
“Don’t laugh. I’m being serious here.”
“Is this the serious mood now?”
“Seriously……!”
I took a step closer, just as I was about to protest.
Click.
The lights in the Waiting Room suddenly went out.
The light vanished from the ceiling, and from outside came the murmur of people milling about.
It was as if the power had gone out across the entire studio, and a heavy darkness swept over the room.
“A blackout……?”
On instinct, I reached for my phone to turn on the light, then stopped myself.
Twitch, something brushed lightly against my fingertips.
Fabric, body heat. It was his.
“Hold still. I can’t see anything.”
His hand gently took hold of my shoulder.
In the silent darkness, without even a hint of movement, the warmth against my skin came through with startling clarity.
“Hey…… back off a little.”
I twisted my body slightly, trying to pull away.
But my balance faltered a little.
I couldn’t see a thing, so maybe I had misstepped.
“Huh……?”
The moment I swayed, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist and held me in place.
“Be careful, would you.”
A low, gentle voice sounded right beside my ear.
The hand at my waist, the breath brushing against my ear, and the heartbeat I felt against my back.
Instinctively, I stiffened.
Pressed close……
Just as the words suggested, there wasn’t a sliver of space between us.
The warmth against my skin was hot, and in the darkness an unfamiliar tension surged through me.
Because I couldn’t see, everything felt even more vivid.
……His breath was too close.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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