Chapter 21: Childhood Bonds

Episode 1 began by showing the childhood of sisters Lee In-hwa and Ewha-won, raised rigorously as corporate heirs.

Years later.

“Mom?”

Sighing as if annoyed, Lee In-hwa holds the phone away from her ear and sits in a chair.

– In-hwa-ya! No plans tonight, right? I’ve arranged a great meeting.

“No, Mom. I’m not Ewha-won.”

– Even Ewha-won doesn’t refuse. Hey!

“…That’s her.”

“Anyway, come out tonight. It’s with Min Do-hyuk from ND Corporation.”

“ND… what?”

Back in their child actor days, ND Corporation and Geumseong Corporation were close business partners with a friendly relationship. But after the sudden death of Geumseong’s chairman, ND swiftly shifted gears, seizing the opportunity.

Withdrawing from a joint construction project, ND used the faltering Geumseong as a stepping stone to become a leading corporation in South Korea.

Given this, In-hwa couldn’t help but frown at the conversation.

– In-hwa-ya, remember Grandpa’s will?

“Will?”

The scene shifts to a stately study with a somber atmosphere. There, young In-hwa and Ewha-won stand with their parents.

Knock knock.

“Sir, it’s Lawyer Choi.”

“Come in.”

Breaking the silence, Choi Moon-sik, Geumseong’s expert lawyer, enters.

The chairman’s will is revealed: the heads of Geumseong and ND had promised a marriage between their grandchildren, to be fulfilled.

The screen returns to In-hwa.

– In-hwa-ya, ND says if we go through with this marriage, they’ll return all our company shares.

“All those shares? Okay, I’ll call you back from the office.”

The call ends.

As she resumes work, cracks form in her expression. Her contemplative look slowly turns into a smile, her eyes gradually tinged with desire, like ink spreading in water.

She picks up her phone and quickly types a text.

[Lee In-hwa: Min-sung-ah, let’s break up.]

[Seo Min-sung: Why all of a sudden… Did you stop liking me?]

[Lee In-hwa: Yeah. You’re boring.]

Looking at the phone, In-hwa smirks and leaves the office.

The scene shifts to Ewha-won.

“…Hmm, I wonder who it is?”

Hearing about In-hwa’s blind date, she grins mischievously and heads to the meeting spot. Spotting Min Do-hyuk from a corner seat, she grimaces.

“Min Do-hyuk?”

A flashback shows young Ewha-won talking to a boy, overlapping with the adult Ewha-won staring at Min Do-hyuk, and episode 1 ends.

[Save Me, Viewership 7.5%!]

[Save Me, Promises Donations and Side Story if Viewership Exceeds 20%.]

Perhaps due to the trusted duo of writer Lee Mi-na and director Kang Jo-jo, the ratings were strong.

But.

– Hmm… Episode 1’s plot is a bit complex ;;

– I liked it

– Such a visually pleasing cast, especially the gorgeous sisters…

– Fast pacing is great

– This is the drama I wanted. So visually satisfying

The reviews were polarized—some found it confusing, others loved the fast pace.

Though the mixed feedback was slightly worrying, the bright set atmosphere and the director’s encouragement kept filming smooth.

Then episode 2 aired.

Min Do-hyuk, who suffered severe abuse from his father as a child, had a panic disorder and once nearly died.

“Sa… save me…”

Gasping for breath from hyperventilation, young Min Do-hyuk collapses on the ground in a forest, reaching for a distant plastic bag.

A bright voice rings out.

Rustle.

A shiny girl’s shoe steps on the bag.

“You’ll die without this?”

The camera pans up, revealing a girl in a white dress, smiling brightly, unlike the dirt-covered, tear-stained boy.

This was their first meeting.

Unable to speak from choking, Do-hyuk nods. Ewha-won picks up the bag and hands it to him.

“I saved you, right? So you owe me. You have to pay me back.”

“What…”

This encounter sparked their complicated bond—sometimes childhood friends, sometimes friendly rivals.

But it was fleeting.

Crash!

A child’s shoe lies in front of a car. Young Ewha-won’s expressionless face contrasts with a flustered doctor shaking his head.

“The brain’s emotional regulation is impaired. At this rate…”

With the doctor’s monologue, young Min-hyuk visits her home and leaves dejectedly.

The screen darkens. Adult Min-hyuk’s voice narrates.

“I thought it was just a heartbeat. But I didn’t realize it was the start of love.”

The screen brightens.

Min-hyuk, with soft features and slightly upturned eyes, gazes at rain outside a window, then lowers his head. A forced photo shows their hands clasped.

The final scene from episode 1 follows.

★★★

After episode 2 aired, reviews turned positive.

– What’s with Ewha-won and Min Do-hyuk’s story…?

– So Min Do-hyuk’s been in love since he was 11? 19 years of unrequited love, I’m losing it

– Why’s the sub-story tastier than the main one?

– One suppresses emotions before realizing love. Wow

[Save Me, Child Actors Shine, Viewership Breaks 10.3%! Huge Hit!]

In episode 3, it’s revealed Seo Min-sung is ND Corporation’s illegitimate son. Watching this on TV, In-hwa locks eyes with him from afar.

Min Do-hyuk watches them. Ewha-won, observing it all, steps into a café.

Crossing her legs as she sits, she stares at a killer trailing her and asks, “Why are you watching me? Do you like me?”

“Isn’t it because Min Do-hyuk loves you?”

She smirks; he looks confused.

“…Me? Him?”

“Yes!”

“Him?”

Despite repeated questions, the same answer comes, leaving her bewildered, her face full of question marks.

After episode 3, viewers flooded communities, praising Im Bada’s acting.

– LOL Can’t believe it

– Haha Crazy

– Threatening her ex, she seems like a real ex-con lol

– Im Bada’s acting is on fire damn. She’s nuts lololol

But not all were praises.

– Isn’t there a main lead? Did the writer switch the main couple?

With the sub-story dominating early episodes, some felt the main story lacked focus. But by episode 6, Seo Min-sung and In-hwa’s main episode moved viewers to tears.

“You threw me away like trash!” Seo Min-sung shouted, voice filled with rage, staring at the unresponsive In-hwa.

“To you, I’m just that, right? A wilted flower, discarded when useless. I know.”

He knelt, looking up at her, his voice desperate.

“Please. I’ll just love you one-sidedly. I won’t bother you. So… don’t abandon me again, okay?”

Tears welled, falling as he forced a smile, clinging to her leg.

In-hwa wiped his tears with her fingers, speaking firmly with an unwavering voice.

“I won’t abandon you. Never.”

Their shadows overlap.

With a sweet OST closing the episode, the viewer boards lit up.

– …They’re in love

– In-hwa x Min-sung, Ewha-won x Min Do-hyuk, I’m losing it

– Someone promising not to abandon, someone vowing to love one-sidedly (crying emoji)

– Already episode 6… Halfway done…

[Save Me, Hits 13.1% Peak Viewership!]

[Save Me, Will It Meet Viewership Goals?]

★★★

Days later, at the Save Me set.

It was a break after burning through my skills to keep up with the filming schedule.

I felt burned out, like ashes after a fire.

“I’m dying. Might die again.”

Muttering to myself, sitting blankly, the long-awaited status window appeared.

[Eraser in My Head: Due to regression penalties, memorizing lines takes time.]

[Per Sentence: 45 minutes]

‘…Reduced a lot.’

It dropped by a solid 4 minutes.

“Hello!”

Today was the final shoot for Save Me. Grappling with the unfamiliar feeling of a finale, Ko Eun-hyuk acted antsy, like a puppy needing to pee.

“…B-Bada-ya, aren’t you n-nervous?”

“About what?”

Glancing around, he whispered, “You and me… we kiss today.”

‘Oh, that’s why he’s shaking.’

Today’s shoot included Ewha-won and Min Do-hyuk’s kiss scene.

Thankfully, the “Hwa-Do couple” had gained many fans. They flooded communities and SNS, asking writer Lee Mi-na when the kiss would happen, resulting in today’s script.

To reward fans of the sub-couple, the finale included their desired kiss scene.

I tapped my cheek with my fingers.

“It’s just a cheek kiss.”

“Y-Yeah…”

“It’s just a quick peck. Why’re you like this?”

It wasn’t even a lip kiss, just a cheek peck, so no rehearsal was needed, and I wasn’t nervous.

Ko Eun-hyuk reminded me of a puppy, so I wasn’t worried.

“Uh? It’s… my first time.”

“What? First time?”

I scanned him up and down like he was a rare animal, making a tsk sound.

“…You?”

“…”

“Can’t believe it.”

“None?”

“Huh? Yeah, a lot.”

At my comment, Ko Eun-hyuk smiled with his lips but not his eyes.

“You’ve never dated, so how’d you act longing and love?”

“Me? I…”

He hadn’t thought about it, taking a long pause.

“Like giving love to a stray cat.”

“Hey, Ko Eun-hyuk.”

True, over 12 episodes, Ewha-won and Min Do-hyuk never had dating scenes or even much screen time together. It was all Min Do-hyuk’s kidnappings and imprisonments…

Their love was a pure, childhood-born devotion, so Lee Mi-na thought romance wouldn’t fit.

It worked out well.

Lucky guy.

“Then keep thinking of me as a stray cat.”

“…Well.”

He hesitated, about to say something.

“If I kiss your cheek, I might lose it.”

“You, Ko Eun-hyuk?”

“Yeah. So, can we rehearse?”

Rehearse.

If Min Do-hyuk, who’s all about pure love, turns into a trembling Ko Eun-hyuk after a kiss, it’d be a character break.

But…

‘Rehearse someone’s lips touching my face?’

Even if he says it’s like with a stray cat, that’s a bit…

“Bada-ssi! Eun-hyuk-ssi!”

No time to rehearse—filming started.

Waiting by our marks, I sat on steps by the Han River, glancing at him and saying casually, “Eun-hyuk-ah, do it naturally.”

“Huh?”

“Naturally.”

“…..”

“Like with animals? How’s that?”

Smiling calmly at the river’s ripples, I said, “It’s our last shoot. A little character break’s fine, right?”

“…Oh.”

“Let’s enjoy wrapping it up.”

It’s the finale of Save Me and the start of their love—a bit of character break should be okay.

“Ewha-won and Min Do-hyuk’s final shoot! Let’s start!”

With the clapperboard’s snap, we entered the script’s world.

★★★

River breeze and countless lights twinkling on the dark Han River. Amid the dazzling scenery, their gazes lock as if only seeing each other.

Their softening eyes tickled a corner of my heart.

Ewha-won, long emotionless, doesn’t understand feelings.

But she knew one thing.

The meaningless time stolen by staring blankly at his face wasn’t a waste, not even a grain of sand.

This was love.

“…I love you.”

“……”

“If this is the feeling called love.”

At that, Min Do-hyuk kissed my cheek. A light peck, followed by them gazing at each other.

“I love you.”

His confession.

“Cut…! Save Me’s final shoot is done.”

Save Me’s last shoot wrapped.

We bowed to the applauding staff.

“Thank you!”

Hugging each passing staff member, we thanked them. Grateful people. Amazing people.

Director Kang Jo-jo approached, wiping tears.

“I’m glad I met you through this project, Bada-ssi.”

“Director…”

‘Why do I feel like crying?’

Biting my lip to hold back tears, I turned, wiping a few with the back of my hand.

“Bada-ssi, Eun-hyuk-ssi, here.”

A staff member handed us huge bouquets, filling my vision.

“For doing so well as rookies, we prepared this.”

Ko Eun-hyuk’s face was already a sea of tears.

“You worked hard, everyone.”

At that, I couldn’t hold back and let tears fall.

Hugging the bouquet, I smiled happily and shouted, “Thank you so much!”

The Im Bada of my past life, and the Im Bada of this second life, finally giving back, shouted with all her heart.

And so the filming of Save me ended.