She finally saw him grinning from ear to ear as he pulled out the yellow leaf from his script book.
Chapter 2:Pair of Autumn
Haley felt like a medieval princess as she rode a young brown horse down the beach. The crisp morning air whooshed against her face. She was greeted by the revitalizing sound of waves.
"Ah! So pretty! Yeppuda!" she smiled.
Suddenly, she let go off the reins and put her hands out in the air. Little did she know, the horse trotted a little faster. She tried to hold the reins but she immediately lost her balance and fell off the horse.
"Omo! Gwaenchanayo?" the horse trainer panicked. He jumped off his horse and ran to helped her to get up.
"Yeah, I'm okay! Nan gwaenchana!" Haley nodded. She suddenly burst out laughing. She had never felt kiddish for a long time.
Haley got back on her trusty steed and followed the trainer back to horse park. She grabbed her purse which was safely stored at the cashier's and took out her phone. 10am flashed on the lock screen.
"I wonder if Jamie's still filming." she thought.
She walked back to the campsite which was not far from the beach and spotted a busy filming set. Among the actors and staff, Haley noticed Jamie at a row of chairs. This time, his hair was down and flat. His wet-like fringe covered his eyelids as he read his script book in full concentration. Haley loved that humble-like hairstyle. It made him look like a down-to-earth gentleman.
The director held a white megaphone and called out his name. Jamie bit his lip nervously, but he put his script down and went to the set.
Haley tiptoed to the row of chairs where the actors were to sit and watched as Jamie stood next to two main actors. She suddenly felt a light tap on her right shoulder.
"Are you looking for someone?" a male voice made her jump.
Haley gasped and saw a man who looked older than Jamie. She recognized him from last night.
"Oh! I'm just visiting Jamie."
"I knew it!" he smiled, "You must be the girl he talked to last night!"
"Oh! You knew?'
"He told us about you after you went to your tent," he winked, "He couldn't stop thinking about you."
Haley could feel her cheeks grew hot.
"I'm Gary, by the way. Jamie's my junior." he held out his hand, "You're Haley, right?"
"Yup, that's right." she shook his hand.
"You can stick around if you want." Gary said, "Oh! We have way too many cups of latte over there. Our director has bought forty cups instead of thirty, and some of them are decaffeinated."
"Hmm...I don't know if your director has ordered Matcha lattes, because I'm craving for one."
"Oh, we do have a couple actually!"
"Awesome!"
"I'll get one for you, you can sit on Jamie's chair." he offered, "Oh! You can just put his script book under it."
"Okay, sure!" Haley replied.
Gary jogged to a table at a far end of the set to search for her latte. Haley watched at the scene like a lucky fan. Jamie seemed to remember his lines well, but he looked nervous that he almost stutter.
Wanting to cheer him on, she fished in her purse for her pen and wrote "Fighting" with a smiley face and her name on one of the pages where Jamie had highlighted his lines. She then picked a yellow leaf under the chair and slipped it in the script book.
"Here you go, Haley!" Gary returned with a grande cup. The aroma of green tea was strong enough to crawl into her nostrils.
"Thank you! Kamsahamnida!" she smiled while taking the piping goodness.
"Don't mention it."
"I'm just gonna do a little bit of writing. Do you have an available table...by any chance?"
"Hmm..maybe the scriptwriters won't mind letting you use his table."
"That'll be great!"
"You sure you don't wanna sit at Jamie's chair?"
"Neh, he probably needs to sit back here soon."
Minutes later, Haley was sitting at a table and her notebook was on top of the scriptwriter's drafts and notes. She finally saw him grinning from ear to ear as he pulled out the yellow leaf from his script book. Gary who walked towards him, pointed at Haley as he spoke to him. Surprised and happy, Jamie looked to the direction and waved at Haley. "Thank you." he mouthed as he held up his book with the message facing front and the leaf. Haley returned with a thumbs-up.
After another two hours to filming, the director's megaphone blared out a wailing BEEP.
"What's going on?" Haley asked.
"It's lunchtime! Finally, I could use a big plate of Jajangmyun!" one of the stylists said.
"Ah! That's black bean sauce noodles right? It's been a while since I had that!"
"Really? Then, today is your lucky day!" the stylist said as she pointed to another table full of plastic containers.
"Haley!" Jamie shouted as he ran to her. Beads of sweat dripped on his forehead.
"How have you been?" Haley laughed.
"Ugh, tiring! But it's been fun!"
"Shall we?" she asked as she handed him one of the containers.
The two sat at the chairs and impatiently opened their boxes.
"Oh my gosh! I haven't had these in a long time!" Haley squealed.
"You don't have Jajangmyun back in Vancouver?"
"I heard that there are a few stores who sell these but I've never had the chance to try one!" She got her chopstick ready but suddenly paused and looked up in the sky.
"Crap, I forgot how to say "looks delicious" in Korean!"
"It's mashita." Jamie giggled.
"Right! Right! Mashita!" Haley laughed.
"Jalmuggetsumnida!" Jamie quoted.
"Ah! I always forget to say that!" Haley squinted her eyes.
"Looks like you're not used to the Korean custom." Jamie teased.
"Well, that's why I'm here, to gain back my roots."
"Good for you."
Haley'e eyes bulged like saucers after she had her first slurp of the famous delicacy.
"OMG this is like the best noodles I've ever tasted in my whole life!"
Jamie hooted that he almost dropped his container.
"Wow! Your reaction is priceless! I should have record you seconds ago!"
"Don't you dare!" Haley shot back, and continued indulging the noodles.
Jamie ate his too but he couldn't stop staring at the way Haley pouted when noodles slithered into her mouth like a hungry child.
"Kyeopta!" Jamie said softly.
They ate their lunch happily when ten minutes later, Gary came towards them with the drama's leading actress.
"Hey, guys! This is Kelly, she plays the protagonist in the drama." Gary introduced.
"Annyeong haseyo! It's nice to meet you!" she bowed.
"Nice to meet you too." Haley bowed back.
"Kelly plays my sister in the series. She's pretty good." Jamie said.
"Well I wouldn't consider myself as "pretty good" but, I'm just doing my best. Kelly shrugged.
Jamie was about to take another big slurp of his noodles when his peripheral vision caught Haley's container which was empty.
"Omo! You're done?" he gasped.
Haley wiped her mouth with a napkin and shoved her box at Jamie's nose proudly.
"Just to let you know, I'm a fast eater."
"Goodness, it's like you're breaking a world record."
"You know, you two look like a couple." Kelly commented.
Jamie forced his mouth closed, trying not to spit out his mouthful of Jajangmyun.
"What are you talking about? We're not dating." Haley said.
"But you two look comfortable with each other. You two literally look like a perfect match." Gary agreed.
Jamie peeked at Haley, her cheeks were strawberry pink that she lowered her head so that her shoulder-length hair covered her face. She could hear Gary and Kelly gigging.
"Quit it, guys! Lunch time is almost over." Jamie said while finishing his food.
* * *
"So what do you think?" Jamie asked.
"Huh?"
"Gary and Kelly said we look like a couple."
"You think you can actually believe in them?"
"I'm kind of wondering if that's true."
Haley looked at Jamie in disbelief. Aside from the soft sand they walked on and the captivating sunset that embellished Jeju island, Haley was surprised that Jamie was actually taking his colleagues' comment seriously.
"What? Are you denying that we're not a good match?" Jamie noticed her look.
'It's just that,..we just met!"
"So?"
"What do you mean "so"? It's a little too soon to go on a date!"
"Oh heck no, you're not one of those people who doesn't believe in love at first sight or destiny, are you?"
Haley stopped.
"I guess I haven't experienced it yet."
"Well, I believe you do now."
"Huh?"
Jamie turned back and placed both hands on Haley's shoulders. There was it again. Her heart was beating so fast she could ever hear her heartbeat.
"When I first saw you at the campsite last night, I sensed that you're special. And I wanted to get to know you, not only as a friend but something more."
Haley opened her mouth but nothing came out.
"I like you, Haley." Jamie said as he looked at her straight in the eyes.
Haley was once again immersed into the charming, honest hues that shaded around his beautiful brown eyes.
"No one has ever said that to me before." Haley replied.
"If you don't mind, I want to take you out for dinner...or maybe a movie or whatever that defines an ideal first date."
"Um...well..I'm not sure..."
"So you're saying you don't want go out with me?"
"No, it's just that...I...I don't know!"
"How about this..." he said as he pulled out his phone from his pocket, "If you've come up with an idea for our first date, you can text me anytime this week."
"And what if I don't?"
"Come on! Stop playing hard to get! You know you want to!"
"No, seriously, what if I don't text you."
"Then I'll be hunting for you."
"Ha! Yeah right!"
"Hyo Hae, really, don't mess with me, I hope we can do this."
"All right then." Haley nodded.
"Besides...you're the one who did this." he mentioned as he pulled out his script book from his backpack.He flipped to one of the pages and showed her the leaf.
Haley's left wrist hit against a small part of her notebook which was sticking out of her unzipped purse. She pulled it out and took out the leaf Jamie had given her last night.
"We thought of the same thing to our dreams." he held his leaf closer to Haley's, The two fall colours camouflaged with the evening glow.
Haley immediately remembered that last moment when he suggested the leaf for her writing.
A small thing like this can be used as a tab to help you keep track. You know, like a bookmark. A supporter.
"I guess I was thinking about what you've told me that night once I slipped in the yellow leaf to your script book." Haley admitted.
"Yeah, that's why I thought we were...well. destined to be together.
Haley gazed at Jamie, his sleek jawline was exposed as he watched the sinking sun. Jamie turned to face her three seconds later. Their eyes locked for what seemed like forever, but Haley quickly stuffed her notebook back into her bag and said, "I...uh..better get back to the campsite."
"Why? It's only 6:30?" Jamie frowned.
"I have to leave early tomorrow. I have to prepare for my interview at Seoultizen."
You have an interview tomorrow? I thought you already got the job."
"Well, it's kind of like an orientation. They want to see whether I can write in a "Seoultizen" way."
"So it's like an entrance exam?"
"Well, yeah kind of, it's like giving them the first impression."
"Ah, I see."
Jamie decided to escort her back to her tent.
"Are you and your team gonna do barbecue again tonight?" Haley asked.
"No, we'll be going to Baozen Street instead."
"Oh! You guys will go drinking?"
"Well, they are. But I'm not gonna do that."
"Wait, you don't drink?"
Jamie shook his head.
"At all?"
"My whole family doesn't drink."
"Oh my gosh, so does mine!"
"No way!"
They laughed as soon as they arrived. The sky was transformed to a black heaven with its cluster of stars. Gary shortly stepped out of a tent and caught up with Jamie, "Yo! Where have you been? Everyone's waiting for you, lost boy."
"Oh! It's time already!"
"Ah, chincha. Come on! Let's move!" Gary nagged.
"I guess I'll text you then." Haley waved goodbye.
"You will?" Jamie asked.
"Mmm...maybe." Haley smiled, "I have to pack my stuff now."
"What about dinner?"
"Don't worry about me, Ramen's on my menu tonight."
"Now that's typical Korean!" Jamie laughed.
"I'm catching up, eh?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"JAMIEEEEEEE!" Gary yelled.
"Gotta go! I'll be looking forward to your text!" Jamie smiled and jogged away.
She watched with glee as the guy apologized in Korean repeatedly to Gary. She then started a fire, cooked instant noodles, and continued on her story draft. Unfortunately, instead of flipping the writer's switch on, all her mind displayed was her day with Jamie.
"Geez, guess it can't be helped huh." Haley groaned.
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