"Third episode. Scene nine. Exterior. Neighborhood street. Early evening."

The script flowed into the next part, describing how the two walked side by side. Their pace wasn't rushed. There was no real destination in the script, so that means on the day of shooting, they just had to walk and walk until the director will be satisfied.

Minjae flipped to the next page carefully, and the reading started for them.

"So, what do you do on days you don't feel like doing anything?" Minjae asked.

Hayeon turned slightly in her seat, her voice steady as she read Sooyeon's reply.

"I read. I sit by the river. Sometimes I eat ice cream. Mostly, I just let myself be."

Minjae lifted his head slightly from the page as he read Minjae's response.

"That sounds nice."

"You don't think too much?"

"I think too much all the time," Hayeon's voice softened. "But I try not to do it every time. You know, sometimes it's hard." As she said those lines, she smiled softly and stared at Minjae, who was on the side.

There was another second of silence around the table.

The dialogue continued to flow between the two of them. It settled gently in the room, with people watching them closely.

The writer, who was seated quietly near the end of the table, glanced up at that. She didn't say anything, but she scribbled a note into her script and tapped her pen thoughtfully against the page.

There was a faint and satisfied smile on her lips.

The next few scenes showed Minjae spending more time around the guesthouse and the neighborhood. He bought groceries with the part-time worker. Had awkward but funny moments trying to fix the heater in his room. But it was the brief interactions with Hayeon that stood out.

They kept running into each other. They run at the market, at the library, near the bus stop. Each time, the lines between them became longer. Just by reading the lines, they already found it wholesome and funny.

Each time, the script left room for breath.

And the scene after the bookstore walk sealed it.

"Third episode. Scene twenty-two. Exterior. Riverbank. Late evening."

Minjae sat on a bench, eating a melted ice cream cone. He didn't know Hayeon would show up, but she did. She sat beside him without a word.

Then, she held out her hand. It was as if she was following the script where she would give him a cone of ice cream.

"You looked like you needed one," she said.

Minjae looked down at it, then at her.

"How did you know I'd be here?"

"I didn't," she said. "But you look quite sad."

There was no reply in the script.

Just silence.

The two of them sat there with unspoken thoughts.

Minjae read his next line:

"…Thank you for this."

Hayeon's reply was immediate. "It's nothing."

A hush fell over the room again. The others can't help but feel amazed as they stared at the two actors who were saying their lines.

Even with minimal actions, they could feel the tension and chemistry between the two.

It was truly fascinating.

The script reading for Winter's Ending continued with that same quiet rhythm. They were calm, unhurried, and full of energy.

Each page felt more lively than the last, and the cast began to find their footing, not just as actors reading lines, but as people slowly becoming their characters.

After the riverside ice cream scene, the next few segments introduced more of the town's places.

Minjae felt Iike the author did a good job of introducing the places more slowly.

Because of it, new characters were introduced.

The local café owner, a bright and sassy woman in her thirties, was played by someone Minjae had seen a lot before. Her lines were punchy and quick, balancing out the calmness of Joon and Sooyeon's personalities.

Another supporting character was the town's delivery guy. He got a comedic role, and his jokes and actions on the script were really the best. The young actor playing him delivered his lines with surprising nuance.

Between each new scene, soft reactions echoed around the table. There were quiet laughter, gentle sighs, and the occasional murmur of appreciation when a line hit just right.

The cast were starting to become familiar with one another, and a few of them were starting to become friends.

Minjae found himself responding not just with his voice, but with subtle reactions. His fingers tapped the page lightly during pauses. The acting for the character was surprisingly coming out naturally.

And Hayeon… Hayeon kept surprising him.

Every time her character spoke, it felt measured and genuine. It was as if, even in just a short time, she already knew her character well.

"Episode 3. Scene twenty-nine. Interior. Library. Rainy afternoon."

Sooyeon handed Joon a book. She didn't explain what it was. Just left it on the counter as he passed.

"You don't have to read it now," she said. "But someday, maybe."

And that was it. The script described Joon watching her walk away, the book resting lightly in his hands.

The dialogue was minimal, but the meaning ran deep.

As they neared the final scene for the morning reading, the production assistant at the front of the room stood and clapped her hands softly.

"We'll pause here for a lunch break," she announced. "Please don't leave the floor. We've prepared lunch in the other conference room beside this one. Feel free to help yourselves. We'll resume in about an hour."

Chairs scraped gently as the cast and staff began standing up, stretching and chatting among themselves.

"Finally! We're eating!"

"Omg, I'm so tired."

"Hahhh, finally we have a break."

"Thank you everyone!"

"Thank you!"

"Happy eating!"

The cast said out loud to one another.

Minjae blinked down at the script one last time before closing it. The pages already felt familiar. The ink smudged slightly under his thumb.

He stood and turned toward Hayeon.

"That was a really good scene," he said as he smiled at her. He knew that it was just right since Hayon did a good a job at her work.

She looked up from her notes.

"You too. That part with the ice cream… you really hit the tone right. It didn't feel rehearsed."

"Thanks," Minjae scratched the back of his neck lightly, smiling. "Maybe because I've had enough sad nights with ice cream in real life."

A soft and melodic laughter escaped from Hayeon's lips as she heard it

"Let's go eat, Minjae," she said, stepping aside so they could walk together to the adjoining room.

"Lets go."

On the next room, the lunch spread was neatly prepared.

There were trays of rice, grilled chicken, stir-fried vegetables, kimchi, tofu stew, and even a vegetarian option on the side. Drinks ranged from bottled water, soft drinks to barley tea. There was also neatly packed lunch boxes for those who wanted something light.

Everyone greeted one another more easily now.

The stiff air from earlier had faded and laughter carried between tables. Some of the veteran actors sat near the corner, exchanging light-hearted banter while eating.

Minjae bowed to a few familiar faces as he lined up for food, greeting the camera team and some of the script supervisors.

"Thank you for earlier, Minjae-ssi," one of them said with a nod. "Your voice really matched the tone of the opening scene." FindthesourceofthischapteratM|V|L-EMPYR.

"Thank you," he answered. "I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together."

He found himself seated at a small round table with Hayeon, Kang Siyoon, and the café owner actress, whose name, he learned, was Park Sejin.

Kang Siyoon, the teenage part-timer in the drama, looked a little more relaxed now than he had been during his stuttering introduction earlier.

"Hyung," Siyoon said suddenly, mid-bite. "That last scene? The one by the river? I almost forgot I was holding my script."

Minjae chuckled. "You'll get more used to that. It gets easier once the rhythm comes in."

Park Sejin leaned in, smiling. "You two have a good dynamic already. It's not too sweet, just very… real. You can't fake that kind of stillness."

Minjae nodded politely at the compliment, glancing at Hayeon beside him. She had been quietly eating but looked up when she noticed the attention.

"I think it's the script," she said modestly. "It gives room to breathe and improvise if we want."

They continued eating quietly, the conversation light and unforced. Even while eating, they can't help but talk to another. They were getting to know each other and letting their walls down just enough.

By the time lunch was over, most of the cast had already begun walking back to the main room. They were recharged, laughing, and even joking.

The once-silent space had warmed up completely.

Minjae walked slowly back to his seat, flipping his script open again.

The second half of the script reading was waiting for them.

And something in his chest buzzed gently with anticipation.

He couldn't wait to be close to the others more.