Tú Corea, mi mundo.

CHARACTER CONTINUITY · Alex — 28-year-old Spanish man. · Graphic and visual designer at Aurora Entertainment. Naturally bright orange hair, clearly visible at all times. Clearly visible, well-kept beard. Friendly, spontaneous, curious, respectful, and humorous. Alex is not aware that his photo with Ji-eun could cause any particular reaction. · Han Seo-yeon — 27-year-old South Korean actress. · Long dark-brown hair, expressive dark-brown eyes, delicate features, warm reserved smile. Elegant, private, observant, emotionally mature. After what happened at Namsan, she is beginning to realize that Alex's presence has become important to her, although she does not define it as romantic yet. · Ji-eun — Aurora coworker. · Short purple hair, outgoing, friendly, curious personality. She has a subtle romantic interest in Alex, but she does not express it openly. Alex sees her as a good friend and coworker. · ⸻ · SCENE 1 — A NEW ASSIGNMENT · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment office, Seoul. · TIME: Morning, approximately 9:30 AM. · LIGHTING: Natural light coming through large windows mixed with bright office lighting. · SETTING: Graphic design and marketing office. Computers, screens displaying campaign materials, graphic samples, and promotional material. · Alex sits at his computer reviewing designs. · His manager approaches carrying a folder. · MANAGER: · Alex. · Alex looks up. · ALEX: · Yeah? · The manager places the folder on his desk. · MANAGER: · Got anything major going on this week? · Alex looks at his screen. · ALEX: · Depends. Why? · The manager opens the folder. · Inside is information about an advertising campaign for a Spanish actress hired to appear in a Korean commercial. · MANAGER: · We've got a campaign in Busan. · Alex looks through the documents. · MANAGER: · Aurora has an office there, but the local team's Spanish isn't quite strong enough. · Alex raises an eyebrow. · ALEX: · Ah. · MANAGER: · So we want to send you. · Alex looks up. · ALEX: · Me? · MANAGER: · You speak Spanish, English, and you're already working directly on the visual side of this project. Saves us a headache. · Alex looks through the folder again. · ALEX: · How long? · MANAGER: · A few days. · Alex closes the folder. · ALEX: · Well... Busan doesn't sound too bad. · ⸻ · SCENE 2 — TWO PASSENGERS · LOCATION: Seoul Station, KTX departure area. · TIME: Two days later, approximately 8:00 AM. · LIGHTING: Bright station lighting mixed with morning sunlight coming through the glass walls. · SETTING: Busy train station with passengers carrying luggage, departure screens, and constant movement. · Alex walks through the station with a small suitcase and a black backpack. · His bright orange hair stands out among the crowd. · He reaches the platform and checks his ticket. · Suddenly, he hears a familiar voice behind him. · JI-EUN: · Alex? · Alex turns around. · Ji-eun is standing there with a suitcase. · ALEX: · What are you doing here? · JI-EUN: · I was about to ask you the same thing. · Alex points at his suitcase. · ALEX: · Work. · Ji-eun holds up her ticket. · JI-EUN: · Same here. · They look at each other for a moment. · ALEX: · I had no idea you were coming. · JI-EUN: · Neither did I, about you. · Alex smiles. · ALEX: · Well... at least I won't be doing this alone. · Ji-eun smiles. · JI-EUN: · Does that mean you're happy to see me? · ALEX: · Let's not get ahead of ourselves. · She lightly bumps his shoulder as she walks past him. · JI-EUN: · Come on, designer. · Alex follows her. · ⸻ · SCENE 3 — BUSAN · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment office, Busan. · TIME: Noon, approximately 12:30 PM. · LIGHTING: Natural daylight combined with bright office lights. · SETTING: Smaller office than the Seoul headquarters. The local team is preparing campaign materials while several screens display visual references. · Alex and Ji-eun work with the local team. · Alex studies several graphic proposals. · ALEX: · I think we can simplify this. · A coworker approaches. · COWORKER: · Too much going on? · ALEX: · A little. · Alex points at the screen. · ALEX: · The actress is already going to pull enough attention on her own. We don't need the design fighting her for it. · Ji-eun watches from the other side of the table. · JI-EUN: · He's got a point. · Alex looks at her. · ALEX: · Thank you. · JI-EUN: · Don't get used to it. · Alex smiles. · Later, while reviewing campaign material, Ji-eun watches him work. · JI-EUN: · You're really locked in right now. · ALEX: · Is that a good thing? · JI-EUN: · Yeah. · A brief pause. · JI-EUN: · Guess you actually love this job. · Alex thinks for a moment. · ALEX: · Yeah. · He looks at the screen. · ALEX: · More than I expected when I first came here. · Ji-eun smiles. · ⸻ · SCENE 4 — DINNER FOR TWO · LOCATION: Casual Korean restaurant near the hotel. · TIME: Evening, approximately 8:30 PM. · LIGHTING: Warm, soft restaurant lighting. · SETTING: Quiet restaurant with small tables, Korean dishes on the table, and a few other customers having dinner. · Alex and Ji-eun sit across from each other. · They have almost finished eating. · Ji-eun suddenly picks up her phone. · JI-EUN: · Wait. · Alex looks at her. · ALEX: · What? · Ji-eun points the camera toward them. · JI-EUN: · I need proof this trip had a few good moments too. · ALEX: · You're taking a picture? · JI-EUN: · Yep. · ALEX: · Don't tag me. · Ji-eun laughs. · JI-EUN: · Why not? · Alex points at his hair. · ALEX: · This hair gets enough attention as it is. · Ji-eun takes the picture. · They are both smiling with the food on the table. · She posts it. · JI-EUN: · Done. · ALEX: · Already? · JI-EUN: · Already. · Alex goes back to drinking his water. · He doesn't seem to think anything of it. · Ji-eun looks at him for a moment. · JI-EUN: · You really never check your social media, do you? · ALEX: · Sometimes. · JI-EUN: · That's weird. · ALEX: · Bad weird? · JI-EUN: · No. · She smiles. · JI-EUN: · Just different. · Alex says nothing. · ⸻ · SCENE 5 — A PHOTOGRAPH · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment headquarters, Seoul. · TIME: Afternoon, approximately 4:30 PM. · LIGHTING: Warm late-afternoon sunlight coming through the office windows. · SETTING: Office hallway. Employees walk in and out of meeting rooms. · Seo-yeon walks through the hallway with a member of her team. · Two employees are talking near a coffee machine. · EMPLOYEE 1: · Did you see what Ji-eun posted? · EMPLOYEE 2: · The picture from Busan? · EMPLOYEE 1: · Yeah. · Seo-yeon continues walking. · Then she hears one sentence. · EMPLOYEE 2: · She's with Alex. · Seo-yeon slows down slightly. · She doesn't turn around. · EMPLOYEE 1: · They look pretty close. · Seo-yeon keeps walking. · A few seconds later, she enters an empty room. · She takes out her phone. · She opens Instagram. · She searches for Ji-eun. · She finds the post. · The photograph appears on the screen. · Ji-eun and Alex sitting together at the restaurant. · Both smiling. · Nothing more. · There is nothing objectively romantic about the picture. · Seo-yeon looks at it. · One second. · Two. · Three. · She locks her phone. · Then unlocks it again. · She looks at the picture once more. · Her expression changes slightly. · She doesn't look angry. · More like... surprised by her own reaction. · Finally, she puts her phone away. · ⸻ · SCENE 6 — THE LAST NIGHT · LOCATION: Outside the hotel in Busan, beside a small pedestrian plaza. · TIME: Night, approximately 10:30 PM. · LIGHTING: Warm streetlights and the lights of nearby buildings. · SETTING: Quiet area outside the hotel. Cars occasionally pass on the nearby street while the city remains active. · Alex and Ji-eun walk back toward the hotel after dinner. · JI-EUN: · Long day. · ALEX: · Very. · They reach the hotel entrance. · Ji-eun stops. · JI-EUN: · I'm glad you came on this trip. · Alex looks at her. · ALEX: · Yeah? Because of the trip? · Ji-eun gives him a small smile. · JI-EUN: · That too. · Alex laughs. · ALEX: · Glad you came too. · She holds his gaze for a moment. · It seems like she wants to say something else. · But instead, she smiles. · JI-EUN: · Night, Alex. · ALEX: · Night. · Ji-eun enters the hotel. · Alex stays outside for a moment. · Then he follows her inside. · ⸻ · SCENE 7 — A MESSAGE · LOCATION: Seo-yeon's apartment, Seoul. · TIME: Night, approximately 11:45 PM. · LIGHTING: Dim warm light from a lamp beside the sofa. The lights of Seoul are visible through the large windows. · SETTING: Quiet apartment. Seo-yeon sits alone on the sofa with her phone in her hand. · Seo-yeon opens Instagram. · The photograph of Ji-eun and Alex appears again. · She looks at it. · She closes the app. · She opens her conversation with Alex. · She types: · SEO-YEON: · "How's everything going?" · She stares at the message. · Deletes it. · She types again: · SEO-YEON: · "Hope the trip's going well." · She looks at it. · Deletes that too. · She sighs softly. · She locks her phone. · She places it on the table. · A few seconds pass. · PING. · Seo-yeon looks at the phone. · It's Alex. · ALEX: · "Today was a pretty long day." · Seo-yeon smiles slightly. · She types: · SEO-YEON: · "Did you survive?" · The reply arrives almost immediately. · ALEX: · "Barely." · Seo-yeon quietly laughs. · She looks at the screen. · For the first time that night, she looks completely relaxed. · END OF CHAPTER 12.