Tú Corea, mi mundo.

Character Continuity / Visual Reference · Alex · * 28-year-old Spanish man. · * Bright natural orange hair, always visible and well-groomed. · * Clearly visible, well-kept beard. · * Same face, identity, and proportions as previous chapters. · * Friendly, spontaneous, respectful. · * In this chapter, he is a little more thoughtful than usual, but never cold toward Seo-yeon. · * Casual work outfit: light-colored T-shirt, dark-blue overshirt, black trousers, white sneakers, backpack. · Han Seo-yeon · * 27-year-old South Korean actress. · * Long dark-brown hair, expressive dark-brown eyes, delicate features. · * Elegant and natural. · * Same face, identity, and proportions as previous chapters. · * Professional styling when appearing in promotional material. · * Outside work, simple and discreet clothing. · Daniel · * 29-year-old Spanish man, Alex's longtime best friend. · * Relaxed, observant, naturally humorous. · * Already knows Seo-yeon and understands that she is the "someone" Alex had mentioned. · Ji-eun · * Short purple hair. · * Alex's coworker at Aurora. · * Outgoing, playful, observant. · * Her interest in Alex remains subtle. · ⸻ · SCENE 1 — THE POSTER · LOCATION: Commercial street in Seoul, outside, near a bus stop. · TIME: Morning, approximately 8:20 AM. · LIGHTING: Clear natural morning light. · SETTING: Moderate traffic, commuters walking to work, buses moving along the avenue. · Alex walks toward Aurora with a backpack over one shoulder and a coffee in his hand. · He is distracted when something catches his attention. · A huge promotional poster covers the side of a bus shelter. · It's Seo-yeon. · But this isn't the Seo-yeon he knows. · She is standing beside a male actor, Kang Min-jae, the star of her new drama. · They are very close. · They aren't kissing. · He is slightly leaning toward her, and Seo-yeon looks at him with a soft, intimate expression. The composition clearly suggests a romantic relationship between their characters. · Below them: · "NEW DRAMA — BETWEEN US" · Alex stops. · He looks at the poster for several seconds. · He doesn't look angry. · Not exactly jealous either. · Just surprised. · A bus passes in front of the poster, blocking it for a moment. · When the poster becomes visible again, Alex is still looking at it. · His expression changes slightly, as if he's trying to understand why the image affected him more than he expected. · He lowers his eyes toward his coffee. · He takes a slow breath. · Then looks at the poster again. · ALEX · (to himself) · Okay, that's... a lot. · He continues walking toward Aurora. · After a few steps, he looks back one last time. · The poster is still there. · Alex continues on his way. · ⸻ · SCENE 2 — "IT'S PART OF THE JOB" · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment, design office, interior. · TIME: 9:10 AM. · LIGHTING: Bright, even office lighting. · SETTING: Designers working at their desks, computer screens glowing, employees moving between workstations. · Alex works at his computer. · Ji-eun approaches carrying several documents. · JI-EUN · Morning. · ALEX · Morning. · She puts the documents on his desk. · JI-EUN · Did you see the new campaign? · Alex looks up. · ALEX · Which one? · Ji-eun gives him a small smile. · JI-EUN · The Seo-yeon one. · Alex pauses. · ALEX · The poster? · JI-EUN · And the trailer. · She turns her phone slightly so he can see a screenshot. · JI-EUN · It's everywhere. · Alex looks at the image. · Seo-yeon and Kang Min-jae appear close together, playing a couple. · ALEX · Looks good. · JI-EUN · Right? · A pause. · Ji-eun studies him. · JI-EUN · You good? · Alex looks at her. · ALEX · Yeah. · JI-EUN · You sure? · ALEX · Yeah, why? · Ji-eun shrugs. · JI-EUN · You were staring at that picture like it personally offended you. · Alex lets out a small laugh. · ALEX · It didn't offend me. · JI-EUN · Good. · She picks up the documents. · Before walking away: · JI-EUN · For what it's worth... she's an actress. · ALEX · I know. · JI-EUN · Just checking. · Ji-eun walks away. · Alex looks at his screen again. · Then continues working. · ⸻ · SCENE 3 — THE TRAILER · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment, break room, interior. · TIME: 1:15 PM. · LIGHTING: Warm interior lighting. · SETTING: Coffee machines, small tables, a few employees coming and going. · Alex is having a coffee. · A television in the break room is playing the trailer for Between Us. · Seo-yeon appears in several scenes. · She laughs. · She runs through the rain. · She talks with Min-jae. · Then comes a scene where the two characters look at each other for several seconds. · There is no kiss. · But the chemistry is clearly designed to make viewers want to see them together. · Two employees watch the trailer. · EMPLOYEE 1 · Their chemistry's really good. · EMPLOYEE 2 · Everyone's gonna be talking about them. · Alex listens without saying anything. · The screen changes. · The title of the drama appears. · Alex finishes his coffee. · He stands up. · Before leaving, he looks at the television one last time. · Seo-yeon appears on screen, smiling. · Alex smiles slightly. · Not because the scene makes him comfortable. · Because he recognizes the woman he knows behind the actress he is watching. · He leaves the break room. · ⸻ · SCENE 4 — A NORMAL CONVERSATION · LOCATION: Aurora Entertainment, private exterior entrance. · TIME: 6:40 PM. · LIGHTING: Soft evening light between the surrounding buildings. · SETTING: Quiet side entrance, a few employees leaving work. · Seo-yeon exits the building with Mr. Park. · She sees Alex. · He is finishing a phone call. · When he sees her, he smiles. · ALEX · Hey. · SEO-YEON · Hi. · Mr. Park gives Alex a polite nod and remains at a respectful distance. · Seo-yeon looks at Alex. · SEO-YEON · How was your day? · ALEX · Busy. · SEO-YEON · Same here. · A brief pause. · Alex looks at her. · ALEX · Saw your poster this morning. · Seo-yeon smiles. · SEO-YEON · Already? · ALEX · Hard to miss it, honestly. · She laughs softly. · SEO-YEON · They're putting them up everywhere. · ALEX · Noticed. · Seo-yeon studies his expression. · SEO-YEON · Did you like it? · Alex takes a second before answering. · ALEX · You looked beautiful. · Seo-yeon smiles. · But she notices that he is more serious than usual. · SEO-YEON · But? · Alex shakes his head. · ALEX · No "but." · A pause. · ALEX · Just still getting used to your world, I guess. · Seo-yeon immediately understands what he means. · She doesn't become defensive. · She doesn't try to convince him of anything. · She simply nods. · SEO-YEON · It's strange from the outside. · ALEX · A little. · SEO-YEON · Honestly, sometimes it's strange from the inside too. · Alex smiles. · ALEX · That actually helps. · ⸻ · SCENE 5 — THE WOMAN AND THE CHARACTER · LOCATION: Small discreet café near Aurora, interior. · TIME: 7:10 PM. · LIGHTING: Warm, soft lighting. · SETTING: Few customers, separated tables, quiet music. · Alex and Seo-yeon sit across from each other. · This isn't a planned date. · They simply stopped for a drink before Seo-yeon has to leave. · Seo-yeon takes a sip of her coffee. · SEO-YEON · Min-jae's really professional, at least. · ALEX · Figured he would be. · SEO-YEON · Funnier than he seems in interviews too. · ALEX · Good for him. · She smiles. · SEO-YEON · You're not asking me anything. · Alex looks up. · ALEX · You want me to? · SEO-YEON · No. · A pause. · SEO-YEON · Actually... maybe. · Alex waits. · SEO-YEON · Are you uncomfortable? · Alex thinks about his answer. · ALEX · A little. · Seo-yeon nods. · She doesn't look offended. · ALEX · Not because of him. · She looks at him. · ALEX · I get that it's your job. · A pause. · ALEX · I think I'm just realizing this is what your life looks like sometimes. · Seo-yeon lowers her eyes toward her coffee. · SEO-YEON · Yeah. · ALEX · And millions of people get to watch it happen. · SEO-YEON · Unfortunately. · Alex laughs. · She laughs too. · ALEX · I don't want you to change anything. · Seo-yeon looks at him. · ALEX · I just needed a minute to figure out how I feel about it. · Seo-yeon watches him silently. · SEO-YEON · And how do you feel? · Alex gives a small smile. · ALEX · Still working on it. · She nods. · SEO-YEON · That's fair. · ⸻ · SCENE 6 — WHAT'S BEHIND THE CAMERA · LOCATION: Outside the café, quiet street. · TIME: 7:55 PM. · LIGHTING: Early night, streetlights turned on. · SETTING: Distant traffic, only a few pedestrians. · They walk slowly toward Mr. Park's car. · Seo-yeon keeps her hands in her coat pockets. · SEO-YEON · There's something you should know. · Alex looks at her. · SEO-YEON · When I'm working, sometimes I have to fake feelings that aren't really mine. · ALEX · I know. · SEO-YEON · Do you, though? · Alex looks at her with a small smile. · ALEX · I design posters for a living. · She laughs quietly. · ALEX · I know the difference between the picture and the person. · Seo-yeon remains silent for a few seconds. · SEO-YEON · That's probably why it's easy telling you this. · Alex nods. · ALEX · Good. · They reach the car. · Seo-yeon stops before getting in. · SEO-YEON · And for the record... · Alex waits. · SEO-YEON · I don't look at him the way I look at you. · Silence. · Alex becomes completely still. · Seo-yeon realizes what she just said. · Her cheeks turn slightly red. · SEO-YEON · I mean— · Alex smiles. · ALEX · Got it. · She smiles too, slightly embarrassed. · SEO-YEON · Good. · Mr. Park opens the car door. · Seo-yeon gets inside. · Before closing the door, she looks at Alex. · SEO-YEON · Good night. · ALEX · Night. · The door closes. · The car begins to pull away. · Alex remains on the sidewalk. · This time, he doesn't watch the car. · He looks up at the city around him. · Then he smiles to himself. · Not because he has everything figured out. · But because, somehow, he feels a little less like an outsider in Seo-yeon's world. · END OF CHAPTER 18