Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

81, Two different kissing scenes

Inside MBC's film studio, the air seemed to freeze.

The once noisy scene was now so quiet that only the faint hum of the machines could be heard. Director Kim Do-hoon sat behind the monitor, his hand tightly gripping the walkie-talkie, his breathing almost imperceptible.

This is the most important scene in the entire series—

This kiss marks a crucial turning point for both sides, and the resurgence of ratings phenomenal success hinges on this one kiss.

Li Jingcheng was dressed in an elaborate ancient royal robe, holding in his hand the pair of jade hairpins that had been separated for eight years as a token of their love.

Opposite him was Han Ga-in, who played Heo Yeon-woo.

Han Jiaren's state at this moment was strange. She just stood there quietly, her eyes somewhat unfocused, yet incredibly focused.

The moment Li Jingcheng gently inserted the jade hairpin that belonged to her back into her hair bun, Han Jiaren felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand.

"Your Highness..."

She called out softly, her voice devoid of any pretense, only revealing the pent-up resentment, waiting, and trembling of something lost and then regained after eight years of suppression.

The moment Lee Kyung-sung reached out and his fingertips touched her cheek, Han Ga-in closed her eyes.

This is not acting.

She truly felt that reunion that transcended time and space. She thought of the longing she felt during the days they were apart, of the nights she spent thinking of him but unable to see him.

"call--"

As their breaths drew nearer, Lee Kyung-sung's lips pressed down.

In that instant, Han Jiaren's previously stiff and waiting body completely softened. She didn't respond as scripted, but rather with a gentle kiss, a kiss tinged with the nervous anticipation of something lost and then regained.

Han Jiaren grabbed Lee Kyung-sung's clothes tightly with both hands and deepened the kiss almost greedily.

It was a longing that had been building up for many years, and Li Xuan's complete dependence on the man in front of her.

Her eyelashes trembled violently, and even physiological tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. This kiss was no longer the fleeting ritual of a dragonfly skimming the water in a period drama, but a possessive and affirming act that bordered on despair.

"Cut!"

Director Kim Do-hoon's voice rang out from the loudspeaker, breaking the thick silence in the courtyard.

Han Jiaren suddenly woke up with a start, and their lips finally parted, leaving a very thin, glistening silver thread between them.

She then realized she had gotten a little too into character, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She hurriedly released her grip, looking at Li Jingcheng with a shy expression.

Li Jingcheng simply smiled and gently tidied her slightly disheveled hair. He hadn't quite reacted at the time; it was his first time being forcibly kissed. However, looking at Han Jiaren's classically beautiful face and the alluring beauty mark on her nose, he didn't think being forcibly kissed was a big deal.

Kim Do-hoon stared intently at the monitor's playback, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

The close-up shots clearly captured every detail.

Lee Kyung-sung's kiss was initially restrained and tentative, but when he touched Han Ga-in's full lips, he instantly transformed the gentle, light kiss into a possessive, passionate kiss.

Some have reversed the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

"Let's do one more take." Kim Do-hoon hesitated for a moment, but decided to do another take. "This kiss scene is good on its own, but the emotional build-up is too fast. The audience has been waiting for this moment for seventeen episodes, and we can't let them down."

Kim Do-hoon glanced at the script, instructed the production assistants to take a short break, then turned to Lee Kyung-sung and Han Ga-in, and said with a smile, "Let's do another version with some restraint, try to bring back that feeling of a tender, light kiss after a long separation."

Li Jingcheng composed himself for a moment, then nodded slightly. He didn't seem to have any resistance to kissing scenes; he didn't mind taking as many takes as he wanted.

His gaze fell on Han Jiaren beside him, a hint of interest hidden in his eyes. Now, thinking back, he could almost taste the mint gum on Han Jiaren's breath, while he, on the other hand, had everything prepared for him.

Han Jiaren noticed his gaze, smiled slightly, then spat out her chewing gum, tidied her hair and shrine maiden attire, and moved back to the stone railing.

The stage manager claps the clapperboard to start the machine.

Lee Kyung-sung bent down, his heavy royal robes casting a huge shadow in the night, completely enveloping Han Ga-in.

He stretched out his long, slender fingers and gently brushed away the undried tear stains on her cheeks. The slightly cool touch of his fingertips made Han Jiaren involuntarily flinch.

Those deep eyes glistened with tiny tears, as if emotions suppressed for eight years had finally found an outlet.

Li Jingcheng slowly moved closer.

Han Jiaren closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled restlessly like butterfly wings, and her breathing became rapid and erratic as she awaited the touch that was eight years overdue.

"puff--"

Li Jingcheng's lips finally fell.

This time it was a soft, gentle, and tender touch.

Gentle, dry, with a hint of tentative, cautious touch. Just like that boy under the pear tree years ago, clumsily yet tenderly touching her lips.

Han Jiaren's previously tense body completely softened in that instant.

She felt the warmth travel from her lips, burning all the way into her heart. A thin layer of tears welled up in her eyes involuntarily, and her eyelashes trembled uncontrollably, like fragile flower petals in the wind.

Her hands, which had been hanging by her sides, slowly rose and gently pressed against his firm chest, without pushing him away.

Even through several layers of thick costume fabric, Han Ga-in could still feel his equally intense heartbeat in his chest.

Their noses were almost touching, their breaths mingling, making it impossible to distinguish one another.

The staff at the scene held their breath.

In front of the monitor, director Kim Do-hoon stared intently at the screen, his eyes even turning a little red.

"That's it..." he whispered into the walkie-talkie, "Don't move, just stay like that."

At that moment, time seemed to stand still. There were no lines, no movements, only two lovers under the moonlight, confirming each other's existence in the quietest way.

Han Jiaren's hand, pressed against Li Jingcheng's chest, had her fingers slightly curled. It wasn't a gesture written in the script; it was her subconscious physiological reaction.

"Cut! Perfect!"

Kim Do-hoon leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. He took off his headphones, his face beaming with the ecstatic joy of winning a bet.

Screenwriter Chen Xiuwan pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the monitor light. "That shot just now, the way Jiaren's eyelashes trembled, and Jingcheng's restrained kiss... My God, the audience will go crazy seeing that!"

The frozen frame on the monitor finally started moving.

Lee Kyung-sung slowly took a step back, ending the kiss.

Han Jiaren also opened her eyes, their lips pressed tightly together for a long time, her cheeks flushed with an alluring blush unique to those who have been kissed.

Li Jingcheng looked down at her, his fingertips gently wiping away the moisture from the corner of her lips.

"Nuna..." he whispered, his voice hoarse, with a husky, magnetic quality that suggested he had survived a catastrophe.

Han Jiaren's eyes were initially misty with tears, but the focus gradually sharpened and landed on Li Jingcheng's face, which was very close to hers.

She didn't push him away immediately, nor did she say anything; she just looked at him quietly.

"The director yelled 'Cut.'" Han Ga-in, seemingly having composed herself and stepped out of character, finally spoke, her voice incredibly soft and sweet, with a slight nasal tinge from recent crying.

"I know." Li Jingcheng smiled, a roguish smile playing on his lips.