On stage, Ha-neul and Tae-oh stared at each other, thinking the doll hair chaos was finally over.
“This time is seriously the last. Let’s focus, okay?” Tae-oh said with way-too-big eyes.
Ha-neul took a deep breath and nodded, trying to look brave.
Lights up! They each grabbed their dolls and started the silly lines.
“My doll’s hair is glorious as always, right?”
Right then, a single strand of hair fell dramatically from Ha-neul’s doll to the floor.
The audience gasped in unison. Tae-oh shut his eyes, as if to summon patience from the universe, then grinned back at Ha-neul.
Embarrassed, Ha-neul tried to hide the doll—but too late, everyone saw it.
“Is this the same hair you tried to steal from me earlier?” Tae-oh improvised, deadpan.
Ha-neul burst out laughing. The audience cracked up along with her.
“I didn’t steal anything! It just fell off!”
“Really? Looked like you were trying to take it when I wasn’t looking.”
Their bickering bounced across the room. Offstage, Sujin and Jimin whooped and clapped.
Suddenly, the spotlight grew even brighter. From backstage, the stage manager shouted, “Last take for real this time!”
Both of them, as if rehearsed, inhaled for courage. Tae-oh glanced at Ha-neul, then quietly muttered,
“If we manage this without another blooper…I’ll confess my real feelings after the show.”
Ha-neul’s eyes went huge. Before she could answer, the music started up, and the backstage crew hustled around.
Just as they locked gazes and braced for the finale, another tuft of doll hair rolled across the floor.
This time, both lost it and burst out laughing.
The audience roared. Sujin yelled,
“Are you two actually dating?!”
As the reset sign flashed yet again, the two stood on stage—laughing, blushing, and nowhere near finishing the scene.