Noah had known Desire Kiss would include kissing scenes.
But what he didn't expect was that on his very first day of acting, his first on-screen moment would be—kissing the film emperor.
And not just a polite peck.
It involved tongue.
The crew was resetting the scene, actors chatting behind the monitors. Sarah flipped through the script, saying to the director, "Scene eighteen might need another take. Try the 'kiss then pull away' angle—more emotional conflict."
The director nodded. "Sounds good. Let's have Asher and Noah go again. This time, don't hold back. Full emotion."
Noah had just taken a sip of water and nearly choked.
He looked over at Asher.
Asher was still reading the script, lazily twirling a pen between his fingers. When he heard the director's instruction, he didn't even lift his head—just answered with a calm, "I'll lead."
"You can improvise," the director added with a grin. "As long as he can keep up."
Noah's hand paused midair, still holding the water bottle.
The set was rearranged, and the audition room fell quiet again.
The lights came back on. The air felt warmer now.
Noah stood in the makeshift "apartment hallway" set, wearing a white shirt, a few strands of hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. In front of the camera, he looked clean, innocent—just like the script's version of a college student with zero dating experience.
Asher approached from the other side, gaze steady. As he walked, his finger brushed across his lips like he was calculating a line—or maybe, how exactly to kiss someone.
"Hit your marks," he said in a low voice, unreadable.
Noah backed into position, standing against the wall, trying to steady his heartbeat. He knew the scene: kiss, then push away.
What he wasn't prepared for… was for the film emperor to kiss him with tongue.
"Action!"
As soon as the director spoke, Asher moved in.
One hand braced the wall near Noah's head, his body leaning in close.
"Why won't you answer my calls?" he said, reciting the line.
Noah looked up, lips parting slightly. "I… I didn't know how to face you."
"Then what are you hiding from?"
Asher's voice was soft, so close it brushed his lips—just enough to feel like static in the air.
Noah instinctively tried to step back, but the wall was already behind him.
And then came the kiss.
—Not a symbolic brush of lips between actors.
—A real kiss.
Noah's eyes flew wide open as he felt Asher's lips land on his. The pressure wasn't hard, but it was firm—undeniably real.
Just when he thought that was it—just a short touch—
Asher moved his tongue.
The tip slid lightly along the seam of Noah's lips, nudging gently, coaxing his teeth apart, and then—it slid inside.
It was bold. It was slow. And it caught him completely off guard.
Noah's mind went blank, buzzing like static.
His body froze. No time to react.
The kiss lasted maybe one minute—but it felt like forever.
He didn't know where to place his hands, his lashes trembling wildly, breath messy, completely forgetting to even close his eyes. By the time he remembered the script told him to "push away," Asher had already pulled back.
Click. The camera stopped.
"Cut! That's the one," the director called out. "Good work."
Noah stayed frozen.
The tips of his ears burned. His face felt on fire. He wasn't sure if his lips were swollen, but they felt like they might be. His throat was dry.
Asher walked back to the monitors like nothing had happened.
Leaving Noah standing there, alone.
They broke for ten minutes.
Noah rushed to the bathroom.
He splashed cold water on his face three times before daring to look in the mirror.
His lower lip was slightly red, even a little swollen—like someone had gently bitten it.
He quickly shut off the tap.
"What the hell…" he muttered under his breath, heart still racing.
That had been his first real kiss.
Not scripted. Not a safe, camera-friendly fake.
A real one—deep, hot, and… in control.
And the worst part?
He hadn't resisted.
Not only had he not resisted… there was a moment where he'd actually responded.
Noah leaned against the door, head down, biting his bottom lip, shame rising from his throat to his ears.
This was not okay.
Outside the bathroom, Asher was sitting alone in the break area, scrolling on his phone.
The director passed by and clapped him on the shoulder. "Nice improvisation back there. The kid kept up surprisingly well."
Asher smiled faintly. "He didn't."
"Huh?"
"He panicked. But he didn't pull away." Asher's tone was calm. "Interesting."
The director glanced at him and chuckled. "Don't go scaring him off. He's just a baby—completely new to all this."
Asher didn't answer. He looked toward the hallway, as if waiting for someone.
He could tell with one glance—Noah had never been kissed before.
His lips were too raw, his body too stiff, his eyes too real.
And somehow… that kind of inexperience?
Was more captivating than any performance.